Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters A case for the .270 Winchester

One of the most controversial cartridges ever is the .270 Winchester. Its fans feel it's the best thing since sex or apple pie and ice cream. It's detractors think it's a waste of time. One of the biggest gripes you hear from the antis is that it's bullet choice is too limited.

For a long time all you could find were 100 grain, 130 grain, and 150 grain. Nowadays you can find a few more choices such as a 90 grain someone makes, the 140s, and now there's 160s and 170s available for it. There's been some heavier bullets in the past but they have always been round nose made for hunting at closer ranges in thick cover.

I believe the .270 was designed around the 130 grain Spitzer. In my opinion it's the ideal whitetail cartridge. With MVs of 3000-3100+ FPS it does everything I've ever ask of it with a 130 grain SGK or a Nosler BT. In fact, it's been 20 years since I've bought anything else but those two, with a couple of exceptions, one being when components and ammo were scarce during Obama's stint as Prez and couldn't find what I wanted and all I could find was a box of Remington 150 grain Round Nose, and also one experiment with 140 grain bullets.

Now I don't hunt elk and if I did I wouldn't use my .270 because I have better choices. I have a couple magnums that are better suited for it. However, I believe it would do the job and evidently does considering the number of people on here that use it for elk. If I needed to do so I would simply load up some 150 Nosler Partitions. I would feel very comfortable with that arrangement. I've found that in my experience 130 grain SGKs work very well on deer size game, and they've worked better than any other.

You want to shoot Speed Goats (Prong Horn) use the same medicine you use for whitetail. It will reach out and get them. You want elk, stoke that dude with a serious 150 grain and go forth. Just do your home work on Bullet Placement. You will succeed.

However, if you want to shoot 100 grain bullets there's several out there. Some people use their .270 for varmints with 100 grains. they can start 'em off at 3400-3500 FPS. I don't varmint hunt with mine because I have dedicated varmint rifles that have less recoil and will reach out and touch Wiley Coyote from afar. But the 100s in an accurate .270 will do a number on them.

No, the .270 is not the most versatile cartridges out there but I feel for what it is and what it's meant for it's more than plenty good. I've had one since August of 1966. I bought it for deer and for deer it's perfect. So why do I need a dozen different bullet weights for deer? One thing, about every bullet manufacture makes .277 bullets and in several different construction designs. So even if there was only the 130 grain it would still be a great choice for deer. I prefer the Game King but there's many different bullets in that same weight. I also have shot 130 and 140 grain Ballistic Tips in it. But I always default to the 130 Game King.

So my question is what's the real beef? What's not to love about the .270 Winchester? Or is most of the hoopla just a joke?

OK, so you like the 270.

Not that there's anything wrong with that ...

I guess .270 is okay....not that I’d want my brother to use one...

I truly have more rifles than I need, I have always had at least 1 270 Winchester in my safe. If the detractors don't like it that is their problem.
On several hunts I have been on even if my 270 was not my primary gun it was there as a back up. I killed my first coyote with a 270.....I think my first deer and antelope also, nothing wrong with a 270 it's just that in todays climate if it does not say crampmoor on it people think it is too old school to be good.

In real, practical terms the 270 is an excellent rifle for deer. That said, if someone wanted to hunt deer and didn't have/want a 270 already I'd recommend a 6.5 Creedmoor to them.

So boatanchor, I think mathman proved your point:

"nothing wrong with a 270 it's just that in todays climate if it does not say crampmoor on it people think it is too old school to be good."

"mathman said:

"That said, if someone wanted to hunt deer and didn't have/want a 270 already I'd recommend a 6.5 Creedmoor to them."

All jokes aside, mathman, I don't like to trash other people's choice, because it is just that, their choice. I only posted about the .270 Win. Because it is a favorite of mine and I'm new here and want to get a feel for what different people think about the things I like. That's only human nature. I'm sure that if I ever get a 6.5 Creedmoor, knowing me and having a real good idea of what it is, I'll fall in love with it.

Actually only two 6.5s really get my interest. One of course is the ol' Swede, x55. The other would be a 6.5x57 built on a Yugo 24/47 action which unlike most short actions, Rem. 700 and such, is long enough for the longest bullets seated out to the max, being it's on a midsized action.

Love the 270 here.

Like my 6.5’s, they always seem to be easy to tune and turn out great speed with book data and anyone can shoot a decently stocked 270 without feeling like he went a bunch of rounds with a UFC fighter. Paper ballistics are cool but under 500 or so for me and I have 0 qualms carrying one of my 270’s.

I have only one .270, although I have owned probably half a dozen... But it is one of my favorites.. I have killed everything from gophers through elk with it. I have three favorite calibers, but right now it is close to replacing my the .25-06 as my middle caliber.. I like the 06 for coyotes, not that the 270 doesn't work, but for game larger than old wiley, the .270 is getting the nod more often!!!

