What do you all think about the 270????

[Fred M]

Rule#1. Mac is always right.  Rule #2. When Mac is wrong, got back to rule #1.

[Mac11700]

Rule#1. Mac is always right.  Rule #2. When Mac is wrong, got back to rule #1.

Ok Fred...now I am riled up...This type of BS statement is extremely misleading...and will not go unchallenged...

I've never said I am always right Fred..I can make mistakes as easy as the next guy...the difference is I can admit to them....Unlike you..I do know the the cartridge very well...I know exactly how versatile it is...as do most others here that actually have owned it...and have reloaded for it.... I don't try to down a cartridge without having first hand verifiable information about it.....and sure as hell don't do it on someone else's failures with it..I have a hell of a lot more common sense than that....Nor do I attempt to slur the name of one of the best hunting/shooting writers of all time...just to try to make an unwinable argument credible...and to bolster my ego...as you have...

I suggest that you leave your character assassination out of these type discussions pardner...about others and about me...and stick to subjects you actually know about...... before making false statements here on subjects you don't...

Mac

[TrenchMud]

I have used both the .270 and the .30-06 and I can not find much difference between the two.
Both are excellent rounds. The .270 seems to have slightly less recoil. The 06' can shoot heavier
bullets but the .270 has slightly flatter trajectory. Not enough difference to even warrant arguement!

[nyhunter863]

I have taken 40 plus deer with a .270 along with an antelope, black bear, hog, and a few other smaller things.  Have lost 2 deer with it which was totally my fault and not the guns.  I can't find any fault in the caliber.  The ballisticians can argue all they want, but this caliber along with many others gets the job done.  To question why it was ever invented is quite silly.  The exact same thing can be said for just about ANY cartridge including the numerous new cartridges that have been put out in the past few years.  NONE will kill any deader than the other.  Many shooters just like to spend money and try new calibers, guns etc.  I just use one gun that I know will kill what I will shoot at and just go out hunting.  No sweat, and a dead animal when I decide to shoot at it!!  I also love it when I read on these boards how someone tried a specific caliber and shot one animal that ran a whole 30 yards and then proceeds to condemn it!  Just love that kind of stuff! 

[safetysheriff]

my post using the word "esoterica" was actually a spoof!       that's why i came back in the next post to speak in a different tone with swampman re: the admission he'd made about his attitude.

Fred'

without taking sides in this....... having no desire for arguement.......i'd still say that i'd rather have a .280 Remington; but that in no way negates the well-documented accuracy and killing power of the .270 Winchester.    i'd prefer the .280's match-grade bullet availability and i'd prefer the slightly heavier bullets in some respects.    but who is kidding who?  the .270 with 150 and 160 gr' bullets (Hornady or Nosler) will take adequate care of most hunting situations (99%) here in North America.    Layne Simpson and Accurate Arms and Fred Barnes have added enough testimony to Jack O'Connor's to convince me that i bought a good caliber in that .270 Ruger when i helped my friend get his left-handed rifle.   

the Handloader's Digest articles about the .270 also add to the amazing tradition that some of us hold to re: this cartridge.   i think Mac' got it right!   it is not a specialized, narrow-niche caliber.   it is a world-traveling, production-packaged killer that will continue to grow in popularity.    the adoption of the 6.8 spc (.270 caliber in a smaller case for America's military) will just about guarantee that.

take care, all,

ss'   

[TrenchMud]

I have to throw this out there too. I have killed more deer with my old model 158 "Topper"
in .30-30 Winchester Than with both the .270 and .30-06 combined ! So I have to say I favor it
over both the .270 and the 06'. A 150 grain Nosler Balistic tip over 27.5 grains of IMR 3031
has never failed me. I am as confident with that round as some of you are with your 270's and some of you with your 06'. Am I going to say it is a "BETTER" round? No way, It has just always worked for me. Would I hunt Bigger Game with it than Whitetail? Absolutely! But within my own self imposed limitations. Folks in Alaska and Canada Kill animals as large as Moose with the 30-30 every season. You just have to know your own abilities and do not try to stretch them. In just about every instance, lost game is from the hunter messing up, not the cartridge ! Blaming the cartridge is just a way for the hunter not to take the blame for a poorly placed shot, or taking a shot too far away!

