Should I sell my .270?

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My 1962 Christmas gift from my dad, a savage 410 sb, went to my oldest son at 10 yo.
A second identical went to my youngest son at 10 yo. (Easy find)
My 1964 Christmas gift from my dad, a 336 straight stock RC marlin 35, went to my youngest son at 12 yo.
A second identical went to my oldest son at 12 yo. (Took a while find that one! They're not exactly common)
Both killed their first squirrel and their first deer with those " pass-me-downs, respectively.
So I carried on the time honored father-son southern tradition. Today neither of them are much into shooting (live in the city) so in that respect the acorn did fall a long way from the tree.

That said, addressing recoil in order.
1. Install a good rubber recoil pad
2. Install a mercury capsule
3. Install a muzzle brake
I did this to my rem 721 300 HH and it turned a kicking thoroughbred into a Shetland pony.

On my 1973 win M70 30-06 with factory stock and hard plastic butt plate, I used used 60% H4895 reduced loads. I shot these in a tee shirt.

Good luck
 
Giving it to someone else in the family sounds like the best bet to me. I had a gun cabinet that was a gift from a close friend, but after a few years I outgrew it. My nephew has it now and I have a much bigger/better one that I designed. i say do whatever is right for YOU. Most here would keep it. I'm betting your father would want you to move on with your life. I would sell it if you have no family to give it to.
 
My I suggest that if you plan to get a new rifle then consider a 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle break.

I would also suggest giving the rifle from your Dad to a son or daughter, a sibling, a niece or nephew, etc. Christmas is just around the corner.
 
It sounds like you do have reloading equipment.

I shoot a 270 and for a while was using a 130 grain bullet and getting over 3100 fps I think. It kicked too hard and I didn't like it. I scaled back to about 2800 fps (52 grains IMR 4350) and it's much more pleasant.

If I wanted less recoil yet, I'd go to a 110 grain bullet maybe and keep velocity within reason. If you're shooting deer 100 yards away they won't know the difference.

I don't like muzzle brakes on hunting rifles, they're so loud and I don't wear hearing protection for that.

All that said though, if I were to buy a new deer rifle, I'd go .260 Remington or 7mm-08. My son shoots a .260 and the loads I make for it are 120 grain Gamekings at 2950-3000 and it is a very mild kicking rifle. Kills the crap out of deer too out past 350 yards. The 7mm-08 all my friends who have them are very similar (same 308 case, 284 rather than 264 bullet). Mild, accurate, potent.
 
This one is the wise answer. You can load it down & you'll be happy. BTW, the A-bolt has a reputation for shooting tight, so maybe you can rectify that along the way.
 
Olympus;

A muzzle brake will reduce recoil, the trade-off being a greatly increased chance of hearing damage if good protection isn't used. Most hunters don't want a set of muffs on in the field. Yes, there are electronic muffs that offer to block the sonic impulse of the muzzle blast while still allowing normal hearing. Most of them will also offer some disadvantage in mounting the rifle, cheek weld, comfort, or other factor.

900F
 
Yeah, I'm probably not going to go through the hassle of having my barrel threaed for a comp. I don't use hearing protection in the field when I hunt. I'll try the reduced recoil loads and if that doesn't work, I'll either sell it or let it keep taking up space in the safe.
 
jmr40 said:
The problem with recoil is between your ears.
That is a myth that has been thoroughly debunked! Jim Carmichael, who was an editor for one of the Outdoor Magazines, and a big-bore rifle competitor, documented his accumulated recoil sensitivity, when he suddenly could no longer continue with the match he was competing in.

Another "myth" that has proven very accurate is: "You shoot best with what kicks you least!"

Jim then designed two 6.5mm cartridges, one of which became the forerunner of the .260 Remington, iirc. Milder recoil, and he used one to continued competing.

