Thoughts on 270 wsm.

[bigngreen]

I am in need of some input on the 270 wsm as a viable LR hunting round. I would use it primarily to hunt heavy bodied deer and elk.
Shooting distance is only limited by my skill and the effective range of the rifle, I have very good conditions for LR shooting.
I have ran some balistics tables on the 270 wsm with Berger 140 VLD and it seems like a reasonable choice out to 800yds possibly to 1000yds.
I can buy a Savage 12fvss in 270 wsm and it seems like a good combo as well as being easy on the wallet.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[longrange.270]

Anything can shoot far. I am going to have a buddy of mine built me a 7mm WSM with a Savage action when he gets done with his gunsmith school. Should be a sweet rifle. As far as the 270 WSM, I would say look into something bigger. The 270 caliber doesn't really have a wide selection of bullets, but if that doesn't bother you then I would go for it. If money is a issue and this is the best deal for you right now then do it. Get some good glass on it and it should be a shooter. -Jake-

 

[Alfred Crouch]

You did not say where you lived or how much western hunting you planned on doing. I have traveled in most western states and admired the vast openess of the area but I have never hunted the western country. I have been hunting since 1960 I have shot lots of white tail deer in the eastern US with 243, 6 mm, 270 & 30-06 calibers. My son in law and other friends have hunted the west for mule deer and elk and shared experiences with me. I have found the 270 more than adequate on anything in the eastern US. The 270 is my favorite caliber. You can get bullets in Nosler Partition from 130 to 160 grains and other bullets from Nosler, Sierra, Speer, Berger and Hornady from 90 to 150 grains. This selection is more than adequate for all eastern hunting....... somewhat like cable TV in its offerings..... 120 channels but you only watch about 5 of them.... so a big selection of available bullets isn't that important so long as you get a few that cover your needs. Most of the experienced western hunters say the 270 is adequate on Elk up to 500 yards or so. That being said if I lived out west and were to do a lot of Elk hunting I would like something larger that the 270 for Elk. If I were to go on only 2 or 3 Elk hunts I wouldn't hesitate to take my 270 and just get them a little closer before shooting. The 270WSM is a bit more powerful than the 270 and all I have read on it indicates it to be an excellent long range caliber that is very capable of staying in the long range race with the big boys.

If I lived out west I would have a 260 OR 270 and probably a 300WM for Elk if I did much Elk hunting.

 

[roundss]

From what I've seen the 270 wsm is hitting max range at 600 yards for the bigger game like an elk. Can you take a deer out to 1,000 yards with it? Sure.
BUT I do think the 270 has a great selection of bullets from 85gr to 169.5. Are the lower grain ones going to work for bigger game? No, but it is a good rifle with a wide range of bullets that you can shoot small to larger frame animals out to 600 yards.

Can you shoot an elk at 800-1,000 yards with a 270wsm yep, I'm sure there are folks here that have done greater things with smaller bullets, but for me I'll stop at about 600 yards on big game.

 

[roundss]

Oh ya, I have one and I love it.

 

[comfisherman]

Its a rather intriguing round. I have seriously considered one for deer sized game, however elk are another story. There is considerable difference between a big deer and an elk, they are tough buggers. That said shot placement is of considerable importance and all the wsms have the accuracy potential. I am going to cast my vote for the aforementioned 600 yard elk capacity.

 

[johnnyk]

bigngreen,
I have a Winchester Coyote (24" barrel) in the .270WSM and while I haven't taken a deer with it yet I have reloaded for and shot it a few times with 130/135/140gn bullets. I owned a .270Win a few years ago and took a ton of deer with it. The WSM is just more of a good thing. With todays bullets (AccuBond's, Scirocco's, Berger's, TSX's, E-Tips) I'm confident it will take a deer or elk out to any range you ask it to. Remember, shot placement should always be paramount. JohnnyK.

 

[bigngreen]

I guess I should have mentioned I live and hunt western Montana. My shooting skills are above average but not world class, I do shoot in several kinds of black powder cartridge matches but don't compete with any high power rifles. I managed a wild game processing plant for five years that would cut over 2500 animals a year and I really watched what bullets and calibers that were found in animals. I have taken elk with 22-250, 250-3000AI, 270 win, 30-06, 300 weatherby, 45-70 and many deer with the same calibers. I need to stay with an off the shelf rifle due to $$$ . I would like to keep the recoil down due to an eye injury, the 300 weatherby is too much and I don't enjoy shooting it.
The hunting has changed here since the wolves were forced upon us. What is a head start on a wolf is also just out of most rifle ranges and the elk keep this distance from any cover. They have come back down to the bottoms in large herds. Needless to say this rifle will also be used on wolves.
I agree that shot placement is key! I tend to be more concerned about the accuracy capability than the power.
Could any one tell me how long a loaded 270wsm is with a berger vld and will it cycle through a savage action or is it a single feed deal?
Thanks for the input.

 

[roundss]

I run mine mine with a Berger 150 gr to 2.840-2.845 but that is in a Weatherby Vanguard and it will feed out of the mag.