[statelinerut]

Oh well....I was thinking of getting a 270 barrel for my Handi, but this debate has me thinking. And me thinking is a dangerous thing . Since I will never get to hunt an elk in West, TN and the average weight of whitetails around here is lighter than the deer in the Northern states, I might outta just stay with my trusty .243. I have personally never fired a rifle chambered in a .270 so I might not even like it. I have though shot the 30-06 and the 7mm. Killed deer with both, but not as effecient as with the .243. Why......because I am more proficient with the .243. I guess it all comes down to preference and shot placement.

I will say this for the .270 though. There are lot of them out there. So somebody must see some validaty in the .270. For the guy or gal who hunts only whitetail deer and nothing else, you cant beat it. It is affordable and there are lots of ammo choices for it at your local sporting goods stores. I find it hard to believe though that the reason it is one of the most popular deer and elk cartridges around is because Jack O Conner did a great sales job. I sell for a living, and just because I sell a product to be the all in all, if the product does not stand up to the claims made, it wont be around long. And the .270 seems to be very popular to this day. So I say, let the product speak for itself.

[MSP Ret]

That is good solid reasoning statelinerut and I am happy to agree with everything you said except "So somebody must see some validaty in the .270. For the guy or gal who hunts only whitetail deer and nothing else, you cant beat it."  I think the .270 is a fine cartridge but as far a deer hunting in your neck of the woods or mine, especially using a Handi which seems to excell with rimmed cartridges, I would suggest that old favorite the 30-30. If you don't reload good ammo is cheap, much cheaper than the .270, and available everywhere, and if you  do reload, and you should, that old 30-30 can be loaded up or down to take just about any game animal on the North American continent if the hunter/shooter does his job. Load it with a spire point bullet or buy some Hornady Lever Revolution ammo and easily reach out to 200-250 yards. Buy or load anything you want and drop a whitetail in it's trcaks in any terrian you can hunt in. The 30-30 is well known for harvesting more deer than all other calibers put combined, that prove's a lot....<><....    

[statelinerut]

Very good point MSP. Point well taken.

[Mac11700]

The 270 was spawned in a age when most folks if they were lucky had 1 big game rifle and only dreamed of far away hunting...Then as well as now..the 270 Winchester works well for the 1 rifle hunter...It's not too big for may types of varmint hunting...nor is it too small for the biggest majority of big game hunting done..There will always be folks who prefere other calibers...and different type rifles...that is natural...and there is always better cartridges for single purpose usage....But for someone wanting a all-around Handi rifle...the 270 is still a good choice....

Mac

[myarmor]

And as always even more so when handloaded. I hunt in fairly diverse conditions here in VA.
 I live in the Appalachain/Blue Ridge Mountains. Beautiful place. But there can be short 100yrd- "brush hunting" or a long pass (300yrd++) on a wide field in the open.
To me I am quite taken with my 270.
I have handloaded it down with a decent 130gr soft point..Rem Core-Lokt over 4831 -for some reason my M70 loves them, for closer shots with in 100yrds and more so.. to my Hot loads with 130gr Nosler BT for a longer range flatter shot...at what range I feel comfortable. It's a nice cartridge. And I find 130grs to do very well, and most have a very good SD, as has been pointed out. After shooting my reduced loads and many hoter ones, I have full confidence in my rifle and caliber. It's easy to shoot, and is hardly undergunned.

[rocket1]

Love the .270.!!   Got into hunting the open country of western Oklahoma.  I like to hit those monster 200+ pound whitetail bucks out there fast and hard.  My Remington 7400 .270 is sighted in to 4" low at 300 yards.  Inside 250 yards (where it is  zero) its just aim and fire.  The .270 is my straight liner as you can see with very little drop out at 300 yards.  I'm taking big bucks with 100 grains.  (I'd like to get into a good short mag someday....some of the guys have them.)   We take canvas bank money bags and sew them down the middle and fill them with sand creating a valley for your gun to rest in going for placement.  My longest shot taking a buck is 345 yards. My dentist is a hunter and he does'nt believe me. Ha!!   I'm gearing up a Handi .270 right now to try out west for next year!!  I'm hoping to blow some minds of my compadres out there...some of those guys have scopes that cost as much as their high end rifles.  Here around the house I'm a creek and oak woods treestand hunter with smaller Handis and ammo, but that open country  is great fun too.  If you get you a .270  try reaching out there with it, its fun. Deer, coyotes, etc.  If you feel you want something like 150 grains you can still get out to 300 yards and just be 5.5" low.  Heck yeah, get that .270.               

