Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters How many still like the .270 Winchester

Got my first .270 Win a little over 44 years ago as a birthday gift from my father, who was a .30 cal guy. My uncle, who was a very central figure in my hunting education, was at the same party and gave me 200 rounds of Winchester 130gr factory loads. He was also a .30 cal guy who to this day has never hunted with anything other than a .30 cal of some flavor. Given his age, he never will.

Over those years, I’ve had a few .270 Win rifles and a couple in .270 Wby Mag. Two finer hunting cartridges do not exist. Piles of deer, elk and Pronghorn and have never taken more than one shot at any of those animals.

As Brad said, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better cartridge for Western hunting. The .270 Win is still what I recommend today, in fact.

I think the real argument in American shooting lore is over which is the greatest military cartridge used for hunting, the .30-‘06 Springfield or the .308 Winchester. I think there really is no doubt the greatest American hunting cartridge of all time is the .270 Winchester.

Winchester Model 70 in .270 Winchester. The rifleman’s rifle, indeed.

Interesting. Have you tried any lighter bullets on a target, how did they behave with this tight twist?

I haven't tried any other projectile. The Kimber was purpose built to take advantage of the 150ABLR as well as wherever the next step in slickery projectiles goes.

I can't say that a fast twist has ever hampered me with any other chamberings and light-for-caliber projectiles. My 1:8 22-250 shoots 50gn projectiles into itty-bitty knots as does my 1:8 223AI. I've also used some 120V-max in my 1:8 7WSM while FF'ing Norma 270WSM brass up to 7WSM and they're also quite accurate. I wouldn't be afraid to run really any available .277 bullet weight through my 1:8 bbl. There was very little difference in accuracy for any of the different powder charges of R-26 as I worked up to 60.5gn. I didn't have to fiddle w/seating depth either, just seat it to the end of the mag box and go. I'm a LONG way off the lands but everything seems to work just fine.

This is page number five of responses to my question and your replies don’t surprise me. Most of your posts agree that the ninety four year old 270 is well thought of, used for just about every North American critter and isn’t headed for the scrap yard any time soon!

I got my first 270 about 31 years ago. A Ruger M77. It was a POS. My older brother got the same rifle, about 3 years before I did. It was also a POS. My two step-brothers got the same rifles. One a year before me and one a year after. The older of the two was a good shooter. I observed that it shot far better with every different ammo tried than any of the others, including the rifle of the younger step-brother, which was a POS. I don't know why 3/4 of those rifles purchased in a roughly four year period ended up shooting so badly, but it soured me. It soured all of us, actually.

Eventually, the older brother moved on to 280's and had great experiences, then onto the Short Mags, again with great experiences. The older step-brother went straight for 300 Mags, and though he rarely shoots, is quite an accomplished hunter and impressive marksman in the field. I witnessed the same when we were in our teens. The younger step brother inherited a couple 30-06's from his grandfather, and did a bit of hunting, but a tragic accident cut that short. I never trusted my 270 in the field, because it never shot what I thought was remotely acceptable. I hunted with it several times, and missed a few times. I mostly hunted with my father's guns, which shot well, until I moved on to lever guns in several calibers, and then settled on a 30-06 for the "cross canyon" stuff.

A couple years ago I got into another 270, after working up a load for a buddy and his 270, an M70 Featherweight, which shot ridiculously well with what it preferred. Mine turned out to do nearly as well. I blooded it the first time I took it out, and every time I have hunted with it, I have killed with it. I consider it "lucky" now. I plan on elk in the timber this year, and so will be packing a lever gun in one of three flavors, but when I need to do the "cross canyon" stuff again, I'll pack the 270.

270 factory ammo comes in a wide variety of bullet weights, styles, brands, and costs. Although I can load for over 50 different cartridges, I have settled on the 150 grain Winchester/Olin PowerMax Bonded factory load in the 2 270s that I shoot 'cause it is accurate in those rifles and this bullet design gives me all of the penetration and expansion that I need for medium to medium-large game.

