243 vs 270 Winchester Review & Comparison

0:00 Intro
1:32 243 Winchester vs 270 Winchester Cartridge History & Development
11:25 Cartridge Sizes
13:08 Trajectory & Kinetic Energy
17:27 Wind Deflection
18:57 Recoil
19:41 Other Factors: Frontal Area, Sectional Density, & BC
24:35 Ammo Selection
27:05 Rifle Selection
29:41 243 Winchester vs 270 Winchester: Which one is right for you?
To learn more about popular calibers like the 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester visit: huntingguns101.com/optin16151...
In this video, I conduct a detailed comparison of the 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester cartridges.
The 243 Winchester and 270 Winchester are both popular and effective centerfire rifle cartridges with dedicated fan bases and there's a good amount of overlap in their capabilities and best uses. However, there are also some big differences in the cartridges and each is definitely suited for specific tasks.
In this episode, I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the 243 vs 270 in order to give you the information necessary to choose the right one for your needs.
To read a more detailed comparison of the 243 vs 270, visit:
thebiggamehuntingblog.com/243...
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243 vs 270 Winchester
270 vs 243 Winchester

[@Jeff_Seely]

Outstanding John! From my youth, I've loved my 270 and I am 52. It fits the central Texas Hill Country deer hunter quite well. And you are right. If all my conditions are favorable, my limit is 350 yards and I consider myself quite well practiced with my 270. I've never been much for trying to take a buck from distances where too many variables exist. I try to keep in great shape and If there's more distance, I close it because it is responsible toward my fellow hunters and to the habitat. My wife's rifle is a 243 and I love that rifle too. Just as you said. Mild recoil and quite accurate. Really you covered two rounds that are probably the most popular in Texas. Take care and I enjoyed it.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Thanks Jeff. It's always great to hear from you and I'm glad you enjoyed this video.

[@dalanwanbdiska6542]

My bro dropped a moose with his 243 @ 400 yards. Double lung shot. Bullet went right through. About a month ago.

[@johannesvanhoek9080]

I have a savage 99 in cal. 243 and a MANNLICHER Schonauer in cal. 270 , To me it all comes down to bullet placement, if I had to make a choice I would say the caliber 270 would be my Preference ! PS. Love your videos by the way, very informative and helpful ! 👍

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Thanks, glad you enjoy these videos!

[@davewinter2688]

A fair comparison. We all have our favorites and a lot of folks get defensive when told that something smaller will do just as good a job at dispatching whatever game as their 427 belted Super Collider. I'm coming up on 70 years old. Been hunting for close to 60 years and hand loading for rifles, hand guns and shotguns for almost 50 years. It took me a long time admit that the 243 was just as good for deer at almost any ethical shooting distance as my beloved 270. I don't believe either are really great for varmint hunting unless you only care that the offending critter is grave yard dead and you don't care about pelt damage. I know that there are a few shooters who can consistently put a round from a 243 in just the right spot on an elk if they can get close enough but it would not be my choice. Now days if I was healthy enough to go elk hunting and only had my 270 I would choose the 160 grain Nosler Partition in the most accurate hunting load I could cook up. Not a really high BC bullet but with a sectional density of 0.298 should be a really good penetrator. However I would rather have something with a larger diameter heavier bullet in 30 caliber or larger. I have 300 H&H, 338-06, 358 Winchester and 35 Whelen to choose from. All heavier recoil than 270 but none as heavy as as 338 Win Mag or 375 H&H which some think is minimum for elk. For the young hunter who's quarry is going to be 99% deer or Pronghorn sized game and can afford only one rifle I would suggest a compromise with the 25-06 Remington or even a 257 Roberts if hand loading is an option. A little heavier bullets than 243 with good ballistic characteristics, plenty of velocity to be flat shooting with somewhat less recoil than the 270. Better choice for Elk than 243. Good of you to mention that Jack O'Connor hunted with other calibers than 270. He used 7x57, 30-06, 300 mag (a Weatherby I think) and others. For those who have read or believe the internet nonsense that O'Connor only used the 270, in his "Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns" wherein he wrote about the characteristics of many cartridges he did say "....if I could have only one rifle to hunt the world over it would be the .375 H&H Magnum. If I could have a second rifle if would be 270 Winchester". Happy hunting boys and girls.😄

[@robertfree1908]

