TackDriver284
Handloader
- Feb 13, 2016
- 2,313
- 1,560
I never owned a 270 Winchester, several hunting buddies swears by their 270 and I have asked why they like it and their response was " it shoots flat". Don't underestimate the .270
What's so Special about the 270 Win?
- Thread starter JD338
- Start date
Owning booth a 270 and a 264 WM, in my rifles the 270 is the better choice with 24" barreled rifles.
It has been difficult to get much over 3000 fps with the 264 pushing 140 gr. NBT with a variety of powders.
My 270 pushes a 130 gr. NBT at a screaming 3234 fps with RL-17, while the 264 burns about 10 more grains of RL-25 to crack 3000 fps with the 140 NBT.
At 500 yards, it's a ballistic dead heat between the two loads.
The 264 using the 120 NBT might compare better with the 270 using the 130 NBT, but I haven't tried that bullet in my 264 as yet.
I started with my dad's pre'64 264wm back in JH (45 years ago) as he decided he wanted a 270win instead because it recoiled less. I'm not sure about his perception about recoil? I never owned a 270 until I bought a BLR in that chamber. I had the dies already, so I decided "what the heck" since I was reloading for his rifle. The BLR has been a good rifle.
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 584
- 987
I heard some pretty decent insight into its rise in popularity, contrary to the common notion that it was all JOC's praises.
It was released with Winchester's model 54 in 1925, and didn't see any real spikes in popularity until around 1947, coincidentally when Weaver delivered the K-Series to the market. After that, sales skyrocketed.
Just something to think about.
It was released with Winchester's model 54 in 1925, and didn't see any real spikes in popularity until around 1947, coincidentally when Weaver delivered the K-Series to the market. After that, sales skyrocketed.
Just something to think about.
Bruce Mc
Handloader
- Oct 26, 2005
- 1,165
- 377
The popularity of the 270 Win really took off post war, along with the availability of optics. Before WW I, levers and iron sights were common. Post war the returning soldiers brought back their knowledge of bolt rifles and improved sights and some optics. Technology moved along including the introduction of the 270 Win. But the technology commonly available was not on par with the 270 so the old '06 remained on top. Jump forward to post WW II. The availability of optics, better powder, better bullets made the 270 win more popular. Of course Jack O'Connor came along and demonstrated the use of these new technologies in his hunting adventures. The 270 win of course ended up being the perfect platform for his discourse. With the progression of bullet and powder technology the improvement and performance of the 270 win continues. The combination of the 270 win and a user friendly rifle continue to be near perfect.
My experience with the .270 is rather long and quite thin. Got my first one in a trade back in 1973 and it had problems. I stuck it in the back of a closet and forgot about it. Along around 1975 I came into a new in box FN Mauser in .270 for all of $75.--. Actually, it was a tarde deal but I only had $75 in my trade piece. I mounted a scope of it, something in 4X as I recall and sighted it in with 130 gr. factory loads. I decided I do a deer hunt with so on opening day I was out with the new .270, my stepson and a new neighbor who'd just moved from New York City to my little cow town in a job transfer. I guess he'd done some hunting back east so I loaned him a rifle, checked him out on proper operation and shooting abilty. He passed muster I'm glad to say. Anyway, we went to my favorite hunting spot as usually I could fill out early if I couldn't get tome off from work or cold look for something big for a wall hanger. Long story short we saw nothing to speak of that morning and had worked our way back to the truck. We were ssitting near the edge of the bluff that overlooked my parked truck and Mr. NYC was griping about how we didn't lmow how to hunt. The ground was too open and the deer had no place to hide. While this was going we hear a whole bunch of shots down in te canyou. I look to my left and there is a saddle that it the top of the canyon where the shots came from. Mr. NYC starts griping and I whispered for him so shut up, non too politely I might add. I see a very nice 4x4 come over the saddle and either have to take a shot left handed of let him go. I took thhe shot when he was about 35 yards away. Mr. NYC blows up like a bomb telling to be careful with that gun. Nice string of four letters too. I said, Gee YC, all I did was shoot a deer. He called me a liar until we walked over to where the deer lay. My stepson wanted the deer so I let him claim it.
A few days later he got his deer and I helped him cut and wrap it on to find his wife Throwing it away. I told her to bring it over and I'll take it.
