In the 70's and early 80's the 270 Win was quite popular and was even used on elk. Somehow today's gunwriters only promote the newer and faster calibers. In the days of Jack O' Conner it was good and used by many.

North American big game is shot shot at under 150 yds anyway on average, and that is pobably being very generous! So, who needs all those high-velocity magnums when the 270 Win is as flat shooting as a 7 mm Rem Mag or 7 mm STW out to 200 yds - practically speaking. And who needs the extra bang and bump that comes along with the extra velocity.

Are there still happy 270 Win users as a matter of choice?

Chris

I've got 2 of them. A model 70 24" sporter, and a 26" Sendero. Since the 60's the 270 has been my favorite cartridge, and still is.

I have killed a bull elk with one of them! Great cartridge, especially with premium bullets on very large game.

Jerry

I think the 270 is a great caliber for most any hunting in NA. Many outdoor writers are walking shills for whatever manufacturers will sponsor them. It is easier to get invited on junkets if you are going to produce an endorsement of the latest rifle in some wonder caliber.

Love it. Just ordered a new one Monday.

Terry

I am a huge 270 win fan. I currently own five.

Not much to talk about, it just plain works.

I went away from all the .270 hype when I started hunting. All of my cousins & uncles had a .270 or 06. So, being the rebel I am, I bought a .280 & .338-06 & couldn't be happier. Yeah the .270 works but it's soooo boring.

I have 2 of them a pre 64 model 70 and my favorite rifle: a Ruger No 1 International in .270 with a leupold 2x7 VXII. Light fast , accurate and love the full stock look. and boy is it a 1 shot deer killer, drops them in their tracks with 130 gr bullets.

My screen name says it.

quote:

Yeah the .270 works but it's soooo boring.

Too true ... as is the 30/06. I have 3 packets of ammunition howver ... if that counts. Would love to play with a 26" Sendero styled 270Win though. I have a feeling it would give very little away to the 264WinMag.
Cheers...
Con

The 270 win has been my primary (and for many years my only) hunting rifle for 34 years. I killed everything alaska has to offer except a griz, and many deer/hogs. several moose as well. i read the other day that the man who criticizes the effectiveness of the 270 win probably hasn't done much hunting with one. i tend to agree. i went the 300mag/wsm/rum/ route for a few years, then sold them all and went back to the 270 and 30-06. if a bigger caliber is your thing, fine by me. i just don't personally need anything larger. life is good, isn't it?

The 270 Win and 30-06 Spr provides ample power and reach with 150 grain bullets in mho. When bullets such as Swift A-Frame is used, then Elk can be taken safely as I have found them to be adequate on the tough Blue Widebeest.

Premium bullets have raised the stakes considerably. Both these two standard calibers have essentially the same case and perform similary with 150 grainers. Obviously the 30-06 has the edge as it can shoot heavier bullets.

Magnum mania is still rife, but the standard calibers still do the job very well, as in the past. Bigger is not always better - bigger may be more powerful, but carries the burden of additional recoil and higher impact velocities that may work against bullet performance, which is mostly ignored by novices.

Chris

The dogs bollocks.

Wouldn't be without one.

I have used a .270 as my deer and antelope rifle since 1969 (started with a LH Savage and switched to a LH Sako in 1990). If you call superb accuracy and one shot kills from 30 yards to 430 yards boreing, you are right. Yawn.....

I have 3 270's I think , let me go count again, at least 3. Bunch of 6.5x55s.

Been playing with .30 cals lately 308, 30-06.

Dont have any short fat calibers or magnums. Dont they make more noise and kick harder?

quote:

Would love to play with a 26" Sendero styled 270Win though. I have a feeling it would give very little away to the 264WinMag.

I agree with that statement although I've yet to find right one to buy.

Here's my list:
1. Rem 700 SS bought back in 1992. This is my favorite 270 hunting rifle. It has one of those slow barrels that I get no where near the published velocities ( average about 150fps slower), but it shoots very consistent and has killed a lot of critters.
2. Rem 700 CDL just purchased this past fall.
3. Win 70 Featherweight classic bought as soon as the Winchester closing announcement was made.
4. A Western Field (Montgomery Ward Heym action)
5. CZ 550FS just bought a month ago.