I’ve used the 2 since the ‘80s. Since I’m after deer and hogs usually I’ve leaned towards the 270 more. I like both with the 270 my fave cartridge of all cartridges that I’ve used. The 270 has given me the most reach with the most power vs recoil of any that I’ve used. I don’t mind the recoil of a 7mag at all. I’ve used it the 2nd most on deer/hog kills. But I find the 270, for me, is just better than the 7 mag. I don’t notice a difference in performance but there is a noticeable difference in recoil. Which makes a point really for the 243: great performance with little recoil. I agree with your assessment of limiting your range with the 243 on big game. There is very much a difference in hitting power at longer range between it and the 270. Really enjoyed the video. Thank you. I’d like to see one on the 35 Rem vs the 358 Win vs the 35 Whelen vs the 358 Norma. I know there’s quite a bit of disparity between each. But there’s quite a bit of disparity in terrain and ranges at which we hunt. And I just love the medium bores. Thanks again

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Thanks Robert. Good idea with a comparison regarding the various .35 caliber cartridges

[@davewinter2688]

Good suggestion. I second the motion. I have all those calibers except the Norma.

[@toddhuff6007]

Great info as always. How about comparing the .243 win vs 25-06 rem next ? 😉

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Great suggestion!

[@patrickrodriguez320]

Finally picked up a 243 and it feels like the best damn thing everyone knows about but doesn't really talk about and has the biggest variety of ammo at Walmarts for some reason. Always used a 270 but feel that the 243 is good for everything including elk

[@concernedaussie1330]

Comment before watching video! 1st I own & hunted with both of these cartridges. 243 is a great round ! BUT 270 smokes it for dropping stuff in its tracks . Dam Remington 150gr corelokt is 1/2 moa in my marlin xl7 . I couldn’t believe it , I bought 200 rds on sale to plink with & reload the brass !That combo shoots so well & hits so hard , I don’t target shoot that rifle anymore. The 243 kills just fine , just a little slower & not as spectacular. The 270 / 150gr corelokt’s sends a deep positive WHOP across the field! It’s not funny but everyone that’s been with me when I hit something with the 270 basically laugh’s while commentating about how hard that was hit or the sound it makes. Truely awesome rifle / cartridge combo. On with the video.

[@ronladuke7235]

Never owned either one because I had a 22-250 a 25-06 and a 7mm rem mag and a custom 340 Weatherby mag. Back in the late 1970s when I was getting into bolt guns and reloading I wanted something less common than the 243-308- 270 and 30-06 not that those aren’t all fine cartridges and many of my friends used them!

[@deltaforcereviews]

243 win for deer and 270 win for Elk …

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Not a bad way to do things

[@sergiolazzaro7970]

Since I bought the 270 I sold my 30 calibers except for one 7.65 Argentine Mauser that didn't pay me what I deserved--- and I started using the 270 for hunting and informal long range practice... however it broke the reflectors on the silencers. ... now I use the 223 55 grain with a pvc pipe silencer and interpose them with the parabola of the 270 140 interlock... I count 50 meters less from 500 yards and 100 from 650 yards.... .. zero problem the perfect combination between practice and long range hunting... today 700 meters is possible and I reached the limit of 270

[@kerrypurcell6022]

i have used both for many years here in idaho,,the 243 is considered better for elk than the 270,, it hits harder,, shoots flatter, penetrates better,, in real world use,, the243 is also a very fine bear gun as well,

[@rexnex277]

Statistics on the .270 and the .243 would suggest that the 270 hits harder and shoots flatter and penetrates. better than the .243 so would be a better elk and bear rifle.

[@concernedaussie1330]

@@rexnex277 100% my own experience is a night & day difference. 270 all the way .

[@stealth5959]

For small game I load my 270 with 90gn or 110gn sierra hollow points, end result it looks like they swallowed a hand grenade. A 243 hasn't got the wacking power. But the 130gn sierra or nosler boat tail are my favourite.

[@rationalmind6362]

I would like to know more about the 7x57 and how it compares to the 7mm08 and other comparable cartridges. I ran across an unfired 1976 ruger m77 that my ffl is holding for me. I've heard horror stories on that particular rifle in that cartridge however I don't plan on buying it for benchrest, just hunting with a max 250yd range and I believe the accuracy would be acceptable with a bullet weight it likes. Thanks, I love the channel.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

What have you heard about the 7mm Mauser in the Ruger M77? That's a great cartridge and a fantastic rifle in general and I have not heard anything specific about that combination one way or another. Long story short, the 7x57mm Mauser will deliver similar performance to the 7mm-08 (possibly a little better, especially with handloads).

