Mixed boxes of 270 and 30.06 ammo.

dan4nier · November 12, 2011, 10:46 AM

My dad recently passed away so I inherited his guns etc. He owned among others, a 270 and a 30.06. He had several boxes of ammo with mixed 270 and 30.06 cartridges in them. I'm no stranger to handguns, but fairly new to rifles. I've done some searches online and found plenty of comparisons for trajectory, ballistics, etc. What I really need to know is... is this ammo interchangeable? I don't want to put the wrong cartridge in the wrong gun and have catostrophic results. Any help is appreciated.

mrawesome22 · November 12, 2011, 11:00 AM

No, they are not interchangable.

A rifle chambered in 270Win takes a 270Win shell and a rifle chambered in 30-06Springfield takes a 30-06Springfield shell.

Same goes with your handguns. Good luck and be careful.

Jbotto · November 12, 2011, 11:00 AM

Nope, Not interchangeable. It's easy enough to sort it out by headstamp, so go ahead and do yourself a favor. Enjoy your father's guns, and don't ever sell them! At this point those guns are meant to be passed down.

dan4nier · November 12, 2011, 11:20 AM

I've read that 30.06 cartridges can be reloaded for 270. Any noticeable differences?

Discern · November 12, 2011, 11:22 AM

Look at the headstamp or base of the cartridge case to help identify the cartridge. However, be aware that caliber cases may be resized for a different caliber. Are these cartridges reloads or factory new? If they are reloads, who did them? If your dad did them, was his mental ability impaired at any time (stroke or poorer memory from old age)?

Discern · November 12, 2011, 11:32 AM

One method to help identify the cartridges is to use a caliper to measure the bullet diameter. I would also suggest measurements and comparisons to a factory new cartridge or new case. If any doubts, find a good, reputable gun smith or shop owner to help you out.

dan4nier · November 12, 2011, 11:58 AM

They're reloads. They were done 20+ years ago. I'll take them to my gun shop to be safe. I think they were done for 270 because he bought the 30.06 within the last 5 years.

**44 AMP** · November 12, 2011, 12:25 PM

The .30-06 and the .270 have virtually identical case dimensions, except for the bullet. If your eyes are good, you can compare the two side by side and see the difference.

If not, use a caliper (or micrometer) to measure the bullet at the case mouth. .270 is approx .277" and .30-06 is approx .308".

Reloaders have, for many decades used 06 brass to make .270s, and vice versa. Going by the case headstamp alone is not enough except for ammo you know for certain is factory made.

Back in my younger days, when every case was worth its weight in gold, I made .308WIN cases from .270 brass (which required a bit of work), but they worked fine, and I still have a few.

Measure the bullet diameters, then you will know for sure.

briandg · November 12, 2011, 12:28 PM

They are reloads with no history attached. I suggest that you get rid of them, not shoot them. Start fresh with new brass.

A lot of people are obviously going to disagree. The thing is, you don't know how many loads have run throguh them, what rifle, or even if they are safe to use in that one. It could be that they are crap handloads that he inherited from someone else, and just stuck them into a cabinet and forgot.

jimmythegeek · November 12, 2011, 01:12 PM

When I find something in the back of the fridge and I'm not sure about it, I go through the "best case/worst case" comparison. Best case: don't have to make any food, I can just eat this. Worst case: sick like a dog for 1 or more days.

With "several" boxes, that's what, $90 max if you compare them to retail? Maybe $50 if you compare with reload costs? Unless they are really big boxes...I think the potential downside outweighs any upside.

I'm a newb, going to reload but haven't yet, so I have no experience. On the forums, seems all the reloaders are very leery of mystery reloads.

mrawesome22 · November 12, 2011, 01:22 PM

Quote:

The .30-06 and the .270 have virtually identical case dimensions, except for the bullet. If your eyes are good, you can compare the two side by side and see the difference.

If not, use a caliper (or micrometer) to measure the bullet at the case mouth. .270 is approx .277" and .30-06 is approx .308".

Reloaders have, for many decades used 06 brass to make .270s, and vice versa. Going by the case headstamp alone is not enough except for ammo you know for certain is factory made.

Back in my younger days, when every case was worth its weight in gold, I made .308WIN cases from .270 brass (which required a bit of work), but they worked fine, and I still have a few.

This.

