270 WSM

G

Greg Nolan

Handloader
Nov 25, 2004
2,143
18
I'm going to be trading for a 270 WSM. Does anyone have an opinion (SILLY QUESTION) or experience with one. I have a friend with one but he is a one gun man so he just knows it works when he hits a deer or pig.
Thanks for the help.
Greg
 
Of the WSMs, I have found the 270 WSMs to be the most fussy. I have developed loads for quite a number over the past several years, and they all were able to shoot sub-MOA. By "fussy," I mean that they were more sensitive to incremental changes in charge weight and/or COL than others. My favourite of all the WSMs is the 7mm WSM. I've had universally good experience with several. The 300 WSM and the 325 WSM seem to me to be reasonable easy to load for, accepting a wide range of powders and/or bullets, delivering good accuracy. The 270 WSM can be every bit as accurate as the others, but can show some decided preferences for bullets, seating depth, and/or powders. Just my experience. I've loaded the 130 grain E-Tip in my 270 WSM with 59.5 grains of RL17. It gives excellent accuracy and good velocity.
 
DrMike
I hadn't considered the e-tip but I should have, considering I live in California. I have a box each of accubonds and Swift A-Frames, both in 140 grs. from my old 270 Win. I think I'd like to stay with 130 gr. bullets though. I'll try the e-tips and I"d like to know all the particulars of your e-tip load if you don't mind sharing. Do you have any Tikka experience?
Thank You :grin:
Greg
 
I am shooting one of the new Winchester Featherweights. I have used both Winchester brass and Norma brass w/o any discernible differences between the two. The load uses WLR primers. I seat the bullets 0.100 inch off the lands. Velocity is ~3250 fps with 0.4 inch groups. It works for me.


Do you have any Tikka experience?
Click to expand...

See your other post: http://www.noslerreloading.com/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=9.

I've shot several Tikkas, all in 270 WSM.

Actually, I just finished doing load development for a 270 WSM this morning. I'll go to the range tomorrow to test the loads. The rifle is a custom Rocky Mountain Rifle using a Borden action and a Pac-Nor barrel. The customer requested loads be developed with 140 grain TSX and 140 grain Berger VLD Hunting bullets. I restricted myself to using Hodgon powders as that is what we have in good supply for his use after the loads are developed. While other powders will begin to flow in a few months, we have a large shipment of Hodgdon powders coming in this week.
 
I have 2 .270 WSMs. One is a stainless M70 that I've had a few years, the other is a Kimber Montana that I have not worked with yet. The M70 .270 WSM has shot everything very well from 110 Barnes TSX to 150 Swift AF. I have had no problems meeting expected velocities with any weight, which is not quite true for the .300 WSM (which I've had 2) and I believe is loaded a bit hotter at the factory.

Lou
 
Count me in as another fan of the 270WSM. I spent alot of time at the range working with my M70. I have settled on a load of MagPro under a Hornady 130gr Interbond. I used Winchester Nickel Plated Cases and CCI250 Primers. The load easily shoots under an 1.5" at 200. Of all of my rifles, this 270WSM is very accurate for me, and it shoots very flat. It is not my elk, rifle, but I have killed elk with it. Right now, it is kind of my 30-06 of my gun safe. If I am not sure what or where the terrain looks like, I grab the 270WSM. I do have a bunch of 150gr Ballistic Tips ready to get loaded, but for right now, the HDY Interbond will work for this Fall. I would like to get some AccuBond 2nds, but I haven't been lucky to grab any yet. Scotty
 
Scotty,

Don't overlook the E-Tip. I think it will prove a skookum bullet for elk.
 
Dr. Mike, I couldn't disagree with you more about the 270WSM being finicky to handload. I have worked with several WSM's since they were first introduced and have burned more powder in the 270WSM developing loads than any other cartridge I have handloaded. I find the 270WSM quite easy to work with.

In general, I have not found a powder that was totally unacceptable in the 270WSM provided that I was shooting a bullet that the rifle liked. The only bullets I found that were erratic were the Hornady Interbonds and the 130grn Nosler Partition. I only went through a box of each on 3 different rifles and moved on to other bullets.

Magpro is handsdown the powder for the 270WSM, certainly with 140grn bullets. This powder was designed for the short mags and likes to be compressed. Accuracy and consistency gets better as charges go up to maximum. RL-19 is good with 130's. RL-22 is good with all bullet weights,.H4831 is good but slower in velocity. AA3100 is good but somewhat temperature sensitive. Retumbo is the king with 150grn bullets
if you don't mind being at 2950-3000fps. Any of the 4350's do well. Ramshot Big Game and Magnum are good choices too.

Make sure you use chronograph and compare loads to a known load or factroy ammo. Max charges vary greatly in the 270WSM from rifle to rifle, so start at the minimum and work up. I have two rifles currently chambered for the 270WSM, and both use a load with Magpro powder but at different charges that I consider to be max in each rifle.

I highly recommend FL sizing and push the shoulder back enough so fired cases will chamber. Neck sizing the WSM's can be done with success, but not with each individual rifle. Many times, once or twice fired cases will not chamber after just neck-sizing.

If it were me, I would start with powders that I know I can buy. Magpro and RL-19 would be on the top of my list. The 130grn E-Tip, 140grn AccuBond, and the 130-140grn TSX would be my first choice s in bullets. Sierra and Hornady bullets are comonly used for break-in and load development. I develop loads with what I want to shoot, so this might work for you, and it might not.