It has a lot to do with the stock design. I had a .270 which I truly enjoyed shooting, Classic stock, and I had a good recoil pad on it. One year deer hunting it rained, and the stock warped so badly it was a chore to remove the action. It didn't get better, so I traded it for the "Rifleman's Rifle". Handsome! I had a good recoil pad installed, but it still kicked like a Georgia mule! So, I now shoot a milder caliber, and enjoy shooting more.

Let those who enjoy it (And, there is some research that indicates brain damage :D) shoot their 375 H&H, or 300 WSM, which my son-in-law bought, and hates, and fears the recoil. "I missed a coyote at 465 yards!" Well, of COURSE you did...shooting that Loudenboomer that makes your wheelchair roll back about a foot! But, damn, your rangefinder is really accurate!:p Go back to your .270...the one I drool over...and hit more!;)

It is no character flaw to want/require/demand lesser recoil.
That's why the ammo manufacturers brought out the low recoil ammo, because people wanted, and more importantly, like it!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Just wanted to provide an update. I got all my components for the 4895 reduced recoil loads. I loaded up a big batch of loads starting at 28gr and loaded 5 of each all the way to 33gr in intervals of 0.5gr. I also took a box of factory Remington ammo I had leftover to use for making sure I was on the paper since the gun hadn't been fired in years.

Factory Remington ammo shot from a lead sled produced groups that were a hair over 3" at 100 yards and rocked the sled around. So my original opinion that the accuracy was mediocre and the recoil was too stiff for me seemed to still be true.

28gr loads were recoiling LESS than my 243. No signs of stress or damage to the cases, but groups were not any better. As I worked my way up with my loads, letting the barrel cool between strings, I found the sweet spot was 31.0gr. I got a 1" group which surprised the heck out of me and the recoil was only a little more than my 243! So it looks like I found my load.

On a side note, the 120gr SST bullets seem to be made for the shorter OAL of the 6.8spc because the crimp ring on the bullet was too far up on the bullet to use on my 270 brass. I used a factory crimp die and it seemed to hold the bullet just fine even though it wasn't crimping on the ring of the bullet.
 
I found the sweet spot was 31.0gr. I got a 1" group which surprised the heck out of me and the recoil was only a little more than my 243! So it looks like I found my load.
Click to expand...

That is excellent news friend. I'm glad you found a load that will allow you to enjoy the rifle your dad got for you. And that bullet will kill deer just fine.

Happy hunting.
 
Thanks fellas. I guess this gives me some flexibility with this rifle. I can load it down for easy shooting of whitetails or I can load it back to factory levels if there was ever a time I ended up hunting out west for something larger than whitetail.
 
Recoil.....with a .270.....seriously?
Click to expand...

I recently bought a .270 in all plastic. It's really light and short. So light and short that a 30-06 is more comfortable to shoot. I had to put a limbsaver on the .270 to get it to fit almost right.
 
When you get the reduced loads all worked out ...

Take a little time and work with the light weight Barnes ... same recoil reduction as the reduced loads and way flatter shooting ... and great performance on deer sized animals...
 
I need to get a chrono and check the velocity of these rounds.
 
Its amazing what a reloader can do with a little knowhow. Glad you didn't rebarrel. I have read that brownings can be very difficult to get the barrel off of.

Try cleaning your bore with some Barnes CR-10 copper remover. That rifle should shoot much better than 3" groups.

I loaded some 270 rounds for my bud, he was too busy building his airplane so I took his brass, bullets and powder and loaded to his best load. They shot in the 3" area. He asked what I had done wrong? I asked him if he had cleaned his gun lately (he hates cleaning guns) and he said no. So we used some CR-10 I had given him and the next group was right at 1". Clean guns are happy guns.
 
The factory Remington ammo was what shot the 3" group. My handloads were right at 1". Some a hair over and some a hair under.

But that trigger has got to be around the 7 to 8lb mark. It's pretty bad in my opinion. But I'll just deal with it.
 
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