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| One of Us |
Met with my son for some weekend varmint hunting and in a rash moment GAVE him my beloved .308 Ruger Varmint rifle. Not to worry, I thought, I've still got my Winchester 270. And besides, this kinda sets the stage for me to maybe buy a new rifle. Hee,hee, hee. ![[Wink]](images/icons/wink.gif){kind=icon} This morning I took a quick scan of the new Nosler reloading manual to pick what would be my next rifle. This is when it hit me. ![[Eek!]](images/icons/shocked.gif){kind=icon} Everything that sounded like a fun new rifle cartridge was so close to what I already had in my 270 that I would be stupid to buy it. The 7mm's and 6.5s are all throwing dang near the same bullet weights and about the same velocity and trajectory. Even gonna have about the same recoil.I'm going to have to go back up to at least .30 caliber or down to at least .243 to have anything much different to what I've got. Problem is I just got rid of my .30 bore and I hate the .243. Damn the 270 for being such a fine all around rifle! ![[Mad]](images/icons/mad.gif){kind=icon} It's a terrible thing when a man finally reaches the "Practical Years" of his life and starts thinking about "needs" as opposed to wants and he begins to weigh things that are stupid and irrelevent against things he just bloody wants. Maybe it's time one of you guys took me for a long walk in the woods and put this old dog down. Sort of let me sniff the woods and piss on a couple of stumps...and then give me the black bullet. It would be a mercy. Woe is me. ![[Frown]](images/icons/frown.gif){kind=icon} | ||
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| one of us |
I think it's time for you to boldly venture where you have ventured before: Get yourself a double .700 Nitro Express. it'll kick a slight bit harder than your 270 , but it can through a might larger bullet too ![[Cool]](images/icons/cool.gif){kind=icon} , and let's face it there ain't no deer in the woods that it won't drop [ 06-04-2002, 20:54: Message edited by: Curtis_Lemay ] | |||
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| one of us |
Sounds like you've learned that there are really few differences in all the various cartriages, just classes of cartriages. How about exploring the world of rifle design and function ? You know, the dedicated Light Mountain Rifle, the ideal PD Rifle, the perfect Woods Rifle for...... Stick around. The fun is just beginning. E | |||
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quote:Excellent thought Eremicus. Problem is I've been there and done a bit of that already. Even designed and built my own wildcat once. And you're right, such a project as you suggest would be totally fun. I just don't have the time or opportunity to pursue it in any sort of meaningful manner. WISH I DID! I would do exactly as you suggest. Guess I'm just feeling tired and gloomy/grumpy today. ![[Roll Eyes]](images/icons/rolleyes.gif){kind=icon} | |||
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| one of us |
Pecos, If yours shot anything like my 308 Win M77VT, I feel your pain! Wonderful target rifle. I have to agree, the 270 is a great round, and fills a wide range of needs. How about a heavy barreled 22 or 6PPC, or 6BR? The only interesting guns are accurate guns. You really ought to fill that hole in the gun cabinet with something. Happy shooting, Bill | |||
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| One of Us |
Yeah, Bill, like they say, "Nature abhores a vacuum," and I need to fill it with something. My .308 was for sure a sweety. One of those mild rifles that the more you shoot it the more you like and appreciate it. I think I'm going to order myself some new toys for my 270, like some new bullets and powders and maybe a few treats for some other guns. Try to distract myself with something. Lord help me if that doesn't help. It will either be the gun store or the bottle! ![[Big Grin]](images/icons/grin.gif){kind=icon} | |||
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| One of Us |
What about a long range .338 lapua mag in a sniper rifle configuration. | |||
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| <green 788> |
Pecos, I shot a groundhog the other day at a tad under 400 yards with the following load from my pre 64 270: Hornady 130 grain Interlock 60.0 grains of H4831 CCI 200 primer Winchester case After watching others hit groundhogs at 200 to 250 yards with their .223's, and then seeing well over half of those groundhogs crawl back into their holes to bleed to death... It was refreshing to see the effect of the 130 grain Hornady when it made contact with that critter at near twice the distance. Tore him in half ...Dan Newberry green 788 | ||
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One of Us |
Pecos, the 270 is a darn good round, period. As a compliment to it I'd suggest a nice, handy 22" bbl'd .223 sporter-weight turn-bolt... the 223 is a heck of a lot of fun, is economical and a good "understudy" for your 270. Add a 338 Win Mag (22" barrel for me!) and you'll have all bases covered from a purely practical standpoint! I'm certain there are those here who would find enormous "gaps" in my three-rifle battery, but that's what rifles-loonies are created to find... "battery-gaps", then further fulfill their destiny by filling said gaps. Me, I gave up jousting with windmills. Brad | |||
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One of Us |
Pecos, Once youve conqured Everest the only thing left is to do it again! And again, and again.. How about moving into a 358 winchester to replace that 308? Sounds like a fine brush gun to compliment that 270 and yet its not the same thing as a 308.. Not really! [ 06-05-2002, 03:52: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ] | |||
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| One of Us |
