270.... target rifle?

[tssievert]

can .270 and target rifle even be mentioned in the same sentence? I love my .270 and I am in the market for a target/varmint rifle in addition to my big game rifle and i think it would be kind of nice to only have to load for one caliber. the other problem is that i love rugers, how practical would it be to build a target/varmint rifle off of a ruger action?
thanks

 

[dakotasin]

well... you certainly are backwards.

just depends on your standards. if you want true target rifle accuracy, then no, it won't work. but if you are just after something that is prairie dog accurate to, say, 400 yards then sure, it will work great.

 

[Jim Watson]

What do you mean "target rifle?"
I don't know if any of the high ballistic coefficient bullets you need for Long Range is made in .277".

Ruger bolt action or single shot? I don't think I have ever seen a falling block in any sort of modern target rifle match. I have seen very few Ruger 77 bolts, mostly Remington, Winchester, Savage, custom and foreign.

 

[tssievert]

bolt action. not a copetitive target rifle a "make me happy by hitting itty bitty things really far away rifle"
should i just junk my idea and get a 308 and a 223 instead?

 

[USSR]

can .270 and target rifle even be mentioned in the same sentence?

Sure. "When I really want long range accuracy, I put away the .270 and get out the target rifle." See how easy that is.

Don

 

[dakotasin]

should i just junk my idea...

yes. sorry.

... and get a 308 and a 223 instead?

lots of options... i wouldn't do 223, nor 270, but there are a lot of great choices for your application.

ussr: that's funny!

 

[R.W.Dale]

Unless your going to shoot in benchrest matches a .270 would be as good of a choice as any other cartrige. The 270 winchester like any other cartrige is capable of great accuracy when fired in a quality rifle with a good barrel.
A .25 inch group is still .25 weither it's fired from a 6mm ppc or a .308 or even a 30-30.
If a .270 is what you want then by all means go for it.

 

[DirtyDan]

.270 very good choice for target

Actually the .270 is much better than the .223 and every bit as good as the 308 or 30-06 or any others. Yea, I know the ballistic coefficient of the 30 cal bullets beat it all over the playground, but we're talking about puching holes in paper, not stopping a moose, which, by the way a .270 does well.

So, go right ahead get a falling block and have it rechambered for a .270 or whatever you want. You don't need anyone's permission but yours to enjoy shooting, whether it be target, varmits, or big game. Enjoy the .270 it is an excellent target cartridge.

 

[R.W.Dale]

I just did some checking and there are some .277 bullets with ballistic coefficents of well over .450

Sierra has a 135gr matchking with a BC of .488 with this bullet moving at almost 3000 FPS

Compare that to a 168gr matchking with a BC of .462 fired from a .308 @ 2650fps

the good ol .270 doesn't look too shabby.

 

[USSR]

The lack of high BC .277 bullets is what keeps the .270 off of the target range. You can't really blame the bullet manufacturers, as there are only one or two cartridges made in this oddball caliber. If you want a target rifle, you would be way ahead of the game to go to either 6.5mm or .30 caliber.

Don

 

[Picher]

I use my .270 Win, Rem. 700 BDL for informal target shooting, turkey shoots, varmint hunting, deer hunting, and maybe moose hunting if I get drawn.

Handloading makes the difference between an okay shooting rifle and a superior rifle. Using lighter loads of IMR 4895 behind Sierra 90 Grain HPs works for both target, out to 200 yards, and varmint hunting. They group under 3/8" at 100 yards in my standard weight barrelled stainless action, set in an HS Precision stock.

Bullets over 100 grains shoot better than the 90's at longer distances.

Picher

 

[tssievert]

what is the optimal barrel length for a 270? i'd like a heavy barrel but i also don't want the gun to weigh a ton. so how short can i go? and how much weight would i lose with a fluted barrel?

 

[USSR]

Personally, I wouldn't go any shorter than 24". You would lose somewhere between half a pound and one pound by fluting the barrel, depending upon the barrel length and contour you go with. I would go with something like a light varmint contour.

Don

 

[cmb3366]

The .270 will be ok for what you want to do, but the ruger action is about the worst you could choose for that application. They have little aftermarket, are very dificult to bed, and few smiths have experienc building target rifles with them. You'd be better off finding an old remington 721 or 700 for a donar action.