Is the .270 dying?

[gyvel]

What's your take on the .270 cartridge? Is it a round that has come and gone or do you think it still has a future?

[lockedcj7]

Last time I read the numbers on it, it was listed as the #3 most popular deer rifle round. It may have slipped to 4 or 5 but that hardly makes it obsolete.

One of the things that make it so popular is its versatility. On paper it comes within a hair's breadth of the 7mm Rem. Mag. and does it with less noise, recoil, ammo expense, etc. In reality, it makes an exceptionally good varmint rifle and yet is very popular for elk and moose among knowledgeable hunters.

The .270 will be around for a very, very long time. Many newer chamberings have come and gone but there are some that will last forever. 30-30, .308, .30-06, .270 win. and 7mm Rem. Mag. come to mind.

[green_MTman]

the .270 win cf will never die because the .270 WB and .270 WSM are barrel burners and unless your trying to shoot a pronghorn at 600 yards they offer little balistic advantage over the classic .270 win cf

also guns like 7mm RUM and 7mm dakota and some of the more powerfull weatherby usually are used for 500 plus shots.

the .270 wb and .270wsm dont have a niche at this point.

most of the new rifles that have flooded the market in the last 20 years have been proven to be fads and will go the way of the likes of 22K hornet or .218 bee

most of the newer guns are specialy guns for exotic hunts.the .243,25-06,.260/6.5_55,.270 wcf,7mm-08,7mm mag,30-30.308,30-06 and .300 win mag will rule everyday hunting forever

[CarJunkieLS1]

I agree 100% with the above 2 posts. I hunted last year with a .270 Win and I had 2 shots and 2 kills. It worked so well that I see no reason to change.

IMO the only time a .270 Winchester and dying should be in the same sentence is when you are talking about the deer you just shot with it.

[Catfishman]

I'm primarily a hunter and I shoot .270 and .308. Both work perfectly on whitetail.
I just shake my head when I see aisles of expensive bullets I've never heard of.

You don't need to buy something to get better, you need to shoot more.

[ndking1126]

While its true the 270 is not part of the "tactical" marketing fad, it is still a very popular cartridge.

Its a very versatile cartridge, and with the addition of higher BC bullets added to the market in the last few years, it's added long range shooting to its resume.

[jersurf101]

No it is not. Plenty of life left in the old .270 Win.

[AllenJ]

The 270 Winchester has a very large following, I'm sure I'll die long before it does If you are considering getting one and are worried it is dying, don't. Nobody is ever going to replace Jack O'Connor's favorite cartridge.

[natman]

Is the .270 dying?
What's your take on the .270 cartridge? Is it a round that has come and gone ...?

LOL.

The 270 is and will remain an extremely popular cartridge.

Heck, it's almost as good as a 30-06!

[Colt46]

Mostly because it's such an oddball cartridge. That said, it makes for a fine western deer/elk rifle. It may not be as popular, but I think it will last as long as any of it's siblings and even the parent.

[kraigwy]

I opened this thinking I was going to see some sort of joke.

Then I was going to come up with some smart a$$ comment but counted to 10 and calmed down.

Short answer NO.

The 277 bullet is an excellent long range bullet, the 270 Win takes advantage of it giving it the perfect case.

What held up the 270 as a long range target round is the lack of match bullets. That's changed. Now you can get 175 gr super high BC bullets that will equal any if your rifle has the twist that will handle it.

The Matrix 175 Gr 270 Matrix bullets gives you a BC in excess of .700, which should remain supper sonic to 2000 yards. But requires a 1:9 twist barrel (or faster). The 165 VLD bullets are getting in excess of .600 with the standard 1:10 barrels.

Long range precision rifle shooter are getting away from the magnums and going to 6.5s or 7mms. (.264-284). The .277 is a good comformise between the two. As more bullet makers get on the ban wagon you'll see the popularity of the popular 270 increasing, not dying.

[JD0x0]

The .270 is basically the 25-06, 30-06, and 7mm Rem mag in one package.

If you own a .270 you don't 'need' any of those other cartridges listed. With light bullets, it's an ultra flat shooter perfect for varmints and small game. With heavy bullets, is as every bit as powerful as the 30-06 and capable of harvesting all the same game but with certain bullets, potentially has better long range performance. With hand loads and a 24'' barrel. The .270 can be loaded to near 7mm rem mag level.

A 150 grain bullet with a G1 BC of .625 being fired at a MV of ~3000fps, is nothing to turn your nose up at. With that load you should be able to have 1000ft/lbs of energy past 800 yards.


IMO the .277 caliber is underrated, but it's not going anywhere.

Heck, it's almost as good as a 30-06!

I'd argue the .270 is 'better' than the 30-06

I consider .270 to be 'better' on paper than .30-06 because it will shoot bullets with comparable sectional densities faster and flatter than the 06 with equal if not better BC's. And depending on the load, will shoot bullets of equal weight (and higher SD's) almost as fast, if not as fast as the 06'

150 grain .30-06
SD .226
BC ~.435
Velocity ~2910 fps

150 grain .270 win
SD .279
BC ~up to .625
Velocity ~2830-3000 fps
If we compare bullet with comparable SD's
120 grain .270 win
SD .223
BC ~up to .460 (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/479...ProductFinding)
Velocity- easily in excess of 3200fps.

The way I see it the .270 is measurably better on paper. Game wont likely know the difference, when they're hit in the same spot. (but IMO .270 is easier to shoot making accurate hits easier) but the .308 cal still has more choices for projectiles, much wider projectile weight selection for factory ammo, and longer barrel life.

