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I have never played witht the .270 so I need some help. What is a minimum reasonable barrel length for the .270. I am considering a Ruger No. 1A with the 22-inch barrel. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx | ||
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22 inches of barrel is fine for a 270. A 24 might give you a bit more velocity. But mae it a bit harder to carry in the feild. Leo The only way to know if you can do a thing is to do it. | |||
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In the Ruger No.1 you can increase barrel length and still keep a overall length that is the same as a bolt gun with a shorter barrel. | |||
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Lots and lots of .270's come with 22" barrels, some come with 24's. I doubt the 2" difference will have any bearing on its in the field performance no matter which one you get. | |||
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I've found the 270 does a bit better than the "average" 25 fps per 1" of barrel... hence, I've come to prefer 23" over the "standard" 22"... not as long as 24" but long enough to get a 150 grainer to 2,900 fps! | |||
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i have 270 in both 22 and 24". other than the 22 being a little lighter, i can't tell any difference in "on game" prtformance. ' t | |||
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I have had both 22" and 24" barrel length Mauser action 270 rifles. The 22" a Churchill the 24" a Parker Hale. I had the Churchill in 1989 and after using it about once or twice sold it! Quite simply with then factory Winchester 130 grain Silvertip it was unpleasant to shoot. Just too much flash and muzzle balst. The 24" Parker Hale arrived in the late 2000s. Much better that extra two inches tames the 270, even with Hornady's "hot" 140 grain factory loads and means that the bang and the flash is further away from you ear! I now handload for it with 150 grain Speer Hot Cor (old stock) and think that the 270 is best with a 24" barrel. In fact I would walk away from any 270 with a 22" barrel. | |||
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I believe that all of Jack O'Conner's 270's were with 22 in barrels. He claimed 3000 fps in a 22 in barrel with 130 gr bullets. Never read anything as to how he measured it though. All the Winchester Featherweight rifles were 22 in barrels. I have a featherweight and sporter and get about 60 fps between the two rifles. Both with 130 gr Nosler BT's, Win brass and H4831. Aaron "I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. To front only the essential facts of life and see if I could not learn what it had to teach and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived"- Thoreau | |||
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I have owned 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 inch barreled 270's. The 20" was too loud, and muzzle blast horrendous. Down the road it went. 26" was cut down to 24", too long. But I could happily live with any 270 with a barrel between 22"-24" And do, All of my 270's fit somewhere in that range. Go with your preference. | |||
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I have a pair of 270s right now - a Pre-64 M-70 with a 24" bbl and and custom Mauser M-98 with a 22". With identical loads they give essentially the same velocity. My loads chronograph at 3150 fps for 130 gr bullets, 3100 for 140 gr and 3025 for 150 gr. The 22" rifle is noticeably lighter to carry around, but they each handle nicely and shoot well. | |||
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I've owned several .270 rifles and every pne of them had a 22" barrel.....and I've never had a thought that I was short changed ever....22" has worked very well for me! /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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I've had a few JC Higgins 50's with 22" barrels as well as an FN 98 sporter with 24" barrel. I never felt the 22" gave up anything nor was the muzzleblast appreciably different than the 24".  Aut vincere aut mori | |||
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Agreed  Why hobble a race horse? | |||
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I prefer a 24" barrel in the .270. I haven't found the length to be a handicap. In fact my .300 Win. Mag has a 26" barrel (Winchester M70)and have not found the length to be a problem even in some thick stuff. Well at least not yet and I've been hunting for 54 years so far. Paul B. | |||
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Yup... that's why I like 23"... the ultimate compromise between portability/noise/efficiency. | |||
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22 inches is the standard by which all .270s are judged..That said, I would get the one that feels best to you..I like a 24 inch std. wt. barrel myself..but I chronograped several 20 inch .270s and none of them lost more than 40 FPS from a 24 inch gun, most less.....I repeated this test many times and IMO the .270 handles short tubes better than any calibers I have worked with...I also read of this in several publications and discussed it with some very knowledgable folks who confirmed my findings.. I would chose the one that has the best balance and pointability..but that applies to all calibers IMO, even a 150 FPS or more makes little difference one way or another any way you cut it, it just doesn't. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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I have 2 270s and reload. The 270 is at it best with a 24 to 26" barrel!!! ________ Ray | |||