I lso helped another neighbor get a deer, did the cutting and wrapping and he comes over and asks what he should do. His kids refuse to eat Bambi and his wife is another who doesn't live venison So now there's three deer in my freezer. Still had to take my wife and oldest stepdaughter out for their deer and was successful. That left me. Six deer in the freezer. The night before the last day of the season and I'm watching TV when one of my co-workers shows up at the house. He's hunted whenever he could and saw nothing, Told him to pick up at six and we'll see what we can do. He's an hour late but as we're going up the road that goes to the top of the mountain I see a herd of deer coming to the road. I say stop and they bail out with loaded guns and start blazing away. One doe goes down and a little buck humps up gut shot My gun, that new .270 BTW, had to be loaded like a single shot and I dropped a doe. Co-worker got his doe and his buddy whom I did not invite lost his little buck. I stayed to gut the two does while co-worker and his buddy tried to find the little buck. That's the good and somewhat bad news. The really bad new is after I'd dropped my doe I got another round into the gun and was tracking the little buck. Just as I was about to squeeze the shot, a patch of blonde hair was all I could see. Co-workers buddy had run ahead and was right in front of me. I've always had better than average reflexes and it was very lucky for him mine were running on all 8 that morning. I gave him what was probably one worst ass chewing he ever got in his entire life. I told my co-warked he was welcome to hunt with me anytime but leave that idiot behind.
Paul B.
A few days later he got his deer and I helped him cut and wrap it on to find his wife Throwing it away. I told her to bring it over and I'll take it.
I lso helped another neighbor get a deer, did the cutting and wrapping and he comes over and asks what he should do. His kids refuse to eat Bambi and his wife is another who doesn't live venison So now there's three deer in my freezer. Still had to take my wife and oldest stepdaughter out for their deer and was successful. That left me. Six deer in the freezer. The night before the last day of the season and I'm watching TV when one of my co-workers shows up at the house. He's hunted whenever he could and saw nothing, Told him to pick up at six and we'll see what we can do. He's an hour late but as we're going up the road that goes to the top of the mountain I see a herd of deer coming to the road. I say stop and they bail out with loaded guns and start blazing away. One doe goes down and a little buck humps up gut shot My gun, that new .270 BTW, had to be loaded like a single shot and I dropped a doe. Co-worker got his doe and his buddy whom I did not invite lost his little buck. I stayed to gut the two does while co-worker and his buddy tried to find the little buck. That's the good and somewhat bad news. The really bad new is after I'd dropped my doe I got another round into the gun and was tracking the little buck. Just as I was about to squeeze the shot, a patch of blonde hair was all I could see. Co-workers buddy had run ahead and was right in front of me. I've always had better than average reflexes and it was very lucky for him mine were running on all 8 that morning. I gave him what was probably one worst ass chewing he ever got in his entire life. I told my co-warked he was welcome to hunt with me anytime but leave that idiot behind.
Paul B.
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 584
- 987
My biggest blunder is with a 270 Winchester.
I found a donor rifle on a listing from a pawn shop for my 280 Ackley build. It was an obvious custom. McMillan BDL, custom barrel, blueprinted action, shot lights out. The shop had it listed for 850 and I didn't even bother haggling.
When one of yous posted that 300 Kong article a while back, I realized how similar the gun I'd bought looked to the one that Kenny Jarrett made for that article. I did some backchecking and I figured out (or I'm 99% sure I did) that rifle that I dismantled was an early Jarrett Beanfield rifle.
I found a donor rifle on a listing from a pawn shop for my 280 Ackley build. It was an obvious custom. McMillan BDL, custom barrel, blueprinted action, shot lights out. The shop had it listed for 850 and I didn't even bother haggling.
When one of yous posted that 300 Kong article a while back, I realized how similar the gun I'd bought looked to the one that Kenny Jarrett made for that article. I did some backchecking and I figured out (or I'm 99% sure I did) that rifle that I dismantled was an early Jarrett Beanfield rifle.
gerry
Ammo Smith
- Mar 1, 2007
- 6,693
- 1,285
That hurts. I guess you didn't save the barrel when you got the 280 AI done?
