Dear All,

I have a couple of .270 Win rifles to be tested for accuracy and function this coming September, before being submitted to the US export procedure. For various reasons (not least time pressure and not having my own reloading room available while in the US), I was hoping to be able to do the testing with factory loads.

The rifles are intended for my nephews, and will be used in an area of Switzerland where there is a legal minimum of 140 grs bullets. I guess 150 grs would also be possible, although I'd probably stay with 140s if possible - just for the extra bit of velocity.

I took a look at Hornady's and Federal's websites, and they claim 2950 fps and above (3100 for Hornady's "Light Magnum") for 140 grs loads. Federal loads 140 AccuBonds, and they are normally excellent bullets in terms of accuracy and terminal performance - although slightly pricey.

Have any of you got experience with .270 Win 140 grs factory loads?? What shot well for you?? Did actual velocities live up to factory claims (I guess not?)?? What bullets can be relied on for hunting in terms of structural integrity on game just about any size (smallish to heavy)?? Cheap would be nice ...

Thanks a lot in advance.

- mike

I've had great luck with the accubonds in several .270's. Accurate and puts game(deer, antelope) down well.I highly recommend them. If by chance they don't shoot well then try the good old 150 partition.

ditto what handwerk said...also, don't forget about the 140 gr. Partitions (new), though they are more expensive than the accubonds

You might also try the 140 gr. Hornady boat-tail. The price is cheaper, and it's pretty accurate too. Can't comment about terminal performance.

friar

you might also try some remington core-lokt ultras in 140 gr. i used them a couple years ago for deer here on the farm, and they performed great and were very accurate out of a rem m700.

The 130 grs shoot best in my 270, but the 150's shoot about an 1". Haven't seen any terminal effects on the 140 grs bullets, but the 130s do a bang up job on deer and antelope, I would imagine the 140 grs wouldn't do any worse. The 150's are a bit better for hogs and elk though, and they wouldn't be too bad if the supplies of 140s are a bit scarce.

John

When I first got my 270 I got some Remington 150 grain coreloc ammo on sale. It is a tapered roundnose bullet. It shot so well I have never used anything else. I don't need to shoot over 200 yards, and at that range it does the trick on deer. Winchester also makes a 150 grain 270 power point. It is more pointed, and when I run out of the Remington ammo I am going to try it.

A 140 grain min is an unfortunate number for the .270 Win, since the best all around bullet for the .270 is 130 grains. With that minimum, I might have been tempted to move up to a 7mm, like .280 Rem for instance. However, fortunately, there is a Barnes 140 grain TSX bullet for .270 caliber that should do fine. Load data appears to indicate that it should get up over 3,000 fps at the muzzle with a 24" barrel.

Thanks a ton for all the replies Guys, much appreciated!

Do any of the "el-cheapo" 130 or 150 grs factory loads commonly shoot well?? Just to have an alternative for accuracy testing... Something like Winchester "Super X" or Federal "Power-Shock"?? (Man, the people in the marketing departments of the ammo manufacturers must have fun thinking up all those names... ). I made a note of the testimony for the Remington Core-Lokts.

I have a friend who swears by the Federal Premium with 130 grs Sierra GK BT bullet. Not necessarily the first bullet I'd choose for close distance shots, but my friend has had great success with this ammo on all sorts of game, and it seems to shoot well in his M700.

I take it you pay Haz-Mat shipping fees when ordering ammo on-line?? I'll probably still pre-order (as opposed to buy locally) to make sure all the ammo is available when I arrive. "Cheaper Than Dirt" seems to have a pretty good selection - man you have to love those "boring, every-man-and-his-dog has one" calibers!!

- mike

My rifle adores 150 gr Sierra and Remington RN

I shot some standard 140gr. Rem. that shot very well in my 270 Win. not all that fast at 2800FPS. out of a 22" BBL. But I can't find that ammo anywhere . I hate when that happens.

6.5 SWEDE.

mho, The really good news here is that there are plenty of .270 factory loads available everywhere here. If you have time for the experimentation, I'd try a few different 130 and 140 grain loads and use the one that shoots best in your gun. I don't reload so I've tried many factory loads for my .270 and it seems to shoot the 130's best, and for deer/antelope sized game the are perfectly adequate. My gun shoots the Rem. 130 gr core-lokt loads better than anything else and I've killed scores of deer with them. Enjoy your visit and good hunting!

mho....For "cheap" factory ammo that seems to shoot very well, try silver box Winchesters. Lot's of times they are available at Wally World on sale. Grant

To the best of my nolege , there is no haz-met charge for shipping factory loaded ammo.

I could be wrong, though...

friar

Mike, I used to get Winchester Supreme Ballistic Silvertips in 140gr. These were very accurate in my Sauer 270, .5-.6", but I felt they were on the soft side. I had a spectacular blow up on the shoulder of a large Red Deer hind, admittedly at pretty close range - 35-40m.

I am sure they would be fine at longer range or a better angle. They were also pretty cheap.

Probably heresy, but I have to confess I much prefer 140's in .270 over 130's. I very rarely use anything else.

Thanks Guys - lots of great input. Calibers like the .270 appeal to many shooters, so there is great experience to take advantage of. I'll let you know what shot well...

- mike

quote:

Originally posted by mho:
Thanks Guys - lots of great input. Calibers like the .270 appeal to many shooters, so there is great experience to take advantage of. I'll let you know what shot well...

- mike

@mho

Just for Your information. I did some tests at the ballistic labor with the .270 Winchester loaded with 140 gr AccuBonds

Please follow this Link to see the terminal performance of the cartridge.

The Muzzle velocity was measured 860 m/s (approx. 2822 fps) and the impact velocity at 109 yards was measured 780 m/s (approx. 2559 fps)

Please note the bullet weight after impact! The bullet has a weight of 100 grains which is approx. 73,1 % of the original weight

The factory round is quite accurate. I could hold 30 mm with 5 shots at 109 yards.

Good shooting and good hunting
Collani

Yo Collani, thanks for that link. Interesting to see!

I'm not surprised the AccuBond looses quite a bit of weight (approx 27% weight loss). The AccuBond is made a bit different to most "bonded" bullets - and it will loose a bit more weight than many other bonded bullets. The good side of that is that it rarely seems to "over expand", like some bonded bullets are prone to do. I always think of the AccuBond as a compromise between the accuracy and high BC of a Ballistic Tip and the penetration characteristics of a Partition.

- mike

Mike, I have had excellent terminal results, and accuracy with the 140 AB. In terms of factory fodder I would lean that direction.

I have also shot a fair amount of Remington corelokt factory ammo in 150 grain, and it is always very accurate. I have one of my 202's that shoots it unbelievably well. I also have a Browning BAR that shoots it very well, and it is either that or the factroy Win ammo with the AB's that that rifle gets to shoot.

I have a slew of SAKO's in .270, and virtually all of them shoot the 140 AB factory stuff sub MOA.

Good shooting--Don

You might give a look at the Winchester silver box 150 gr. Power Points. I have two rifles in .270, both with 24" barrels. Velocity in one (Winchester M70) was 2850 FPS and .25" groups. Velocity in the other rifle (FN Mauser) 2830 FPS with .55" groups. My Ruger #1A, also in .270 gave 1.25" groups and 2790 FPS.
Just my personal choice, but I prefer a 150 gr. bullet for the .270.
Paul B.

Remington and winchester 150's shot very well out of my 270. Both are good bullets too.

Thanks Guys, I'll keep this in mind when I shop for ammo.

- mike