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Regarding barrellength for the .270WCF I wouldn`t know what would be most effecient as far as burning powder, however I have a slick .270Wea with 27" barrel and have never felt the barrel was too long...No I am not a tall guy either. My suggestion is get 26" barrel to begin with and cut it if it feels too long. DRSS: HQ Scandinavia. Chapters in Sweden & Norway | |||
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I built a 270 specifically for a "beanfeild" rifle. I put a #5 contour Shilen at 26 inches and never looked back. I ran a few of the first loads over a chronograph and got an honest 3200 fps. When it warmed up, so did the loads so I backed off a grain and still am getting 3150 average. I don't walk a lot, more like sitting on a ridge watching a sage brush flat. It performs beautifully out to 400 yards. Thats the furthest I've shot anything with it so far. My load is close to the max listed of Reloader 19 in the number 4 Barnes manual with a 130 TSX on top. | |||
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I use the same stuff. Mine is 57.0 gr Re19/130 TSX. Deadly. One of my 270s has a 25.5" Hart tube, the other is 24" Broughton-Richards. 22" is fine but as I see it, if I'm willing to tote a magnum with a 26-28" barrel, the 270 will get a bit more speed with a longer tube as well. I won't build one with anything less than 23". My brother's first 270 was an old used Ruger. I think it came with a 20" barrel and the rifle was very light. When I loaded for it, I don't recall the muzzle blast to be memorable. Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my guns | |||
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I like the 24" as a standard for the 270. I have NEVER been able to get 3100 fps with a 130 bullet and that length. With the 24" Model 70 I now have, I am able to get 3150 fps with the 24" barrel. I also have a 26" Sendero, a real tack driver. 3 shots one hole. This one with IMR4831, 3250. BTW, the 22" 270 I had is now a 24" 35 Whelen. Jerry NRA Benefactor Life Member | |||
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I like a 26" barrel. 3300 fps with a 130gr bullet is a nice combo. | |||
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I put a 24 1/2" long Lilja barrel on my last 270 it does little better than published data and that's good enough for me. It's one of my back up rifles so it doesn't see lot of shooting. VFW | |||
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My shooting partner had a 15" .270WCF. We chrono'd his 130-grain load (out of the Hornady manual) and obtained 2753 fps. He took a Kodiak Island blacktail at a lasered 322 yards, one shot and down. Who needs an extra 200 fps with a longer barrel? Those who haven't shot much game with more than one firearm usually think it is significant. Arguments about differences in velocity of 50fps to 100 fps are silly in the extreme. Get the length you like, for whatever reason. Nothing else matters, the game won't know any difference regardless of barrel length. . | |||
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When hunting in open country, I'll take the longer barrel and the extra velocity. But my long barrl might be silly in many of the heavily brushed southern states, or the dark timber of the Pacific Northwest. | |||
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Getting .270 Weatherby velocity with...the same barrel length as a Weatherby has. Must be some hellacious pressures. Talk about silly risks for just 150 fps more.... . | |||
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One point I'll throw in here... With longer barrels you go deaf more slowly! Years ago if you were lunching on a formal driven day it would be not unusual to see all the "old boys" tuning in their hearing aids just before they sat down to eat! Too much using Churchill XXV guns and Hellis 26" barrel guns! Ha, ha! But seriously if you do not use hearing protection then continued use of a short barrel 270 WCF will, in later life, be seen to have taken a terrible toll on your hearing. So for me I won't, apart from my Wnchester 94, have anything with less than 24" in a high velocity rifle. The other feature of the longer barrel is, of course, that with IRON SIGHTS you have a longer sight radius. And on long shot with iron sights those extra inches do reduce error. Rifle is just as accurate...same as a 2" revolver vs a 4" barrel revolver...just that the sight radius on the longer barrel is better. | |||
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If it is a Ruger #1 why not go 26"? It'll be close to the same length as a 24" barrel bolt gun, wouldn't it? If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
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While my .270 Win. gives me an honest 2930 fps with a 150 Partition, it's a Pre-64 with a 24"barrel. Since your rifle is a Ruger #1, I'm with the guys who ask about balance & feel. I doubt I would want a longer rifle than the standard bolt rifle but... I believe you should easily get my velocities with any standard length .270 which is very acceptable. Good luck. Bear in Fairbanks Unless you're the lead dog, the scenery never changes. I never thought that I'd live to see a President worse than Jimmy Carter. Well, I have. Gun control means using two hands. | |||
