.270 Winchester

[darkknight]

I am very new to hunting and this caliber in general. I bought a .270 and i want to understand more about it and what it can potentially do. I know there's a variety of loads for this gun that serve diffrent purposes such as 100g rounds for variment and probably lower.

then their 130-140g ammo im thinking for deer and antelope. I have about forty rounds of PMC Gameking cartriges in the 130g range and am wondering if these are good enough for wild boar.

Then theirs 150g ammo im guessing for elk and black bear maybe caribou and moose. I have winchester power points, im guessing these will be fine for deer not so sure if they ll be good on bear. Would i be better served by a nosler bullet on bear?

Also how does Federal's Fusion ammo stack up are they sturdy bullets for deer, pigs, and bear.

Also whats the diffrence in trajectory in the 130s and 150s would it be knowticeble to me or just to a target shooter ( and i know .270 isnt a target caliber) Also what is the maximum effective range for this round? I dont plan on taking shots farther than 200 but my curiosity has the better of me. thank you for all the help.

 

[ArmedBear]

Read all about ballistics and killing power:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/index2d.rifles.htm

Enjoy.

 

[Grumulkin]

You could use the 270 Winchester for anything in North America though I would probably use a cartridge with a bit more power for the likes of grizzley.

I usually don't work up loads with a bunch of different bullet weights. I select one or two weights and work up an accurate load with those. The only load I've worked up for the 270 Winchester utilizes 150 grain bullets which will do for anything in North America.

As far as brand of bullet is concerned, I go with what is most accurate and suitable for the job I intend it to do. For anythng up to deer and pigs, all of the major brands of hunting bullets are fine (Remington Core-Lokts are about the cheapest). If I were going for something really big and tough, I would probably go with Barnes (which are a bit pricey). If I were using expensive bullets, I would work up the loads with cheap ones of the same weight and then fine tune the load with the expensive ones.

One last thing. The 270 Winchester, 270 Ren, the 270 Remington Magnum, etc. are all of the same caliber; they are different cartridges however. The term caliber refers to bore diameter and not to cartridge dimensions.

 

[uk roe hunter]

.270 a proven round

270 winchester is one of the all time classic game getters. the 130 grain bullet at about 3000fps has killed so many deer. heavier 150's have good sectional densities and hit hard as well. if them PMC Gamekings are loaded with sierra gameking bullets they are also a classic bullet. they were long the benchmark of sporting bullets.

With such versatile calibres a lot will depend on twist rates in your barrel as to what bullet wieght you intend to use for what you intend to hunt.

some complain about recoil and noise, however that only matters when you are on a range and shooting a lot of rounds.

Just my opinion,

steve

 

[BIGR]

.270 Winchester has taken alot game animals and if it works for you go for it. I have several buddies that swear by them. I have never owned one but I sure do love my 30.06's. I never have had the urge to buy a .270.

uk roe hunter, you must like a 30.06 don't you.... The date that you joined this forum, leads me to believe that there is some connection.

 

[ArmedBear]

Two concerns with wild boar:

1. Brush
2. Thick shoulders

It seems like wild boar hunters here favor heavy rounds, but don't care so much about velocity. Lever guns in .44M, .30-30, and .45-70 seem to be popular.

These are "brushbuster" rounds.

Now before anyone goes off about "brushbusting" being a myth, it's not. Jack O'Connor tested it. It's just that it doesn't work nearly as well as some people want you to believe.

O'Connor found that heavy, round nose bullets could hit an animal in brush, whereas he says, "I found that the higher the bullet velocity, the sharper the point, the thinner the jacket, the lighter the weight, the greater the deflection."

All bullets will deflect. Hitting so much as a blade of grass far from the target will generally mean an all-out miss by a lot. However, if you want a bullet that will hit a pig in a bush, there is such a thing, and it's flatter in the nose, heavier, and slower, than a .270.

Otherwise, I can't see why a .270 wouldn't work great for everything you mentioned.

 

[chuckmo]

brush busting

I'm not looking for a fight here, I just remember the NRA magazine (I think) did a test wherein they shot all kinds of bullets through a screen of brush at targets and actually found the opposite: fast, sharp bullets deflected less than slow, round ones. The only point being: don't shoot through brush.

 

[Geno]

World-class handload

First, what make and model did you purchase?

When you start handloading, use 60 grains of H-4831 and a 130 grain spired point boattail. Add a Federal 210 primer and you have a world class reload. If this load does not achieve 1 MOA there is someting wrong with the rifle or the shooter.

I have taken varmints, deer and boar with my 270 Win. The deer were taken at just over 400 yards. The 270 Win is tremendous! Enjoy it!

Doc2005

 

[Trip20]

Also how does Federal's Fusion ammo stack up are they sturdy bullets for deer, pigs, and bear.

