I hunt and have hunted a lot with a 270 W. I am good with close to 3000. Now that 2950+ can be reached with 145+ bullets I am shifting away from 130’s.
On twist, I prefer more than 1-10 for two reasons: First... Bullets are getting longer because of BC increases. Second... I am convinced terminal performance is better (e.g. degree of expansion & straight line penetration). Plus barrel makers today make 1-9’s.
For a hunting rifle I focus on bullets and worry about optics.
The rifle nut (I still prefer that term) part of me prefers more velocity but the hunter side much prefers lighter, shorter, and trimmer. Over the years I have been unable to observe any advantage to a barrel which is longer than needed and over those years have decreased the lengths of barrels on my hunting rifles which are mostly 270’s. With modern bullets and powders I can get what I need from a 270 with a 21” barrel. If I need more then I most likely will use a 416. If I was a brown bear hunter I would get a 375. Nothing is a substitute for marksmanship.
I am taken with the idea of a super fast, high BC, 22 or 24 for a “project” but confess I could load some 100-110 bullets I my 270’s and get the job done, pretty much.
Last edited by RinB; 02/14/18.
