Throwing this out for thought and discussion.

As a long time rifle looney and reloader, I've owned several .270's, but found them boring, although efficient. I traded them all, except for an old custom Springfield with McGowen barrel I put together as a teenager.

Now to the point. From the recent discussions on the .243 and 7mm Rem Mag having pressure swings causing the SAAMI max pressure limits on those two to be down from 65K, the .270 cranks along at 65K without issue. And of all the P. O. Ackley improved rounds, where is the .270AI? You see a lot of .280AI's, a great round. Reportedly, the .270 was the least improved round P. O. worked with, thus no reason for the AI version.

So, being nearly perfect regarding the absence of high end pressure aberrations and being good enough to not benefit that much from P. O.'s best efforts, does that make the old .270 a near perfect round ballistically, just as Winchester rolled it out, so many years ago?

DF

Not sure. I shoot a .270 along with lots of others and it'll kill whitetail and hogs but so will the rest.

If I recall correctly, PO Ackley said the 257AI was the perfect round as far as the ratio of powder capacity to bore diameter was concerned.

Absolutely love my 270 but my vote goes to the 260 Win. I am sure that will end this debate

"Perfect" is a personal thing when it comes to cartridges. But for me the 270 and 308 are as close to the mythical "perfect" as is possible with a brass cylinder and powder.

Both kick a little and kill a lot...

I'm going to the range now.....a 270 is in the truck.

I will have to think really hard on this.....

Yes, but I've let my '88 Mountain Rifle lay fallow since an '02 antelope hunt as I farted around with other calibers. Just bought an M8 6x42 off here and plopped it on her with the Talley lows. Just need to get my butt to the range.

Perfect hunting round in perfect rifle with perfect scope and mounts. The urge to purge the safe is looming. Need to look at some gun mags this weekend.

I dunno. I'm not a .270 fan. I have three of them, but the only one sacred in a Remington 725 that was my grandfather's. The other two (both Remington ADL synthetics, one SS, one CroMo) are destined for better things, with 6.5, .284, or .338 tubes. I do know that .270s are a bunch cheaper than '06s around home for potential donors (that's why I bought two of them).

You know the 7mm is right between the two so maybe it is "perfect"

It's just about perfect when you neck it up to .308

�Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.�

O.W.

There've been some .270AIs done recently by a fellow here, colmacivor, with modern powders that basically destroy the old "worst improved" AI round. When you figure that much of the "improvement" for the .280/.280AI is because the .280 wasn't loaded to NEARLY it's capabilities from the factory, well, you get a bit of a head-start.

I can't explain why, but I got more DRT kills with a Tang Safety Ruger 77 in .270 when I was a kid than I have with any rifle since, including a .257 Wby. What's worse is I don't even currently own a .270. But, when it came time to put one together for my son, .270 it was. He absolutely loves it, mostly because he absolutely knocks the snot out of stuff with it. Flat shooting, hard hitting without much recoil and plenty of factory ammo available. What's not to like?

I guess the main reason I haven't attempted an ultimate build in .270 is I just like short actions... Maybe a .277 SUAM... Hmmm... Now see what you've done?!

John

People eventually wake up to this stuff after they have wallowed around awhile looking for something "better".

John,

My hunting buddy has a safe full of nice rifles, but his "go to" rifle and the one he almost exclusively uses is a .270 Sendero. That gun is very accurate and he can really shoot it. Like the old saying, beware the man with one gun, he can probably shoot it.

I shoot about everything but a .270. When we go antelope hunting, I'm using my custom 6.5-284 with turret, he is using his Sendero with Conquest 3.5-10x44. I dial mine in and make the shot. I glass and range for him, giving him inches of holdover. He drops one in, right where it needs to go. Two equally dead speed goats. Watching him shoot that .270, using factory ammo with 130 gr. NPTs, started me thinking about the merits of the .270. To me, the .270 is boringly efficient. But it is what it is, a masterpiece of a round. Maybe JO'C was onto something.

DF

Bob,

There is truth to your statement.

I'm considering taking my old Springfield custom .270 with med. wt. McGowen SS barrel off the wall and giving it a whirl.

Now, I'm not abondoning the other rifles in my safe, just thought I'd give this old gun some deserved attention. As I recall, it's pretty accurate.

DF

Becoming quite the word smith Steelhead. Oh and Merry Christmas to you and your new home!

At the heart of every watermelon lies a .270

Its just a killn' sob�.

Some of you are funny. The .270 is boring, because it works so good? You'd rather have a caliber that can't hit the side of a barn?

Well my last 270 was a Winchester M70 Super Grade, one of the new claw extractor actions. Bought it in 1995 once I got it all squared away. it Shot great with 130 gr bullets. Killed a lot of game with it. the one issue I had with it was that the rifle weighted in at dam near 10 lbs hunt ready. I sold it when I paired down my collection. I shoot a 7mm RM these days with 150 gr bullets in a 8 lb rifle the recoil is not even noticeable. Shoot about as flat as a 130 gr 270 load. Just a little more bullet not enough to make much of a difference under most circumstances. Then If I really want another 270 all I need to do is buy an barrel some mounts and a scope for my blaser and I am good to go. No real need.

I wonder how this will turn out

Keep us posted to your decision Bob

It is amazing to me how many of these types of threads keep appearing when it has been proven and proven again that it isn't so much as to what you hit them with and what it came out of,but where.

It's not that other calibers aren't accurate. My 6.5-284 is more accurate than my buddy's .270 Sendero, with a custom Krieger barrel and a lot of high end work on the action and stock. The Sendero is just a factory rifle, although it does have a Timney trigger. He just feeds it store bought ammo and kills lots of stuff. In the field, it'll hang with my custom 6.5-284 all day long.

.270 is boring because you buy one, feed it factory ammo and it performs like a champ. It doesn't require all the "fixing" we loonies love to bestow on our pet rifles. Watching this guy handle his .270 just got me to thinking.