 

[jseandsje]

Successful 500 -1000 yd shots with ANY rifle require 4 things
1. A rifle that is capable of 1 MOA from field shooting positions, NOT bench rest conditions. Because during the hunt, when you consider that the Elk kill zone is ca 16 inches in diameter, and you likely will be a bit excited, your accuracy at long range will probable decrease by 50%. You need rock solid bedding, rock solid scope alignment, a crisp, reliable trigger, and a stock that fits you in field shooting positions.
2. A bullet that you can rely on to expand at the reduced velocity at 1000 yds, but will also perform well at close range. On elk, assuming you will be hunting at 8000-10000 feet, the ONLY bullet that can give you enough energy, expansion, and accuracy would be the Berger 150 VLD. This bullet will also penetrate reliable up close on an elk. There is NO other bullet that I would rely on at 1000 yds.
3. A properly trained shooter. You must practice at 1000 yds, in the SAME environment that you will hunt in. A 1000 yd hit at 1500 elevation will soar over an elk at 10,000 feet. You MUST reliably shoot within a 15 inch circle at 1000 yds.
4. Minimal wind. With more than a 5 mph crosswind, even the properly trained shooter, with more than a 10 mph crosswind, is asking for a wounded, unretrieved animal.
If you can meet these 4 guidelines, you can use the 270 WSM to 1000 yds. Otherwise, keep it inside 500 yds.

 

[Derek M.]

I second the 150 VLD if you ultimately choose the 270 WSM. I have an interest in this caliber and have for a long time, yet I would still opt for a 7mm if you are sure you'll be shooting at game beyond 700 yards regularly.

My advice is go with a 7mm WSM if you are going with a short magnum and shoot a 168 or 180 VLd.

I'll also add this: It is my opinion that the .277 bullets have had enough negativity surrounding them for LRH that I'm betting very few hunters have actually taken game at long range with them often enough to draw any conclusions. This is not including the 270 AM and the 169.5 gr wildcat bullets.

If someone has actually hunted with, say, a 270 Weatherby Mag, or 270 WSM and killed big game at an avg distance of 800 yards, REGULARLY, then that would be a stat I'm interested in.

To the best of my knowledge, Dan Lilja is one of the only hunters who's taken plenty of big game with his 30" bbl 270 Weatherby mag using 130 nosler ballistic tips.

I guess the question you really want answered is how good is the 270 WSM on an elk at 1000 yards. I'd also like to know the answer to that.

 

[270shortmagman]

I am in need of some input on the 270 wsm as a viable LR hunting round. I would use it primarily to hunt heavy bodied deer and elk.
Shooting distance is only limited by my skill and the effective range of the rifle, I have very good conditions for LR shooting.
I have ran some balistics tables on the 270 wsm with Berger 140 VLD and it seems like a reasonable choice out to 800yds possibly to 1000yds.
I can buy a Savage 12fvss in 270 wsm and it seems like a good combo as well as being easy on the wallet.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

I own a 270 wsm in winchester 70 and I have never bought a round for it. I reload with 56 grains of H414 with a 140 grain Hornandy interlock. I personally like the accuracy of the 140 grain bullet but will not buy the hornady brand again as I shot 3 of my whitetails this year and dropped 2 of them in their tracks and the other one ran only 45 yards. The problem is the bullet upon impact took a hard left turn in all 3 deer and only exited the other side of 1. One was a 10pt that dropped in his tracks. I also dropped a wild hog at 500 yards. I use a mildot scope in which I sighted in at 1.5" high at 100yards and I can bust clays at 210 yards. When I killed the hog at 500 yards I put the first dot under center (I think that is appx. 12 inches) on the hogs head and blew his head up. I hope this helps you but I think at 800 to 1000 yards you may want to consider a 150 grain which won't make that much difference in the trajectory but will give you a lot more takedown with the extra 10 grains. I have hunted with a 270 winchester for many many years and have killed everything I shot at with a 130 grain bullet. I love this 270 wsm, very impressed with it, I think you will be too.

 

[mike33]

I will have a new never shot 270 WSM off of rem. 700 donor 4 sale as soon as my gunsmith spins it off.
Mike

 

[bigngreen]

I ended up buying a Savage 12FVSS in 270 WSM. I've worked up a couple good loads with 71 grains of Rutumbo and a 140 gr Accubond or SST going 3341fps.
The barrel is a 1-11 twist and I don't think the 150 will stabalize. I ran the numbers in LoadBase and the 140 has better trajectory and more hit than the 150 due to lower velocities. I have yet to try Bergers but soon I'll pick some up.
It is the sweetest shooting gun I've ever spent time with. I shoot every weekend and inside 600yrd I'm first shot hit on a 10 inch steel plate, 725 I'm only first shot on a 14 inch plate. I'm getting a new scope next month and I think that will realy help. My shooting has iprove drasticly, by hunting season I should be good.
I'm really confident in the 270WSM on deer at any range but I have to shoot a few to know what how far to go on elk, it has a suprising amound of hit to it.