.270 Win vs. .270 WSM

[Kentucky_Rifleman]

Lately I've been seeing an awful lot of the super-duper-mushroom-magnum rifles for sale CHEAP at the gunshows.

To be honest, the ballistics aren't much different, and I squeeze my .270 brass out of mil-surp .30-06 cases for 10 - 15 cents a case. My old Remington 721 will hold 1 inch groups at 200 yards with hand-loads.

I can see the (to me SLIGHT) advantage of the shorter action, but the WSM cartridges are just so damned ugly.

You'd have never caught Hemingway pulling one of those things out of his cartridge pouch. :barf:

KR

[Big Bill]

All that to ask this: Do I gain enough for my purposes to warrant the extra recoil and cost of ammo to justify the Short Mag?

In a word - no! I had a 270 WSM, but the slight improvement wasn't worth the expensive ammo price. And, it was harder to get than regular 270. A standard 270 will work just fine for what you intend to use it for.

[taylorce1]

Yes, yes, all true. However I am of the opinion that shooting beyond 400 yards with hunting cartridges is unethical.

I never suggested the OP shoot to 500 yards on game when I gave the data. I was merely summarizing easy to find ammunition data. Most manufacturers list their data out to 500 yards, I could have easily shortened the distance, but I didn't.

As far as ethics go I usually try to stay out of that battle since there is never a winning side to that battle.

[jimbob86]

I'd recommend the 270 Win because ammo is cheaper and rifle selection is better.

However let's clear up some misunderstandings about the WSMs.

They do give a real ballistic advantage over their 30-06 based counterparts. It may not be important to you, it may not be worth the money to you, but it does exist.

Sounds like a severe case of PII (Preoccupation w/ Inconsequential Increments) .....

Any deer or black bear would not have a clue whether the .277 bullet that killed it was launched by a .270 WIN or a .270 WSM. If you don't handload, your wallet will be the only one to notice. If you do handload, then the ballistic difference between the two is even smaller...... and you are still paying through the nose for brass, so long as they keep making it......

The question still stands: Anybody know how to form this brass out of a more commonly available case?

Short action rifles are lighter and handle better than long action rifles. It's a real advantage for **some** types of hunting, not so much for others. If you appreciate the short action concept, the WSMs are the greatest thing since sliced bread.

"Handling" is more a function of familiarity with your firearm than length/weight/balance. The only time I could imagine a long barrel being a problem is dismounting a vehichle quickly ..... a non-issue for me, when hunting.

As for the sliced bread analogy, it would be apt if they were charging you $5.00 a loaf for the presliced stuff, and you bought it anyhow. ...... those of us that bake our own have no problems operating a bread knife, either.

[natman]

Sounds like a severe case of PII (Preoccupation w/ Inconsequential Increments) .....

Any deer or black bear would not have a clue whether the .277 bullet that killed it was launched by a .270 WIN or a .270 WSM. If you don't handload, your wallet will be the only one to notice. If you do handload, then the ballistic difference between the two is even smaller...... and you are still paying through the nose for brass, so long as they keep making it......

The question still stands: Anybody know how to form this brass out of a more commonly available case?

Might I point out that I recommended the same cartridge, the 270 Win, for the same reason you did, ammo cost?

The 270 WSM launches the same bullets about 200 fps faster than a 270 Win. That's enough of a difference to fit definition of "It may not be important to you, it may not be worth the money to you, but it does exist." That’s only 50fps less than difference between the 30-06 and the 300 Win Mag. Do you plan to accuse anyone who shoots a 300 Win Mag of having a "severe case of PII (Preoccupation w/ Inconsequential Increments)"?

A more apt comparison would really be short action cartridge to short action cartridge. Comparing a 308 to a 300 WSM, the WSM gets about 400 fps more. Is that a Sufficiently Consequential Increment?

Even though you don't own one, the 270 and 300 WSMs are popular cartridges and brass isn't going to disappear anytime soon.

"Handling" is more a function of familiarity with your firearm than length/weight/balance. The only time I could imagine a long barrel being a problem is dismounting a vehichle quickly ..... a non-issue for me, when hunting.

As for the sliced bread analogy, it would be apt if they were charging you $5.00 a loaf for the presliced stuff, and you bought it anyhow. ...... those of us that bake our own have no problems operating a bread knife, either.

Clearly you are not among those who appreciate the short action concept. As I said, it's not going to appeal to you then.

[taylorce1]

The question still stands: Anybody know how to form this brass out of a more commonly available case?

All the WSM cases were designed off of the .404 Jeffery. You would be hard pressed to find cheaper brass than buying the Winchester WSM cases. Last time I checked .404 brass wasn't very common, plus I don't know of any other commercial cases off the top of my head that share the .404 parent.

If you were able to find a good deal on 7mm, .300 or .325 WSM brass then you could form from that. IIRC the .270 WSM shoulder is a little farther forward so you would be fireforming all the brass. So I'd probably use the .300 or .325 case so I could create a better false shoulder for head space. You might have to turn the necks as well going down from these cases.