John, seem to remember an article you wrote years ago. If my failing memory serves me, it was titled something like-Jack O’Connor Was Right.

I would certainly own one if I didn't already have a .280. I've used my .280 for years now, and it's performed very well on a variety of game. I expect a .270 would do the same. I guess I'm not quite loony enough to think I need both, but a couple of years ago I bought a hunting rifle in .270 for a young friend who was just starting to hunt big game, and he's now killed mule deer, elk and pigs with it so it's working out well for him just like it seems to for lots of other folks.

You can't just hang that out and end it there. Did you find the ram?

There was a time when the co almost went under. The story was Ruger used inferior barrels during that time. Iirc, it was years later when I read Mr Ruger admitted that to be true. Afaicr.

It never appealed to me.

That said, I can’t imagine a better cartridge for hunting big game. The only one I’ve ever owned is a Mauser I bought a bit ago for a project. If I was smart I’d leave it as is. Lol.

During the component shortages of the obongo years I got a 270 for logistics reasons. I love it. But I admit there are better paper ballistics cartridges.

Sorry man... last thing I would want to do is get between a wife, a man, and his rifles

Aside, some here remember Dober from the Fire. We've been friends a long time and talk every week. Recently he said to me; "the only long action cartridge I really care to use or own any more is the 270." Mark mostly uses a 22-250 for deer and antelope, and a 270 as his big gun (elk). Mark's shot a lot more game than I ever will and I tend to listen to his opinion.

As for me, I've seen more elk killed with the 270 than any other cartridge, most of it with factory 130 gr. cup and core ammo. I took the oldest 6pt bull I've shot (F&G estimated 11.5 YO+) with the 270. The 270 is in it's natural element on a mountain in the Rockies or out in the Western sage flats.

To each his own,I'd rather have a 30-06 anyday and that's what I did with the 270 I had.I had it rebarreled it to a 30-06 and couldn't be happier.O'Conner used the 270 a lot,but there has been some new cartridges,bullets and powders added to the market since his days,I wonder what his thoughts would be today.
On his favorite cartridges...."The .30-06, the .270, the .375, and the .416. Now you're going to ask me 'In what order?' In that order."~Jack O'Connor~

My all time favorite.

It is becoming one my favorites, replacing the .25-06!!!

D D, it makes perfect sense to those who used one.


Jerry

RevMike,

No, did not find The Ram.

My buddy had found 6 mature rams in a rough drainage when he scouted the area around September 1st, so we concentrated there. (I didn't go with him due to having wisdom teeth removed.) It had rained hard a few days earlier, but the cleared off and got hot, with highs in the 90's.

The season opened September 15th, but we didn't go for various reasons. Started on the 19th, but didn't see a thing in the same area, though we hiked and glassed it carefully. Finally figured out it was because when he scouted, it was 3 days after a heavy rainstorm, which left pools of water in the usually dry creek. The rams he'd seen were around a couple of bigger pools, but it hadn't rained much since, and the pools had turned to mudholes. So the sheep went elsewhere.

So we started looking for more reliable water sources, but had just started when another huge rainstorm came through. It's impossible to hike the steep Breaks when they're soaked and the gumbo soil is greasy, so we left and will be back when it dries out. The season goes through the 1st of December, so there's lots of time left. One of the alternate plans is to float the Missouri in my canoe (which I used to do for mule deer years ago) and see what we find. Learned where the sheep hang out during those trips, and October weather is usually much drier.

Killed first elk, and first mule deer, with one 37 years ago.

Haven't given it up yet and have used numerous other cartridges...it still works.

Am accused of being anti 6.5, not so, but can tell you from personal experience, shooting them side by side in similar weight guns (Tikka vs Rem Mtn Rifle) with 140 gr loads, CANNOT tell difference in recoil...why change?