What about .270 Winchester?

[hunterbob]

I love the .270 Win and encourage everyone to own a few. That said, I've moved to the .308 Win for very similar reasons. I could always find .308 Win or 7.62x51mm to shoot. The same couldn't be said for .270 in my area of Southeastern Colorado. 6.5 Creedmoor was another I never had issues finding.

That's when reloading comes in. I always have a small backup supply, I can make. The 270 or 6.8 is same bullet. The 6.8 is like its little brother.. both are great on hogs. Except the 270 makes a big hole in and a bigger hole out.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

Hell, If your going to build a 270 Win , pick up an action you Love, or a used rifle with a Long Action for about 500 /600 dollars . Pull the barrel, throw away the trigger, most likely toss the stock as well. Take a deep breath and dive into it. Now you can get you fluted slim 24 inch S/S Krieger barrel, or some carbon Fiber Barrel. Whatever you want. Have the face of the receiver machined to fit the barrel perfectly. If it's going to be a DEER RIFLE , then the 10 twist is just fine for the 130 Grn. to 140 Grn. Bullets you will ultimately end up using. If however , its going to be used for everything from White tail/ Mule Deer/ Black Tail Deer / Antelope to your Trophy Alaska Moose Hunt, then you may want to rethink the project !!! As I have stated, I use my 270 Win as an East Coast White Tail Deer Rifle only , and would happily hunt Mulies with it . As long as the range was about 300 yards or so. Its only job is to kill deer, and it does that so well. I am blessed to have other rifles , that shoot bigger, heavier bullets, for bigger tougher game, that I MAY hunt some day . Have fun with the project!!!

 

[73driver]

Long live the king. That's how I feel about the .270 haha. It just works. Far more interesting to me than the .30-06 and just as emphatic a killer. If the 270 isn't enough gun for something neither is the .30-06…THERE I SAID IT When both are loaded
To potential the 270 even with its 10 twist STOMPS the 6.5 creedmoor, and by the time those high bc 6.5 pills catch up let alone exceed the power of the 270 it's at a range where neither cartridge is a good choice for big game. It's embarrassing for the 7 rem mag how close the boring old .270 gets to it from a shorter barrel. Anything the .25-06 does the 270 does better (THERE I SAID IT! - both are totally ridiculous for dedicated varmint or predator rounds and in my mind the .25-06 is forever the .25-almost Almost as in close to the .257 wby but not there yet haha. I know the same Is true about the 270 win and 270 wby but for some reason I don't care and that's mine to confess, I'm irrational!

I'm biased. It was my first rifle that was truly mine. And it performs so darn good. I often say it's a cartridge that doesn't know it's not a magnum.

Let's get rational and unbiased. The 6.5C and the 270 are nearly equal at 700 yards. The 270 has 1874fps and 1133ft/lbs with a drop of 109 inches. The 6.5C 1842fps and 1077ft/lbs with 120 inch drop. This from two of my rifles shooting Hornady Precision Hunter ammo, clocked with LabRadar and solved with StrelokPro and proved at the range. This is about the normally touted limit for deer which I recall as 1000ft/lbs and 1800fps is sufficient for good bullet performance. This would now come down to how accurate is your rifle and do you shoot better at distance with less recoil or do you manage recoil well and its not a factor.

 

[Calvin45]

Let's get rational and unbiased. The 6.5C and the 270 are nearly equal at 700 yards. The 270 has 1874fps and 1133ft/lbs with a drop of 109 inches. The 6.5C 1842fps and 1077ft/lbs with 120 inch drop. This from two of my rifles shooting Hornady Precision Hunter ammo, clocked with LabRadar and solved with StrelokPro and proved at the range. This is about the normally touted limit for deer which I recall as 1000ft/lbs and 1800fps is sufficient for good bullet performance. This would now come down to how accurate is your rifle and do you shoot better at distance with less recoil or do you manage recoil well and its not a factor.

Can't tell it's this is meant in favour of the 270 or not but either way biased or unbiased we're saying the same thing haha. By your numbers ) it takes 700 yards for the 6.5 creed to "catch up". Beyond that range neither the 270 nor the 6.5 creed (or 6.5 anything in my opinion) is nearly as good as a magnum 7mm, 30, or 338 cartridge.

And all the way to that 700 ish yard limit the 270 has a flatter trajectory and is hitting harder.

 

[RAGGED EDGE]

It's wise to consider supply/demand potential when looking at new calibers. The smart money is on .30-06/ .308 / .223 as a base case for anything being considered. Of course, the great .270 is in the mix.

 

[73driver]

Can't tell it's this is meant in favour of the 270 or not but either way biased or unbiased we're saying the same thing haha. By your numbers ) it takes 700 yards for the 6.5 creed to "catch up". Beyond that range neither the 270 nor the 6.5 creed (or 6.5 anything in my opinion) is nearly as good as a magnum 7mm, 30, or 338 cartridge.

And all the way to that 700 ish yard limit the 270 has a flatter trajectory and is hitting harder.

I agree, the 270 up until they are even hits harder especially from the muzzle to about 200y but the 6.5C is hitting hard enough for deer. Mostly was taking a bit of issue with your point that when the 6.5C and 270 are about equal that "it is at a range where neither cartridge is a good choice for big game". The numbers at 700y are good enough for any game of the mule deer class or smaller. BTW the flatter claim is irrelevant because even with a 200 yard zero you will still have to range find and know your hold overs for either cartridge when you get out to 200/250 yards, that is unless your eyeball is super calibrated to call yardage in 10y increments out to 450 yards. Remember you said when they are equal it was at a range they were no good anymore. A magnum is no good till you can demonstrate the ability to make cold bore first shot hits on a 5 inch circle from any field shooting position in the wind every time at the ranges you plan to reach out to.