And if you can't read calipers, or don't have any, try and chamber them in the 270Win. A 30-06Springfield won't chamber in a 270Win. 270Win will however chamber in a 30-06 gun.

Hell, maybe they are 25-06Rem just to add to the confusion lol.

Both 270Win and 25-06Rem are just a 30-06Springfield case necked down to .277" and .257" bullet diameters.

If it were me, I'd dig a hole, chuck 'em in, fill hole back in. My face and hands are too valuable to be shooting reloads that may have been filled with 70 grains of Bullseye by someone who had no clue what they were doing.

dan4nier · November 12, 2011, 01:37 PM

Thanks for the replies.

doofus47 · November 12, 2011, 03:52 PM

If you don't trust the headstamp, you can always stick the bullet-end of the unfired cartridges into the barrels of the rifles. The .270s *should* be swallowed by the 30 caliber 30-06 diameter up to the brass. The 30-06 bullets should not go all the way into the 30 caliber barrel (unless it's completely worn out).

Or just ditch 'em all and buy new....

Navy joe · November 12, 2011, 04:16 PM

20 year old reloads of cartridges that can use the same case but end up with the wrong headstamp. Hmm. Toss and start fresh, you start this life with one face, how many you have when you finish is up to you.

jmr40 · November 12, 2011, 06:13 PM

The 30-06 brass is the parent to many cartridges. The 270,280, 25-06, 35 Whelen, 338-06 and a couple of others are simply 30-06 cases where the neck is basically resized to .27, .28, .25, .35, .or .33 caliber. It is easy to take 30-06 brass and resize it to these cartridges. I own a 338-06 and make my brass from 30-06 brass. They are .338 cal, but will have 30-06 stamped on them. It is quite possible someone used 30-06 brass to make 270 cartridges at one time. Or 270 brass to make 30-06 cartridges.

Either way, I don't trust unknown handlaods. I'd toss them and start with cartridges of known quality.

chris in va · November 12, 2011, 06:20 PM

I wouldn't even bother chambering them. Just stick the bullet in the muzzle.

I've resized dozens of 270's for my Garand, just have to do a bit of extra trimming.

warbirdlover · November 12, 2011, 11:57 PM

It's a short life. Get rid of them. You don't know how many times those cases have been fired. How well they were re-sized and on and on. I would never fire reloads someone else made and that's what you would be doing.

briandg · November 13, 2011, 12:10 AM

we all sort of forgot that there are probably a dozen "improved" versions of the 30-06 and it's child cartridges where minor alterations were made.

Just too much uncertainty in my book.

Scorch · November 13, 2011, 05:19 AM

FWIW, 30-06 is not the parent case for the 270 Winchester. That honor belongs the the 30-03 case. Winchester was kind of weird that way, always wanting to be different, similar reason the .270 uses a .277" bullet instead of using the available .284" 7mm bullets. The 30-03 is also the parent case for the 30-06, in case you were wondering. And no, they are not the same.

jmr40 · November 13, 2011, 12:29 PM

Technically correct, but splitting hairs in my opinion. The 30-03 only existed as an experimental platform to develop what eventually became the 30-06. Only a handful of 30-03 rifles were ever chambered before the military made a last minute decision to drop the 220 gr bullet in favor of a 150 gr bullet.

They made some very, very, minor changes to the 30-03 case to better work with the 150 gr bullet resulting in the 30-06. The changes were in fact so minor that existing 30-03 rifles could shoot both 30-03 and 30-06 ammo interchangeably. It was not safe however to shoot the 30-03 ammo in the 30-06 rifles.

rr2241tx · November 14, 2011, 04:29 PM

.30-03 was issued then withdrawn in favor of the .30-06, true, but when the Army surplused the bulk of their Great War rifles, a lot of them were freshened up by chambering in .30-03 to clean up the throats and shortening the barrel to remove an ovaled muzzle.

Winchester's choice of .277 wasn't entirely "random" nor "quirky". There was a tremendous demand for rifles in Europe following the war and under the terms of Armistice most of the potential market was forbidden to own a current or former military caliber rifle. An easy work around was to swage down a 7mm bullet to .277. Plus the landscape was awash in spent USGI .30-06 cases. A .270 case formed from a .30-06 is a tad short, but still works well enough.

Saltydog235 · November 14, 2011, 04:37 PM

If you are in doubt or have any question as to your own ability to differentiate between the two at any time, find someone to either give them to who can or a safe means of disposing of all of them. Then get new ammo for each caliber rifle. No need ot take a chance injuring yourself or someone else.

