Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Old School Loads for the .270 WCF

Hello!
I will be picking up a new to me 1953 mfg. Winchester model 70. It is a .270. It has an old ElPaso Weaver mounted with a post reticle. I don't have any plans to hot rod this old rifle. All I really want to do is come up with a standard load for a 130 grain flat base Hornady that is as time tested as a pre 64 Winchester.

Your help is appreciated.
CT

59 grains of H4831 with the 130 Hornady is the classic.

It would be hard to not go with Jack O'connor's combo of H4831 and a 130 gr. bullet. His loads were a little heavier than most published today; modern H4831 may be a little faster than the surplus powder he was using. Fiftynine grs. of current H4831 is probably close to perfect.

If that load doesn't happen to work, 54 or 55gr of IMR4350 is pretty well time proven, also.

I've owned several of these rifles and presently have four;one is on its second barrel, the first having expired after over 3000 rounds(have no idea how many were fired before I got it).Either 60-H4831 or 60 RL22 with 130 Sierra flat base,or 130 Nosler Partitions have done the bulk of the work for me over the years.I've found that if a M70 does not digest either of these loads, it's a sick M70.

I have never had a pre 64 M70 270(FW or Standard) that did not give fine accuracy and good field service with either of these loads.

Thanks men, I will start putting some together later this morning.

My pre-64 M70 Featherweight in .270 WIN performs sub-MOA with 59.5 grains of H4831SC, CCI BR2 primers, the Hornady Interlock 130 grain bullet and FED, WW or Frontier brass.

Odessa,
Have you ever chronographed that load?

Yep, give me a minute to go out to the shed and I will look it up for you.

Here you go - that load chronographed a 2950 fps avg velocity with the Beta Master Chrony set at 10' from the muzzle, at 81 degrees. my rifle has a 22" Douglas barrel.

Ps That load shoots 3/4" at 100 yards and just under 2" at 200 yards.

My exact load too. Shoots tiny groups through both a Model 700 and a Model 70. Kills deer very,very dead.

Bill

Thanks, so much guys, I have been out digging through my loading bench, and I have the primers, powder and brass, but the only bullets I have are 90, 115, and 130 grain in the interbonds. Will have to run out today and see if I can find a box of standard interlocks. My conscience won't let me shoot a plastic tipped bullet out of this rifle.

My standard 'old classic' .270 load since about 1972 is 54.0/IMR 4350/130g Sierra. It has worked well on deer and given excellent accuracy. Plateau Hunter

If you really want an O'Connor classic get 130 Partitions in front of 4831. JO seemed really satisfied with that load in his later writings especially, if memory serves well. If you stick with the Hornadys their manual really jacks up the 130's with about 62 gr H4831. If you don't have the manual I'll double check that load when I'm back at the bench.

And RTR!! Beat 'Ol Miss

My 270 M70 FWT shoots the 130gr partition in front of 60gr H4831SC at 3050fps over my Oehler 35P.
Nice accuracy as well.

my model 700 (24"tube) seemed to prefer 55gr of imr 4350, wlr primer, ww cases, and 130gr partitions. i tried 4831 but didn't get the accuracy i thought i should. however, i have an 06' that likes it.

Mine work well with these H-4831SC/CCI 200 loads with these 130s as well as the Speers. Have to work hard to make these shoot poorly.

Does anyone know which 130 grain bullet JOC favored? I remember him writing of the Western Open Point (whatever that was), Silvertip, and the 130 Speer. Someone here mentioned the 130 Nosler (don't remember reading of this bullet). Just curious since he would have used the 130s on a wide variety of game.

As far as I've read, he really didn't seem to favor any particular one. He appeared to me to have been somewhat of a tinkerer, always in search of the elusive perfect load. However, I seem to recall seeing him mention the Western most often.

O.K. gents, here it is from the horses mouth; Handloaders Digest, New Eighth Edition, Copyright 1978.

Jacks Favored Loads
"130 grain bullet of controlled expanding type with 60-62 grains of old H4831, 61 grains of W-W 785, 60 grains of Norma 205 or 55-56 grains of 4350. Velocity is from 3,050 to 3,150. Exellent bullets I have used are the W-W Power Point, the Remington pointed soft point Core-Lokt and the Nosler. This load can be used on everything from jackrabbits to moose. I have used more Nosler bullets in front of 62 grains of H4831 in W-W cases than anything else."

He includes in the article his favorite loads using 100, 150, and 170/180 grain bullets. If anyone is interested I'll write those up here also.

Hodgdon says you can substitute H4831SC one for one with H4831, and if you're going to put 60 gr in that case, SC is the way to go, IMHO.

270win
Put them up. It'll stir some memories, perhaps.