270's I have owned:
Ruger 77- SOLD, because I flat didn't like it.
Ruger No 1 international- Traded for Swarovski binos. Tinkered and tinkered and it wouldn't shoot to my satisfaction.
Rem 700 BDL- turned into a 338-06
Browning 1885 single shot- couldn't bring myself to hunt with such a beautiful gun. Sold it.
Another Rem 700 BDL bought used in perfect condition and gave to my nephew.

I'm kind of a sucker for 270's and the gunshop knows it. As soon as they get one in, they call.

My ultimate dream 270 is a Biesen of course. Thanks to Jack O'Connor. But then it would be too pretty to hunt with.

Where are the 270 Fans?

Maybe they left after Jack O'Connor died?

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Actually I think the 270 Whby. is a great round!

I love mine!! it kills 4-5 goats every fall

I currently have two, a colt light rifle and a pre-64. By far my favorite cartridge.

If I'm ever down to having just one rifle in the safe, it will be a 270 Win.

I killed my first deer with the family heirloom 270. I can speak no ill of the 270 Win.

The reason you never hear much about them is they work too well to warrant any conversation.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
If I'm ever down to having just one rifle in the safe, it will be a 270 Win.

Forrest, I bet your wife would love to read this confession Take a few aspirins and get some rest. Just one rifle? No, no, the NEED for rifles has no end However, since you insist, I would be happy to adopt all those redundant give away rifles. I will foot the shipping bill for you

Cheers
/JOHAN

I have used it for a number of animals in US and Europe, 6,8X64 win is a very pleasant and efficient cartridge. Personally I prefer the 150 grain bullets.

A 6,8X64 or 7X64 Brenneke will do for most North American game but might not be ideal for bears.

Cheers
/JOHAN

Everyone should have one 270 in a pre-64 model 70.

Here's mine in the middle of a facelift after many years of use. It has a new Supergrade style stock and then will go off to be re-blued. This picture is just prior to the checkering being done.



BTW, I don't own such a rifle because of Jack O'Connor. I have one because a very good friend, who has passed on to the happy hunting ground, killed the largest elk ever shot in Montana with one. He was, and always will be, my 270 mentor.

The 270 Win? Well, it is my only centrefire repeating rifle (Rem 760). It does everything I need, with no fuss, with (boring) reliability.

I just never understood the .277 bullet when there are so many .284s available to the reloader, can someone explain this to me.

Not intending to upset anyone, but I just do not get it, other than marketing and selling guns, brass etc.

When Winchester brought out the featherweight in about 1982 (just before USRA) I just had to have one. Really wanted a 257 Roberts. The local gun shop got its first one in 270 Win, so I bought it. It's about as perfect all around rifle as you can find for around here. Great for most NA deer species but not to large to take ground hog hunting for practise.

Seems like alot of guys like to have something a little different. Makes you stand out of the crowd. Show up with a .270 or a 30-06 and there's not much to discuss. I was at a gun shop one time and there was a beautiful Ruger #1 in 30-06 priced right. Shop owner complained it wouldn't sell because '06 was too boring.

Oh, I forgot about a pre-64 that I had and sold. This may be blashemous, but I wasn't really all that impressed. Guess it didn't live up to the hype.

quote:

I just never understood the .277 bullet when there are so many .284s available to the reloader, can someone explain this to me.

Because a 150 or 160gr 277 bullet will do ANYTHING that a 284 will do. It came out first and Jack O'Connor did a great job of marketing.

The difference between them is about like splitting frog's hairs.

The bullet range from 90-160gr will cover everything you need to hunt. In my personal opinion. If you need something bigger than a 277 then you should probably skip right over the 284.

If you mean the 270 Winchester then it's still very popular. The thing about these internet forums and even the old magazine article format is that the extreme gets the attention. It's just more interesting it seems.

So there are lots of go arounds over long range 'elk' guns and big bores for dangerous game. On cars the is little discusson of family sedans and 30,000 members of the Corvette forum.

When I started out in the early 1950's the 30-06 dominated. I never even had or wanted a 270 but now have a few only because of picking up a nice old gun or in the case of the similar 270 WSM because the 7mm WSM got off to a late start.

Someone said that the 270 Win. is the smallest round that would be entirely satisfactory for hunting in the lower 49. I would go along with that but the similar ones on the 308 case kick a little less. All in all a lot of fun.

