270 WIN

[jb683]

Does anyone shoot the .270? I have been looking for a subject in the forums that deals with the subject, but none so far. I have used this rifle to take many whitetails, and the flat shooting up to and past 300yds speaks for it'self. Is this not a popular caliber with everyone? I have had great results with it and plan to start reloading it. It would be helpful if I could get some good load info. maybe using H4831 or H1000 and 140g SST projectiles, since Santa Claus should be dropping these items off at my house. I should add that the rifle I am using is the S&W 1500 22" Or (Howa)

Thanks

[Cowboy_mo]

I got my first .270 about a year & a half ago. I really like the round and just started reloading about 6 months ago. A couple friends of mine also reload this round.

I have been using h4831 sc, with 130 gr Sierra and 130 gr speer bullets. I started in the middle range listed in the Lyman manual for the 130 gr bullets and worked up about 1 grain at a time. The load that works well in my rifle (a Weatherby Vanguard with 24" barrel) is 58.5 grains of H4831 sc. One of my friends swears by IMR 4831 but I don't remember the exact amount he uses.

Work slowly, and ask lots of questions on this board. I am by no stretch an expert. This is just what I have learned from a few short months of reloading.

[Abel]

Does anyone shoot the .270? I have been looking for a subject in the forums that deals with the subject, but none so far.

I find that hard to believe. Its one of the top five selling cartridges in the US every year.

[mikejonestkd]

The .270 win is one of the best and most popular cartridges out there for many great reasons. I personally like 130 grain bullets ( NBT or SST) in front of H4350 or Varget. There's lots of great reloading data in manuals, on company websites and in many forums.

[mikejonestkd]

The .270 win is one of the best and most popular cartridges out there for many great reasons. I personally like 130 grain bullets ( NBT or SST) in front of H4350, IMR 4831, or Varget. There's lots of great reloading data in manuals, on company websites and in many forums.

[DiscoRacing]

Just got a howa .270 last week off GB.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=205345485

[Abel]

Do an advanced search for threads with 270 in the title only, and have at least 25 responses.

[jb683]

Thanks ... the info I have really suggests the 130 and 140 grain Hornady SST projectiles to be some of the flatest shooting rounds out there. But as everyone else, I do not have the powder that Hornady uses. I also see a cronograph in my future if I ever hope to get close to the specs used in the Hornady publications. Trial and error, while not getting to hot!

Thanks for the replies ... new to this forum

[DiscoRacing]

Is that the first Howa that you have JB?? I have four of them now...they are some really awesome shooters.

[jb683]

I would agree. Bought this one for $150 bucks from a guy that claimed he could not hit anything with it.

[DiscoRacing]

this one is 30-06... i use it for deer every year.

http://i647.photobucket.com/albums/uu195/Disco_Racing/100_2820.jpg

[jb683]

BEAUTIFUL ... mine is not that good looking!

[Alden]

Jack O'Conner was the writer in the 1950s who brought this round to the attention of the general hunter and claimed it was almost as good as the .30-06. He used both calibers to hunt mountain goats and Dahl sheep.

He liked the .30-06 just a bit better because of the heavier bullet.

[Big-Foot]

In the part of the SE where I lived the deer weren't big and the hunting ranges weren't long. Don't feel like you have to load it to the maximum, far from it. The 270 has a reputation of ruining meat at close range anyway.

I load the 30 cal 150 gr SST's to around 2700 fps, they work well at that velocity but have a reputation of blowing up when pushed fast. Don't know about the 277 versions but Midways reviews are a good source of information so you can match bullet construction to the velocity and game.

http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?pageNum=1&tabId=19&categoryId=7278&categoryString=652***19785***9016***&sortBy=BrandName%20asc&numberOfResults=100

[billnourse]

My son has a .270 700 Rem. that is a tack driver using I 4350 powder and 150 140 and 140 grn bullets from Hornady, Sierra and Barnes.

Jack O'Conner swore by the .270 and used it for just about everything, including dangerous game in North America and Africa.

I recently read an article on the .270 and the author concluded that the .270 killed better than it should, and was adaquate for all but the dangerous North American game.