[doofus47]

JD0x0

I'd argue the .270 is 'better' than the 30-06

I have a 30-06 and I think that with the advent of the lighter monolithic bullets, the 270 has been given a modern upgrade in performance.

I have a 30-06 that I'm happy with, but if I had bought a 270 first, I'd probably have been equally pleased.

[gyvel]

Thanks for all the replies, guys. I asked because I have never gotten into a .270 and now have a chance to buy a CZ 550FS in that caliber. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't a cartridge that was "past its prime" and was going away. I know that it has always been a superb long range, flat shooting round, and is especially popular here in AZ in the open flats.

All input GREATLY appreciated.

[Sodbuster]

No .270! Thank God! it lives, and it lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, it will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. I mean hunters.

The Matrix 175 Gr 270 Matrix bullets gives you a BC in excess of .700, which should remain supper sonic to 2000 yards. But requires a 1:9 twist barrel (or faster). The 165 VLD bullets are getting in excess of .600 with the standard 1:10 barrels

I didn't know that. Good stuff, kraig, as Uncle Bill Martino would say.

[Striker1]

I have a CZ 550 Premium in .270...worked great on everything I've hit with it and accurate too!

.270 going away...I highly doubt it.

[tdoyka]

ruger #1 in 270, puts 3 shots into 3/8" at 100 yards, my answer would be...........NO!!!! it is not dying.

[fatwhiteboy]

I have a Win Model 70 in .270 Win. I use 140gr Barnes TSX bullets that leave the barrel at 3000+fps. Very accurate with plenty of whack....

[kilimanjaro]

The .270 is as dead as the .30-06 and the .38 Special. In other words, the reports of its' demise are greatly exaggerated.

[gyvel]

Great answers, and this is why I asked the question in the first place. For some reason, you never hear much about .270 anymore, and I was a little hesitant to acquire the CZ for that reason.

But you guys have bolstered my confidence that I am not getting a white elephant.

[jmr40]

It ain't going anywhere, but the rise in popularity of rounds like 308, 260, and 7-08 have certainly slowed sales of both 270 and 30-06. While both are certainly good rounds, I grew up on 30-06 and have used one for 40 years. But I'd no longer buy one, nor recommend anyone else buy one.

A 308 shoots the same bullet weights at almost exactly the same speeds as a 270, but with about 15-20% less recoil and from a smaller more compact rifle. The better BC of the 270 gives it an edge, but only at ranges farther than most folks have any business shooting. A 7-08 or 260 will do almost the same thing with better BC's than the 270

Comparing 270 to 30-06 in 2014 is almost a wash with common bullet weighs, with a slight edge to the 270 on paper. The two were loaded very differently in the 1920's, but modern 30-06 loads are as much as 400 fps faster than common loads from that era. A 30-06/150 can now be loaded to 3100 fps, only about 50 fps slower than a 270/130 bullet. No one will ever notice the difference in trajectory and no animal will ever know which hit it.

With modern 150 gr bullets fired from a 270 it will be slightly flatter than a 180 from a 30-06, and do equal damage. Where the 30-06 has a real advantage is it's ability to shoot heavier 200-250 gr bullets which the 270 has no answer for.

But, then you have to ask, who really needs bullets that heavy. A 270/150 or 30-06/180 will either kill anything in North America. They are on the light side for big bear, but will work. How many of us actually hunt those bear? and if we do, we can afford a much bigger gun.

[Wyosmith]

Look for the obituary about the 270 Winchester after you see 3 consecutive years of windless conditions in Wyoming.

Until then I would consider it alive and very healthy.

[Unlicensed Dremel]

No, but if it is, it will be a SUPER-slow death.... I think it got a shot in the arm with 6.8 SPC and the resulting bullets created, but it's cannibalized some by .280, and some of your 6.5 rounds, particularly the massive resurgence of 6.5x55 swede.

[ColColt]

The 270 Winchester will never die. Just like the 30-06, 45-70 and 44-40. It's kept alive simply by hunters and enthusiasts who know it's capabilities. I sure wouldn't have spent $2200 for a Jack O'Connor Custom Tribute rifle for it if I thought it was going to die in my lifetime. Nor would I have a 1952 Model 70 in that caliber.

It's un-American to not have a 30-06, 35 Whelen and a 270 Winchester in your battery.

270 dying? Possibly it could have had it not been for Jack O'Connor extolling it's virtues in the pages of Outdoor Life for decades not to mention the books he wrote. I got turned on to that cartridge in 1968 solely from reading his many articles and had Hal Hartley of Lenoir, NC build for me a custom 270 based on the FN Supreme action and a Douglas barrel with the stock in Hartley's favorite tiger tail maple. Best shooting hunting rifle I ever had.

Viva the 270!!

[natman]

I'd argue the .270 is 'better' than the 30-06

I put the wink on the end in the hope that it would signal that I was kidding, but apparently it didn't work.

I consider .270 to be 'better' on paper than .30-06 because it will shoot bullets with comparable sectional densities faster and flatter than the 06 with equal if not better BC's.

I won't try to argue the point because it's true. I would point out it's always true when comparing any two similar cartridges with different bore diameters. The trade off is the smaller cartridge loses frontal area and bullet weight.

And depending on the load, will shoot bullets of equal weight (and higher SD's) almost as fast, if not as fast as the 06'

Almost as fast, but not as fast.

Despite the oceans of ink and galaxies of electrons wasted on hashing over the differences, the 270 and the 30-06 are very similar cartridges. One shoots a little flatter and kicks a little less, the other hits a little harder. No animal cleanly hit with a 270 is going to run off thinking "Thank God that wasn't a 30-06.".