Is anyone shooting a 270?
- Thread starter Threejs
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
codyadams
Well-Known Member
Tell ya what, I know I'm excited for my .270 ss build!!Guys who shoot 270's just go kill stuff, no need for fan fair, we're just all to used to the awesomeness and think everyone has it this good!
Great question/post. I'm presently building a .270 Ackley Improved, Ruger 77ts, 26 inch Lilja barrel (1-8), pillar bedding and some trigger work. I chose the Ackley Improved because I had a long action donor rifle, and....I wanted something different. "IF" I were starting from scratch, I would do the .270 WSM instead. It's just a lot easier for components and the cartridge has some great ballistics. I have a friend with a Winchester mod 70 in .270WSM, took it for a mule deer/antelope hunt in Wyoming. When he showed up, the outfitter asked him what he was shooting, the outfitter told him that it was an excellent cartridge for the hunt. He shot both an antelope and a mule deer, don't remember the distances, 400+ on one and 300+ on the other; DRT. I've also shot his rifle, it is quite easy on the shoulder. I personally do not believe that you could go wrong with any of the .270 cartridges. I would suggest that you look at the cost of brass for the .270 Weatherby, it's quite expensive to shoot.
The 270 Winchester was my first serious deer hunting rifle and the one I still use most today. With Hornady 140s up front it never fails to deliver. I put a Krieger 27' barrel on it some years ago and the extra length made a huge difference. With 140 BTSP or SST and a decent charge of 7828 it makes for a sub 1/2moa laser. Been fooling with a custom 300WM build the last couple of years but don't really need it. Out to 500yds or so (perhaps farther) the 270 will do anything the WinMag will on a good bit less powder.
D
Deleted member 107796
Guest
Great idea to extend your 270 use to either cartridge. I have the 270WSM and like the many that have experience with it, I find it is excellent to add 200-300fps to a standard 270Win.
30calyooper
Well-Known Member
I'm no expert on the 270 WSM but judging by the number of them you see at ranges and the amount of factory ammo sold, I'm thinking it's a reasonably popular choice. Have one acquaintance who uses it every year when he goes out west for deer and/or pronghorn, and he's not the kind of guy to stick with something just because "everyone else does." Since he has LOTS of choices in his gun lockers, the fact that he takes it out there every year says something. Let's face it - if you can walk into a Wal-mart and pick from 3-4 choices of ammo in that caliber...well, they don't carry anything for long if it's not selling.
The 270 Weatherby was never as popular as the 270 Win, and I've always assumed it was because the 270 Win is so darn good at what it does that most hunters just never saw the need to move up to the Weatherby. As a handloader I get that - little actual improvement for a whole lot more powder and way more expensive brass, and also less flexible than the 7mm Rem Mag if you do feel the need to move up a notch. This amounts to heresay coming from me, but from what I have seen & heard it was never in the conversation when guys started bragging about the accuracy of their most trustworthy tackdrivers. I'm told that the 270 WSM holds its own quite nicely when accuracy is a consideration.
As for bullets, the 150 Accubond Long Range works like a champ from my 270 Winchester with a 1:10 twist, so I cannot imagine it wouldn't work in 270 WSM with a little more velocity behind it. That said I've seen deer and elk taken with a number of different pills from this caliber, and personally I like the 150's best as they seem to carry the energy out there a bit more effectively...but don't ignore the 140's either. There is a great selection of high-quality bullets in these weight classes to test, and at reasonable prices...so try a few and see what your new launcher likes best, then run with it! Do your part, and it's pretty hard to imagine that you'll be disappointed.
The 270 Weatherby was never as popular as the 270 Win, and I've always assumed it was because the 270 Win is so darn good at what it does that most hunters just never saw the need to move up to the Weatherby. As a handloader I get that - little actual improvement for a whole lot more powder and way more expensive brass, and also less flexible than the 7mm Rem Mag if you do feel the need to move up a notch. This amounts to heresay coming from me, but from what I have seen & heard it was never in the conversation when guys started bragging about the accuracy of their most trustworthy tackdrivers. I'm told that the 270 WSM holds its own quite nicely when accuracy is a consideration.
As for bullets, the 150 Accubond Long Range works like a champ from my 270 Winchester with a 1:10 twist, so I cannot imagine it wouldn't work in 270 WSM with a little more velocity behind it. That said I've seen deer and elk taken with a number of different pills from this caliber, and personally I like the 150's best as they seem to carry the energy out there a bit more effectively...but don't ignore the 140's either. There is a great selection of high-quality bullets in these weight classes to test, and at reasonable prices...so try a few and see what your new launcher likes best, then run with it! Do your part, and it's pretty hard to imagine that you'll be disappointed.
I went and knee jerked buying a 6.5 PRC, but now with the fast twist barrel on my 270 wsm shooting the 170 EOL's a blink under 3000 fps I have zero need or desire to even take my 6.5 out of the safe. So now I'm jumping off the bandwagon and selling the PRC. I'm going to rebarrel an old Win mod 70 25-06 with the money and rig it for the 131 Blackjacks. If the manufacturer's would just start producing 257 cals and .277 cal rifles with 1:7 and 1:8 twist barrels I think they would strike lightning in a bottle and revitalize some old existing calibers.
Rhian are you still building 270wsm rifles? I heard a while back you weren't doing any more custom builds. I have a proof 1:8 277 barrel I'd like to have done up.
The differences between the .270 and .270 WSM ballistically is so small in the real world that you could pick or choose one or the other. It will quite literally, make zero difference while hunting. Any ballistic claim that the WSM is "flatter shooting" is only going to matter at distances far beyond where most riflemen should ever pot a shot at a living animal. From the data I have here, it appears the .270 WSM only has a 80-100 fps lead on the standard .270 which means it is at best only going to extend your shootable distance 25 yards or so. They are pretty much the same cartridge. So it is 6 one, half-dozen the other. Pick either, no animal will ever notice the difference other than one can be put into a short action; also an "advantage" that is mostly smoke and mirrors these days IMHO. I would take either and not worry myself about the nuances between different grades of adequate.
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
There is a sizable difference between the 270 Win and 270 WSM, we shoot both with the same bullets and it's an easy 200 fps on the low side difference.
therifleman556
Well-Known Member
The WSM is closer to the Weatherby than it is to the standard WCF...
codyadams
Well-Known Member
A properly throated 270 wsm will break 3100 fps with the 170 Berger. You won't get even close to that with the .270 win, and at 500+ yards, 2800 vs 3100 with the same bullet is a sizeable difference.
Australia
Well-Known Member
Down under in New Zealand all the professional hunters use 270 its there go to gun and usually with Sierra game king 150 pills This combination will stop anything including charging cape buffalo
No need to wast your money on fancy custom rigs go standard Tika, Sako, CZ all of these are usually better than the shooter
No need to wast your money on fancy custom rigs go standard Tika, Sako, CZ all of these are usually better than the shooter
dxlbaile
Well-Known Member
First Rifle I ever got was a Ruger M77 in 270 win. I have shot many deer, Elk, and Barby sheep with it.. the newer 145 eldx is a great little hammer behind some superformance 3180 fps and not a hot load yet. Barrel is getting close to being shot out so according to what I have read I will do a 1:8 twist...
I will always love the ole 270 Win... OH ya.. One moose in Canada..at 500 also.
I will always love the ole 270 Win... OH ya.. One moose in Canada..at 500 also.