Bill

[Alden]

I also heard that when ever his wife went hunting with him she always shot the .270.

It kills better than it should. That's a typical Jack O'Conner statement!

[jimbob86]

I have shot and handloaded for several .270 WIN rifles ..... for quite a while now.....

maybe using H4831 or H1000 and 140g SST projectiles, since Santa Claus should be dropping these items off at my house.

H4831 (and H4831SC) did well w/ 130 and 140 gr bullets, but H1000 did not develop published velocities in either of the guns I tried it in. 140 gr Hornady BTSP bullets only developed 2850 f/ sec with a lot of flash and bang ....... IMR 7828 gave 2900 with 150 gr Sierra BTSP ........ and it grouped better in my rifle. YMMV.

[SIGSHR]

I am not now nor have I ever been a hunter no do I play one on the Internet.
The first time I fired on my SIG SHR 970 rifles was in .270 Winchester at 100
yards, I was getting 1.25" groups with Remington 130 grain Corelokts. If I were to take hunting I would use the .270 for game up to deer size.

[pabuckslayer08]

I bought a brand new A Bolt .270 25th anniversery and re did the trigger and thats all. Messed with ammo and found that Fusion 150s shoot better than anything made. quarter inch groups at 100 and 1.5" at 200. Great caliber for any North American game

[kraigwy]

Go you your local library, check out some books by jack O'Connor. You'll find all the information you need on the 270.

It's still quite popular today, especially out here, kind of considered a Cowboys gun, Model 70 in 270.

As for reloading, 150s for elk, 130s for everything else. 4350 & 4831 seem to be the best powders. Get a reloading manual, find the Most Accurate Load, listed and tweak the load until if fits your gun.

Can't go wrong with the 270 Winchester. Berger is even making some match bullets for it if you want to do some long range work.

[gaseousclay]

I have a 270 win but haven't shot it yet. once this mess of a winter clears outta here i'm gonna take it to the range and break it in. I researched calibers before I finally settled on my 270 win, mainly for it's versatility in hunting and that it's supposed to be a flat shooter. this isn't to say that other cartridges aren't as good, it just suits my needs for hunting. at some point in the future i'll likely invest in a 30.06, .308 and 7mm-08.

[Doyle]

I had a .270 for one season then sold it. I see the .270 as one of those calibers for which there is just no need in my world (I know I'm going to step on some toes here - I'm sorry). If I want to go "light" for deer, then my .260 recoils a WHOLE lot less and with less muzzle blast and will get out to 300 yds just as good as a .270. Beyond .270 I think the .270 has the edge but I don't shoot past 300. If I want to go heavy, then my 30-06 out does the .270 without any more recoil or muzzle blast (it actually seems like less).

[Crankylove]

150s for elk, 130s for everything else

Don't forget the 100 grain HP's for sod poodles.

I have been shooting my Model 70 in .270 Win for just over 20 years. Its gone hunting for Elk, Mule Deer, Antelope, rabbits, ground squirrels, and grouse. Was my first big game rifle, and even though I have added several high-powered rifles to my safe, it is still my favorite and the go-to gun.

[Vermonter]

I have never owned a better rifle than my Ruger m77 Hawkeye in .270. It is my first left handed specific rifle and I love it. I have also toyed with the Idea of reloading. I will be reading further and using some of the above advise myslef.
Vermonter

[Alden]

I have a Tikka T3 Lite in .243 that is dead nuts accurate. If I were to buy another bolt rifle it would probably be a .30-06. The .270 is a fine round, but it's just a wee bit heavier than the .243 and just a wee bit lighter than the .30-06, so to me it would be useless.

For deer I would just use the .243, if I was ever to go on an elk hunt or bear hunt (fat chance) I would choose the .30-06.

[txgolfer45]

My only .270 is a Remington 700 ADL. It is a tack driver and I've taken a number of whitetail deer with it.

I started with Remington Core-Lokt ammo. Now using Hornady Custom 140 gr. SST. I noticed Hornady doesn't offer this anymore unless you buy the SuperPerformance. ;-(

I also have some Federal Fusion but haven't tried it at the range yet.