I used Federal Fusion this year for deer hunting. It was purely accidental. I went to pick up my usual .270win cartridge (Winchester Ballistic Silver Tips in 130gr) to sight in and hunt... but they were all out.

It worked fantastic and it's much cheaper to boot. I started a thread on TFL about the Federal Fusion round. Click here to read the thread. There are a few other people who speak of their experiences as well.

Also in the thread you'll find this photo showing an entrance/exit wound. Went through a rib, through both lungs, and out the other side. Left two blood trails (one on each side of it's body as she ran) for the ~30-40 yards 'til she fell down.

 

[Redhat]

I think you'll be quite pleased with the effectiveness of the .270. It's one of the to calibers for a reason just like the 30.06.

For Whitetail, a lot of hunters use the 130 grain bullets with excellent results.
The caliber also shoots very flat out to 300 yds if properly sighted.

I bought about 5 diffrerent types of factory ammunition when testing mine to see which one it was most accurate with. The best so far is Winchester Ballistic Silvertips. I can consistently put 3 rounds under an inch at 100 yds from the bench.

I used this ammo hunting this year and took 2 shots. One hog and one 8 pt buck. Both were dropped in their tracks. If you are a good enough shot to hit the sweet spot, the .270 is a game getter. If you're a lousy shot, it doesn't matter what caliber you use, none will be very effective.

One final point. The .270 has light recoil (to me) and I have had no problem putting 40-50 rounds down range in one session with no ill effects to my shoulder.

 

[uk roe hunter]

.30-06

BIGR
I had never noticed that about my joining date! I have a parker hale lightwieght safari in .30-06 it is a superb rifle, i use 150gr speer spitzers for uk deer, although if i was stalking reds (elk you guys call them) i would up the weight. My bread and butter is the roe buck they are about the size of a domestic goat. The '06 is a great calibre.

REDHAT
The recoil point is by reputation. I also don't mind recoil, but some do.

steve

 

[dfaugh]

Even though I don't own one any more (we have to use shotgun for deer here, and I don't hunt much else, and have other guns for what I do), I am a big fan of the .270.

I got good results on varmints using 110 grn. loadings (pretty much makes the big woodchucks around here explode) nothing else easily available at the time), and used 130s for deer and anything else that was larger. Remember that this is just a 30-06 necked down, so other than using somewhat lighter bullets, they're not that much different, as far as "power" is concerned, and the .270 shoots flatter.. I did have a bit of a problem with the recoil, but it was a light gun (Winchester Model 770, with short (20"?) barrel, weighed about 7 lbs w/ scope, and didn't have a recoil pad), so shooting off a bench was kinda punishing. But, when I hadda haul that thing through miles of woods (when I used to hunt deer at my in-laws in WI) I was glad for the lighter weight.

 

[one-shot-one]

.270 WIN.

with a good 130 gr. bullet will take down any thing in the lower 48 out father than i can shoot but pratical range on game would be 350-400 yards.
it seems to me (and i know that i'll get disagreement on this) that every round has that one special bullet that has the best ballance of accuracy and power:

.270=130gr.
6.5=120gr
.308=165gr.
.30-30=170gr
7mm=140gr.
so on.

 

[The Rifleman]

I have to agree with one shot.

If you have a .270 and you take a ethical shot a any game in North America with the right bullet. You will have much success.

Most everything Winchester ever came out with was good. How a company could come out with something like that in 1920, kept making it during the depression years and still be around today is a real testament to it's story.

Most factory ammo will shoot just as well as anything handloaded and you don't have to worry about picking up empty's out in the woods. I have over 1000 rounds of .270 Win and you could buy them for as much as I spent on powder and primers and bullets and dies and brass. Put the xtra money in the bank at 3% interest and be able to buy them in the store for the rest of your life. I usually shoot about 10 rounds a year. 8 for target practice and 2 out in the woods. A box of shells could last you two years or more.

Just that it gets kind of boring - going out into the woods. Shooting one time, dragging out your deer and going home. Takes all the fun out of it!

 

[Redhat]

What model .270 do you have and what load does it like best?

 

[darkknight]

I have a CIA 98 sporter, im not sure of the ammo due to the fact im in 2000 miles away from it till i get back from school, but when i get back in 4-5 months ill let u know.
I must admit i plan on getting a remington 700 in 30.06 maybe one in .270 and defintely a magnum at one point but thats way in the future. plus i have other purchases that must be made. such as a .22 rifle among others.

 

[riddleofsteel]

All the hunting my son and I do is with a 6.5-284 using 129 grain Hornady Interlocks and .270 using 130 grain Hornady Interlocks. We have found them sufficient for any game we hunt in the Southeast US at any reasonable range.
If I hunted elk or moose on a regular basis I would be tempted to purchase a specialized rifle for those needs.
Most of our hog hunting is a pistol ranges so we are as likely or not to be found pursuing them with a heavy loaded Blackhawk in .45 Colt or a 12ga. slug gun as with a rifle.