Pat: After 88 years, I would hope there are some better cartridges than the 270. Otherwise we've been standing still for a long time
. Folks seem to think just because I use it alot that I think it's the "best" and that other cartridges don't interest me...this is not true at all.
But it seems to me that to get the improvements,we either have to burn more powder in larger cases, or use some highly specialized bullets in somewhat more "efficient" cases,and maybe some that are not as efficient in that we have to burn a LOT more powder,use longer barrels, and get kicked more in the process to see the gains..
In modern terms,the cartridge seems to be a victim of its pedigree and age...slower twist,lower BC bullets, etc. These problems can be fixed,and it's easy to order barrels with faster twist, and the bullets are getting better.
But it possesses still, to this day, the kind of things that characterize the modern cartridge concepts we all seem to desire in a modern cartridge....high velocity, low to moderate recoil,bullets of good BC(yes some designs in other calibers are better in this regard),flat trajectory,capable of being chambered in rifles easy to tote and easy to shoot accurately...some cartridges trump it in some of these areas,and some only fractionally if at all.
I have done my share of philandering myself,enjoying the variety of cartridges and new rifles...I like to tinker but not as much as in the past.
For me the 270 is a cartridge that has always been in the safe and used frequently, despite having owned many others. For me it has been a very "lucky" hunting cartridge, which is the reason I reach for it so much.
I am on my way to the range today to see how those 130 gr SS II's shoot...
