I'm thinking about getting a new custom rifle and the gunmaker's "pet" caliber is a 270 Weatherby. I have a couple of 270 Winchesters along with an assortment of other calibers on up to a .470NE and proably don't "need" a new caliber to begin loading for, but is the 270 Weatherby with its hotter load something I should consider for long range accuracy?

Absolutely,

I just picked up 250 pieces of brass for PERSONAL use.

It is hard to get a Mauser to feed this caliber (so I have been told, I DON"T know this for a fact).

I'm builing mine on a Sako A-V action with a fairly lightweight Krieger barrel finished to 25 1/2".

If you don't handload, I can sell you very high quality ammo at a very fair price. The "new" Weatherby freebore is pretty minimal. It is not an accuracy killer as in days past.

Factory ammunition often runs 70,000 psi (+, even!).

I load this caliber at 65,000 psi. You gain accuracy, and lose unecessary blast.

This caliber out of a long action Remington or Sako would be hard to beat for LONG RANGE hunting. It is excessive for deer on the back forty.

FWIW, YMMV, etc.

John Charlie
LD

I have two, a Ruger No. 1B and a Mark V Accumark. They can do the job, no doubt. Just pick the right bullet to handle the range of velocities.

John,
Where did you find that Sako AV action? I had a gun made with one in about 1990 and its still one of my favorites.

it's a great caliber. Go to Dan Lilja'a website and read some of his long range articles. One of his all time favorites was his 270 Weatherby with 130 Btip and a 30" barrel.

THe 270 Wby is ver fast. Like all Wbys top accuracy demands that the freebore section be just over bullet diameter.

3250 with 150 grainers and 3450 with 130 grainers. I found in two different factory rifles, the earlier Stainless Synthetics, that accuracy was tops with 100 grain factory ammo as well as with reloads using 100 grain Hornady and 100 grain Speer Hollow point.

Of the non 378 based Wbys the 270 Wby is my favourite.

Mike

I have a .270 Weatherby custom comming in here after summer.
Its a pre-64 winchester(1945), with a lilja 27" barrel, jewel trigger, stock of california walnut remained with the classical lines of the original rifle.
I haven`t desided on scope yet....but a Schmidt & Bender is my warmest feeling at the moment. I have for many year been looking for a "raygun" without heavy recoil like of the lazzaronis 8.59Titan and felt the .270weatherby was a good compromise of Roys first commercial round and a classic.
Looking foreward to shoot it...

Great round, get into it!

i have a 1980 MKV DLX in 270 and 257. while i do like the 270 i find the 257 kills as well w/ slightly less kick.

I've hunted alittle with the cart and shot the 270 Wea in a few MKVs. Great cartridge for long range deer hunting.

I load the 150 HDY SPs over a max charge of R22 for 3265 fps 15' from the muzzle in a 26" bbl. The 270WEA is flat, accurate, and hits deer with authority.

The last time I shot a MKV in 270 Wea was about 3 years back, .6" group at 200 yards! Great accuracy from a factory rifle.

IMR7828 works well in this cart as well.

Good Luck

Reloader

I have a .270 Wby in a Blaser R93. It shoots very decently, although both factory ammo and handloads run quite a bit slower in my barrel than the numbers you see qouted here. Not (yet?) having loaded past max book loads, I'm probably getting .270 WSM speeds out of my barrel.

Like "Reloader", I am also using IMR7828 for my loads. If it had been available to me, I would also have tried RL25 - a friend of mine gets great speed and accuracy out of that powder in his rifle.

- mike

I have loaded a .270 Weatherby for years for an Elk hunting buddy. I load a 160 grain failsafe bullet at 3100 fps with RL-22, Fed 210M primer. He gets excellent accuracy with a 6.5X20 Leupold Vari X III scope. He took a Bull at 500 yards, while I didn't see the shot I helped him get the Bull out and from where he shot to where we recovered the animal it was an honest 500. Good shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by phurley5:
I have loaded a .270 Weatherby for years for an Elk hunting buddy. I load a 160 grain failsafe bullet.....

Just curious but are you 100% sure? I was unaware that Winchester made a 160 Fail Safe in .277.

Doc ----- Thanks for calling my attention to my mistake, you are correct. My buddy that shoots the 160 grain failsafe is shooting a 7mm Weatherby, all the other information given above is correct about that load. Another Elk hunting buddy shoots the .270 Wby and the bullet I load for him is the 140 grain uncoated failsafe that I bought from a national retailer at a real bargain last year. I load the same bullet for my .270 WSM and really like it. Guess I got confused when I saw Failsafe, remembered I loaded it, then got the loads mixed up. Good shooting.

Didn't Winchester once make the Model 70 in .270 Weatherby?

I picked up a Japanese mfgd. Mark V earlier this summer in stainless and rubberware. Someone added a brake.....don't like the brake but with the old Federal Premium in a 130 grain Partition it shoots cloverleafs.....brake on or off.

The Japanese Weatherbys I have examined and especially the stainless ones have superb machining and finish......and no humpback monte carlo ......just a small cheek piece.

Previous owner lost the thread protector so I leave the brake on....going to have to find someone to fix that

I have 270 wby made on a pre 1968 FN action that I picked up cheap in the early 80s that needs rebarreled as the chamber is just a little over sized. I still get minute of deer at 300 yds
The reason that a mauser will not feed a magnum cartridge is the extractor has to be trimed so the rim will slide into it. Midway USA has new extractors for the magnum.

Rad

quote:

John,
Where did you find that Sako AV action? I had a gun made with one in about 1990 and its still one of my favorites.

Vic

Hi Vic,

I bought some A-V Sako's in the 1980's, and have since picked some up off of gun broker and the AR classifieds. The pre model 75 Sako actions make great switch barrel rifles. The receivers tend to be very straight, and the recoil lug is integral. They have very nice triggers, and the Sako Hunter style stock is perfect for me from an ergonomic standpoint.

Hope this helps,
John Charlie - LD

This custom gun maker I've chatted with really does like a 270 WBY. He makes guns that are highly accurate with extended range. He almost always puts a small (about 1" long) muzzle brake on his guns, something I generally wouldn't prefer on a relatively small caliber. After questioning him about that, he suggested that I shoot one of their guns with and without his brake. I first shot the gun without a brake, and after the 2nd shot with the brake added, no doubt it reduced the recoil substantially and I could see the benefit for a shooter that was trying to really drive nails.
What are your thoughts on a brake for this caliber?

Here's an example of his guns:


Custom 270 WBY mag on Blueprinted SS Rem 700 action with drilled bolt handle and helically Fluted Bolt, pinned recoil lug, 8/40 screws, Jewell trigger set at 1 1/2 lbs. Hart #6 Matchgrade SS 24" Barrel Fluted with Custom muzzlebrake. Meticulously pillar bedded McMillan color moded-in stock BDL with cheekpiece. Rifle is LONG RANGE shooter but only weighs 7 lbs 11 oz!!! This one has been test fired only and like all our 270 WBY's is an Absolute Tackdriver!!