d2wing
Member
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2008
- Messages
- 6,419
I have also heard that the smaller the caliber, the less stable a bullet is over distance is and the faster it has to spin. But them that doesn't expI remember reading an article by Layne Simpson where he shot a bench rest, heavy barrel rifle in 270 Win and it shot sub MOA. The cartridge is inherently accurate. I believe the reason it was not a popular target round dealt with a number of factors, including the rules. For years you shot 30 caliber because the military did not want you shooting anything but a 30-06 or 308. So the across the course and long range NRA rules were written that way. And then, the good target bullets were 30 caliber. Even the 6.5 cartridges languished due to the lack of good target grade bullets. For some reason 6.5 and 284 target bullets have been much more abundant than 277, it is like the caliber is skipped. Heck if I know why.
Another reason for the lack of popularity is that the 270 Win is a barrel burner compared to a 30-06 or 308, and is a long action round. You don't have to push a bullet that hard in a 30 caliber barrel to have outstanding accuracy out to 600 yards. So you can have 5000 round accuracy lives. Currently guys are hot loading their 185 Bergers and 200 Bergers for F Class at 1000 yards and I am told 308 barrels are toast at 1500 rounds, but for across the course, only 20 rounds out of an 80 round match were at 600 yards. And then, recoil of the 270 Win is almost as stout as a 30-06. So, for a shooter looking to reduce his flinch, the 270 Win was not the path forward. I shot barrels out of long action rifles, and preferred short actions in the rapids because I had to roll around less to keep clear of the bolt. The 270 Win is, of course, a long round.
You put a good barrel on a 270 Win and it will shoot well
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Velocities are a let down. From the decades of in print claims that I have read about the 130 and 150 grain bullet velocities, I am blowing primers on the low end. I can push a 150 faster in the 308 Win than a 270 Win.
You can't go wrong with a 30-06. Those who don't consider it a target round are not shooting in competition anyway. The cartridge is plenty accurate for the rifles it is chambered in. Such as this Ruger #1
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Three shot groups are the current Gold standard for accuracy and consistency, so a five shot group is 66% more impressive than a 3 shot group.
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all the way out to 600 yards. Which is a ridiculous distance to shoot, unless you already have verified zero's. People who only read internet nonsense think that hitting dead center at 600 yards, or 1000 yards only requires an expensive gun and the cartridge du jour, but get out there at the range, 600 yards is a long way. Placing a round in the X ring, cold bore, is an accomplishment at 600 yards.
I did not do it here:
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One of the great things about the 30-06 is that the loads have all been determined and you don't need to push pressures to create accurate and powerful ammunition
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Forty seven grains of IMR 4895 was a well established target load before I was born.
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I wanted to see how the pulled Fed Fusion bullets did in this rifle. Shot well enough at 300 yards
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A very critical issue that none of the long range types talk about is the lack of bullet expansion below 1800 fps with the current crop of rifle bullets. Few bullets will expand past 400 yards. I suspect the "mono lithic" bullets are even worse, though I don't know. No one wants to talk about this because when the velocity drops below the speed necessary for expansion, then all you are doing on the animal is poking a small hole. Might as well be shooting FMJ or armor piercing. How many can hold within 8 inches of the aim point at extreme range? (typical value for a vital zone) Not being able to hit the vital zone, and then using a non expanding bullet is most unethical as it will create un necessary pain and suffering to the animal. The long range types won't honestly recount how many animals they have hit at extreme distances that ran off hundred of yards from the impact point, only to die a suffering death. Long range types don't track, or can't track, if it does not fall down right where they aimed, they go looking for another animal to wound. For many of them, an animal is just a target, no different from a gong, a rock, or a piece of paper.
I agree very much with this based on my own experiences. I have also heard that a .277 bullet is harder to stabilize over distance and it must spin faster that a .30 cal. or a .280/7 MM.