As far as the T-3 rifle goes, they are known to shoot the lights out! I have little experience with them since the stock does not fit me well. The plactics do not bother me, for they are typically tougher than steel. The action is of standard length, and the magazine just has a spacer in place to allow for the shorter cartridge. Tikkas usually have a long leade, so reaching the lands is not a concern due to magazine length. Don't worry about that though. My AccuBond load is scary accurate and they are .088" off the lands. My TSX load is even further off.

I hope this helps. Let us know when you are done with the trade on how it shoots!
 
Blacktailhunter,

Reread my post. I didn't say they were finicky to handload; I said they were more fussy than the other WSMs, but that all I had loaded for shot sub-MOA. I further defined "fussy" by noting that they were more sensitive to incremental changes than the other WSMs.

Actually, I've just come in from the range where I was shooting a 270 WSM, and it shoots very well indeed. Don't imagine that I am dissing the cartridge.
 
I would like to try ETips, but ever since I have discovered Nosler 2nds, I am trying to limit myself to buying those. I am a fan of the all copper bullets. They penetrate extremely well in heavy boned large game, and make blood trails. If I can find some, I will surely give them a whirl. For right now I have a great Interbond load, and will load some 150gr BTips later. Once I find some Accubonds or ETips those will probably make my final big game load for the rifle. Scotty
 
Dr Mike, I certainly did not take that as dissing on a cartridge, not that I would care about that anyway. You did mention that the 270WSM in particular showed more of a preference for a certain bulet, powder, and seating depth when comparing them to the other WSM chamberings. That it basically what I was not agreeing with, for I haven't found the 270WSM as a cartridge in general to meet that list of criteria.

You are correct about your new M70. The piece of wood that is on that thing is woderful. And if it is put together like you describe, then you should have a real keeper. Your E-Tip load sounds like a perfect all around load for the 270WSM. I would put it through the vitals of a bull elk with confidence.
 
blacktailhunter,

Thanks for the clarification. I do like the 270 WSM, and I would not want to be without one. I have now loaded for about ten or twelve different rifles chambered in this cartridge, and twenty or more 300 WSMs. Admittedly, I have only loaded for three 7mm WSMs and for seven or eight 325 WSMs. That is not extensive, and I can only judge by what I have seen. The statement was a relative statement. Is the 270 WSM more fussy than a 270 or a 358 or a 35 Whelan? No, it is not. In comparison to many cartridges, it is not hard to load for the 270 WSM, and any handloader should anticipate MOA or better with but a few loads. You are correct when you imply that the cartridge is able to devour a variety of powders and produce reasonable loads. I tend to agree with you that MagPro is an ideal powder for the cartridge. I am having good success with IMR4350, RL29, Hunter and Magnum as well. You are definitely correct in encouraging the use of a chronograph. I would only add that this is an excellent investment for almost any cartridge for which one may load.

Consequently, I also have a 30-06 in the new Winchesters and I'm about to purchase one of the new 300 WSMs. The wood on each of these is beautiful and the fit and finish are so far superior to the old New Haven workmanship that there is no comparison. I believe FN has addressed the workmanship issue very well indeed. I enjoy shooting all rifles, but I must admit that I am partial to the Featherweights. It is an aesthetics thing, I suppose. Other rifles have stiffer actions and shoot wonderfully but the Winchesters I have owned can all be made to work well, and that is enough to keep me looking at them.
 
It would be nice if Winchester would actually start chambering some of their own cartridges in their new rifles. Like the 338 Win Mag, 264 Win Mag and any of the other classic Winchester chamberings. I would like to get a FWT in 30-06, but it seems they would keep some of their short mags alive if they chambered them, ie the 7WSM. Scotty
 
I really don't expect Winchester to chamber the Fwt in 7 mm WSM again. I'm a bit surprised that Browning is doing so. I do like this cartridge! There were rumblings that they were planning on chambering the rifle in 338 WM, but I haven't seen any yet.
 
It seems too bad, cause that 7WSM would be a nice little addition to the 7mm Rem Mags! It is really a pretty nice package, and in a FWT would be a great Mtn rifle. Scotty
 
Let us not forget that there is a settlement areement with Mr. Jaimison that pays him 5% of all WSM sales. This is not a lawsuit due to a court trial, but a settlement made by USRAC and any other manufacturer that chambers the WSM's. Regardless of sales, or even the 5% premium seen on the WSM's for a short time, I don't think manufacturers want to give Mr. Jaimison a dime under these circimstances. I don't blame him for his actions, for it was Winchester that stepped out of line. It's just too bad that it was teammates that did some damage to the whole industry.

The 7WSM, as wonderful as it is, just got a late start in comparison and ended up being the odd man out due to the shoulder change. Even if fewer rifles get built in these chamberings, I feel that it is safe to say that there have been enough WSM's purchased to keep us in components and loaded ammo for good.

My thoughts on the WSM's are as such: I don't recommend that you replace your current magnum chambered rifle for a WSM, but if you are in the market for a new magnum, it's hard to look past one of the WSM's.
 
I don't recommend that you replace your current magnum chambered rifle for a WSM, but if you are in the market for a new magnum, it's hard to look past one of the WSM's.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. I was not aware that all manufacturers were included in the Jamison settlement. I knew that Winchester had blinked after they were less than ethical with him.
 
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