I used my Marlin MR-7 in 270 Win for the first time on game (whitetail) this year and was very pleased with the results. I ended up taking 3 does ranging from 100-200 yards and all were 1 shot, quick kills. I used a 130gr Nosler BT for the first two (lung shots) and a 150gr soft point for the last one (lungs and offside shoulder/leg).



The gun was a gift and is a hoot to shoot. I really like that cartridge so far and, as a result, am pondering rechambering another rifle I own to 270 Win.



Just curious about your experiences with the 270....



What types of hunting do you do with the 270?



Would you recommend picking a do it all bullet for everything or matching the bullet to the anticipated range/game and which bullet(s) would you choose?

The .270 is the do it all deer cartridge. Load them with any stable 130gr bullet and you will not fail. Shot placement is everything as you have already discovered. Go getem Mr.Nebraska!!!

I've used the .270 Win as my main caliber for red deer (mostly hinds and calves) for quite a few years now. It has worked well for me - as would any other mid-range caliber, probably. I lean towards all purpose loads, mainly because I don't want to re-sight the rifle when going after different game, and re-sighting again afterwards. Little point in doing that, if you can come up with a do-it-all load. Until now I have used 150 grs bullets, but I'm hoping to be able to shift to the new 140 grs AccuBonds from Nosler. A 150 grs Nosler might be better for heavier game (e.g. wapiti or moose), but the 140 grs should work well for the species I have the opportunity to hunt - I hope...
- mike

Nebraska
I have killed moose,elk,black bear,deer (mulie,wt),antelope.
All have been 1 shot kills.Outside of grizz, the 270 is
good to go for all N.A. big game.
I use 130 grain for deer and 150 Nosler for Elk/Moose/Bear.

That said,my main big game gun,being built as I type,will
be in 338wm.Not because the 270 will not get the job done.
But because for big stuff,I think there are better options.
So I'll keep the 270 for deer/antelope and the 338wm for
the rest.Especially if you are in grizz country.

Hornady 130 grains rock deer.


Jeff

Nebraska-

My .270 is a walnut/blued pre-DBM Remington Mountain Rifle. At this point, I have only killed two deer with it, one CA mule deer buck, and a Kansas whitetail doe. I used factory loaded 130gr TBBCs on the buck, and handloaded 130gr Nosler BTs on the doe. Both were one shot kills that dropped the deer in their tracks.

That particular rifle also happens to be the most consistently accurate gun in my safe. I have yet to try a 130gr load that didn't at least make it to the 1" mark. In 130gr bullets, I have tried BTs, TBBCs, Game Kings, SSTs, & Sciroccos. I have dabbled with 140gr Hornady BTSPs, and I think they would make an excellent all around deer load. I have also worked with 140gr Barnes X and 150gr Nosler Partitions. Either of them would be my choice for anything bigger than deer. And, to be honest, I have enough confidence and range time built up in that gun, that it would probably get the nod over my 7mags or 300 if I was headed out the door for an elk hunt. Light weight, accurate, and always hits what I aim it at! Who could ask for more

Congrats on your successful season. - Gib

Nebraska
The 270 is one of my favorite hunting cartridges. It represents the smallest of my "serious" rifles I take on hunts abroad. My very first centerfire of my own (besides grandads 30-30) was a 280, which worked fine until I got my hands on a used custom 270. This rifle shot better and fit better than my 280. At this time we were living in alaska and I got to take my first moose with my 270, which worked fine with one shot. Around this time I also had a 7mag, which helped with my decision in that between the 270, and 7mag, I could not tell the deference in penetration or dammage... so I kept on shooting my 270. I also had a 300 win mag, which is something the 270 is not. Probably doesnt matter but, I would have just assume to keep on shooting my 280 had I not aquired this custom 270 as they are one of the same.

Some people feel that the 280 is a better choice because it has a wider selection of bullets. Now, it is true that the weight selection is wider, but the 270s have all of the bullet manufactures attention, and every bullet type is made for it. I am not a person who gives a hoot about 60 different weights and feel that the 270s are fine with 130s/140s/150s.

I shoot 130s and 150s for the most part, and am partial to nosler partitions. The Hornady 150s btw are fairly serious. My brother went low through both shoulders on a elk with one and got an exit.

Nebraska,
Interesting. I used a 270 Remington Mountain gun loaded with 130 grain Nosler BT. Same results. Three shots, three dead doe. All lung shots. I like the cartridge too. The load shoots around three-fourths of an inch at 100.

