I don't argue, I find the conversation interesting. I love to see how some of the people here exhibit the blind faith in their favorite cartridge and how anything different is unecessary or overblown or a miracle of physics.

I didn't know that the 270 WSM only has a 6% difference in case capacity. I've seen that much difference from different makes of brass for the same cartridges before.

What are the capacities of the 270 win and 270 WSM cases?

In my opinion, the advantage of the short mags is not the extra velocity one obtains over their standard counterparts (yes, 200 fps over is the norm pretty much across the board), but rather having a rifle with a 24 inch barrel that is same length as a standard action with a 22 inch barrel. And to top that off, its a 1/3 lb lighter. Makes for an incredible carry or mountain rifle.

I've got a 7mm Rem Mag and a .280, and I still bought a 7 WSM, and it's an absolute joy. Built on a McMillan Hunter's edge with a #5 contour barrel 24 inches, it still only weighs 6 1/2 lbs. And 140gr accubonds at 3300 fps will knock the snot out of anything I hunt down south. Do I still hunt with the others? Sure. Will the 7 WSM (or the 270 WSM for that matter) kill any more effectively than the standard action counterpart at normal hunting ranges- no.

One negative to the Short mags... recoil will be increased a little due to the increased velocity and lighter weight. If that's an issue, one can always download them to standard velocities or just go with a 7mm-08.

Jon

Fjold:

Just looked on realguns.com. When loaded with 130gr Hornadys, the "Net Water Capacity" of the WSM is 73.5, while the WCF is 61.2. That calculates to a 20% difference.

If you agree with John Barnsness case-capacity-to-velocity-potential rule of thumb (4 to 1) the WSM should have a 5% velocity potential advantage over the WCF. That would calculate to be about a 150 fps advantage.

Whether an extra 150 or 200 fps is "worth it" has been, and will be debated for a long time!

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
I don't own a 270 Win or a 270 WSM and I don't think that I ever will.

Sorry Fjold but you just aren't qualified to stand in front of the urinal and argue with those of us who have actual reloaded for several rifles in both calibers. Stick to Sako's in 300 RUM and you'll be fine......... .............DJ

LOL, I almost bought a SAKO about 20 years ago. They were made in left handed models then but the only one I could get was chambered in 270 Win so I passed on it.


Reloading for the 270 Win and the 270 WSM is not any different than loading for any other '06 based case or WSM case. Neither cartridge has any magical properties, no matter what their supporters say!

Fjold ----- I shot the .270 Win for years and loaded it for many buddies. I was always impressed with it, but not set on fire. Yes, with the 130 grain it's ballistics were very good, as mr O'Connor so nicely described for years. I am a speed nut, mainly because of the ballistic end of the game. I like to aim at the killing area and not think about holdover out to 350 yards if at all possible, and I don't really have any business shooting further than that myself. I always figured the less I had to think about while shooting the better the results were going to be. Keep it simple stupid, if you will. I have been shooting the .257 Weatherby for years and was always impressed with it 3400 to 3500 fps speeds with 115 and 120 grain bullets. It has scored on many Deer for me, my son and two grandsons and I think that not having to think about holdover has something to do with it. When I got 3455 fps out of the 130 grain .277 caliber bullet with my .270 WSM, I said WOW-WOW-WOW, what the hell do I have here. Then additional shooting and averaging 3400 fps with that bullet with accuracy, simply said that this is a special round. Not magical, simply good, anyway you look at it, and in my opinion it has a long future for shooters and hunters like me and mine. Good shooting.

Not trying to pull anyone's chain here, but let's get realistic...

Assuming a 250yd zero, a 130g bullet at 3100 compared to the same bullet at 3400, has just 1.4" more drop than the faster chambering at 350 yards... not a lot of difference!

If you have a laser range finder, well and good... but...

Hasn't the funeral for the WSM cartridges already occured?

500grains ----- I read an article in years past that said the same thing about the .270 Win when it was necked down from the 30-06 case. It said something to the effect of "how on earth could you possibly improve on the old .300 Savage and 30-06, this upstart cartridge will die a quick death within one year". Well, you know the answer to that prediction. The same thing was said about the Lazzaroni's and Ultra Mag's. It seems that anything that improves on an old standard are destined to be short lived, then the opposite occurs. Just my .02's Good shooting.

Somehow I missed that the UltraMags would fade away. Boy is that wrong. I've seen a few of the Lazz. when I was out west.

This is just my view: I think it's nice to have such a selection of rifles. I really do. I think it's nice to have to decide if you want a 270, 270WSM, 270 Weatherby, 270AM, 277 Titus, etc.

It's like deciding on a hunting truck. Ford, Chevy, GMC, Dodge, Nissan, Toyota, etc. Then there's deciding on cab size, bed size, 4x4, or 2x4, all the options. There's one out there for everyone. But they all do the same thing, get you where you're going. (Well I've seen quite a few Chebby's stuck in the mud! ).

To say that there's no 'use' for a cartridge I guess, in a way, is to say that it won't kill or perform. That is wrong. The downside is how a cartridge comes along, then years later, in some cases, the data comes along for reloading. Then there's always supply = demand. You hate to buy a nice new concept rifle and find out it wasn't quite as popular as the maker had hoped. Good luck finding brass and ammo.

Ok, I'm done, gotta watch a movie with my son.