Head to head

.25-06 Rem vs .270 Win: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

This page puts .25-06 Rem and .270 Win side by side using only our own ammo guides, .25-06 Rem ammo (12 loads) and .270 Win ammo (37 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, its centerfire rifle standard. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 4–5, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your firearm’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our .25-06 Rem and .270 Win guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	.25-06 Rem	.270 Win
SAAMI name	25-06 REMINGTON [25-06 REM]	270 WINCHESTER [270 WIN]
Drawing issued / revised	05/29/1979 / 04/06/2022	05/29/1979 / 05/04/2022
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	63,000 psi	65,000 psi
Crusher pressure	None listed in our .25-06 guide	52,000 CUP
Cartridge overall length	3.010 in min to 3.250 in max	3.065 in min to 3.340 in max
Case length	2.494 in (−.020)	2.540 in (−.020)
Bullet diameter (as SAAMI prints it)	.2575 in (−.0030)	.278 in (−.003)
Bore / groove diameter	Not yet verified (not in our .25-06 guide)	.270 in / .277 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 10.00 in, right-hand (marked optional), 6 grooves	1 in 10.00 in, right-hand (marked optional), 4 grooves
SAAMI velocity test barrel	24 in standard rifle test barrel (SAAMI’s general statement; not among its listed exceptions)	24.000 in (±.010), 1:10.00 twist, 4 grooves

SAAMI measures pressure by transducer (psi) and, for some cartridges, by crusher (CUP). Compare psi with psi and CUP with CUP, never across. A “None listed” row means our guide records no figure; it is not a statement about the cartridge.

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	.25-06 Rem loads in our table	.270 Win loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 100 to 120 gr, 2,980 to 3,210 fps	test barrel not listed: 13 loads, 130 to 150 gr, 2,830 to 3,060 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 2 loads, 100 to 120 gr, 2,990 to 3,230 fps	test barrel not listed: 9 loads, 100 to 150 gr, 2,850 to 3,320 fps
Hornady	24 in test barrel: 4 loads, 90 to 117 gr, 2,990 to 3,350 fps	24 in test barrel: 8 loads, 130 to 145 gr, 2,940 to 3,200 fps
Nosler	24 in test barrel: 3 loads, 100 to 115 gr, 3,000 to 3,300 fps	24 in test barrel: 7 loads, 130 to 150 gr, 2,800 to 3,075 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables. Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	.25-06 Rem	.270 Win
Federal Barnes TSX	100 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 3,210 fps, 2,288 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P2506H	130 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270L
Federal Fusion Rifle	120 gr Fusion Soft Point, 2,980 fps, 2,366 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F2506FS1	130 gr Fusion Soft Point, 3,050 fps, 2,685 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F270FS1 150 gr Fusion Soft Point, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F270FS2
Federal Power-Shok Rifle	117 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 3,030 fps, 2,385 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 2506BS	130 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 270A 150 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 2,830 fps, 2,667 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 270B
Hornady American Whitetail	117 gr InterLock® BTSP American Whitetail®, 2,990 fps, 2,322 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8144	130 gr InterLock® SP American Whitetail®, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8053 140 gr InterLock® SP American Whitetail®, 2,940 fps, 2,687 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80534
Hornady Precision Hunter	110 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 3,140 fps, 2,408 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8143	145 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 2,970 fps, 2,840 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80536
Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting	115 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting, 3,000 fps, 2,298 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40071	130 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting, 3,075 fps, 2,729 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40062 140 gr Ballistic Tip Hunting, 2,900 fps, 2,613 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40055
Nosler Expansion Tip	100 gr Expansion Tip, 3,200 fps, 2,273 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40238	130 gr Expansion Tip, 2,950 fps, 2,511 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40031
Nosler Trophy Grade Partition	100 gr Partition, 3,300 fps, 2,417 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60005	130 gr Partition, 3,050 fps, 2,685 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 61024
Remington Core-Lokt	100 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 3,230 fps, 2,316 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21507 120 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 2,990 fps, 2,382 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21515	100 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 3,320 fps, 2,447 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21325 130 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27808 150 gr Core-Lokt Soft Point, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27810

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 63,000 psi by transducer for .25-06 Rem and 65,000 psi by transducer (plus 52,000 CUP by crusher) for .270 Win. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.
If bullet weight is your question: the .25-06 Rem loads in our table run from 90 gr (Hornady Superformance CX 814464) to 120 gr (Federal Fusion Rifle F2506FS1). The .270 Win loads run from 100 gr (Remington Core-Lokt 21325) to 150 gr (Federal Fusion Rifle F270FS2). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest .25-06 Rem muzzle velocities in our table are 2,980 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Fusion Rifle F2506FS1) and 3,350 fps, 24 in test barrel (Hornady Superformance CX 814464). For .270 Win they are 2,800 fps, 24 in test barrel (Nosler Trophy Grade Partition (RMEF) 61235) and 3,320 fps, test barrel not listed (Remington Core-Lokt 21325). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without subtracting.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: of the .25-06 Rem loads, 7 list 24 in, 5 with no test barrel listed; of the .270 Win loads, 22 with no test barrel listed, 15 list 24 in. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 and the maker pages in our guides.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each, with case length 2.494 in (−.020) for .25-06 Rem and 2.540 in (−.020) for .270 Win, and cartridge overall length 3.010 in min to 3.250 in max and 3.065 in min to 3.340 in max. Check the cartridge named in your firearm’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Not yet verified

Makers and loads missing from either guide’s table (for example Winchester or SIG Sauer, where a guide says so) are listed in the “Not yet verified” section of that guide.
SAAMI reference velocities are not copied in our guides, because the PDF text does not clearly pair each weight with its velocity.
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
Maker status (in stock, discontinued) is not shown here. See each guide for the status wording on the maker pages.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our .25-06 Rem ammo and .270 Win ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, .243 Win vs .270 Win, .270 Win vs .308 Win, .30-06 vs .270 Win, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases and all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for .25-06 Rem and .270 Win?

SAAMI lists 63,000 psi (transducer) for .25-06 Rem, and 65,000 psi (transducer), and 52,000 CUP (crusher) for .270 Win, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Which test barrel do the makers list?

It varies by maker and load. Our tables show the barrel each maker page lists next to every velocity, and many pages list none. See the ranges table above.

Which is better, .25-06 Rem or .270 Win?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (.25-06 Rem ammo and .270 Win ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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