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 584
- 987
I sold everything but the action, BDL, and trigger. Oh well
The 270 is a very good cartridge, and the one I have owned, along with the many others I have shot over the years, have all proven to be quite accurate. Light recoil and flat trajectories make it easy to shoot and take game.
While I prefer the 280 to the 270...this is just my personal preference as my uncle and father fought for years over whose rifle was better. I also liked the heavier bullets in the 280 compared to the 270.
Even in the 270, I found that I preferred the 140 gr bullet over the 130 and 150's...a little better penetration due to higher SD, and a little flatter shooting than the 150. (also preferred the 140 in my WSM and Wby versions too)
Would have been nice if Remington had loaded the 280 to higher pressures, as Winchester did with the 270...btw if you run the numbers in Quickload, one finds that the 280 does not gain that much in velocity when loaded to equal pressures as the 270.
I have taken more game with the 270 Win (deer, mountain goat, caribou, and moose) than my 280 (deer and elk), but have way more experience handloading and shooting the 280 than the 270 over the years. (also took me longer to acquire a LH 280 - many 270's made in LH, not many made in 280!)
While I really like the 160/162 gr bullets in the 280, I will be moving forward loading the 150 gr bullets BT and AB in my 280, as I am shooting the 140's in my 7mm-08 and 160's in my 7MM STW. My 280's preferred factory ammo so far has been the Federal Premium 140 gr AB (1/2" groups)...but I have a limited supply and Federal no longer loads this ammo.
While I prefer the 280 to the 270...this is just my personal preference as my uncle and father fought for years over whose rifle was better. I also liked the heavier bullets in the 280 compared to the 270.
Even in the 270, I found that I preferred the 140 gr bullet over the 130 and 150's...a little better penetration due to higher SD, and a little flatter shooting than the 150. (also preferred the 140 in my WSM and Wby versions too)
Would have been nice if Remington had loaded the 280 to higher pressures, as Winchester did with the 270...btw if you run the numbers in Quickload, one finds that the 280 does not gain that much in velocity when loaded to equal pressures as the 270.
I have taken more game with the 270 Win (deer, mountain goat, caribou, and moose) than my 280 (deer and elk), but have way more experience handloading and shooting the 280 than the 270 over the years. (also took me longer to acquire a LH 280 - many 270's made in LH, not many made in 280!)
While I really like the 160/162 gr bullets in the 280, I will be moving forward loading the 150 gr bullets BT and AB in my 280, as I am shooting the 140's in my 7mm-08 and 160's in my 7MM STW. My 280's preferred factory ammo so far has been the Federal Premium 140 gr AB (1/2" groups)...but I have a limited supply and Federal no longer loads this ammo.
nhenry
Handloader
- Feb 7, 2022
- 584
- 987
What’s the LH 280 you got?
300WSM
Handloader
- Dec 24, 2011
- 839
- 470
I owned a .270...but the timing was wrong.
When I was 12 I was told here you go. Everyone used this at first and so are you!!!
A Remington model 141 in 35 Remington.
I used that but....
when I was 13 I saved up money from summer jobs.
And there was no way in hell I was going to carry that sumbitch again. Steel buttplate dragging in the deep snow, heavy, shot as flat as new baseball,
PaPa had a 300 Weatherby...
My uncle who was more like a brother had a 300 WinMag...
I'm getting a 300!
Off to the sporting goods store we go and I ask for a Remingtin 700 BDL in 300 win mag.
Sorry we're out.
We have a .270 though.
Young and dumb kid...you know just how money burns in the pocket...
I couldn't wait. My stepfather wasn't much help just really drove me there...
I was bumming no 300 but....
Yes. I'll takitthe .270
No way was I leaving without a new rifle.
That 300 issue or lack of was always on my mind. Nothing wrong with the 270 really but it wasn't what I really wanted.
Thus I never gave it a fair shot. Never put my heart into it.
Someone told me about a new model 7 SS in 7mm-08 that just hit and I was just looking for a reason to rid the 270.
That's what happened.
Never killed anything with it. It was before I was reloading ammo...
The timing was just off for me.
That's my 270 story.
When I was 12 I was told here you go. Everyone used this at first and so are you!!!
A Remington model 141 in 35 Remington.
I used that but....
when I was 13 I saved up money from summer jobs.