 

[Calvin45]

I agree, the 270 up until they are even hits harder especially from the muzzle to about 200y but the 6.5C is hitting hard enough for deer. Mostly was taking a bit of issue with your point that when the 6.5C and 270 are about equal that "it is at a range where neither cartridge is a good choice for big game". The numbers at 700y are good enough for any game of the mule deer class or smaller. BTW the flatter claim is irrelevant because even with a 200 yard zero you will still have to range find and know your hold overs for either cartridge when you get out to 200/250 yards, that is unless your eyeball is super calibrated to call yardage in 10y increments out to 450 yards. Remember you said when they are equal it was at a range they were no good anymore. A magnum is no good till you can demonstrate the ability to make cold bore first shot hits on a 5 inch circle from any field shooting position in the wind every time at the ranges you plan to reach out to.

No argument here. Both are certainly good for deer…which are big game I realize…in my head I was thinking of those people who talk about shooting elk at 1000 yards with their deer rifle haha.

 

[Steve H]

I have owned 270 win rifles my entire life (I'm 73 now). It is a really hard act to follow even for newer cartridges. I had to re-barrel on old 700 Remington I had shot the barrel out on. The Shillen 1/9" twist barrel made all the difference In allowing me to load 150 grain Accubond bullets pushed with around 59 grains of RL 26 powder. Velocities over 3100 fps are not unusual with astounding accuracy. My 7 mags see little use anymore due to competitive ballistics and much lighter recoil.

 

[Rflshootr]

Let's get rational and unbiased. The 6.5C and the 270 are nearly equal at 700 yards. The 270 has 1874fps and 1133ft/lbs with a drop of 109 inches. The 6.5C 1842fps and 1077ft/lbs with 120 inch drop. This from two of my rifles shooting Hornady Precision Hunter ammo, clocked with LabRadar and solved with StrelokPro and proved at the range. This is about the normally touted limit for deer which I recall as 1000ft/lbs and 1800fps is sufficient for good bullet performance. This would now come down to how accurate is your rifle and do you shoot better at distance with less recoil or do you manage recoil well and its not a factor.

I was just wondering which bullet weights you are comparing for both calibers.

 

[Roy@ranch]

Back in the day 130 grain rem bronze points pushed by 60 grains of interest 4831

Roy

 

[Oddbod]

It's wise to consider supply/demand potential when looking at new calibers. The smart money is on .30-06/ .308 / .223 as a base case for anything being considered. Of course, the great .270 is in the mix.

It depends...

IF you have the brass for your foreseeable needs of whatever takes your fancy & the bullet dimensions aren't exotic, then the world's yer oyster.
Me?
I went 22-250, .243, .270 & .375 Ruger in regard to hunting rifles.
For 'social' occasions, I'm 100% with 5.56 & 7.62 Nato.

 

[niteowl1]

So I have been thinking about adding a .270 Win to the safe. The reason being during the ammo shortage you could ALWAYS find it on the shelf locally. I mean everyone had it and lots of it. When .308, 30-06, and 300 Win Mag were all gone there were boxes off .270 everywhere.

So what is everyone's opinion on the old .270? I'll be looking for a moderately priced hunting type rifle. What barrel length, twist, and all of that? Any certain make or model you recommend in the $1000 or less price range?

Also, I'll add- the ability to purchase factory ammo now has way more influence on me than ever before. I have tons of bullets, brass, and powder. The problem is that primers are tough to find and expensive!

I have used the 270 for about 40 years in numerous rifles. 130 grain for deer and hogs and 90 for varmi

So I have been thinking about adding a .270 Win to the safe. The reason being during the ammo shortage you could ALWAYS find it on the shelf locally. I mean everyone had it and lots of it. When .308, 30-06, and 300 Win Mag were all gone there were boxes off .270 everywhere.

So what is everyone's opinion on the old .270? I'll be looking for a moderately priced hunting type rifle. What barrel length, twist, and all of that? Any certain make or model you recommend in the $1000 or less price range?

Also, I'll add- the ability to purchase factory ammo now has way more influence on me than ever before. I have tons of bullets, brass, and powder. The problem is that primers are tough to find and expensive!

I have used the old 270 for about 40 years. I use 130 grain for deer and hogs and 90 for smaller game. Over the years I've had various rifles however my current one is a Winchester model 70 classic built in New Haven Ct before the plant was closed. I found it nib in 2012 and used it for the last 10 seasons. It's certainly more capable than I am. The 270 properly used will never let you down. I have 06, 308, 243, 22-250, 223 and 7 mag but my go to is the 270 Win. Some years it gets 2 shots, 2 kills and then it's season is over.

 

[Equalizer]

Someone beat me to it but I was going to say look on the rack in a couple brick and mortar's or even a pawn shop or two. Used classic hunting rifles are relatively cheap and occasionally you can get a deal. I'm in western Indiana and know several places to look if you need some intel.

 

[Mike Matteson]

No Q - just like something a little heavier - 180 g? - for bigger game - Elk, Moose, Bear.

Me too! All was had was deer.