[NONYA]

TOOK A FRIENDS WIFE HUNTING THIS YEAR,GOT HERE WITHIN 150 YARDS OF A NICE WT BUCK,HE WAS FACING US AND GETTING READY TO SPLIT SO I TOLD HER TO PUT IT BELOW HIS CHIN AND SHOOT,SHE PULLED THE SHOT AND HIT HIM HIGH IN THE BACK,ROLLED HIM LIKE A SACK OF S*** AND DIDNT NEED A FOLLOW UP SHOT,THAT OLE 270 IS A REAL PIECE OF CRAP..LOL 

[safetysheriff]

Love the .270.!!   Got into hunting the open country of western Oklahoma.  I like to hit those monster 200+ pound whitetail bucks out there fast and hard.  My Remington 7400 .270 is sighted in to 4" low at 300 yards.  Inside 250 yards (where it is  zero) its just aim and fire.  The .270 is my straight liner as you can see with very little drop out at 300 yards.  I'm taking big bucks with 100 grains.  (I'd like to get into a good short mag someday....some of the guys have them.)   We take canvas bank money bags and sew them down the middle and fill them with sand creating a valley for your gun to rest in going for placement.  My longest shot taking a buck is 345 yards.

rocket'

(nice handle!)   have you ever thought about Point-Blank-Range sighting of the rifle for approx' 325 yds with a fast 130 gr' bullet?
it'll rise a little less than 4" above line of sight before dropping down to 4" below line of sight at approx' 325 yds.    that's one of the better maximum point blank range sightings i've read about with a .270 Win'.   

the Lee Shooter program shows it like this:    130 gr' Hornady spire point at 3000 fps velocity with 1.75" scope height;  2.98 inches (3 inches for guys like us!) above point of aim at 100 yards,   gives 3.7 inches above line of sight at 150 yds with only 1.78" below line of sight at 300 yds!    you are right on "zero" at 275 yds with this sighting-in.   at 350 yds' the bullet is 6.63 inches below line of sight.

BTW: i like your choice of the 100 gr' bullet if it's a tough one like the Hornady spire point would probably be.    i've seen their 55 and 60 gr' spire points in .223's take big deer (on nuisance tags) at distances to 200 yds'!

take care,

ss' 

   

[rocket1]

I'll do the research on that.  Hey, that's part of the fun!!  Sounds like I could gain bout 50 more yards and be accurate.  My brother is hooked up with some guys in a gunshop out west that do work on equipment for the swat teams from all over the country.  He emailed me the other day and said he was in there listening to those guys and they were talking about calculations of how even the temperature and stuff like air pressure factor in on a bullet's travel and gismos that compensate for it.  I guess the sky is the limit if you really want to get "perfect".  Anyway there's  high-tech approaches.  Cool huh?  I have no idea of the expense one would be looking at to go that far.  My approach is pretty simple.  An older friend, he's about 73 years young, who's an old deer hunter from way back in the days when the only deer in Oklahoma were in the far east part of the state, has a sort of slide rule card thing he got over 30 to 35 years ago (or further back) with a Marlin rifle he bought way back when.  The thing has proven itself to me.  I'd love to have the same thing to include the modern rounds...(well maybe not, it would probably get me into a buying spree I could'nt stop!!  HA!!)  Anyway, it told me to go sight my .270 in at 35 yards (for the 100 grains) to get the results of my previous post.  So I went out and shot until I was putting holes in holes.  I backed up and shot at 100 yards and hit 1 and 3/4" high just like the card thing said.  Then I went out west and got me a deer with a broadside heart shot near that 300 yards aiming just a tad high. (The card thing told me 4" low at 300 yards.)  It worked.                  