DF

Calibers aren't the issue in accuracy as much as the rifle, and especially the nut behind the trigger.

I have always had better luck with .30 caliber guns. If I shoot something and it does not die the way I think it should have you can almost bet the gun involved will be a 270 winchester (I seem to have good luck with the 270 WSM).

This year I shot a big muley doe at 71 yards with 270 win. When she left the field I could see large splashes of blood squirting from behind her shoulder. Let her lay for a hour or more and then started tracking her. I found the large splashes of blood for about 20 yards and then they quit. I was finding a drop of blood about the size of a pencil eraser every 25 yards or so. I had just said that we were not going to find her when I located her down the moutain. I bet the deer ending up running 130-150 (maybe farther) yards being shot right in the pocket behind the front shoulder. There really is no good explanation for the lack of blood. I have never seen a deer shot with a 30 caliber gun go near that far shot like that.

I think I just have bad luck with the 270 winny.

Dink

Mine's been in the truck for over a month straight. Another 4 months to go!

The "best" cartridge for any larger game hunting situation for most folks will have a capacity of somewhere between the .308 thru the x57 case and on up to the 30-06 case. It will have a bore of between 6.5/.264 to 8.5/.338. It will throw bullets from about 120gr to 210gr at between 2600 and 3000fps. Recoil will be somewhere between 15 and 20 foot pounds in a 8 to 8.5lb dressed rifle. These are the confines of efficiency in hunting rifles. Just about nothing you can't do with a rifle within these simple parameters.

You want more range, choose a smaller calibre and higher BCs, and move towards the 30-06 case capcity - for me that is the 6.5x.284, but equally it could be the .270. This is typically the best balance for an all round deer gun.

For less range go up in calibre and maybe down in capacity, and allow the greater efficiency of the bore to generate some easy energy at the expense of long range performance - say 8x57 and .338 Federal.

The most "magnum" i go to now is the 9.3x62 and .338x280 AI, which are still deviate little from the 30-06 case size.

The .270 is a pretty amazing cartridge for sure. It was my favorite for prairie deer, antelope and coyote until I got a 25-06. Little by little I kept leaving the .270 at home because the 25-06 seemed to give me an edge for a particular situation. I think the low recoil and blazing speed is what won me over. It hits like a .270, feels like a .243 and gets there like a 22-250. What more could I ask since I am no where near pressures I have to monitor?

Reading DINK's post makes me think that Elmer has been reincarnated.

That's truly laughable...............




Laughin' a whole lot more................

MM

"Perfection is the merger of consistency and time."

BW

Ive ran through a lot of headstamps and I am down to 2... the 270 and the 7-08. Edge going to the 270. Now that I got that right I am now looking for the perfect gun..LoL Have an 88 model 700 mt rifle in 270 thats pretty close.. will be really close when I figure out what kind of stock to go with. The 270 just works... with cheap wal mart ammo or your best handloads... Just like a computer.. point, click, and kill!

Too true.

I have killed alot of stuff with the 30-06 and several different 300 magnums (win,RUM). For me the 270 does not kill stuff like a 30 caliber gun.

Don't get me wrong I have killed alot of stuff with the 270. It never fails though that if I shoot something, it runs off and then is hard to find it has always been with the 270 win. Or if I shoot something that I think should have been DRT and it runs off it will be with the 270 win.

I have nothing against the 270 and own three right now but the perfect hunting round it is not in my opinion.

I know the 270 has a cult like following because most people can shoot it fairly well. I will be the first to say that there is nothing wrong with it but it has never killed like a 30 caliber gun for me.

Dink

Don't let'um mess with you, Dink.

Yesterday, I talked to my police SWAT sniper buddy who is also my gunsmith. He just got back from a TX hunting trip with ice chests full. His comment, "thirty caliber just kills". He was shooting his .308 and as a trained sniper with years of experience, he's very comfortable with the .308. This guy builds rifles and shoots or has shot about everything out there.

So, you're not alone...

DF

To me, WHAT and WHERE you're hunting plays a BIG role as to what makes a "perfect" cartridge. Take Africa (or any "travelling" hunt), as an example. The .270 has done some work there but it would be far from perfect, AFAIC. I'd want something considerably bigger for any hunt that requires a deposit.

Let's think a bit about some of what's being said here.....we will increase bore diameter .031,increase case capacity by 20-30 grains,bring velocities to around the same as a 270 with bullets weighing 30+ grains more, and then compare killing effectiveness,and therefore the 270 "sucks" and leaves ironclad deer rambling through the countryside leaking blood all over the place......something ain't right...

Ananlyze this......."I gotta go up in bore size,bullet weight,case capacity,and velocity to beat a 270.." Well, no shidt Dick Tracy!

I have read some really stupid shidt in my life but some of this stuff just takes the cake.

Do I think a 270 is as powerful as a 300 or 338 magnum? Of course not....

Do I think a 7 magnum shooting heavy 160 or 175 gr bullets is a step up from a 270? Yes,I do.

Do I think a 30/06 kills anything "better"? No...not until you get into the class of the very heaviest game (brown bear,Cape Buffalo,etc.)with 200-220 gr bullets,simply because the heavier bullets will penetrate better, and break heavy bones on such game better than a 270's lighter bullets.This is called common sense.

But do I think the 30/06 or 308 Winchester kills lesser game "better"? Nope.

A 7x57,7-08,280,284,264,etc etc.....any of them kill game "better"? Gimme a break....it isn't even worth discussing. Complete waste of time....

Second, no one mentions bullets .....

I think the reason some have problems with the 270 is that they use junk,thin jacketed,plastic tipped stuff under this "theory" of bullet blowup being the path to rapid kills with small bores.....well,maybe. I am still really conflicted on this notion,and think it has good application for very LR shooting....but under more conventional distances, I still like bullets of tougher construction.

Following that line of thinking, I have had no problems killing with any cartridge from a 257 Roberts through the 375H&H.If there was a "problem" (damn few)it was all placement....

