Looking for some advice 207 moa or 30-06 moa..........

[greyghost]

Looking for a deer and elk gun with range of 500 yards thinking of 270 moa or 30-06 moa what do ya think?

[Selous]

Either will do the job;....at 500 yards I'd personally go with the 30 caliber; better wind buffeting capability for cross canyon distance shots! I should also note however, that Mr. Jack O'Connor thought highly of the .270;.....he certainly demonstrated it's potential on many trophy animals. The deciding factor is rarely the caliber of bullet, but rather the "caliber" of the shooter, using the rifle. Best to you, success in your hunting efforts!

[John A Spencer]

I agree either will do the job, however, I would chose the 270.  I have been shooting one for 25+ years and it is nearly the perfect round.  Flat shooting and hard hitting is a great combination.  I think the 30-06 has a lot more recoil.  If you are going to hunt deer and elk did you look at the Winchester Short Magnums?  The vanguards come in the 270WSM and the 300WSM both in Sub MOA rifles as well and out perform both rounds and you get a short action.  Good Luck.

[Chip]

At 500 yards on Elk your going to be pushing your luck with either one of these rounds.
You will be pushing it less with the 06.  I'm not saying it has not been done or you can't do it but I think 300-350 would be a better outter limit for a 270 or 06.

[bustinbirds]

I would have to say that your best bet shooting out to 500 yards is the .300 WSM. Between the .270 and .30-06, I believe your flattest shooting round will be the 130gr .270 load, but don't quote me on that. At 150grs the .270 and .30-06 will be nearly identical with the .30 having the slight advantage in terms of velocity and energy. The idea of a WSM at those distances makes more sense to me than a standard .270 or '06 but keep in mind that ammunition prices and recoil will both increase. Personally I would go with the stainless sub-moa in .270 win for my own personal needs, which does not include shooting at 500 yards, but I'm sure it can be done. Hope I could be of some assistance.

[dubyam]

There may be merit in the Elk at 500yd concern with either of these rounds.  I've not hunted elk at any distance, much less 500yds, but they're big, tenacious creatures from what I hear, and I'd rather have more reach.  Options abound, including the WSM's as have already been mentioned, and also the 7mmRemMag, 300WinMag, 300Wby, all of which are available in the rifle you have selected.  If you handload, you could make any of these rounds in the magnum class shoot like the 30-06, but if you're limited to factory ammo, I'd go with the 7mmRemMag, as it has the ability to launch 175gr bullets at roughly 2850 out of the 24" barrel of the Vanguard, which ought to be enough to reach out across 500yds and touch an elk just right.  Energy at that distance would be on the order of just above 1500lbs, which I have on good authority is plenty for elk.  You could even go to something like a 160gr bullet of heavy construction and have even slightly more velocity and energy, which would only enhance your prospects.  The nice thing about the 7mmRemMag is that it is an easy round to shoot with only slightly more recoil than the 30-06, if more at all.  It is a very manageable round with plenty of reach and potential.  Factory ammo is going to be a tad more than the 30-06/270Win, though not a ton more, and in line with or below the price of everything else mentioned.

Really, if you think you're going to shoot past about 350yds, more depends on the shooter than the rifle when you're talking about the rounds mentioned here.  Practice a ton, and you'll be fine no matter what you choose.  And with regard to your original question, the Sub-MOA Vanguard is one fine rifle, for sure.

[zonie]

Hi GG:  All the posts are very good.  My all time favorite Elk rifle is a 270 win and have taken more Elk with it than any other cal,  because that's what my parents used and I grew up using.  I  bought my first one 30 yrs or so ago,  but I do think the 30-06 and larger 30 's  are a little more versitle,  I  limit myselt to no more than 400  yds, and use only premium bullets that drive thru the vitals at any angle.  Killing an Elk is not that hard so long as you hit it in right spot,  If you don't we are talking a whole different story.  Rifle/caliber/ killing is the easy part,  now what do you do when you got it down ?  I can't tell you how many times I have helped inexperienced  hunters out because they were just not prepared  or didn't have the right equipment to haul out Elk in rough country.  Good hunters help others.

[gwebb]

I think there is a lot to say about being ready to deal with an Elk. The largest one I took, some 12 years ago field dressed at 1,265. I couldn't pick up and carry a quarter. Also gutting requires cutting the stomch loose bling. When its skinned it will slide off the hide. No you can't lift it. BTW the one I was refering to was a 7X7.

[drypowder]

All I can say is be carefull, I shoot a 270 hand loads 140 gr accubonds. I also shoot a 300 WBY in 200 gr accubonds. As with many quality tough jacketed bullets they need some speed to properly expand and create a good wound channel. Many of these bullets may need speeds of 1800 ft/sec. to properly work (from what i have read). The 30 caliber mags give the best bullets selections for hunting deer, elk and moose.  I punched a bull moose at 450-475 with my 270 before I bought my accumark, the bullet went in broke a rib on one side and just poked into the lung, after that I thought need a good mag, so that is what i bought. This year a dropped a good bull elk at 528 yds with the range finder I took out both lungs also broke the rib on the far side and he still ran nearly 100 more yards before it was over. A long pack by myself but it was done and took all day (buy a good pack board). If i used the 270 or a 3006 I doubt that the second lung would have been touched and the pack may have been a lot longer. Actually i would not have shot at that distance with my 270, a deer yes an elk or moose no.
Happy hunting 

[joboo45]

I am a huge fan of the .270 win. and one of my .270's, a gift from good ol' grandpa, has taken many NM elk but after careful stalking and a very carefully placed shot.  I however do not stalk as well as grandpa so I use the .270 alot but when the prospect of an Elk hunt came up I just bought a 300wby that would work for elk or most generally any large or dangerous game found in the lower 48.  If I had to make a choice and could only have one large rifle I would go with the .270wsm.  I have read nothing but good reviews on the .270wsm and most reported that it took everything that was right with the .270win and made it better with only a minimal increase in recoil that wasn't all that noticeable.  I think the .270wsm would be a cal. that you would be happy to own every day but would still have the punch needed to reach out and touch elk at long ranges.  that being said I would still try to stalk them in closer than 500yds, the slightest bobble by the shooter can result in a horrible shot at that range and it wouldn't matter what cal. you're shooting, it's gonna spell trouble.

[Salty]

I think you need more cushion and would recommend you move towards picking a used Mark V in 270 WM or preferably 300 WM. You generally can find a good used one for under $1000 - often the 270 WM runs around $700. If you want a Vanguard then 300 WSM would be a good starting point. A sub-MOA is not required for big game hunting - practice with your rifle is.