I am a .270 Win fan,It will always work if
you place the bullet where it needs to be.
I hunt with alot of different calibers but my classic featherweight .270 is the cats ass.

i absolutely LOVE my .270. let me correct you SDhunter. the .270 has a bullet range of 90gr. to 180gr. Yes, 180 grainers are available to handloaders. Only one bullet in 180gr, but they are available. i think it's called Barnes Original. it's a big bullet for .270.

I'm a new 270 owner.. Bought a Daly Mauser in a Butler Creek stock but it looks like Pop has his eyes on it.. It's gonna wear Warne bases and ??? not sure on the rings and scope yet.

Rich

Speer made a 175gr bullet but it is no longer available.

I don't believe the Barnes 180gr is available any more either.

Praise the Lord!!!...Kimber if finally building 270's. I have been in a dither and was almost to the point on selling off my last 270, a sub MOA Tikka WTHunter Std grade with killer looking wood, and really considering something on a 308 casehead to get a lwt Montana or French Select Classic as my one and only everyday WT gun.
I am in the middle of ..."the horror of it"...contemplating having to down size everything I own in prep for making a major lifestyle change and want to upgrade the quality of the toys into Kimbers or their equal. IMO a 270, when paired with a 338WMg, again PTL! for Kimber!, makes a perfect 2 gun battery for North America...and I might change the 338Winnie, from my current twosome of a 300WMg & a 9.3x62, to a 375Taylor to cover yet another base if I can find a source for correctly headstamped brass...or just fuhgeddaboutit since I may never get across the pond at this rate.
Owning and hunting with a 270 is like ...always knowing where the shot will go and what to expect with no surprises...new AND comfortable boots... the warm feeling you get from holding a new born setter or lab pup ...getting an unexpected oops letter from the bank or the IRS and a refund check big enough to buy your wife a dozen roses AND dinner with...putting a smile on your face seeing a fall sunrise with frost on the ground and knowing where to expect dinner that night to come from....or in a single word...Confidence. JMHO
Ron

An all-time classic. Got a few myself: Brno ZGs, FNs, a ZKK-600, a pre-64 M70. Light, accurate, easy to shoot, and a sure thing killer.

The .270 Winchester is my favorite pronghorn rifle. Accurate enough and flat shooting enough to suit me just fine for that purpose. Probably others too, just haven't tried it yet.

Telly

I had three in .270 Win: a 1963 Mannlicher-Schoenauer MCA, a 1956 Winchester Super Grade Featherweight and a 1951 Winchester Super Grade. They were all great. They were all beautiful. The round is great. The only reason I sold them was to streamline. I just decided I didn't want any collectables anymore. I wanted only using guns. I now have one go-to custom rifle in .300 Win Mag with a synthetic stock. It has a completely different aesthetic than those wood classics.

Count me as a huge fan of the boring .270--mine are all boringly accurate, and the round is just a great blend of speed and accuracy for me.

I own a bunch of em, and like all of them, they are all set up with a different purpose in mind, and a particular bullet/weight tuned to their liking, but I wouldn't hesistate to pick up any one of them and go hunt anything in NA with it, except brown bear.

Mine are all really easy to load for, and with the dies set up to partial FLRS, the brass just keeps going & going & going----like that rabbit---got a couple of 22's for them though...........

I had one but it was a problem from day one--consistently shot 2-hole groups from the bench. That was 4 in one hole and one somewhere else. Tried just about every 130 and 140 gr bullet available and 4-5 propellants. Crown was OK, so I sold it, and haven't gotten another one -- yet. As a previous poster said, the availability of .284 bullets vs .277 diameter makes me lean towards the .280 or 7mm Mag instead.

I only have 1 a Winchester 70 feather weight stainless with a silver Nikon 3-9X40 Monarch,I haven't had this one long but have owned 270's in the past and deer couldn't die any quicker,with proper shot placement I recovered all deer shot with the 270 and will always have at least 1 in my rifle safe.Drop-Shot

I love the 270win, went through the mag faze with 300win mag and 458 win.My first 270 shot a number of deer with then traded it off. Kick my own butt after that one.Just picked up a old BSA early this spring, shoots like a dream. The old 300 mag will likely sit in the safe this fall.The 270 and 150gr'ers equal lots of deer sausage.