I am mystified by the difficulty some folks have had killing animals with a 270 Winchester. I have had "zero" problems.I think the reason is that,almost from the start back in the 70's,I have fed 270's nothing but Partitions and Bitterroots.I have some recovered BBC's back here from 270's that killed game,that have broader frontal areas, and more retained weight,than 180 gr bullets fired into game from a 300 magnum....I don't give a flying rats ass about how good a bullet looks on a ballistic chart....I want to know results in an animal.I have noticed that if I use a bullet fully capable of reliably expanding,punching through a chest cavity and destroying vitals,and retaining enough weight to reliably break up bones on the offside,animals simply die.

All I know is I have never had these "mysterious" difficulties killing anything with a 270 at any distance or circumstance I have bumped into using these bullets.So I simply do not understand when a guy says a 270 sucks, but a 30/06 or 280 is hell on wheels.....I wonder if we hunt on the same planet for the same animals.

RinB on here has as much or more 270 experience in Africa(where I have not been yet)as anyone I know,except Johnny B.He won't talk about it but I will. He has killed over 200 head of African game from eland down with the 270 and 130 gr bullets;mostly Bitterroots, Barnes X, Swift S-co's and Aframes.He tells me of whacking a zebra with a 130 Aframe on the point of the shoulder quartering on with a 130 Aframe...the zebra collapsed in a heap,the bullet ranging back forward of the off side haunch,after breaking the shoulder.What's a zebra weigh? 500-700 pounds? Floored by a 270 and a great bullet? How do we reconcile this with notions of little does shrugging off hits from a 270?

He sends bullets over there for these African guys to test.....they say "Send more Barnes and Swift Aframes.....hold the Accubonds!" Mmmmm.

Another pal took his Dad and 12 year old son to Africa...all three spent 10 days knocking the snot out of kudu, gemsbuck,zebra,eland,and whatnot with 130 gr TTSX's from a 270 Winchester.

Reconcile this with half starved little deer running all over the place after a chest hit and it makes you wonder, what's the difference? Bullets .

I don't think the perfect hunting cartridge exists (unless it's the 375H&H because what is "perfect" will change with range, size of animal,impact velocity, bullet performance, etc.But the notion the 270 does not perform with anything else in its power class and powder capacity ....is silly.The notion that a 10 gr increase in bullet weight and increased diameter by .007 results in some "magic", is nonsense.Bullets,bullet construction, and placement are the key....not some silly notion about the headstamp being somehow inadequate.

As to paying a deposit, and taking a 270 on an important hunt beng out of the question? Gimme a break...what ridiculous nonsense.I have paid tens of thousands of my own money and put it on the line for important hunts and thrown a 270 on the plane. So have friends....and I would do it again tomorrow.

Here's the dirty little secret to killing game with a 270....use good bullets, and put them in the right place.

Execellent post and spot on!

Yes, sometimes "common sense" has to be dragged kicking and screaming to the front of the line. The number and variety of cartridges we have is the product of marketing rather the real need in the field.

In 1977 I was a senior in high school, and I lusted for a rifle. Being left handed there were not a lot of options. The Savage was, well kind of ugly (I own a few now and love them, esp. a .308 made in the year of my birth, 1959 in the original 110 short action)) and the Weatherby a little to rich for my blood. Winchester and Ruger did not offer left handed bolt guns and the 788 Remington was not the prettiest either,although probably the most accurate. The rifle I wanted was the Remington 700 in .270. And if I got my first report card of the year after Christmas that's the rifle that would have been under the tree. Unfortunately my learning disorder went unnoticed and my dad cancelled the gun. but it was the first rifle I bought after graduation and used it on Maine whitetails and Wyoming mule deer and antelope. It had the best Tasco 2-7 money could buy and it worked well. I still have it, with a Burris 2-7 on it now. With good bullets and reasonable velocity it works better now than ever, of course the same can be said for just about every cartridge out there. We need to remember every caliber, every rifle type is a compromise. In my opinion it is user friendly.

Mike,
Well, evidently you've lived a cloistered life and need to get updated and what your REALLY need! Another .270Win..

Bob.That full page of typing could have been a little bit simpler.If one insists on using a cartrige that typically pushes bullets 3000fps+ they need tougher bullets. The.270 certainly does that with 130gr bullets.

The 270 WCF is my fav. for deer sized game, its not loud, it doesnt kick, the rifles are very light and easy to handle, but handloaded with a 150 gn NP's at 2950 its a killin' SOB, and does way better than paper ballistics would lead some to believe.

I cant ever see myself without at least one or four

Gunner

Bob,

I have used mostly partitions in both the 270 and the 30 calibers with a few other bullets thrown in.

Every animal I have ever shot with a 30 caliber has shown immediate signs that they were hit. With the exception of one buck that I can remember most deer shot behind the front shoulder "hump" up, tuck thier tail and can not even move much faster than a walk for few yards before giving it up. I have also never had a animal go more than about 60 yards after being shot with a 30 caliber gun (the buck from above being the exception).

I have shot several animals with the 270 win that showed no signs of being hit as they ran off. Also on average they will go farther after being shot and I have several go more than 100 yards.

Blood trails have also always been better for me with stuff shot with the 30 caliber guns.

Sure the 30 caliber guns kick more than the 270 win. but anyone that can shoot a 270 can shoot a 30/06 if they want to.

I won't say the 270 sucks or that one will have difficulty killing with a 270. I will say that I have seen a noticeable difference in the way a 270 kills and how a 30 caliber gun kills game.

I have no reason to doubt your experience or RinB's but the 270 win just has never worked as well for me as 30 caliber guns.

Dink

+1

And there you go again, Bob, waxing eloquent with passion about a topic you obviously know something about. Sounds like a gun writer to me and a pretty good one at that...

DF

Now that was one hell of a post, probably the best I've seen on the Fire over the years. Well done my friend!