[roklok]

My favorite propellant for the .270 is Reloder 22. I use the 130 SST for sheep, deer, caribou and the 150 Speer Grand Slam for bear and moose.

[sparky241]

i had a winchester model 70 in 270 once. i couldnt take the recoil of it.I think it was the stocks shape though,

[JerryM]

I own several big game rifles including 7MM Rem Mag and 300 Wby. If I could keep only one of my rifles it would be my pre 74 M70 FWT. Mine has a Leupold 2.5X8 VXIII. I have never seen a need for anything different unless I would hunt large bear. I would prefer my 338-06 for those.

I pretty well have settled on 130grain bullets at 3100 fps from the 22 inch barrel.

Regards,
Jerry

[DiscoRacing]

I have a howa 270 and howa 30-06.. and it seems to me that the 270s recoil IS greater.

[Major Dave (retired)]

shot the 7X57 Mauser, with 140 grain bullets, handloaded to approx 2,900 fps MV. She preferred the 7X57 over the .270 due to less recoil.

That said, how do all of you .270 Win owners feel about the .270 Win Short Mag (WSM)?:confused:

[JerryM]

Personally I prefer cartridges on the 06 case. They do what I need, and I have heard that the short mags are more difficult to feed. In addition, I prefer the greater magazine capacity of the 06 cases.

So for me I have no desire for the WSM.

Regards,
Jerry

[farmer-dave]

I generally shoot 150 grain remington corelocks out of mine. They seem to shoot extremely accurate out of my rem 700 bdl. I've used alot of ammo over the years. I know one year I used some federal premium 130 grain and it literally blew such a large hole in the deer, I could put my fist through his rib's. I went back to my previously listed ammo.

[Rimfire5]

I have a Winchester M70 Super Grade for about 10 years.
Its recoil is less than a Rem 700 that my buddy has, but I think that is because the Super Grade has a large recoil pad and may be a bit heavier.
I can shoot 50 rounds with it without noticing but I didn't want to shoot that Model 700 after about 10 rounds when we were developing a load for it.

It likes 140 grain bullets a bit more than 130's but it shoots Core Lokts and Nolser 130s under 1 MOA with Reloader 22. I recently started experimenting with IMR 4350 and have gotten better results with the 130 Core Lokts. With 53.3 grains of IMR4350 I got down under .75 MOA using Core Lokts.

[jb683]

I had always used the 130gr Core-loc with this rifle and it worked well, never tracked a single deer. Now with the reloading I want to find this rifles true nitch just to see how good it can get. As far as recoil goes ... It will blue the shoulder from a prone position within a few shots. But it only has a hard stock plate. Im sure it would be better with some sort of a pad.

[DiscoRacing]

I load em with 140gr hornady

[okbob51]

57 grains of IMR 4831 pushing the130 flatbase Sierra is my load. Of course, this may be too hot for your rifle. You should always start with lower powder charges and work your way up in YOUR rifle. Never trust someone else's load without building up slowly.

[Que]

When I'm looking at used rifles my attention is always drawn to rifles calibered in .270. If it's .270, .243, or .308 (or 30-06 for that matter), I'm good to go. I have a BAR Safari in .270 and a Savage 111 and the fact that they were in .270 made their acquisition a no-brainer. The BAR in .270 is pure sweetness.

[SFW]

I have had my .270 for about seven years now, and it is my go to rifle. I haven't bothered to reload any 130gn rounds, as I just can't imagine that I’m going to beat the results that I get from Hornady’s 130 SSTs.

Here’s my “hog” load:

CCI 200 Primer
90 Gr. Sierra Hollow Point
55.0 Gr. H380 Powder

The above load is explosive on hogs and yotes. I took a yote at 300 yards this past weekend with this load. Dropped him like a sack of bricks.
:)

[bamaranger]

Rem 700 ADL, synthetic, for about 20 years now, back when you could get one for just over $300. ($318 as I recall). I was a big O'Conner fan as a kid and he was w/o a doubt its biggest fan.

My 700 has been a shooter since day 1, although, for the first half of its life, it seemed to be a bore fouler. Much JB, seemed to help, and now foaming cleaners help w/ copper fouling a great deal.