[ihookem]

I have owned a few 270's for 20 years and like the light recoil especially the milder hand loads. I decided I don't care much for the 270 in the Wisconsin woods anymore. The animals I shoot never get away or go very far, that's not the problem. I ruin an awfull lot of meat with the 270. This year I shot a nubby behind the shoulder and very low to save meat but what I saw was boathersome, almost sickening. For some reason it blew the bottom of his body out with a hole just behing his shoulders. It was a six inch hole in him. When he ran off we had blood everywhere. After 40 yards we find his whole stomach laying on the ground, then large intestines dragging and laying on the ground and even two feet high in the brush. We found the deer with no problems and with no guts left in it. Even the lungs were laying 10 feet from the body. No meat was ruined at all but it was gruesome. Did anyone ever experience anything like that? An hour later A three point comes through so I put it in the front shoulders. It staggers for 50 feet and falls over and dies.The problem is when butchering, the front shoulder is so bloodshot I decided not to even try to salvage the front right shoulder and bloodshot meat was 12" in diameter. I ruin a lot of meat with mild loads too. These were 54gr of IMR 4350 and 130gr. Rem coreloc.  Any ideas on loads that don't ruin so much meat?

[acloco]

Come on guys...this is nothing more than the ford/chevy/dodge debate.

I have shot at least 25...maybe 30 different 270 caliber rifles in the past.  The ONLY item I did not like about them...they ALL kicked like a mule.  Smack of the shoulder AND lots of muzzle rise.  I am not a small person - 6' and 265 lbs.

But, low and behold, on the used rack at the LGS....a Rem 700 for $275 with Leupy base and rings.  Yep...she is home.  I thought...hmm...THERE is my action for the 6.5x55 on a modern action that I have ALWAYS wanted.

One mistake...I shot the puppy first.

150 gr SP at 3000 fps with H4831.  The one flyer was me....the pic is 300 yards.  Circles are the 270 rounds.  This was the tail end of a load workup session.  This is from a used, pencil barrelled Rem 700 that had tons of closet dust on it when I bought it.



My point is...learn to be able to express an opinion, be nice about it, and don't tell anybody they are full of BS without having something to back it up.

For instance....MOST, not all, but MOST calibers cannot deliver the goods like the 264/6.5 caliber bullets do - look at the BC and SD of the bullets.  Combine that with the long, pencil like bullets (means fly better at to longer ranges).....go look in your older reloading manuals....you will see what I mean.

Combine the 264/6.5 bullets on a modern action that can deliver a 140 grain projectile in the 3000-3200 fps range.....probably cannot be beat.

[Swampman]

It's hard to find a Remington 700 that doesn't shoot.  Good find!

It's just a personal thing with me.  The .270 is one of those neither fish nor fowl cartridges.  I my mind, the list of useful hunting calibers jumps from the .243 Winchester, to the .30 calibers.  In between is a no man's land of cartridges that would be redundant for me to own.  The .243 is the largest useful varmit class cartridge and the .30-30/.300 Savage are the smallest useful deer class cartridges.

Most any cartridge can kill large varmits and deer sized game.  Most cartridges are capeable of pieplate sized groups at 100 yards, which is enough.  If the in-betweens suit you, then that's pretty much all that matters.  It I had a family heirloom .270, I might hunt with it for old times sake.  It might be cool to use a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 in .270 on a sheep hunt.  I'll never get to sheep hunt so that's pretty much out for me.  For a person making a new purchase the .308 Winchester, or the .30-06 make a lot more sense to me.

[safetysheriff]

I ruin an awfull lot of meat with the 270. This year I shot a nubby behind the shoulder and very low to save meat but what I saw was boathersome, almost sickening. For some reason it blew the bottom of his body out with a hole just behing his shoulders.       No meat was ruined at all but it was gruesome. Did anyone ever experience anything like that? An hour later A three point comes through so I put it in the front shoulders. It staggers for 50 feet and falls over and dies.The problem is when butchering, the front shoulder is so bloodshot I decided not to even try to salvage the front right shoulder and bloodshot meat was 12" in diameter.  Any ideas on loads that don't ruin so much meat?

i'd recommend that you try the 150 gr' Hornady spire point (not the round-nosed version).   it's lower velocity and probably heavier jacket will tear up less meat.    it'll start off at probably 200, maybe more, fps' slower than the 130 gr' bullet.     that's one reason why these heavier bullets were first developed!   to ruin less meat.   

good hunting to you,

ss'