[@sergiolazzaro7970]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog el 7 x 57 = s270 con carga light

[@fishermandancrook]

Yessssss! The two best commercial calibres!

[@fishermandancrook]

Finally!

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Haha, glad I could make you happy!

[@jeffreywilson690]

You really can't equate the two the 270 win with the correct twist will stand up very well with a 6.8 Western and the 243 will stand on its own feet especially with the correct twist

[@silaspierre1377]

can we please get a 6.5 PRC , 7mm PRC and 300 prc compairison?

[@keithprinn720]

the 6.5 creed was never a favourite but from these comparisons I can see the versatility of it with loads from around 100 up to the 150 grains these days. but getting a classic old school wood stock 270 fits the bill so much and the 243 up to whitetails of course. I do not see the creed for larger game there the 270 could be a better option. Like many here like Jeff below I have reasonable ranges in mind.

[@RT-gv6us]

I am not allowed to comment on this thread due to the fact that I have BOTH the 270 and the 243. What can I say? I cannot tell you to buy one over the other. They are that good. My only advice would be GET BOTH. For coyote and deer out to 300 yards the 243 is a hammer, but attention does not to be paid to bullet construction. The recoil of my 243 is almost nothing. The 270 has more recoil but is my favorite deer/elk rifle. Crazy easy to reload for. It shoots almost anything you feed it into very small groups.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Nothing wrong with having both! What ammo do you use in your 270 for elk?

[@RT-gv6us]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog For elk I use the 130g Barnes TTSX with a stout dose of Hunter powder by Ramshot. For deer hunting I use the 110g Barnes TTSX with the same powder. I have had the 110g up to 3500+ fps with no signs of pressure, but backed it down to 3410 fps. It is deadly on North Idaho Whitetail.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Good deal!

[@markgalyen38]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog I've always in the past preferred Remington 150 grn round nose core lokt for the 270. It's worked wonderful on elk. But I can't find it anymore...

[@jameseroh6544]

Recently I started buying rifles to teach the grandkids in the family shooting. I got a variety of rifles. So the kids would have experience, rather than braggart stories to understand the calibers. I bought bb guns and 22lr rifles for the basic skills. For the bigger rifles. I bought 10 boxes of ammo. Then would find a rifle. The 270 Win was easy! The 308 Win was easy. The 6.5 Creedmore was easy. The 350 Legend was easy. The 223/5.56 was easy. The 243 Win ammo was nowhere to be found. So I never bought one.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

Funny how that works out sometimes isn't it? I'm glad I had other options besides the 243 and 7mm-08 these past couple of years. Things are better now, but those 2 cartridges were tough to get ammo for around me for a long time!

[@anthonyfairbanks2952]

I have a Remington 700 in 243 & a H&R 270win

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

What all have you taken with them?

[@anthonyfairbanks2952]

Deer and Coyote's

[@jaybailleaux630]

The only downside to the 270 compared to the 243 is recoil. All the 270s I used and sighted in for other Hunters were more accurate. That does not mean the 270 is inherently more accurate than the 243. The 270 makes a better long range predator varmint cartridge to me. Cut many jack rabbits in half with the 270.

[@Thebiggamehuntingblog]

What ammo were you using in the 270 for varmints/predators?

[@jaybailleaux630]

@@Thebiggamehuntingblog I'm a hand loader . Never killed a deer with factory ammo . Been rolling my own since age 11. That was 53 years ago. The load back then was anywhere from 58 to 60 grains of H4831 a and a Hornady 130 flat base bullet. Now prefer a 130 Gameking. The Jack rabbit kills was goof off time at the end of a deer hunt in Junction Texas. The standard cup and core 130 grain bullets are too soft at 270 velocity in my opinion for deer. It makes a mess on the light body hill country deer . I now use a down loaded 30-06 with 180 gr . bullet.

[@davewinter2688]

@@jaybailleaux630Try a 150 grain bullet at around 2800 fps or so in the 270. A plain cup and core design will do. Or you can spend the money on a partition type bullet. Flatter shooting than the 180. Plenty deadly on deer without destroying a lot of meat.

[@decibellone696]

you must really make some money splitting hairs. but come on... most hunters, there are 5 or 6 rounds that will do the job , some will even save you money - 243 will not save you money. when 270 is cheap and will do whatever you need it to.