Bob257

I used mine this year to take a Spike Elk. The load was a 140 grain Trophy Bonded. I got complete penetration, however, I don't think I will use it again for Elk, a little to light for what I want in an Elk rifle. It's still my favorite rifle though. Mine is a JC Higgins with a FN action and I mounted a 3x9 Leupold on it. Every ammo I've tried in it will shoot under an inch, except factory Remington stuff. It's my opinion, (like that means a lot ), that the 270 Winchester is the perfect deer caliber. I love mine.

I've collected an embarassing wealth of rifles in a variety of calibers through the years, so I try to load only one load for each and tailor it to the specific kind of hunting that a particular rifle is best adapted to. If you have only one or two rifles, then conversely you would be interested in having a variety of loads to adapt the rifle to as many uses as practical.

In the "one load, best use" category, I use a 130 grain bullet (happens to be the old Nosler Solid Base) in my .270 for whitetails, muleys, and antelope, where the expected conditions are relatively open country and likely longer rather than shorter shots. Under these circumstances and for this category of game, the .270/130 can be equaled, but hardly bested.

If I tried to stretch it to use on bigger game, I'd use a 150 Nosler Partition. You give up a little range and get a little more energy delivered. A good all-around compromise that gives both range and "whomp" would be the new Nosler 140 grain Accubond or similar Hornady.

I guess I will have to be the first semi-dissenter. While I cannot deny the effectiveness of the 270 on whitetail-muley sized game, I have found lesser rounds (such as Bob, 25-06, 6.5x55, and 6.5x57) to be just as effective on the same game at the same ranges. I have not hunted elk with a 270, but I have been on elk hunts with guys that have lost elk with an OK (not great) hit.

Thus, I think a somewhat lesser rifle can be just an effective a deer rifle, and one would probably be advised to take somewhat more rifle on an elk hunt. For this reason, my hunting battery now skips from the 264 bore over the 277 entirely and the 284 bore as well (although not entirely), and goes ahead to the 308 or, better yet, the 8mm bore for a minimum for elk and moose.

Now, if availability of factory ammo is a high priority or one wants only one deer-blackbear-caribou rifle and only hunts elk very occasionally, I think the 270 would be an ideal choice (as would the 280 Rem).

JMO...

I'm a big fan of the .270 Win. My uses for the .270 have been limited to deer size game, mostly in the 250 lbs and under range and for those purposes, it has been fantastic. Bang flop is the norm. I've just booked a trophy Mule Deer & Black Bear hunt in BC this fall and in spite of owning several heavier magnum calibers (that I DO shoot well), my trusty .270 will be going with me on that one as well. The Bear could be upwards of 450 lbs, but expect a well constructed .270 bullet through the lungs will do it in. I have not used the .270 for Elk sized game, but would not hesitate to given the opportunity.

The .270 with just about any 130 gr bullet is top notch for deer. The softer types will do some meat damage, but any high power round will too. For most of my hunting, it seems I've leaned toward 140 & 150 hornadys, but have used a slew of others. Premiums are not needed for deer size animals in the .270, unless you want to minimize meat damage.

I tend to use a do it all load for the game I hunt, however, this do it all load tends to change from year to year. One thing nice about my current .270 is that it shoots everything to the same point of impact at 100 yards so using 2 separate loads...say a long range deal and a brush load looks feasible. Jack O'Connor used to tout this as an advantage of the .270 and now I see it.

If you reload, I highly suggest you give Accurate Magpro a try in the .270. I've just worked up to book max loads with a 130 gr bullet and my velocities were just over 3200 fps w/ groups averaging just under an inch. That's smoking and matches Accurate's literature. H-4831, RL-22, and IMR-4831 round out my favorite powders for the .270. If you do not reload, I suggest you give the Hornady 140 gr btsp light magnum load a try.

-Lou

Stonecreek,
You're a man after my own heart! I do the same. I know it would be more economical to load different bullets in one caliber, but I like to get a load for each with a particular bullet weight, etc. just like you. The 130 BT's work well for me. I have numerous other rifles to fill the other "requirements". I have rifles for future hunting trips for example that I may or may not be able to go on, but at least I have the rifle!

Bob257

Well, you know, Bob, my biggest problem is that my dedicated loads for my Alaska Brownie rifle, my Eland rifle, my Mongolian Elk rifle, my Cape Buffalo rifle, and my Marco Polo Sheep rifle just don't get used enough. Seems like my Texas Whitetail rifle is about the only one that time and money allow me to get around to regularly, and as a result, some of those not-quite-perfect-for-whitetail rifles keep sneaking out of the closet and hunting poor little whitetails. Most of the big game I'd really like to hunt mostly only gets hunted from the armchair, but boy, do I have the perfect rifle and load ready and waiting in the safe if a Kamchatca Grizzly happens to show up in my neighborhood. Won't have to resight for a different bullet weight first, either.