Dober


(Brux .270 barrel should show tween now and Christmas, now I just gotta find a stash of Bitteroots... )

x2... preach on brutha! 270 is good stuff

Dober,

Bob's something else when he gets his "dander" up. That was indeed a great post.

Bob, from time to time, gives even JB a run for the roses.

IMHO, of course...

DF

Dink I was not directing just at you ....but also at some of the other stuff I have read on here over the years on the 270. I don't doubt your experiences,because you know what you are talking about......only that mine have been a whole bunch different...which is why I am not trying to be a smart azz, but am truly surprised at what I read about other's experiences.....reasonable men will differ I guess.

Yes I have had some spectaular kills with stuff bigger than a 270...and I have also had animals make tracks.....with ALL of them. I recall one big bodied Sask buck about 350 yards across a big field that I hit well with a 300 Win Mag and 165 Partitions at 3250 fps...I blew chunks of that buck all over the landscape....he still covered about 60-70 yards before he tipped over.

But I have not seen a dramatic difference between anything of 30 cal or under on a standard case (270. 280, 06,7/08, 7x57, etc etc.) I guess my powers of observation must be suspect

She said the .270 is a "Mind Blowing" cartridge

Absolutely correct,but the .308 is the "boring" one, because .270 fans are really sensitive and easy to screw with. (Watch for a new thread.)

DF: I am no gunwriter, and don't possess their knowledge on this stuff....Thanks but I figure I have about 1/4th JB's knowledge and experience....if that......I know nothing more than many more folks on here.

I just report what I have seen and had happen to me and others close to me....and that's all I really know.

I would LOVE to have the experience of guys like Johnny B, Phil, and others on here,but don't and never will.

I've been thinking on that and subsequent comments by posters.

Very interesting statement that might make a good theme for us rifle loonies.

At least it could be used as an excuse for our never ending pursuit of new calibers, guns, etc. It's our imagination that renders the .270 "boring" and leads us onward to keep on and on "re-discovering" and attempting to "re-invent" what has been a staple of the gun world for many decades.

Good one...

DF

But, Bob.

When you hot, you hot...!

DF

Bob and others, my brother's (I have three) and I have killed almost every big game animal in North America with the .270, and yes the right bullet and good shooting is key. For example, three male grizzlies, dozens of bull elk, several bull moose, assorted black bears and literally 100's of deer and antelope have fallen to the boring .270. Two of the brothers are(were) had core sheep hunters, the younger has two grand slams.(the desert's were killed in Mexico some years ago) Bullet choice for me is simple, Nosler Partition and I let the rifle tell me if it wants a 130 or 150gr. To be clear, I am currently hunting with a 280AI because I'm a looney not because it is much better that the great .270

270 is good
260 betta

It's the BULLET doing the killing....if used properly.

What he said. *grins*

WOW, Great post Bob! Can you tie any of your roots back to JOC!!

I really do love your passion....AND choices in bullets.

I had an acquaintance of mine loose two deer this year via a combination of two things, shot them too far back and with a cheap C&C load....from a .270..

Naturally, the .270 took a bashing....but he forgot to mention in his "post hunt" conversations that he fell pretty hard along a creek one day and dinged his scope. And even after this, still did not go shoot to verify POI...

It's just simply EASIER for some people to blame something else!

Bought my first 270 this year( a Savage 111 in a birch stock) and killed my first ( .270) deer with it. Used 130gr Winchester Power Points. The first shot was a 1/4 ing shot that wasn't as angled as I'd hoped.It blew up the rumen and got some liver and the tip of the left lung.It made the deer sick enough that it stopped after about 50 yards and gave me a solid chest shot which dumped it on the spot. The odd thing was EVERYTHING in the abdomen was purple from being bloodshot.I was VERY impressed. I like the 270 ( so far)!

Until this year, I too have had bad luck with the .270. And I don't really know why. It certainly wasn't the bullet, at least in most instances.

The last one that I really remember well was with a 150 grain Core-Lokt roundnose. I double lunged a doe and she took off with no apparent signs of being hit. I wasn't sure I hit her except that I could not imagine missing at 125 yards and I was pretty sure I heard it hit as well. That doe ran about a quarter of a mile and laid up under a bush and died on her stomach, perfectly camoflauged as if bedded. If I hadn't known the area really well and pretty much known where the deer went, I would never have found her. In fact, it was still pure luck that I even saw her. I never found any blood.

Up until this year, I had never had a deer drop in its tracks with a .270 and I had never had one take more than two or three steps with a 30-06. Yeah, I know there is no reason it should be that way, but it was.

This year, I used some Hornady Gmax bullets and I got two instant drops with a .270. So, we'll see if that is the ticket.

Well I
I keep hearing how great the 270 winchester is and I have to be honest and tell you that any deer hit(even in the right spot) has a big chance of running a ways or even being lost!Regardless of what is said about the 270 I have personally seen this happen and more than once .

Of course I have seen this happen with the 30-06,25-06,8x57 Mauser,280 Remington,7mm Remington Magnum,44 magnum from rifles and handguns,308 winchester,30-30 Winchester,7mm-08 Remington,300 Winchester ,300 Weatherby,243 Winchester,45-70 ,Blackpowder catridges etc etc.
Point being that I dont expect a deer when shot to fall over drt every time and in fact tend to ecpect the deer to run a ways unless shot in the CNS or both shoulders broken! if they drop right there then great but not messed up about it at all. In fact I have seen deer go over 150 yards when hit in the lungs with a 30-06(160 long steps)and the lungs just poured out of the deer when gutted.
But whatever if a person wants to believe a 30-06 drops deer better than a 270 fine that is what males the world go round(different oppinions.I just personally believe that there is not a nickels worth of difference between any of the catridges within reason.
Shoot what you want based on accuracy,ammo availability(if you dont reload)The trajectory you need(or want)recoil,favorite rifle etc.Just dont be suprised when your favorite catridge lets one run aways every now and then and dont be suprised when your least favorite catridge drops them DRT occasionally ! Deer dont read these forums(say it aint so).
There is a lot more rhyme and reason to how we discuss catridges and their performance on game than there will ever be in how the animals CONSISTANTLY react to different catridges.