November 12, 2011, 10:46 AM	#1
dan4nier Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Posts: 16	Mixed boxes of 270 and 30.06 ammo. My dad recently passed away so I inherited his guns etc. He owned among others, a 270 and a 30.06. He had several boxes of ammo with mixed 270 and 30.06 cartridges in them. I'm no stranger to handguns, but fairly new to rifles. I've done some searches online and found plenty of comparisons for trajectory, ballistics, etc. What I really need to know is... is this ammo interchangeable? I don't want to put the wrong cartridge in the wrong gun and have catostrophic results. Any help is appreciated.

November 12, 2011, 12:25 PM	#8
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,839	The .30-06 and the .270 have virtually identical case dimensions, except for the bullet. If your eyes are good, you can compare the two side by side and see the difference. If not, use a caliper (or micrometer) to measure the bullet at the case mouth. .270 is approx .277" and .30-06 is approx .308". Reloaders have, for many decades used 06 brass to make .270s, and vice versa. Going by the case headstamp alone is not enough except for ammo you know for certain is factory made. Back in my younger days, when every case was worth its weight in gold, I made .308WIN cases from .270 brass (which required a bit of work), but they worked fine, and I still have a few. Measure the bullet diameters, then you will know for sure. __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

November 12, 2011, 01:12 PM	#10
jimmythegeek Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 216	briang+ - just like leftovers When I find something in the back of the fridge and I'm not sure about it, I go through the "best case/worst case" comparison. Best case: don't have to make any food, I can just eat this. Worst case: sick like a dog for 1 or more days. With "several" boxes, that's what, $90 max if you compare them to retail? Maybe $50 if you compare with reload costs? Unless they are really big boxes...I think the potential downside outweighs any upside. I'm a newb, going to reload but haven't yet, so I have no experience. On the forums, seems all the reloaders are very leery of mystery reloads. __________________ "Jeez, man, what's another word for 'stupid?'" "Tactical." -Tom Servo Marlin 795, 795ss, 39A Mountie, CZ-455 American, CZ-452 Scout, CZ-75 Kadet, AOM160 M1 Carbine, USGI M1 Carbine, M1 Garand, Dan Wesson PM7 1911

November 12, 2011, 04:16 PM	#14
Navy joe Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2001 Location: VA, USA Posts: 1,804	20 year old reloads of cartridges that can use the same case but end up with the wrong headstamp. Hmm. Toss and start fresh, you start this life with one face, how many you have when you finish is up to you. __________________ FY47012

November 13, 2011, 05:19 AM	#19
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	FWIW, 30-06 is not the parent case for the 270 Winchester. That honor belongs the the 30-03 case. Winchester was kind of weird that way, always wanting to be different, similar reason the .270 uses a .277" bullet instead of using the available .284" 7mm bullets. The 30-03 is also the parent case for the 30-06, in case you were wondering. And no, they are not the same. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

November 12, 2011, 11:00 AM	#2
mrawesome22 Senior Member Join Date: November 9, 2005 Location: Ohio, Appalachia's foothills. Posts: 3,779	No, they are not interchangable. A rifle chambered in 270Win takes a 270Win shell and a rifle chambered in 30-06Springfield takes a 30-06Springfield shell. Same goes with your handguns. Good luck and be careful.

November 12, 2011, 11:00 AM	#3
Jbotto Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2010 Location: MN Posts: 437	Nope, Not interchangeable. It's easy enough to sort it out by headstamp, so go ahead and do yourself a favor. Enjoy your father's guns, and don't ever sell them! At this point those guns are meant to be passed down.

November 12, 2011, 11:20 AM	#4
dan4nier Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Posts: 16	I've read that 30.06 cartridges can be reloaded for 270. Any noticeable differences?

November 12, 2011, 11:22 AM	#5
Discern Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Posts: 471	Look at the headstamp or base of the cartridge case to help identify the cartridge. However, be aware that caliber cases may be resized for a different caliber. Are these cartridges reloads or factory new? If they are reloads, who did them? If your dad did them, was his mental ability impaired at any time (stroke or poorer memory from old age)?

November 12, 2011, 11:32 AM	#6
Discern Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2011 Posts: 471	One method to help identify the cartridges is to use a caliper to measure the bullet diameter. I would also suggest measurements and comparisons to a factory new cartridge or new case. If any doubts, find a good, reputable gun smith or shop owner to help you out.

