.270WSM - at 1,000yrds

[AWB]

My club is running a 1,000 yrd competition on Thursday evening, and it is the last one for this year. My usual rifle for this range (.338 Lap Mag) is with the gunsmith having a sound moderator thread fitted, and so is not available. Therefore, the largest rifle I have to take part, is my Winchester Mod 70, in .270WSM. The rifle has the usual 24' barrel, and is also sound moderated, and is my normal deer/hunting rifle.

My usual factory load for this rifle is Winchester 140grn Failsafes. I think over the pond this bullet may be considered ok for Elk etc, but I appreciate this is no match bullet. My questions are threefold:

1 Do you think that the failsafe will be accurate enough at this distance? I have to say I have read and heard a few moans about the accuracy of this bullet, but out of my rifle it is great out to 100yrds. If I simply multiply the size of the groups by ten, I would be happy, but I know things are not so simple.

2 If it will be accurate enough, does anyone know of the BC of the bullet, and approx muzzle energy so that I can try and calculate the elevation needed? My Pal guesses between 17-20 moa, but I am not sure.

3 Have any of you out there ever used this round at long range (either target or hunting) before, and what was your experience?

I stress, I would not use this rifle were it not the last shoot, so your help would be much appreciated.

AWB
PS the 270WSM is super on UK game I have found.

 

[winmagman]

AWB
I can't help you with 1 & 3, but Winchester lists the B.C. of the 140 gr Failsafe at .372, muzzle vel. of 3125 fps, and muzzle energy of 3035 ft. lbs. Will probably take near twice the 17-20 moa to get to 1000 yds. But thats just a guess also, I don't own one.

Chris

 

[sscoyote]

I'm getting +/- 31 min. at 500 ft. elevation, 100 yd. zero. .372 BC, 3125 fps mv.

 

[brian b]

AWB,
I ran it through my program it lists the 140gr Failsafe at a b.c.of .372 (very optimistic) at 3100fps and a zero of 300yds you will need about 25min. of elevation for 1000yds. the problem is that from my experience the accuracy of these bullets degrade rapidly at long range. Try a 150gr ballistic tip with a b.c. of .496 at 3000fps with a 300yd zero you will still need 21 min of elevation but your groups will shrink dramatically.
Good Luck B

 

[Ian M]

I have never shot the Failsafes at any distance in a .270WSM but I have done quite a bit of shooting all the way to 1000 yards with the Failsafes in the .300WSM. The ammo we were using was very accurate, some of our three-shot groups at 800 yards were about 1/2 moa. All I can tell you is that the batch of Failsafes we had was very accurate long range ammo and it was loaded about as hot as any factory ammo I have ever used.
I have loaded Failsafes in a .300 Weatherby and again I got very good accuracy, good enough to shoot some five shot groups that went right at one half inch at one hundred yards. I weighed and segregated the 165 grain bullets and they killed caribou for us at very long range when I took them to northern Quebec.
Best of luck in your upcoming shoot, regardless of how well the ammo performs I hope you have a great time.

 

[Centre Punch]

Hi AWB,
What club are you with and where are you shooting 1000yds, Bisley perhaps?
After all the hype in the shooting press about Radnor Ranges getting its safety certificate, its all gone down the pan thanks to petty bureaucracy. Its finished off all the hard (and expensive) work done by Mr Dave Ryan and others to bring this facility to us shooters, its a great shame.
Hopefully, whoever buys this project has the stamina and the funds to see it through and overcome this stupid red tape put up by little civil servants on a power trip.

Ian.

"I mean't to shoot the pike but the duck got in the way"

 

[AWB]

Ian
It is at Altcar, so not Bisley. As one of Davids legal advisors, I could not agree more with your coments ref Radnor Ranges. It is a huge shame that such an enterprising man has been met with avoidance tactics at every level. This is not the place to aver to such issues, but I have no doubt it will all come out in the fulness of time.

Anyway, I am grateful to all who have helped. Having used the BC figures I got here, and having run them through the calculator on BigGameInfo, it would seem that 32 minutes is the elevation. Will the bullet get there? I suppose I will soon find out!!!

Many thanks
AWB

 

[AWB]

Well, just in case anyone wants to know whether it worked, I can say that it did!! I scored 37/50, which I was very pleased with, given that I soon found out that I had way too little elevation on my Hunting scope!!!!. However, I added about 50 clicks (the Max I had left), and found that by holding the target on the tip of the bottom post, I was on.

I have no doubt that with a properly set up scope, the Cartridge would have performed superbly at the distance. Indeed it did rather well anyway, when you think of the imprecise way hold over works at such a distance.

On reflection I will have huge confidence in this rifle and Catrtidge the next time I go into the field.


Regards

AWB