Craig

The .270 sucks. I thought everyone knew that?

IMO, there is a big difference between between being the most efficient factory round (if it is) and the perfect hunting round. Perfect is very subjective and varies from area to area. Around here nothing makes me shake my head more than when I walk into Walmart and many other more knowledgeable gun dealers here and see most if not all of the rifles in .270 and .30-06. Some stores it's impossible to find a .22-250 or a .243.

Ya know how good a .270 is here in Iowa? It's a tomato stake. Anything above a 6mm, possibly a 6.5, in a state when 99.9% of the critters shot with centerfire rifles are coyote size or smaller is too. While Iowa is a pretty isolated and extreme case there are many areas where you'd be best served with something other than a .270. Like I said, very subjective.

It's also pretty hard to be perfect for all of the lower 48 when it doesn't have 7mm-08 on it's headstamp

CB

I've never understood the issue myself. I killed my first deer with a 270 with factory ammo in 1984 and it dropped so fast I thought I missed. I've been sold on it since and put quite a few other deer in that great clover field in the sky. Out of the dozens I've shot with it, the only deer going more than a few steps were my fault on where I shot it...MY fault..not the cartridge or bullet. I always scratch my head when I hear of some who have had problems putting deer down with it...

Dink, sometimes schitt happens. I grew up on a farm where 4 of us hunt....3 mostly use 270s another a 308 Win. My brother with the 308 Win has had more deer run than the rest combined. He double lunged a buck at 60 yards once with 150 grn Ballistic Silvertips that left chunks of lung on the ground....and it still ran 100 yards. Sometimes they just run...I've been fortunate that I haven't on shots that I put where I needed to. YMMV.

Wow! SuperT that is impressive, indeed! I guess people move on to other stuff because all that killing gets monotonous

Or, as Scott (Steelhead) points out,they have great imagination!

I can see it may be luck making a difference. Physically, I can't tell from looking at an exit wound if it was from a 270 or a 30-06.

I see "Partition" being mentioned time and time again, sounding monotonous, no doubt.

Maybe we're getting down to a common denominator with this game killing thing, even if it gets boring and doesn't stimulate one's imagination.

You reckon it boils down to the bullet, proper placement a given prerequisite...?

DF

this thread makes me glad i've never owned a .270...

The difference in a .270 WIN, and a .280 REM, and a .308 WIN, in killing power is the difference of split frog-hairs on the scale of cartridge power; they are too close to make a meaningful difference.

it aint over till we win...

Dober

Well,Toad.....I guess you can't have everything.....

Unless of course one's running a 7 Mashburn Super...

Dober

Nothing against the .270 Win but I must have missed the whole .243 and 7mm pressure swing thing.

Am I going to have to quit using .243s and 7mm Rems?

good one, Bob! laffin here...

John....I wouldn't if I was you....


To all...a sorta funny story I'm sure John won't mind me sharing.He was good enough to join me for dinner in Casper and over drinks we naturally talked about hunting and rifles.

I commented off-handedly (knowing he used the 7 Mag alot)that guys like Les Bowman and Warren Page sorta had it nailed in the use of 7 mags as a good choice for LR elk hunting...

He immediately responded....(and I am paraphrasing here)..."So did O'Connor....anyone who thinks the 270 isn't a great open country elk cartridge is wrong..."

I was a bit taken by surprise and did not know how to respond....... John is a good deal younger than me, and I expected, with his real LR experience, he would consider the 270 a bit anemic for the job.

But I guess not!

Most folks forget these verses from Genesis:

12 And on the 8th day, having rested from his labors, God called to Adam and spake unto him, �arise, therefore, and let�s go huntin��. And Adam cried out to the Lord, �Lord, while my wife which thou hast created for me doth love the gun which thou hast created for me, I have no rifle worthy of thee.�

13 And God spake, and said unto Adam, �damn, I knew I forgot something�. And God said, �Let there be Rifle�, and God called the rifle �.270�. And God saw that it was good.

I still have a couple .270's in the safe. I must admit they don't get much use these days...probably because I have a couple .260's that will do anything my .270's can do and do it with 15 grains less powder, less muzzle blast, recoil and in a shorter, stiffer action.

Where's the fun in that...?

DF

My 270 is longer than your 260!

I agree with Bob, stick with good bullets and shootem good. 130 gr. TTSX DRTed my last deer. I have that luck with the 270 but then again I don't have a lot of experience like some of you fellas. I do think Bob said it well though. Guess what I took along hunting yesterday.

Tag... this is good for 20 pages....

Gotta love the long sexy .270. If it just had lips like Jennifer Lopez

...and wasn't hanging on George Michael.

I'm not sayin' what I hunt with, but anybody not doing it my way is doing it wrong. So there.

Ho-Hum, another day afield with the boring .270. Barnes VORTX 130gr TTSX

I think we have to remember that the vast majority of big game hunters don't read or participate in this forum. We are probably less than 1% of those hunters. Those that post on here with any regularity are mostly interested in what is new, different, better, cooler, faster, more accurate, etc.. Because of that, old and boringly efficient cartridges get overlooked and side stepped.
These hunters are still working on a 20 pack of .270 shells they bought back in 2007.

For a long time I have been a magnum fanatic. And yet I call the .270 the non-magnum magnum. When my brother decided to get into hunting at the age of 65 I recomended a .270.

Here's a thought process that will mess with your mind- My little 270 Titus, and the 270 Winchester, 270 WSM, 270 Weatherby are all the same cartridge- at different ranges. If I shoot 2800 FPS with a Titus and you shoot 3300 with a magnum, we still shoot the same 130 grain Hornady GMX bullet. But I have to stalk closer to my animal than you do. I shoot mine at 100 yards and you shoot yours at 400 yards because.... you suck as a hunter and can't get close. Sorry, I'm having fun with this!