And there was no way in hell I was going to carry that sumbitch again. Steel buttplate dragging in the deep snow, heavy, shot as flat as new baseball,
PaPa had a 300 Weatherby...
My uncle who was more like a brother had a 300 WinMag...
I'm getting a 300!
Off to the sporting goods store we go and I ask for a Remingtin 700 BDL in 300 win mag.
Sorry we're out.
We have a .270 though.
Young and dumb kid...you know just how money burns in the pocket...
I couldn't wait. My stepfather wasn't much help just really drove me there...
I was bumming no 300 but....
Yes. I'll takitthe .270
No way was I leaving without a new rifle.
That 300 issue or lack of was always on my mind. Nothing wrong with the 270 really but it wasn't what I really wanted.
Thus I never gave it a fair shot. Never put my heart into it.
Someone told me about a new model 7 SS in 7mm-08 that just hit and I was just looking for a reason to rid the 270.
That's what happened.
Never killed anything with it. It was before I was reloading ammo...
The timing was just off for me.
That's my 270 story.
Bonz
Beginner
- Jun 24, 2015
- 129
- 93
Good stuff guys!
- Oct 30, 2004
- 24,047
- 2,526
Just got one not too long ago. Model 70 featherweight
Cause I have one! Almost always have, despite having 243s, 260s, 7-08s, 280 rems, 280 AI, 270wsm, 7mags, 300wsm, 325WSM the old 270 win just plain works, it’s taken many coyote, deer and elk for me and my family and will continue to do it despite all the fancy dancy cartridges. It does the same as a lot of them and even better than some of the popular ones now. It’s fast, flat shooting, pretty easy on the shoulder, hits hard and fills freezers very well. Many times I’ve left the magnums to comeback to the 270 win. There’s always room a 270 in my camp.
Went semi-custom route to get what I wanted for a LH Rem 700 in 280 Rem.
Loved my LH Rem 700 LSS in 270 Win, but always wished it was available in the 280 Rem.
So I bought a LH Rem 700 XCR in 30-06 (love how slick the XCR actions are with that Trinyte finish they have on the metal) and a RH Rem 700 Limited in 280 Rem, and swapped barrels and bottom metal, and then sold the Limited w/the 30-06 barrel.
I also found a LH Rem 700 LSS LA stock, and have both the LSS and XCR stocks pillar bedded and glass bedded (prior to doing that when swapping stocks, the poi shifted about 4") and now with both stocks set the same, there is no shift in poi when switching stocks due to hunting terrain or weather conditions. I use the XCR stock w/ the rubberized grip panels for rough, wet and/or cold weather and terrain conditions so I do not beat up the prettier LSS stock. Had the trigger adjusted to 3 lbs of pull.
Originally had it scoped with a Swarovski Z3 3-10x42 BRH, but have since switched over to a VX-3 3.5-10x40 B&C scope in the gunmetal grey finish.
Looks and shoots great!
Last edited:
300WSM
Handloader
- Dec 24, 2011
- 839
- 470
Nice!!
I am a Winchester guy through and through.
The rifleman's rifle!!
I own a few 700's.
One in particular is an XCRII. Black coating but SS underneath. O.d. green stock with black inserts.
Adjustable trigger.
That S.O.B. shoots well.
BUT...
It's not a Model 70
300WSM
Handloader
- Dec 24, 2011
- 839
- 470
Do you like the Leupold better?
I've owned countless gold ring scopes but my Swarovski scopes are definitely my favorite.
My favorite Leupold ever was a Vari X III 4.5-14x40 AO in matte finish.
Bonz
Beginner
- Jun 24, 2015
- 129
- 93
My youngest son, at age 23 got his first elk with the .270 Win lobbing out a 110 TTSX at 3350 fps. The elk came up a drainage. Lead cow kept coming, and he was sure he'd be shooting in self-defense as it was coming right at him. At 60 feet he said enough is enough and put that 110 TTSX dead on the sternum. That elk went nose first into the snow as she was trotting, furrowed up a few feet of snow and didn't move a twitch. He took his first pronghorn the year before at 275 yds with the same load. Versatile round. These days, bullets make the difference and many chamberings punch way above their traditional weight in terminal performance.