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I prefer at least a 24" barrel in a .270 (my Sako has a 24.4" barrel). Sure, a 22" will kill much the same, but the 270 shines with very slow powders like H4831 or even IMR7828 and RL-22, so using a shorter barrel really doesn't allow you to get the optimal velocities that these powders offer. The advice by Bear above is very important. A 22" barrel will seem VERY short on the short Ruger No. 1 action, while the 26" barrel will make the over all gun near the length of a bolt with a 22-23" barrel. It might be debatable with a bolt as to the best length for balance, but with the No. 1 by all means go with the longer barrel. | |||
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I've got a 22" which achieves good velocities quite easily (3000-3050fps with 130-135gr), but I've come to prefer 24" for most anything, even for fairly thick bush. I like the way the 24" rifles swing and point, but there's obviously a lot more to that than barrel length. I'd go with a 24" 270 if I weren't specifically in need of a shorter or slightly ligher rifle. In a No1 a 24-26" is very handy and comparatively "compact". | |||
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I have three...one with 22 in, one with 24 and one with 26 inch... all in all, I prefer the one that has the 24 inch barrel... its a Model 70.. so that is probably why I like it the most... | |||
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Not really. 60.5gr of H4831 is not all that hot a load. Slow powders perform well in the long barrels. | |||
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In the .270 your load of 60.5 grs. ( I used 61 grs, but of old Surplus 4831) works well in a 20 inch barrel I'm sure..I lost according to my old notes from chronographing an average of 38 FPS from my 26 inch gun to a 20 inch....Lots has been written but the chronograph can wake up a bunch of convienced folks up..It was most disturbing to the gunnuts of yesteryear who claimed velocity out of sight for their pets. O'Connor is rolling over in his grave on this thread, he could see no advantage to 24 or 26 inches in any of his guns in a 270 WCF.. I agree other than I tend to like reasonably heavy and longer barreled guns (26"s)_ as they hold better than featherweiht guns on running and off hand shots, and when I'm sucking air from a short run to the crest. That is the only advantage I found in my tests..Again the .270 handled short tubes better than any caliber I have tested so far. But, like most of these threads it boils down to personal choice, but whatever choice you make it won't make any difference in the hunting field.. Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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O'connor also lived and shot in a time where the 270 (and pretty much most cartridges) were a whole different beast due to the powder and bullets available to them. If the slower powders were available, I think he might have found use for 24-26" tubes for more specific purposes. Must also not forget, those were the times of most men owning ONE rifle to hunt everything and anything they chased, so compromises were more of a necessity. If you think every possible niche has been filled already, thank a wildcatter! | |||
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Hmmm, thats interesting. My next rifle was going to be a 20" barreled unit and I was going to stick with a .308 based round, either, .260, 7mm or the parent .308. I believe they suffer less than similarly bored .30-06 based rounds when barrel length is reduced. Food for thought. | |||
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I get 3100 fps plus out of my 22" barrel using 130g Partitions and just over 3000 fps using 150g Partitions Both loads use Federal 215 primers and H4831. I wouldn't go any shorter than 22" with a 270. I think a 24" barrel would be perfect. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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chuck375 one of us Posted 02 January 2012 04:07 Hide Post I get 3100 fps plus out of my 22" barrel using 130g Partitions and just over 3000 fps using 150g Partitions Both loads use Federal 215 primers and H4831. I wouldn't go any shorter than 22" with a 270. Hmmm I get 3060 fps out of my 22" with 130 grain and 60 h4831 but only 2850 fps with 150 and 58 h4831. What load are you using to get 3000 with your 150 load? Jason | |||
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Jason here's my load, very similar to yours, except for the charge and primer. Rem brass neck sized only (probably doesn't matter it's just what I've always done with my 270), Federal 215 primers, 59g H4831, Nosler 150g Partition seated 1/8" off of the lands. Please use this load with extreme caution working up 1/2 grain at a time and checking for pressure. I've been shooting it in my 270 for 30 plus years, shoots 1/2 MOA and is devastating on game both close and far. Regards, Chuck "There's a saying in prize fighting, everyone's got a plan until they get hit" Michael Douglas "The Ghost And The Darkness" | |||
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 For mule deer in scrub oak 16" barrel using 4895. Long range antelope 26" barrel with 4831. JMHO rogerOld age is a high price to pay for maturity!!! Some never pay and some pay and never reap the reward. Wisdom comes with age! Sometimes age comes alone.. | |||
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