Looks like you're having way too much fun, shooting such a boring round...!

DF

I have a 700 Ti 270 Win.

Tonight it will become a 30-06.

That's what I think of the 270.



True story folks.

Black Timber Elk Rifle extraordinaire

200 grain Partitions here I come.

Edited to add...

Oh yeah, and since I have a 260 Ackley I no longer need the 270 Win.

SU35,

Don't tell us you got so tired of the boring .270 that you, in a weak moment, went to the dark side, moving to the glamerous 30-06...

Gotta be a story there...

DF

There . . . fixed it for you

My best .270 story was when I was helping my dad cut an elk into mule load size pieces. He had killed this bull with 1 shot to the shoulder with a .270 and 130 Partitions. It had died quite abruptly.

I was in a .338 Win Mag phase and was sure Elmer knew it all. While we removing the shoulder he made a comment about just how dead do they need to be to load them on a mule?

I am a little hard headed but even I got the message.

I'm 55 years of ages and never hunted with a 270 until I was about 45 years old. The last 10 years it's about all I have every used.IMO the 270 will do about everything well. Maybe not perfect.It took the place of my .243 that I had for light recoil.It replaced the 25/06 for the long distance shot and a 150gr .270 is a 30/06 150gr equal.With a barnes bullet it the equal of the 7mm Mag when you need a little more.

John, good story! Lesson there!

Yep.

Well, sure...let's face it... today the deal is the cartridge has a lot more competition than when it came into being,when it was sorta unique among available factory offerings.

What I find sort of interesting,is that its' champion and advocate,JOC,has been gone since 1976,and with his passing rumors of its' ultimate demise without him around started to circulate....with the exception of some real rifle loonies, this has not happened;and the ammo supplies during hunting season still dry up fastest on the 30/06 and 270 shelves.

What I notice among some younger hunters, guys 20-30 years younger, is a tendency to regard it as "underpowered";somehow inadequate,and they reach past it for something more powerful.I have a couple of close younger friends who each purchased 270's after several years with totally tricked out 300 RUM's....they have just started to hunt with the cartridge,and I notice they show up at the range more frequently with the 270's than anything else now.

One is on a complete tear,having fallen in love with my old Brown Pound'r stocked pre 64 with #1 Krieger tha weighs 6.9# scoped.....so he built a modern day equivilent of the rifle that just arrived.It turned out very nice!

I have owned a 30-06 for over 40 years, but would have no qualms using a 270 for elk in the dark timber. A 130/140 TSX or TTSX would give penetration in spades

I In the 30-06 would use a 165/168 or 180 TSX or TTSX in the 06 for the dark timber and never ever look back. The 150 TSX or TTSX would work equally well IMHO

Consider how effective the 7x57 is and that the .270 is a 7x57 improved. What was the question?

Gunner

Su - good hunting!

Your 06/200PT will do nigh what a 338 OKH will do penetration wise....about as well as a 270/160PT

Or a 260/120 TTSX - Lol.

Those rumors were started by Jim Carmichel who took over for JOC as Outdoor Life's shooting editor.
Jim was pushing the 280 Rem to dethrone the 270 Win. Carmichel failed to do so didn't he? To many people out there have to much common sense.

At 16 i bought my first big game rifle, a 700 in 270 Win. I wore the throat out of it and rebarreled to 280 Rem no less.
Then I found magnum nirvana...blessed assurace magnum is mine, I'll never go back to 270 Divine.

Just for you Bob, just for you!!

If pushing a 130 grn bullet 250 fps less is the same then I agree too..

And if I need more than that I'll grab my 280...

SU: Thanks! Well I shoot magnums, too!

My first pronghorn years ago was DRT'd at about 400 yards with a 270 Winchester.It left an impression.

Since, I have killed a disproportionate number of animals with a 270,including almost all of my biggest mule and whitetails.

I could no more abandon it than abandon a lucky charm!

That'll preach right there.

As Barbara Mandrell sang.."I was .270 before .270 was cool"

Or was that country?


Jayco

Nope! The .30-06 is perfect and a .270 isn't a .30-06!

Expat

I'm a late adopter. I like my 270.

'course, it's no 243 AI

I have a lot of other rifles I tend to hunt more often but my first big game rifle was Ruger M77 in .270. Scoped it with a 3-9 vari-x II and fed it hand loaded 130gr Partitions. It worked every time for with great results on deer elk and bears. It never left me wanting for more for years. Rifle loonyism took over and I have many others now but that old .270 will still put up 1" groups all day long with boring regularity.

It's nothing fancy or amazing but it does it's job with boring regularity and predictable results. I really should take it out and kill something with it for nostalgia sakes

I love my 270. CZ550 .270WCF + 130gr Speer GS + 60gr 7828 = dead deer.

one thing i don't get about the .270 is that i shoot 45 grains of IMR4895 with a sierra 130 and that gets me 2850 or so. why burn almost another 20 grains of powder to get the extra 100 or so fps in a 22" barrel??

Classics never die. Long live the .270!

In summation, the .270 is the pitbull of rifle cartridges.

You should try RL22, Ramshot Hunter, Magpro, H4831, etc., etc...I get 200 fps more in my 22" M700 with the Sierra Pro Hunter and RL22. In my 24" M70 I get 3150+ with Magpro and the 130 Partition...and MOA in both. You need to give your sports car better fuel and not govern it..

JO'C was a 4831 man, but that was before all the new powders we have today. The .270 seems to be rather forgiving and seems to flourish with a number of powders in that general burn rate range. And that may be just another window into what a "perfect" round is all about.

DF

You should try 59gr H4831SC and about any 130gr bullet. Much better performance to near 3050fps or so and usually sub-moa groups.