I belonged to a deer lease that had many ROWs and shooting houses, and it was possible to see and shoot at deer at longer ranges. The 7mm Mag was extremely popular on that club, but I figured all I needed was a .270, loaded and sighted right.

I stated out w/ 130 gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and took a few deer, but expansion seemed off and on, not sure why. This was early in the Ballistic Tips history. I've since switched to the Sierra 110, which is as flat as a laser and runs at 3200 fps easily w/o max loads, w/ minimal recoil. Regrettably, we lost the lease and I never did take a deer w/ that load. It seems ideal for our 125-150 lb whitetails, and the rifle is still set up for it. I hope to turn bamaboy loose w/ it this year.

O'Connor, BTW, liked the old original 130 Silvertip and I have a small supply, but never hunted them.

Ross Seyfried stated that the best .270 bullet ever made was the 140 Failsafe, I hear now discontinued.

Enjoy your rifle.

[lsevenish]

I noticed that no one had mentioned, atleast not that I have found, that Ross Seyfried also writes for the Double gun journal.
There is also alot of info on the 700 including a video Ross did on safety on the remington700.tv site you might find interesting.
His Elk Song ranch is listed with cabelastrophyproperties website which includes several picx.

[pabuckslayer08]

The poster infront of me has made it very clear he is against the 700 in all his 4 posts. Whats the deal man, its the best selling gun in the world

[lsevenish]

Thats why I like the new remmington700.tv site, as it goes into detail with video and people that back the gun. I think the site was posted in response to the cnbc news story, but am not sure. It also goes into detail about the firing mechanism etc.

[taylorce1]

I can't believe that I've missed this thread, but of course I was busy around the time that it came out. My second center fire rifle purchased for big game was a Parker Hale .270 Win. Love the cartridge, it has been easy to load for using 130 grain bullets of nearly any flavor. I've taken 4 cow elk with it and the 150 grain Nosler Partition.

There was a good article in American Hunter about Americas favorite rifle cartridges. In it the author said that the .270 was the first true American Magnum rifle. Even though it isn't considered a Magnum by todays standards any rifle that could push a bullet capable of taking big game over 3000 fps was a big deal in 1925 even though it wasn't an instant success it has established itself as a mainstay in the rifle industry.

It is a cartridge that IMO should be considered when purchasing a big game rifle for hunting anything in the lower 48. It can easily take anything you could ever want to hunt at distances far beyond what most people are capable of shooting. Recoil is quite manageable and it is a pretty easy rifle for most hunters to accomplished shooters with.

[BIG P]

Hunted for years with the 270 WIN,everything from song dogs,hogs,black bears etc.Shoot I didnt even have to change bullets been using Hornady 130's SST for years also.;)

[WyomingWhitetail]

My first high Caliber rifle was a ruger in 270. I killed my first elk with it and several deer and other elk. I Sven killed a mountain lion with my cousins blr 270 never even moved. It a great catridge for everything in north America and if a 7x57 will kill elephants a 270 sure will. Not saying its a good ideal tho. Finally ended up getting a 25-06 rem as the ruger was ugly as sin and I didn't really like the action. Looking to get another one soon tho

[jimbob86]

That said, how do all of you .270 Win owners feel about the .270 Win Short Mag (WSM)?

An answer in search of a question: If you can't do it with a 130 gr at 3100, what makes you think that 3200-3300 will be $1000-1500* better?

"What is it for? Why to sell, of course! -Jeff Cooper


*cost of a new gun, brass made of unobtainium, and new load development

[Fat White Boy]

I have a Model 70(Synthetic Stock) in .270 Win. I bought it at Walmart for $300.00. I took off the package scope and put on a Buckmaster 3-9X40. It shoots .5" 3 shot groups at 100 yards using Remington Corelokt 130 gr ammo. I do reload for other calibers but why mess with a good thing.... I have taken pigs up to 200 pounds out to 250 yards

[Wyosmith]

I am a gunsmith and I have been for many many years.
The very first rifle I ever made was built on a Mauser and barreled in 270 Winchester. That was in 1968.

I still have it. It's now on its 3rd barrel. I shot the throat out of the first two.

