Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 26 Nosler or 270 WSM

OK, I have a left hand Tikka T3 lite in 270 WSM , so, in all seriousness, what would the 26 Nosler really do, that the 270 WSM won't? MuleDeer, hoping to hear from you here. Reason I ask this is a 270WSM will spit 130's out at 3300 fps, and ballistically is all over a 6.5 mm size, so really, I mean really, what true advantage does a 26 Nosler have??

Remember, I am a looney also, so forever needing another rifle, even at age 62 is in the cards.

My buddies that built 26 Noslers on Remington Actions are shooting 3" thousand yard groups pretty regularly. Also, I think there is a larger bullet selection in .264 size than the .270 . Down side is you'll be using a lot more powder.

Since I already have several rifles with a .264 bore, I'm going to build a 28 Nosler, instead.

No new chambering will do anything the 30-06 can't do, from the hunting fields to the 1000 yard line.

Except shoot a bullet with a .600 BC that weighs 140 grains.

Sorry, but had to fix it for you.

AggieDog,

Depends on how far you want to shoot. Out to 400 yards, there's no difference in trajectory or wind drift between the 130 AccuBond .270 at 3300 and the 140 Accubond 6.5 at 3300. Beyond that point the 26 starts to pull away.

Don't have a 270WSM but I do have a 270 Weatherby and a 26 Nosler. The 26 Nosler is just shy of 200ft/sec faster with the same bullet weight and with a much better BC with the 6.5 bullets.

You have to have a good understanding of ballistics in general, and take a close look at the details of the ballistic comparison between the two rounds to see what the 26 Nosler is capable of doing that the 270 WSM is not.

In the final analysis, it's more about what you want to do, or want to do better, and particularly at long range. If you aren't going to be doing those things, or have any interest in that area, the 26 Nosler may not be a better choice for you.

For most hunting purposes, there isn't much a 270WSM can't do, and do very well. Of course, the same can be said for the 270 Win, and actually has been said for decades.

There will be more performance difference between different bullets in a given round than is reflected in the shape of the chambers that hold the powder.

I understand the ballistic coefficient advantages, just doing some debating. Im thinking for me, I'll stay with what I have.
I really dont plan on trying to take game much beyond 400 yards.

Good information offered. For my purposes (hunting) I'll stay with the 270 WSM. I have a 6.5 Creedmoor and a 6.5-284 for any long range shooting I should want to do.

In the day of laser rangefinders, why is a "bazooka" even needed or desired?

Most any decent round can run to 400 yards on big game without much effort, and anything past that is going to be ranged, dialed, and shot.

Like JB posted, to 400 yds. not a big deal.

But at longer range, LR hunting/target shooting, fast, high BC bullets have a wind advantage, elevation turrets notwithstanding.

DF

So where do you whack the jackass head or tail, grin.

Wanted to hear from some of the pros, but yes, my 260, 6.5 creedmoor, and 6.5 284 all will work if I ever desire to shoot past 500 yards, but really, I doubt I ever desire, or want to do that.

The 26 has more expensive brass. It also will have more muzzle blast and recoil. It'll be more expensive to shoot as well.

I'm a loonie too but have generally shied away from anything w/ magnum in the name and that is newer than 60 yrs or so.

I would never suggest a loonie doesn't "need" something cuz I still own the 30-06 I had before buying many other rifles and believe my need ended there. Make yerself happy; the thrill of experimenting with a new rifle/cartridge combo is one I'm very familiar with.

There is, however, nothing new under the sun.

Yeah, there is--but these days it's generally not cartridges. Instead it's components.

Good call John; agreed.

A few years ago a buddy with little to no HP rifle experience picked up a used Win 70 in 270 Win and asked me to check it out for him.

Well, I worked it over a bit, bedded it, tuned it up and loaded up some rounds. We were sighting it in at 100yds, and it was shooting pretty good for him with the bullet holes touching, so just for laughs, I suggested we take it out to 1000yds for beers...

Him with the 270 Win...me with my 308...

Well, of course he bought the beer because his group was a full 2" larger than mine.

All this just goes to show that any 270 ain't gonna be worth a crap past 400yds, and I drank enough beer that day to prove it!

Reckon its not hard to beat a guy with little or no HP rifle experience. Any rifle dialed in with a high BC bullet is capable of doing crap past 400 yards.

Eat some bran muffens..