270 wsm

[icon308win]

has anyone got one if so how does it shoot What are thoughts on it

 

[Purgatory]

Don't have one, but I've heard good things about all the WSM cartridges.

If anything, the ammo is higher priced and a bit harder to come by.

 

[icon308win]

the 270 wsm ballistics look very good

 

[Kachok]

I have one, great ballistics/trajectory on par with the 7mm Rem Mag only in a short action and quite a bit less kick. Only thing I don't like is the brass is so darn thick, it is a workout to FL resize a large batch of brass. 130gr Ballistic tips at 3300 fps make short work of deer, but be careful with your shot placement they can make a mess of a deer's shoulder in a hurry.

 

[rizbunk77]

It's a good round with a lot of range. It is an inherently accurate round. I had a savage in this caliber and it fed smoothly. They can easily be zeroed to hit silhouettes at 500 yds. If you get a detachable mag rifle you can preload an extra mag so you have 6 at the ready instead of three. A hit on a deer at 300 meters produces a quick kill. I like the 140 gr accubond

 

[Savage99]

When the Kimbers came out with the 8400 Montana in the WSM's I got a .270 WSM as a thought that the 7mm WSM would not catch on. While I was right I still had to get a 7mm WSM!

The Kimber .270 had accuracy problems from the start. Nothing to do with the cartridge. I finally got that rifle going well. I really am not a .270 fan but now I have all the loading components.

The .270 WSM is to the right.

 

[Kachok]

The 270 WSM is something of the best of all worlds.
It shoots as flat as a 257 Wby Mag.
It has a moderate recoil on par with a 150gr 30-06
It hits as hard as a 7mm Rem Mag
And it uses a compact 308 length action.
What is not to love?

 

[icon308win]

I love the thoughts of a 270 WSM are they any drawbacks to it

 

[helotaxi]

The only drawbacks are the fact that ammo isn't everywhere and that there are better selections of bullets for reloading in other calibers. I have a 7mmWSM in a Browning X-bolt and bought a 270WSM in a Savage with the intent of rebarreling to 7 WSM but once I saw how well it shot and Nosler announced their soon-to-be-released long range Accubonds, I decided that I'd keep it a .270.

My hunting buddy put his cow elk down with hit .270 WSM last weekend and has shot a pronghorn and Barbary sheep with it as well this year. With the loads that I worked up for him its a pretty darn good shooter.

 

[2ndtimer]

I love the thoughts of a 270 WSM are they any drawbacks to it

The only drawbacks I consider are the price of factory ammo. As a handloader, that isn't really an issue for me. The other potential drawback is barrel life. It is a high intensity round, and as such, the price you pay for the performance. I have had mine for about 8 years, and have lost about 200 feet per second off my handloads, as well as a bit of accuracy. Probably since I shot way too much paper with it experimenting with different powders and bullets. It is still hunting accurate and I used it a month ago on a nice Montana whitetail buck. I like the caliber enough that I bought a new Model 70 Ultimate Shadow a month ago in the same chambering. Just got my new rings for it last night, so will be mounting my new Cabela's special Zeiss Conquest this weekend. Sure hope it likes my old Super Shadow loads. I am hoping I don't have to start from scratch in load development.

 

[dvdcrr]

Cost of ammo is not bad compared to 270 wby

 

[Gordon]

I switched from the 1953 .270 Winchester I had used since 1964 to a .270 WSM 24" Stainless Classic in 1999 and took it to Africa and it is my go to hunting rifle below elk. I am sure the premium 150 grain bullets would be good on elk too. In Monterey and San Luis County we have to use no lead ammo which is available in Federal Premium and that is what I use for hunting. The caliber seems intrinsically accurate with the short fat powder column and it it lazer flat with seemingly no more recoil than the old .270 Winchester. Two Gordon thumbs up on the .270 WSM.