I don't really think the 270 win is the perfect hunting round. A 308 Win is fully equal in terms of field performance, as does several other calibers. The rifle and scope and caliber make the best package.

Discussed ad nauseau

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/4353744/1

Bottom line, NO Game animal clocks bullets leaving the muzzle, or at impact, and die pretty much the same when hit thru vitals.

The shooter need only know THEIR rifle/load/sight in and hold/twist accordingly.

Then S Q U E E Z E when all is right

59 gr. H-4831SC with a 130 gr. bullet.

Man, you're sounding a lot like JO'C, although he didn't have the "sc" version...

DF

Never had one and never will.

Because 2850 fps ain't 3100 fps...

On a yearly basis are you taking game at ranges tween 300 and 500 yds? And put it another way, to what range are you taking game yearly?

And on a side note, I spect your comment was pointed Cowboy Tims was cause of his comment about using 60/7828 with a 130. That equates to 15 more grains per round and if one runs 500 rounds a year (which dang few do for one gun) one would burn about 7500 more grains per year. So, a bit over a pound more of powder a year so burning 15 more grains will cost one $25 or so more a year. That's something I can live with.

Bottom line if you're concerned about buring another 15 grains per round you're either squeeky a hell or you shoot your .270 a ton load more than 500 rounds a year...?

Dober

no i am ignorant and made a stupid statement lol

but yes i do shoot more than 500 rounds

Bob's post was right on, now with that being said, I do not own one and the only one I owned, I turned over pretty quick and never shot game with it. That being said, I do have a lot of respect for the cartridge and what it can do after seeing it in action for many years used by friends.

The reason I do not shoot one is strange but here it goes..growing up I knew/know 2 guys about 20-25 yrs my seniors. They both shot 270's and made them sound like they were wondersticks sent down by the gods themselves. Both these guys had to be the center of any conversation bragging all the way. As a young guy, I decided to h*ll with the 270 after listening to all the bs. To bad as for what I hunt and where it would cover 99% of the situations very well.

Of .270's you mean?

And do you mainly hunt in Ohio? I'd think that most of your shots are fairly close range are they not?

Go Buckeye's... (beat Duke and Ks, who's next?)

Dober

i meant in general, of centerfire rounds.

can't hunt deer with .270 here so mostly yotes and paper.

I'd say the .270 Winchester loaded with a good quality cup & core bullet... or with an excellent hunting bullet like the 130 grain or 150 grain (depending on the game size) Nosler Partition Bullet in the .270's standard factory loaded form comes as close as any round and closer than MOST rounds to being "THE perfect hunting round", yes!

And I don't own one... and have never owned a .270, but I've hunted and killed game with a borrowed pre-'64 Model 70 Winchester in .270 caliber... and the .270 gets the job done without a lot of muss or fuss... and without much recoil as well.

Jus' my 2�...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

I check in on this thread occasionally just for the novelty and humor factors of seeing " .270" and "perfect hunting round" in the same sentence...

You guyz are a hoot!

Entertainment is our business. .270 shooters are a happy bunch, because we have the perfect hunting round.

A happy bunch, no doubt. With such a boring and efficient round, they just shoot and kill stuff. No anguish about ballistic minutia and endless details loonies constantly obscess about and ponder in the wee hours of the morning. Theirs is a relatively simple life, so they can be happy. They have time to be happy.

I belong to the other crowd, loonies searching in perpetuity for the holy grail of shooting nirvana, the chase becoming the goal, the means overshaddowing the end.

THEY are the normal ones...

DF

DF: Well said and an astute observation... I speak from experience. While there was always a 270 around,I tried many others. A blizzard of builds and factory rifles, dies, bullets and brass by the score....seemed I lived at the loading bench and spent any other spare time in front of a chrongraph,my life reduced to peering through spotting scopes into a world of 1" squares,and ticket tapes spewing velocity numbers.Drop,drift,energy quotients....

Come hunting season, I would lie awake wondering....."7/08 would be sweet!...No,No...7x57...280? 7mag?? 30/06??? How about that Big 30? Which one?

I would hunt.....I killed game with them all...it did not matter. I finally figured out,I counted more than the headstamp.So now,I stuff 270 cases with H4831, R22 or 7828,and Nozzlers and hunt.

I still retain some of the Loony as we never out grow it.....ergo, Mashburn.

I am content.


For now.

We only speak the truth and facts..

Bob,

Maybe you're starting to recover.

Like with the 12 step program, first step is admitting you're a loony...

DF

DF: That I am a card carrying Looney is well known in these parts.....

We all know the 270 rules the roost.

Poobah,

It well may be positional, as looking in at the inmates from the outside, or peeking at the outside through the asylum window...

Maybe they're the normal ones. And the rest of us, seeing it all from inside the Loony Farm lockup.

DF

I have owned a Bunch of guns in a Lot of different medium bore cartridges including 270's. I don't know if I would say the .270win is the Perfect Hunting round, but I will say this:

"I belive that the Best hunting calibers over a broad variety of game lie in the .264 - .284 bore caliber range."

I am a Huge .257 bore fan, and my current go to gun is a 30-06, but when all is said and done the .264-.284 class are some of the finest cartridge available, even more so with the bullets of "Today"...

I've shot my .270 at three deer, and all three died. I gave two of them a second shot, though only one of those was really necessary. so, perfect, nah, I still had to gut and skin those three deer. the .270 didn't do it for me. Still looking for the perfect one.

My favorite rifle is a CDL SF .260, but being I do not currently reload and am not sure when I will start I wanted one gun I could have around that I could find ammo for on the cheap if need be. I ended up getting a new Model 70 FW in .270 and it will shoot the CHEAP Walmart Federal 130gr. into little tiny groups for $15 a box... Is it the perfect hunting round? I dont know as I carry my .260 and my new 708 Montana on most outings, but it's nice to have around.

Yeah and when you're not checking on this thread, you are secretly counting and caressing your .270WCF collection hidden in the back of the closet!