November 12, 2011, 11:58 AM	#7
dan4nier Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Posts: 16	They're reloads. They were done 20+ years ago. I'll take them to my gun shop to be safe. I think they were done for 270 because he bought the 30.06 within the last 5 years.

November 12, 2011, 12:28 PM	#9
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	They are reloads with no history attached. I suggest that you get rid of them, not shoot them. Start fresh with new brass. A lot of people are obviously going to disagree. The thing is, you don't know how many loads have run throguh them, what rifle, or even if they are safe to use in that one. It could be that they are crap handloads that he inherited from someone else, and just stuck them into a cabinet and forgot.

November 12, 2011, 01:37 PM	#12
dan4nier Member Join Date: December 30, 2009 Posts: 16	Thanks for the replies.

November 12, 2011, 03:52 PM	#13
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	If you don't trust the headstamp, you can always stick the bullet-end of the unfired cartridges into the barrels of the rifles. The .270s should be swallowed by the 30 caliber 30-06 diameter up to the brass. The 30-06 bullets should not go all the way into the 30 caliber barrel (unless it's completely worn out). Or just ditch 'em all and buy new....

November 12, 2011, 06:13 PM	#15
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	The 30-06 brass is the parent to many cartridges. The 270,280, 25-06, 35 Whelen, 338-06 and a couple of others are simply 30-06 cases where the neck is basically resized to .27, .28, .25, .35, .or .33 caliber. It is easy to take 30-06 brass and resize it to these cartridges. I own a 338-06 and make my brass from 30-06 brass. They are .338 cal, but will have 30-06 stamped on them. It is quite possible someone used 30-06 brass to make 270 cartridges at one time. Or 270 brass to make 30-06 cartridges. Either way, I don't trust unknown handlaods. I'd toss them and start with cartridges of known quality.

November 12, 2011, 06:20 PM	#16
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	I wouldn't even bother chambering them. Just stick the bullet in the muzzle. I've resized dozens of 270's for my Garand, just have to do a bit of extra trimming.

November 12, 2011, 11:57 PM	#17
warbirdlover Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2009 Location: central Wisconsin Posts: 2,324	It's a short life. Get rid of them. You don't know how many times those cases have been fired. How well they were re-sized and on and on. I would never fire reloads someone else made and that's what you would be doing.

November 13, 2011, 12:10 AM	#18
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	we all sort of forgot that there are probably a dozen "improved" versions of the 30-06 and it's child cartridges where minor alterations were made. Just too much uncertainty in my book.

November 13, 2011, 12:29 PM	#20
jmr40 Senior Member Join Date: June 15, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 10,809	Technically correct, but splitting hairs in my opinion. The 30-03 only existed as an experimental platform to develop what eventually became the 30-06. Only a handful of 30-03 rifles were ever chambered before the military made a last minute decision to drop the 220 gr bullet in favor of a 150 gr bullet. They made some very, very, minor changes to the 30-03 case to better work with the 150 gr bullet resulting in the 30-06. The changes were in fact so minor that existing 30-03 rifles could shoot both 30-03 and 30-06 ammo interchangeably. It was not safe however to shoot the 30-03 ammo in the 30-06 rifles.

November 14, 2011, 04:29 PM	#21
rr2241tx Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2007 Location: The Great State of Taxes Posts: 267	.30-03 was issued then withdrawn in favor of the .30-06, true, but when the Army surplused the bulk of their Great War rifles, a lot of them were freshened up by chambering in .30-03 to clean up the throats and shortening the barrel to remove an ovaled muzzle. Winchester's choice of .277 wasn't entirely "random" nor "quirky". There was a tremendous demand for rifles in Europe following the war and under the terms of Armistice most of the potential market was forbidden to own a current or former military caliber rifle. An easy work around was to swage down a 7mm bullet to .277. Plus the landscape was awash in spent USGI .30-06 cases. A .270 case formed from a .30-06 is a tad short, but still works well enough. __________________ rr2241tx

November 14, 2011, 04:37 PM	#22
Saltydog235 Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2010 Location: Pawleys Island Posts: 1,563	If you are in doubt or have any question as to your own ability to differentiate between the two at any time, find someone to either give them to who can or a safe means of disposing of all of them. Then get new ammo for each caliber rifle. No need ot take a chance injuring yourself or someone else.