Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 270 WSM as a long(er) range factory platform

Helping a friend reason through some factory rifle choices for a LR hunting rifle. Right now, given his optics and rifle, he pretty much limits himself to 300. He'd like to upgrade both to give him legitimate chance closer to 500. Most platforms I've seen in the true LR space are semi- or full house custom.

He's looking at the Tikka 270 WSM (24.4") and a turret scope, probably in the Vortex/Leupold/Zeiss Conquest realm. (He's looked at 308 & 270 Win so far but is now taking hard look at the 270 WSM.)

Anybody gone down a similar decision path?

Not a gunwriter but I’m a huge fan of the round and that rifle. 140 or 150s will easily fit the bill. I’ve got a Bushnell 3x18 LRHSi on mine.

I have a 270 WSM, I shoot 140 Accubonds out of it. I think it would be s great choice for him.

I would say the 300 WSM version of that rifle would be better suited, if he feels he needs a magnum to get to 500 yards. Much more versatile and if he decides to got further with it, he would be able to.

If he is going to limit himself to 500-600 yards, then as much as I hate to admit it, the 6.5 Creedmoor would also be a great round for that, especially if he is not a handloader. If he does handload, the 7-08 can step into the mix as well.

Lots of good choices for that distance and the glass and bullet will have a much bigger impact on his success at that range than the rifle or the chambering.

I looked long and hard at the WSM's when they first came out. The 270 WSM was the pick of the litter at that time, although the 300 WSM edged it out when you truly get out past 500 yards. I've been using a couple of 270 WSM's for more than a decade, first a Model 70 Featherweight, and now a Browning X-bolt Medallion. The M70 was stolen in '16,but it was a phenomenally accurate rifle, capable of well under 1/2 MOA over and over again. The Browning is just a run-of-the-mill MOA rifle, which is still pretty good, and I've heard from a lot of people that their 270 WSM's are really accurate. I decided it was smart to use one rifle/cartridge for most of my hunting, and the 270 WSM hasn't disappointed.

The 300 WSM will perform better out past 450, which is about where I limit myself with 270 WSM, but you pay for that performance in recoil. The 300 Win Mag isn't exactly a light-recoiling caliber, and the WSM isn't a lot better. You can look up the numbers yourself, but a 270 WSM 130 gr load will kill game effectively out to 400+ yards with recoil velocity/energy of 13.7 fps/20.4 ft-lb, compared to 200 gr bullets at 17.7/35.6 for the 300 WSM and 18.4/38.2 for the 300 Win Mag.

If you want a true long-range performer, there are a lot of 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges that will do the job without rattling your teeth. I have a 6mm-06 AI rifle I bought off a fella in WY a few years ago that I've used to ring steel and kill speedgoats, coyotes, and deer at ranges from 475 to 725 yards. This same rifle in a friend's hands killed an antelope at 934 yards (laser'd and witnessed by several guys here) and an elk at just under 1300 by the man who built it, with a JLK 105 gr bullet. It's a lot easier to hit reliably with this rifle than any WSM I've ever shot, recoil velocity has to be down under 11 fps at worst. If he's serious about long range shooting, I'd have him look at a 6mm or 6.5mm of some sort.

Any of the three chamberings you mentioned will take him to 500. Put a reliable scope on it (ss 3-9 in the price range you intimated) and shoot. I’d choose the lowest recoiling of the bunch ... or a 6.5 creed as DR above suggested.

I can shoot a .375 WInchester to 500 yards, I think your friend might be over-estimating the difficulty, probably because he hasn't shot enough.

The 270 WSM is a great round, I have a pair of Sako Tecomate's in 270 and 300 WSM. Both shoot great, but the recoil of the 270 WSM is a lot less than the 300. Good luck to your friend.

I have had good luck with my Tikka T3 270WSM.It is probably the most accurate bone stock rifle I own.

You don't say what your friend is currently shooting, but 99% of the time, the shooter is the limiting factor in long range success. Pretty much any decent rifle, in any average chambering with quality ammo and bullets and with good optics will take you to 500 yards. The rest is on the trigger puller. An honest 500 yard shot on a deer sized target is a long damn ways......

I would probably be honest with myself and ask how many opportunities have been blown because what I wanted was past 300 yards.

I own a 270 WSM and like it a lot. If I was to do it over again I would prolly go with a 7mm Remington magnum. Better high BC boolits.

Along that line of thought, the 7mm WSM makes a lot of sense too. Between it and the 270, it's what I'd opt for in a WSM.

After some shorter range load testing for accuracy, you and I would probably shoot good groups with this rig at 500 yard targets off of sand bags. However, from field positions and conditions we would probably be better with a heavier rifle than a Tikka.

Uh....Yeah, this.

Dad and Uncles were filling the freezers with their 30-06 pump rifles and 3-9 scopes clear back to 1960, and the range was often out to 500 yds.

I am, personally, not a fan of underpowered cartridges for big deer or elk. Nor am I proponent of monometal bullets to "make a little gun perform like a big gun." I want a lot of "energy dump" on an elk or a 250 pound plus deer.

The minimum i would consider for deer at 500 yds would a 25-06/257 Wea, 6.5-284/6.5-06 or 270/270WSM, and there's not a nickle's worth of difference in performance between the batch.

I actually bought the 264 Win mag for deer, and 7mm STW for elk. And we often use the 6mm/243 or 260 for smallish deer.

It was just a very few years ago that the 6.5-284 was "the ultimate accuracy round and long range hunting cartridge" then it's baby brother Creedmoor came along and everyone forgot what a great cartridge the 6.5-284 is.

I like the 270 WSM a lot but it is not a huge step up from the 270 Winchester or at least not with loads with R26 and some of the other newer powders. There are more good stream lined bullets available in 270 caliber than there used to be so that is not really a limiting factor at least at 500.

What ever he is shooting now he should practice with it at longer ranges to see how he is shooting and to see if: he, the rifle weight, optics, or cartridge are limiting factors. Usually it will be the shooter and the field conditions that are the limiting factors. Even light rifles can be shot accurately and weight can be added with a bi-pod or larger scope if needed.

If I wanted a 270 for maximum point and shoot distance it would be the Wetherby. The 7mm magnums fit this role for me well. Even though I practice to 500 hundred yards and beyond in actual hunting situations seldom times do I shoot past 300-350 yds. It also depends on what he is hunting if much game larger than deer then a 7mm or 300 might be a better choice even though a 243 can kill elk at 500.

With a 150 grain bullet, a 270 WSM has got elk-level energy to approx. 600 yards. (1500 ft lbs is my target for elk; 900 ft lbs deer.)