If the 270 Win and 150 NP isn't an all-around NA game combo, I don't know what is.

But some people apparently have bad luck no matter what's in their hands.

That ain't the only thing he's caressing in the closet

I used to consider myself a rifle looney and have run through a lot of cartridges (17Rem-338WM) looking for the "perfect" deer round. I have to admit that I was more than a little shocked when I ended up with a boring old vanilla 270 Win but that cartridge just flat-out does the deal in a way I can't put into words....

It kicks a little and kills a lot.

That's as good as I can say it.

My 1958 Model 70 FWT in .270 is perfect:

That is a very nice pre-64, M-70, in great shape and with an exceptional piece of fiddleback walnut.

DF

Damn that is pretty!

Just went out to the truck and plugged it in, kicked the 270(again) for good measure, knocked a little dirty old horse sweat off in the process.
I believe it was Rancho who stated that 270's make good truck guns because you don't have to worry about anyone actually stealing one.

[quote=Brad]It kicks a little and kills a lot.

/quote]


That's about as good a quote I've read in a while, well said my friend.

Dober

Well put...


You gotta plug in your truck already??? Is it a diesel???

Good one, Sammo! (And, I guess, Rancho!)

While the ol .270 Win is just great for you old guys , I have yet to hear about this "pressure swing" issue with the .243 Win and 7mm Rem Mag.

I understand you old fellas want to just keep killin with the .270 Win but let�s not go overboard in the enthusiasm.

That and you can use the damn thing for a jack handle too.... .

You know how these old guys are, especially the 270 lovers...

Kids!............

You guys know I love the 270! I'd like to get another one in an 84L, maybe this Spring.


Ingwe, yeah diesel, weatherman said it was gonna get down to single digits which is generally a good plug in temp.
20F this morning though and not complaining!

Sam, I'm sellin' mine....Ingwe says they suck...

Bob, damnit anyway, now I gotta go kick mine(AGAIN!).....grin

Just one of then many things I luv about the .270 is it can take a kicking and keep on ticking..

Dober

90gr HP for varmints and 160 Noslers for elk. Throw a 140 Sierra at deer and I'm covered.

Like I always say, it aggravates folks cause they think they found a better mousetrap but the rest of the world just doesn't listen.Game keeps piling up by the score.............and the 270 rolls on....................and on................................and on..................and on. LOL!

So, they call it names,curse,swear................Funny as hell to watch it all.

I used to run the 90 Sie Hp quite a bit, with this new barrel I might just build a nice youth load around it again for my G-kids to get after it with.

And the 160, I have a thing for it and it'll do it's job quite well. The 140 Horn has been very good to me and pretty always quite accurate in most rigs. Same with the 150 Horn.

And of course the NPT's in any weight are pretty much rock stars from where I sit.

Heck of a nice round, thinking that Mac has a bumper sticker I made up years ago. Went sort of like this, "if you don't have a .270 then you don't have caca"

Dober

You guyz crack me up....

Don't u have a stock to paint or something to do like go to work and sell mo .270's.....

Dober

Nobody has dropped off a stock lately....

But you are right, and so was P.T. Barnum...I'm gonna go sell lots of .270s.....

You are right on with the bumper sticker, Dober...years ago I bought a .270 and it stunk like caca.

I never tried the 140 Hornady, I was out after 130 Speers several years ago and Charlie said I'll make a deal on the Gamekings and guaranteed they would work. He was right

I guess I have caca but in a good way.

I guess those pressure swings are not too unlike mood swings with PMS. Long on theories, short on hard info as to why those things happen. Maybe the .243 and the 7mm RM are of the female persuasion...

DF

Mule Deer set me on a load with a 140 grain Hornady spirepoint over 58 grains of H4831SC. Hornady says 2,900 FPS, I get a little more.

PERFECT.

Baseball, apple pie, and .270 win

Gotta Love It !

David-I've used 57/H4831 with a 140 Horn for a long time incredibly tough combo to beat.

Dober

57/H4831 sounds right for the Gameking too.

It's like a broken record...the 270 vs (insert cartidge here). Much like the Partition, been around for a long time and it works...a hard pill for some to swallow.

The .270 can beat up Chuck Norris.

And make Chuck cry....

I finally got an email reply from Moochelle. She agrees with Ingwe on this question.

That's one heck of a nice M70!

Dober

I'm loading 59 grains of H3831sc with 140 Accubonds and get about 2950fps/22". MAX load disclaimer...
58 grains and a 135 SMK matches perfectly for a practice load.

Rumor has it that the 135 SMK will do well on carp deer as well...

Dober

I'm looking forward to range-time this spring with the 270.

My 270 only has a few rounds through it, but 58.0 H4831 is putting 150 NBT's into small groups at 2,900 fps.

Looking forward to trying 150 NP's and a variety of 140's as well.

If there's a better all-around bullet than the 150 NP in the 270, I can't imagine what it is.

And I'm going fishing in a few minutes. TFF

.270 win...perfect hunting round...

carp deer....

I'm sensing some elitism....

or is this whole thread some kind of tongue in cheek gag.....?

My attitude is earned......

Dober

Only one thing worse than a 270...a second one!!

Its midwest whitetail elitist..

carp deer indeed!

You think just cause it smells bad, that it is bad....

+1.....


pun intended

it's getting late in the morn, don't you have a nap to take..

Dober

OK...dat was mean....

But true....

Theres a turd in a humidor in hell with your name on it...

Right next to yours.....

I'm not sure what a 270 Kimber Montana would do that my 308 Montana will not, but now I'm wanting one!

Ive used several 270 cal rifles on deer hunts and from the results Ive seen i doubt you could do much to improve the results on deer at any reasonable range, its always performed flawlessly in my hand loaded rifles with 150 grain speer bullets over a stiff load of 4831
Ive got a ruger #1 that is amazingly accurate in that caliber, off a bench rest under 3/4" groups are common at 100 yards