I have fired a LOT of rounds from the 270 and I have killed a LOT of game.
I have seen a few bullets I will not recommend, but overall, I doubt you can beat a 270 for game from small deer up to large elk. Use good tough bullets and they kill a lot better then they seem like they should.
I have been an elk hunter and guide for many many years. I have killed them, and seen them killed with a lot of different calibers.

It may sound like BS, but the fact of the matter is that I have never seen any more powerful cartridge kill any faster or better then the 270Winchester on elk, until I got to a 375H&H, and even the 375 is not "better" until you have to start shooting wounded ones from the rear to keep them from getting away.

The 270 seems to think it's a lot bigger then it is.

I can't offer a scientific explanation for this fact, but I can assure you it IS a fact.
35 years worth of experience has been enough to prove it to me.

[doofus47]

If I had gotten a .270 before my 30-06, I would have bought two.
Instead I bought the 30-06 and I have two of those.

Either will do you right in North America.

[603Country]

I've been shooting the 270 Win for about 30 years. I shot that caliber in several rifles and finally got the rifle I wanted - Sako, controlled feed action. It took me a while to find just the right load, but that gun loves H-4831sc, behind 130 Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. I use 58.5 grains of powder, Remington cases, CCI BR2 primers. Shot the cases once and necksized from there. I haven't shot it lately for group size, but it shoots a nice round group that's smaller than 1 inch. Hard to beat the 270 Winchester cartridge for deer or big hogs, and the killing range is limited to your ability to shoot long distances. I also have a 260 Remington, and it does shoot very well and kicks less than the 270. In real world hunting, it might be just as effective as the 270, but when I go out the back door to hunt (our small ranch in Texas) seriously, I take the 270. As for the 243, it's fine for Texas sized deer, but for big deer and hogs, it just might be a bit too small - though in the right hands I'm sure it would do just fine. So...if a fellow is recoil sensitive, I'd suggest the 260, but if he can handle a bit more recoil (it's not bad) I'd suggest the 270 Winchester. And as for bullets, I'm really fond of the Nosler BT, but it is destructive and will fragment if you aren't careful with bullet placement. But is really is an extremely accurate bullet, and what's the point of any bullet if you can't put it right where it matters. Anyway...that's my two cents.

[BIGR]

Heard and read alot of good things about the .270 WIN. Hunters I know will fight you over theirs and claim that it is the best medicine for whitetail deer. Myself I have never owned one for some reason or another. The four 30.06's, 7MM-08, 7MM REM. MAG. and 300 WIN. MAG. might be one reason. I started out in the 80's as a 30.06 man and later decided to bump up in power a little bit. When it comes down to it is probably hard to beat the 30.06 for my deer hunting needs. But you say hey that .270 WIN. with the 130 grain bullets can take down those deer with less recoil. That is so true indeed. I have been craving a different make bolt gun, but would like it to be a lefty. I might just give the .270 WIN. a whirl one day and see what all of this praise is about.

[trigger45]

after 1000 rnds changed the stock to a hogue full beded and never looked back. with .75 groups at 100 and 1.5 at 200. hand loads 60gr of h4831sc 130 gr horn sp or rem corelok works just fine. its a heavy rifle. i have a 2-7x33 rifleman leupold on it right now. fully recomend this rifle pattern. friends call it that "jap" rifle. but they stop talking when she speaks. the thing feels solid. spray foam the buttstock space and it helped the balance. its nothing to put 50 through it. clean every 9-10 rnds with copper removing cleaner. barrel stays clean and smooth.

[thorntwins]

I've killed approx 30 whitetails with 59 gr H4831 130 gr nosler ballistic tip handloads in a rem 700 mtn rifle. This bullet is devastating on deer and I've taken them from 15 to 400 yds, quartering to, quartering away, broadside, straight away, facing me, and everything in between. They will usually drop in their tracks if you have much body angle or take out the front shoulders, but a pure broadside shot through just the ribs will produce the usual 90 yard death run (I don't care what caliber/bullet you use). I use the b-tip because it's accurate and very deadly. However, if you don't want meat damage, the b-tip isn't for you. On shots with much angle you'll usually find just the copper jacket right under the skin on the opposite side and the lead core will typically be disintegrated. This delivers max energy into the deer and gives you the "sledgehammer" collapse, but it will damage meat in a wide area around the wound channel.