The 270 has served Grandpa Dad Myself and my kids well. With proper bullet selection and placement it always does it's job

Only have 2 big game centerfires anymore. A 25-06 and a 270. Like them both but if I had 2 get rid of 1 it would be the 25-06. I've killed over 200 deer and 6 elk with a 270 and 130 gr. partitions. I've had a bunch of others but I only shoot 4 to 8 rds a year. with deer and elk in mind. Before I went to Africa I shot a 375HH over 1500 times. I also shoot several thousands rds. a year at p-dogs.

I have had one 270 for 40 years and have not felt under gunned with a good 130 grain bullet for anything.

The 90-100 grain regular make a mess of deer no mater where you hit them.

When i first got it i had some 170 grain Federal ammo and just shot it up for brass.

It recoiled a lot harder than the other weights i have tried.Still come back to a good 130 grain bullet,Hard to improve on it's success.

Not at my house..... it has stood the test of time......something a lot of other rounds have yet to do.....it remains among the most popular rounds used for north American hunting and likely will still be among the most popular a century from now.....the creeds will be barreled by then!!!!!

These pretzels are making me thirsty

I grew up reading Jack O'Connor. I don't think I could keep house without a .270. I currently have five, but the right answer is two or three, depending on how well a new to me one shoots and how long I want to keep a safe queen around (although I at least shoot said safe queen.)

Mule Deer has pointed out the .270 is a bit "undertwisted" for long, super high BC bullets, mostly due to when it was designed. But he has also pointed out that is can be made to work about as well as anything in its weight class up to 500 yards.

I might own a 6.5 Creedmoor someday, if for no other reason a "cheap" one for practice to save wear and tear on more expensive rifles. But I'll always have a .270 around.

Logistics is what really makes the 270 shine. All during the B H O shortages I could still get brass and loaded ammo. And the only thing more American than a 270 is a 30.06. I love the 270, mostly because the cool kids disdain it any more and I feel like I got something special! Ha! And another thing... buy a rifle, buy a box of factory fodder and go hunting... without hassle. Love the 270...

I started hunting big game in Montana in the late 1960's, when just about every elk hunter firmly believed the .30-06 with 180's was the absolute minimum. This was due to, of course, cup-and-core bullets. Nosler Partitions (the only "premium" back then) weren't available in factory ammunition, except Weatherby ammo.

Started handloading Nosler Partitions in the mid-1970's, and Barnes X's around 1990. Neither my wife Eileen or I ever had any trouble killing big game larger than deer with the .270 using either. In fact, in 1989 Eileen drew a bull moose tag here in Montana. We found the bull she wanted on opening morning, quartering away at around 125 yards. She aimed at the far shoulder and pulled the trigger. The bull too a step and a half an folded, dead, still the quickest kill I've seen on ay moose with a pure lung shot. The bullet ended up just ahead of the joint of the far shoulder, under the hide, at least 30" of penetration.

Have killed, and seen killed a bunch of other big game taken with the .270. It works very well, any in my opinion anybody who still thinks the .270 ain't enough for game larger than deer is....well, I won't say it.

Saw a Gunbroker add for Tikka T3's in LH .270 Win for $325 (a few years ago) Son is LH so I bought one. I never have had a 270, went straight to 30-06. I wanted a longer range rifle than I have now, looked long and hard at ballistic tables etc. 6.5 Creedmoor and PRC versions. The 270 does not give up much, that and I found a NIB Sako 85 for less than $900, I have dies, brass, bullets, and about a dozen suitable powders reloading for the son's rifle. SO there is now a 270 Winchester in the safe. The bullet and powder companies are also bringing new long range bullets and less fouling powders/higher velocity for the 270. Not worried about having a "gay" round..

270 was my most favored cartridge since I started hunting big game in early ‘70s. Killed my first elk with one with a handload using the old style 150 NPTs that were made on screw machines. Many deer and antelope as well as several more elk have been taken with the cartridge over the years, and since that very first one I’ve never been without at least one rifle chambered to it. In the late ‘80s I hitched my wagon to the 300 Win mag and it quickly became my favorite hunting round because it’s trajectory was much like the 270’s, but it uses heavier bullets and just put heavy game down with more authority. If deer and similar sized game were mainly all I hunted the 270 would be #1 but I’m still an elk hunter first and foremost and for me the 300 is simply better on bigger game.

Ross is spot on when he says practice a lot with your chosen rifle and if you can’t handle it get something you can! Precise bullet placement with a good bullet of sufficient weight and diameter always trumps poor bullet placement. As someone famous once said, “a man’s got to know his limitations”!