FWIW, I spent last weekend in a LR Precision Shooting Class in CO. One of our participants was using a Win M70 in .270, shooting Hornady Precision Hunting ammo. He was making first shot hits out to 1,250 yards. He had a good rifle, an excellent scope, great ammo, and wonderful wind calls (in 16 mph variable wind), elevation (altitude about 4,900') dope, and exceptional fundamentals of marksmanship. While he was a rock star with that rifle, he did show that the .270 Win (.277 cal) was more than capable of shooting as far as needed accurately. Were I hunting western elk, I'd opt for 140 gr bullets but would not hesitate to use a proven hunting rifle in .270. Keep in mind that the 7mm family, with .284 cal bullets (only 7/1000 of an inch wider) are widely-used elk rounds...indeed, I've used a Win M70 in .7mm RM with both 140 gr and 160 gr bullets successfully. A well-placed shot with a bullet with sufficient terminal ballistics will stop almost anything that you encounter (as the old saw goes, "Who was that guy WDM Bell, and he did what with a .275 Rigby?")
Incidentally, I was using a purpose-designed precision rifle in .308 Win for the class. James outshot me by a good margin although I was getting 1,250 yard hits also. I think that this proved that it's not the arrows, Tonto.
Harry
