Loading .270 without the rifle

[Ralt71]

Hello,
I've got a good one my Dad got me into last week. A friend of his bought a new rifle (Ruger American) in .270 and Dad offered me up to reload some rounds for his buddy. I won't have the gun here to test. I did get a measurement on the lands using a modified case and whatever bullet my brother had (he is supposed to let me know what it was soon).

here is my question. How would you approach loading for a rifle you don't have on hand to measure out, test, and dial in?

second part.. what are some solid .270 loads you all have used?

My last .270 load was as follows, but it was in a Winchester M70. 53.2g N160, WLR, Nosler brass, 130g AccuBond seated .035 off the lands CBTO.

It took a lot of playing with this load to get it sub moa. I started out with 140g and stepped down to get it to calm down. Because I had so much testing (3 pages of notes in my reload notebook) I am apprehensive about this load (or any) without the rifle here.

 

[jimbires]

I'd wait for the rifle . I'd be worried about making ammo and having to pull it apart . making ammo is fun , pulling it apart , not so much

 

[Guy Miner]

Factory match ammo usually produces very good results in a wide range of rifles - without having been worked up for each one specifically. For instance I'd go to some police SWAT sniper schools and competitions and almost everyone was using the famous Federal Gold Medal 168 or 175 grain MatchKing ammo. That stuff shot well in all sorts of 308's from different manufacturers, different barrel lengths etc... Beating the accuracy of that ammo led me down the rabbit hole of precision reloading 25+ years ago.

In other matches, up and down the firing line, dozens of competitors, almost all the 308 shooters were using some variant of 168 or 175 gr HPBT (Nosler or Sierra) and about 45 grains of Varget. That was for 600 yard prone competition, which I did a fair bit of for a number of years. That handload was modeled after the aforementioned factory match ammo and in some cases was likely a bit better.

Point is - yes - good ammo can be assembled without the exact rifle in hand. Will it be worked up specifically for an individual rifle? No. So, that gilt-edge accuracy you seek may not appear - but it will probably shoot pretty well.

I'd have suggested that the guy with the new 270 buy a few different kinds of quality factory ammo and see which it shot best, then go buy a case of that.

The Ruger Americans I've shot did rather well for a budget rifle. Modern design has some good points, other than just manufacturing economy. So accuracy potential is generally good.

If I got roped into making ammo for that 270... I'd select quality components and load to factory specs with all new brass. Full length sized. Factory loaded length. It absolutely has to function from his magazine and fit into the production chamber.

Then I'd go with a recognized accuracy load such as this from Nosler - and I wouldn't load it to the top level either. This is from Nosler's online load data using their 130 grain bullet. The combo of H4831 and a 130 grain bullet is time-respected as a great load for the 270 Winchester.


Optimal? Probably not, but likely good.

Alternate suggestions:
1) Do exactly as Jimbires said and wait until you can get your hands on that rifle.
2) Recommend some quality factory ammo for him.

Regards, Guy