Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Your Take on 7mm & .270 WSM's

I couldn't get a search to work properly, so thought I'd ask.
You guy's have positive experiences with these newer rounds?
Grouping?
Long range trajectory?
Recoil?
Performance on deer sized game?
Appreciate any help.
Sal

I tried to get an early start using the WSM's as I handload and I have less respect for the ill designed belted cartridges.

My luck was not all that good but I was tenacious. The first delay was that WW had to redesign the 7mm WSM as they forgot (ala 280 Rem.) that it could be chambered in a 270 WSM. So they had to move the shoulder forward. That delayed my M70 that I had ordered.

At the same time the Montana Rifle Co. announced the M1999 and I ordered a couple of those. They turned out to be dead ends.

While waiting for the M70 7mm WSM I bought a Savage 12 or whatever it was in 270 WSM. Something was wrong with the ammo and the rifle as the velocity with the 150 PP was higher than that listed for the Weatherby version. I sold it.

When the M70 finally came it had all kinds of problems. Most of them were solved by restocking it with a Bansner stock. That rifle (7mm WSM) is now a favorite and very accurate and reliable. I did all of the gunsmithing work myself so I know its good.

Since then I got a 270 WSM in a Kimber. That did not group all that well for quite a while but it stayed sighted in so it was adequate for 300 yd hunting. Now it groups better but still not varmint rifle size groups.

The velocities from the WSM's are just what they should be for that size cartridge. The hype when they were introduced on the factory velocities was based on high energy loadings which seems to be the norm now for new cartridge introductions.

All in all the WSM's were my chance to finally get into SS guns, synthetic stocks and not have to deal with handloading belted rounds.

Questions like recoil, performance on game, trajectory etc are based more on 'what you sees is what you gets' and the WSM's are quite powerful. What with the new Decelrator recoil pads and better stocks they don't hurt like the old style rifles did.

I have a Tikka T3 270WSM, I am very satisfy with it, with a limbsaver recoil pad you don't feel the recoil.

Make sure to buy a rifle designed to feed the cartridge properly.
The WSM haters love to bash on ill feeding rifles. My Sako works well enough for me.....

This is not a knock on WSM cartridges or guns. I just don't see a reason to jump ship in favor of them over the standard cartridges they are intended to replace. I own and handload for a Sauer 202 in 7mm Rem Mag that is a very accurate high quality gun. It's a light weight sporter that is easy to carry, has a high fondle factor, and it's eye candy appeal spruces up the rifle rack nicely. I will confes the 325 WSM has some appeal to me as a cartridge but I haven't yet seen the cartridge chambered in a gun that appeals to me.

Sam makes a good point. A properly designed rifle will feed the WSM's with no problems. The guys that bash the WSM's because they can't feed are wrong. If Shotgun shells can be made to feed perfectly in any number of automatics so can WSM's. Nothing in the WSM design will prevent them from feeding it's all just about getting a decent rifle properly tuned.........................DJ

My 270 WSM has a perfect track record thus far. Everything I have shot with it was DRT. The Kimber 8400 was designed around a WSM, so I see the full advantges of the short mag theory(less weight & length than standard magnums)

Spose it would of had the same track record if'n it was a 270 or 06? I am a kind of betting so.

Just a thought as to which I already know the answer.

Dober


curious note on the side Kimberman, but how much game has fallen to your WSM and at what ranges?

But they sure have killed a lot of game over the last 90 years.

No military designer ever selected a belted bottlenecked round. None of the great ones did, not Kalasnikov, Garand, not Browning.

On the other hand the belted rounds shoot just fine. I have two .375 H&H's, one 300 H&H, and one 264 WM and if I come accross a good deal I will buy another. They are just not as easy to handload thats all.

I found the idea of a short action(lighter) rifle delivering the same 'punch' appealing.
Does a deer or elk care if my rifle weighs a 1/2lb. less?
No, but I do!

Only shot two- .325 WSM and 270 WSM. You didn't ask about the .325 so I'll just say it's been very accurate in my Kimber, and recoil is not a factor- for me.

My buddy has a 270 WSM. That rifle, and a Harris Bipod, has really revolutionized his hunting. He's been one deadly mofo with that thing. Anyway, I didn't shoot it at 100 yards and have no idea of it's accuracy in that sense, but we were clangin' my steel plates out to 500 yards with it pretty easily with a B&C reticle in the 2.5x8 scope on it. Recoil was completely a non-issue.

-jeff

All the rounds you state were to function in an auto-loader or semi auto-loader. I doubt seriously any one of them would have put a short, fat inconsistant feeding cartridge like the WSM family in an atuo-loader or semi auto-loader. On the other hand, in a bolt action configuration, Marine snipers have dusted more than a few with the 300 Win Mag.

Sal-here are a couple of my thoughts.

*Grouping-like any other rifle they'll shoot well if put together well. No diff from any other round.

*Long range trajectory-they'll do just fine just like any of the other rounds. IMO once you get past 400 yds with any of the rounds you really need/want to have dots/B&C system and or turrets anywho.

*Recoil-about the same as any other cal in similar stature and bullet weight being slung at same speeds.

*Performance on game-like any of the other rounds if you put the bullet in a good place things happen if not then rodeo's happen.

IME they're just another round.

The challenge with them is that in some rifles they do have issues with feeding and how they sit in the mag box with the bolt closed over them.

The T3 is the best of the feeding lot that I've worked with to date. And so much of the feeding deal is subjective, kind of like is this or that women beautiful or not. We all have different ways of viewing what we will and won't accept.

Personally I feel that they bring more problems to the table than they're worth and they don't and won't do a thing that the standard mags will do. But that is just me and my way of looking at things.

Most of the people I see that are enchanted with them are one of 3 things.

Either newish to the shooting game or they're bored with their old stuff and will micro mgt a reason to own one. Or, darn it what was that 3rd thingy now? I'll remember later.

Bottom line is if you wish to work with one by all means do so.

Dober

And the 1K ranges have been dominated by the short necked belted darn old 300 Winnie the Pooh for how long....?

Dober

Tried a few of them that belonged to others..I was not impressed, mostly loud bang, more recoil and my chronograph turned me off them..

I will stay with the 270 WCF and the 7x57 with a long throat. Served me very well for many years.

Have to agree with you on the old guard. My go to round for 90% of my hunting need is the 308 Win (the original shorty that delivers a big punch).

Wonderful experiences with the 270WSM...both my son and I.

We've taken probably 6 or 7 bucks with the 270WSM shootin' 140gr. AB's. Very accurate, no feeding problems whatsoever, lightweight, recoil a non-issue with a Limbsaver recoil pad, DRT results on deer and as good a trajectory as the load you buy or make up.

No problems feeding with any of the Win M70's I have/had - 2 300WSM's and 4 270WSM's. Only problem I've with any of them was an out-of-round chamber on one of the 300WSM's (early featherweight model - Winchester refunded my $).

I have taken 3 deer with the 270WSM and 130gr TSX. As previously said, same performance as any other comparable caliber.

Velocities are fine by me - the 300WSM is about 100fps slower than the 300WinMag, and the 270WSM is about 150fps faster than the 270Win - in my own experience.

I have an extra 270WSM that will be made into a 25WSM soon. I believe it will come very close to equalling .257 WBY peformance.

I really like the cartridges myself. Been hunting and shooting for almost 30yrs, have owned many different rifles in many chamberings(& still do). I personally like the performance I get from the WSM's, especially being in a short action. I have had NONE of the reloading or feeding issues that many have commented on.