No matter what bullet you use, not sure why you'd want to use anything heavier than the 130 gr for deer. My dad has a 300win mag and shoots 180 gr b-tips but he is dumbfounded by the way my 270 kills deer. The combination of the high velocity and the lighter weight bullet simply makes the kills seem more dramatic... Although I know the deer can't tell the difference!

[700cdl]

I've been hand loading for and shooting the .270 for more than 25 years and have a pet load that will deliver close to 3200 fps extrhing you needemely accurately. I load the Speer 130 grain BT soft point. Its a hot core so it performs very well with a powder charge of 64 grains of H1000. This is a compressed charge, but the pressures are very well managed and consistent. I have chronographed it at 3150 fps at 2500 feet elevation and I was pushing 3200 and some change at 7000 feet elevation. I took a lot of game with this load including elk without any problem. Shot an antelope at over 500 yds. and held on the back bone. The bullet passed right through the heart lungs. I've never had to use a bullet other than that Speer hot core 130 grain BT as it will do anything you need it to on the North American continent.

[thorntwins]

700cdl - that's an extremely hot load for a standard 270! My load in the mtn rifle chronos at about 2980 (22" barrel). It just doesn't like anything hotter. You're closer to 270WSM figures - I just got one of those.

[Rimfire5]

I have loaded 130 grain Core Lokts to 3100 fps (near sea level) and had reasonable results with accuracy but my Winchester M70 Super Grade seems to like the 3000-3060 fps range the best so I didn't push it any harder.
I would say that 3200 is approaching the upper end of pressures for a .270 but your particular rifle may not have a problem with it.

I generally don't push velocity just for grins when I get close to the limit, especially when I see the accuracy fall off even a bit.

I put more weight on accuacy than velocity and if the accuracy of a particular powder / bullet combination isn't going to be within limits, then I find another powder.

I have had better results with IMR 4350 than R-22 and have gotten comfortably an average of 0.542 inches with 130 grain Core Lokts at 3000 fps with IMR 4350 when R-22 doesn't average better than 0.86 inches at 3060.

[hoffbill]

I love the .270. It is accurate, lots of reload options, will kill pretty much anything you shoot with it.

I load Hornady 130 and 150 SST for hunting. We have found them very accurate and incredibly lethal.

I load H100V 50 gr for 150s, 53.5 for 130s in my rifle get the same point of impact at 100 yds. The 150s seem to group a little more consistently. I doubt a deer can tell the difference between 130 and 150. That comes into play on larger or tougher animals ie elk and hogs.

[southwind]

I have both a pre 64 model 70 fwt in .270 win and a model 70 fwt in 270 wsm. My current go to rifle is my 270 wsm using RE 17 and 130 grain Barnes TSX bullets. I have harvested at least 15 or more big game animals with it and it performs flawlessly. Incidentally I also have a 300 wsm and have never had a feeding problem.

My pre 64 was mfg'd in 1961 and is very special to me, she gets to go out and harvest big game on special occasions.

What has struck me about the .270 is with the current culture of LR hunting and shooting in general for 1000 yard performance the rage has been very high BC cartridges in 6.5 mm and 7mm. The .270 has never been a staple on the firing line of competition. Bullets design and weights are limited to hunting and the confines of faster twist barrels as supplied by the rifle MFG's.

If rifles in .270 were offered in 1-9 twist barrels we would see some high BC 12r ogive VLD bullets mfg'd that would perform well with anything out to 1000 yds.

[taylorce1]

If rifles in .270 were offered in 1-9 twist barrels we would see some high BC 12r ogive VLD bullets mfg'd that would perform well with anything out to 1000 yds.

Cutting Edge Bullets (http://cuttingedgebullets.com/bullet_detail?id=36) offer a 130 grain .277 caliber bullet that will feed from a magazine that offers a BC of .540 which is pretty good for a bullet that light. This is a better BC than the Berger VLD offers in a 150 grain bullet. They are expensive but if you want to use a .277 caliber rifle as a match rifle you'll have to pay for the custom bullets.