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.270 Win vs .308 Win: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

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

This page puts .270 Win and .308 Win side by side using only our own ammo guides, .270 Win ammo (37 loads) and .308 Win ammo (86 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, 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 rifle’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 (approved Feb. 10, 2025), as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our .270 Win and .308 Win guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	.270 Win	.308 Win
SAAMI name	270 WINCHESTER [270 WIN]	308 WINCHESTER [308 WIN]
Drawing issued / revised	05/29/1979 / 05/04/2022	05/29/1979 / 06/03/2022 (test barrel drawing issued 05/20/1980, revised 07/12/2023)
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	65,000 psi	62,000 psi
Crusher pressure	52,000 CUP	52,000 CUP
Cartridge overall length	3.065 in min to 3.340 in max	2.490 in to 2.810 in
Case length	2.540 in (−.020)	Not yet verified (not in our .308 guide)
Bullet diameter	.278 in (−.003)	Not yet verified (not in our .308 guide)
Bore / groove diameter	.270 in / .277 in	.300 in / .308 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 10.00 in, right-hand (marked optional), 4 grooves	12.00 in right-hand twist, 4 grooves
SAAMI reference velocity	Not copied (the PDF text does not clearly pair each weight with its velocity)	Not copied (same reason)
SAAMI velocity test barrel	24.000 in (±.010), 1:10.00 twist, 4 grooves	24.000 in, 12.00 in twist, 4 grooves

SAAMI measures pressure two ways for both cartridges, by transducer and by crusher; compare psi with psi and CUP with CUP, not across.

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	.270 Win loads in our table	.308 Win loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 13 loads, 130 to 150 gr, 2,830 to 3,060 fps	test barrel not listed: 26 loads, 130 to 205 gr, 1,000 to 3,050 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 9 loads, 100 to 150 gr, 2,850 to 3,320 fps	test barrel not listed: 16 loads, 150 to 205 gr, 1,050 to 2,840 fps
Hornady	24 in test barrel: 8 loads, 130 to 145 gr, 2,940 to 3,200 fps	13 in test barrel: 1 load, 178 gr, 2,260 fps 24 in test barrel: 21 loads, 125 to 180 gr, 2,600 to 3,000 fps
Berger	—	26 in test barrel: 7 loads, 155.5 to 200.2 gr, 2,532 to 3,000 fps
Nosler	24 in test barrel: 7 loads, 130 to 150 gr, 2,800 to 3,075 fps	24 in test barrel: 12 loads, 110 to 175 gr, 2,600 to 3,150 fps test barrel not listed: 3 loads, 168 to 175 gr, 2,600 to 2,750 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	.270 Win	.308 Win
Federal Barnes TSX	130 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270L	150 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 2,820 fps, 2,648 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308V 165 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 2,650 fps, 2,573 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308H
Federal Berger Hybrid Hunter	140 gr Berger Hybrid, 2,950 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270BCH1	168 gr Berger, 2,700 fps, 2,719 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308BCH1
Federal ELD-X	145 gr ELD-X, 2,890 fps, 2,689 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270ELDX1	178 gr ELD-X, 2,610 fps, 2,692 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308ELDX1
Federal Terminal Ascent	136 gr Terminal Ascent, 3,000 fps, 2,718 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270TA1	175 gr Terminal Ascent, 2,600 fps, 2,627 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308TA1
Federal Trophy Bonded Tip	130 gr Trophy Bonded Tip, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270TT1 140 gr Trophy Bonded Tip, 2,950 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270TT3	165 gr Trophy Bonded Tip, 2,700 fps, 2,671 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308TT2 180 gr Trophy Bonded Tip, 2,620 fps, 2,743 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308TT1
Federal Trophy Copper	130 gr Trophy Copper, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270TC1	150 gr Trophy Copper, 2,820 fps, 2,648 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308TC3 165 gr Trophy Copper, 2,700 fps, 2,671 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P308TC2
Remington Core-Lokt	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	150 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 2,820 fps, 2,648 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27842 180 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 2,620 fps, 2,743 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21479 180 gr Core-Lokt Soft Point, 2,620 fps, 2,743 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27844
Remington Core-Lokt Copper	130 gr Copper HP, 2,965 fps, 2,537 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R27855	150 gr Copper HP, 2,820 fps, 2,648 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R27854
Remington Core-Lokt Tipped	130 gr Core-Lokt Tipped, 3,080 fps, 2,738 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29019	150 gr Core-Lokt Tipped, 2,840 fps, 2,686 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29039 165 gr Core-Lokt Tipped, 2,700 fps, 2,671 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29044 180 gr Core-Lokt Tipped, 2,640 fps, 2,785 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29041
Remington Premier CuT	130 gr Copper Tipped, 3,010 fps, 2,615 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R22337	150 gr Copper Tipped, 2,800 fps, 2,611 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R22344
Remington Premier Long Range	150 gr Speer Impact, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R21342	172 gr Speer Impact, 2,635 fps, 2,651 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R21345
Remington Premier Scirocco	130 gr Swift Scirocco Bonded, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29322	165 gr Swift Scirocco Bonded, 2,680 fps, 2,631 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29332
Hornady American Whitetail	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	150 gr InterLock SP, 2,820 fps, 2,649 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8090 165 gr InterLock SP, 2,700 fps, 2,671 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80904
Hornady Outfitter	130 gr. CX® Outfitter®, 3,000 fps, 2,597 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 805294	150 gr CX, 2,800 fps, 2,611 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80982 165 gr CX, 2,610 fps, 2,496 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 809864
Hornady Precision Hunter	145 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 2,970 fps, 2,840 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80536	178 gr ELD-X, 2,600 fps, 2,671 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80994
Hornady Superformance	130 gr. CX® Superformance®, 3,190 fps, 2,937 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80524 130 gr SST® Superformance®, 3,200 fps, 2,956 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80543 140 gr SST® Superformance®, 3,090 fps, 2,968 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80563	150 gr SST, 3,000 fps, 2,997 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80933 150 gr CX, 2,900 fps, 2,801 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80944 165 gr SST, 2,840 fps, 2,955 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80983 165 gr CX, 2,750 fps, 2,771 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80990 180 gr SST, 2,650 fps, 2,807 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80772
Nosler Ballistic Tip Hunting	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	125 gr Ballistic Tip, 3,100 fps, 2,667 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40061 150 gr Ballistic Tip, 2,800 fps, 2,611 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 61028 165 gr Ballistic Tip, 2,800 fps, 2,871 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40063
Nosler Expansion Tip	130 gr Expansion Tip, 2,950 fps, 2,511 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40031	168 gr Expansion Tip (lead-free), 2,750 fps, 2,820 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 40035
Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond	130 gr AccuBond, 3,075 fps, 2,729 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60025	150 gr AccuBond, 2,875 fps, 2,752 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60056 165 gr AccuBond, 2,800 fps, 2,871 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60049
Nosler Trophy Grade AccuBond Long Range	150 gr AccuBond Long Range, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60125	168 gr AccuBond Long Range, 2,750 fps, 2,820 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60101
Nosler Trophy Grade Partition (RMEF)	150 gr Partition, 2,800 fps, 2,611 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 61235	165 gr Partition, 2,800 fps, 2,871 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 60053