 

[icon308win]

Sounds great Gordon

 

[Kachok]

Only downsides to the 270 WSM are the same as other ultra high speed calibers. You should use premium bullets at close range to prevent blowups, barrel life is shortend, and brass is thick and hard to work with. But for that kind of performance I will live with the other stuff.

 

[PedalBiker]

Another drawback is magazine capacity. Some rifles hold one more round in conventional chamberings.

I ended up with a regular 270 and really like it. If you handload the WSM is very tolerant of reduced loads.

 

[Lightshot]

I agree with all the positives above, but it is an incredibly loud round. At least as compared to 30-06 or .270. I shot one round at a deer with a 270 WSM - that was a mistake, my ears were ringing for a month (I always use ear plugs on a hunt now).

 

[helotaxi]

I fired 4 shots last weekend on coyotes with my 7mm WSM and didn't really notice the noise at all.

 

[Kachok]

Another drawback is magazine capacity. Some rifles hold one more round in conventional chamberings.

I ended up with a regular 270 and really like it. If you handload the WSM is very tolerant of reduced loads.

Magazine capasity is near the bottom of my criteria list. If I need more then one shot I am doing something wrong to start with. This is especaly true with my WSM that hits like a speeding train, every deer it has harvested has been quick to say the least even with my friend's less then perfect shot placement (he uses it more then I do)
Regular ol 270 win is a good choice as always, I cannot muster up one bad thing to say about it.

 

[urbaneruralite]

Another drawback is magazine capacity. Some rifles hold one more round in conventional chamberings.

I ended up with a regular 270 and really like it. If you handload the WSM is very tolerant of reduced loads.

I'd like to hear about any experiences with reduced loads. Which bullets? Muzzle velocities? Thanks!

 

[HARV6]

I almost bought one last year as a primary big game rifle. But opted not to. The ballistics are awesome, and the things Kachok listed are all correct. If you want to shoot the majority of you're big game out past 300 yards the 270wsm is hard to beat. If you're shooting the majority of those animals inside 300 yards your not doing anything a plane Jane 270 win can't do. But you are paying a lot more. Not to mention most bullets fired from a 270wsm were designed for 270win speeds because it was the only game in town. Have a nice bear or elk suprise you at 50 yards and see if you really feel comfortable launching a bullet designed for 270 win at WSM speeds.

 

[allaroundhunter]

I really like my .270 WSM, but since I got my .308 I have not shot it as much. The cost of ammo is close to $40/box at the low end.

The best story I have for mine came this past Thanksgiving weekend. A friend and I were hog hunting, and after my friend made a great neck shot on a large (150 lb) pig with his .243 another big pig jumped out from the brush by the feeder. By some amount of luck I dropped him on the run at about 175 yards. Not only did the .270 WSM drop him, it looked like the pig was hit with Thor's hammer. The round entered right behind the pigs front shoulder (I think it caught him mid-stride) and then blew out the opposite shoulder.

It really was the most devastating wound that I have seen on an animal.

 

[Kachok]

^ Yeah 3300fps+130gr Ballistic Tips= Massive damage! Just try to keep it behind the shoulder if you like to eat what you shoot

 

[allaroundhunter]

^ Yeah 3300fps+130gr Ballistic Tips= Massive damage! Just try to keep it behind the shoulder if you like to eat what you shoot

It was actually 150 gr (Ballistic Silvertip)

The bonded ammo that would be less "explosive" is just too darn expensive (especially for hogs)!

 

[helotaxi]

It was actually 150 gr (Ballistic Silvertip)

The bonded ammo that would be less "explosive" is just too darn expensive (especially for hogs)!

Having seen what a 160gn Partition does to a coyote...well at these type velocities, plan on meat damage at closer ranges, bonded bullet or not.

 

[allaroundhunter]

well at these type velocities, plan on meat damage at closer ranges, bonded bullet or not.

Oh I do. I would just expect a bonded bullet to be more of a controlled massive expansion as opposed to a varmint grenade on steroids like a ballistic silvertip...