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 65,000 psi by transducer for .270 Win and 62,000 psi for .308 Win, and 52,000 CUP by crusher for both. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.
If bullet weight is your question: the .270 Win loads in our table run from 100 gr (Remington Core-Lokt 21325) to 150 gr (Federal Fusion Rifle F270FS2). The .308 Win loads run from 110 gr (Nosler Varmageddon 40272) to 205 gr (Federal Subsonic 308SUB1). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest .270 Win muzzle velocities in our table 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). For .308 Win they are 1,000 fps, test barrel not listed (Federal Subsonic F308TF3SUB) and 3,150 fps, 24 in test barrel (Nosler Varmageddon 40272). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without a difference. Sources: those maker pages.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: SAAMI’s rifle test barrel is 24.000 in for both cartridges. Many maker pages list a different barrel or none, as the tables above show. 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 linked above.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each. It lists case length 2.540 in (−.020) and cartridge overall length 3.065 in min to 3.340 in max for .270 Win, and cartridge overall length 2.490 in to 2.810 in for .308 Win. Bore and groove are .270 in / .277 in and .300 in / .308 in. Our .308 guide does not record the SAAMI case length or bullet diameter (Not yet verified). Check the cartridge named in your rifle’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Not yet verified

Winchester and SIG Sauer loads are not in either guide’s table (see the “Not yet verified” section of each guide).
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
The .308 SAAMI case length and bullet diameter are not recorded in our .308 guide, so they are not shown.
The .308 guide also lists match, varmint and subsonic loads; the .270 guide lists hunting loads only. The load counts are not like-for-like, so the table counts say nothing about popularity.
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 .270 Win ammo and .308 Win ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, .308 Win vs .30-06, .308 Win vs .300 Win Mag, 6.5 Creedmoor vs 6.5 PRC, .30-06 vs .270 Win, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases, 300 BLK vs .308 Win and .243 Win vs .270 Win, .25-06 vs .270 Win, 7mm-08 vs .308 Win, all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for .270 Win and .308 Win?

SAAMI lists 65,000 psi (transducer) and 52,000 CUP (crusher) for .270 Win, and 62,000 psi (transducer) and 52,000 CUP (crusher) for .308 Win, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Which test barrel do the makers list?

It varies by maker and load. SAAMI's rifle test barrel is 24 in for both cartridges. Our tables show the barrel each maker page lists next to every velocity, and many pages list none.

Which is better, .270 Win or .308 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 (.270 Win ammo and .308 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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