quote:You know Western, back when they still made them and they weren't THAT hard to find, I decided I wanted a 358 Winchester. But other guns seem to call me more loudly and I figured there would always be time to get a 358. You know the rest of the story. The 358 is gone and mighty hard to find one in good shape, I reckon. That's a shame to, cause I suspect this was really a superb cartridge for deer, bear, elk and even moose in moderate ranges! Maybe some clever manufacturer will bring it back. Can someone tell me why Remington or Winchester couldn't just slowly accumulate reamers and whatever the hell cartridge someone wants, call Winchester up and say, "Chamber one of your Model 70 stainless rifles for me in 6mm/06." They would chamber it and ship it to your nearest dealer for say an extra $100 charge above a regular M-70. Would that hair-lip Winchester or Remington? I doubt it. I think a LOT of shooters would pay them just about whatever they wanted for the chance to buy a factory rifle chambered for what they really want instead of like most of us always having to take the generic "cartridge of the day." | |||
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| One of Us |
Green, thanks. You've done a lot to lift my flagging spirits today by posting about the .270 as a P-dog shooter. Oddly, I never thought of the 270 as a P-dog gun. I've always figured prairie dog shooting was strictly the realm of hotrod 22's and the 6mm bore. Just today I've read a lot of good posts from fellows talking about the 270 being a damn good prairie dog rifle. That's for sure one of the fine points of the 270. They can back off to light bullets and make a super varmint rifle or stuff the big projectiles in and make an excellent big game rifle as well...and do all this shifting back and forth flawlessly. So, I'm encouraged about my 270. It's a good one. Shoots damn good and I like to shoot the thing so I should be rejoicing about what I have instead of crying about not having my .308 any longer. It's just that I started my hunting almost 50 years ago with a 30/06...and I don't think there has EVER been a time when I didn't have some sort of .30 caliber around. It's strange to wake up without one beside me. Thanks all you guys for your suggestions and trying to cheer me up today. I'll get better and go on to hunt again. | |||
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one of us |
Pecos45, the more things change the more they stay the same. Has rifle cartridges advanced a great deal in the last how ever many years? I'd say not since 1925 when they came out with the 270 Winchester! I feel your pain. There's just nothing new under the sun anymore. Or maybe we should just embrace it, pass right by the gun store, and go do some shooting. ![[Smile]](images/icons/smile.gif){kind=icon} | |||
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one of us |
quote:Pecos45, I thought that I was the only sick person on this forum. I like shooting prairie dogs with a .30-06. (I have even shot them with a .300 mag)The .270 will do it nicely. If you are looking for something different than the .270 and want to shoot pasture poodles up to deer, why not consider the .257 Roberts. WyoJoe | |||
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| One of Us |
quote:Me thinks you are not far from the mark, HuntR. Lot of different packages but few worthwhile new cartridges have come out in a long time. | |||
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| <abnrigger> |
Pecos 45, You crack me up! The truth is a good shot really doesn't need anything more than a .270 for anything in the lower 48, at least. I'm watching over my shoulder because if my wife ever saw me typing these words I'd be toast. I have many other rifles but as hunting season approaches my old .270 seems to work its way to the front of the gun safe. I tried a 7mm Remington mag for a few seasons and couldn't tell any difference between it and the .270 as far as killing power goes. Same with the 30-06 and the .308 and I only saw a slight improvement in killing power with the .300 win. magnum. | ||
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I am with Brad on this one, your delima is solved with Three little numbers -.338(WM) | |||
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| <Hunter - DownUnder> |
MMMm, I think if you don't have something in a .30 cal then your shortchanging yourself. With the abundance of .30 cal projectiles and it's versitility I'd go another .30 cal, specifically, I'd go the .30-06 AI. Just for shits and giggles. | ||
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Pecos 45, I'm going to suggest something completely different, so different it may be off the wall. There's nothing in North America except moose and the biggest bears that the .270 isn't ideal for. So you're covered there. But what about the .22 rimfire? How many of those do you own? Not enough, I suspect. Why not attempt to find the most accurate rifle and load in .22 rimfire that you can find? That would be a good year's work! Maybe you could get into any of the many .22 rimfire games: benchrest, silhouette, small game hunting where you have to stalk to within 50 yards of the critter, etc. | |||
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You could buy a spear and a knife , and then go down to Florida for hogs and gators! Or you could build a new super fine .308 | |||
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| <ChuckD> |
Pecos-you are lamenting the loss of a retro plain-caliber non belted ----and worse yet admit that there is some superiority to a near- antique cartridge???? I know. True story- When I was in my late 20s (51 now), I bought my Golden Eagle 7 mag rifle. It was gaudy in the old Weatherby style, glossy and shiney, with very nice but soft Claro walnut---It was nearly better than sex! I shot it a lot, to become proficient at this massive and intense caliber and became quite good with it in short order, mostly because it was and is an accurate rifle. In deer season, I met my Dad, showing him for the first time this wonder-magnum! His responses were two--Did'nt Your .308 kill them dead enough? and Hell, you should have bought a .270, they are about the same, the ammo is cheaper, and we'd be shooting the same ammo! Well he wasn't as impressed as I had hoped, he was right, and I later bought another .308!! Sad to say, I have his .270 now, too. Chuck | ||
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quote:I disagree a bit here. Sure MV and bullet weight are a large part of the equation but so is the MANNER in which they are achieved. I noticed a huge difference in my 6.5x55 and a 270. Muzzle blast, muzzle flip and recoil are much reduced with the 6.5. No free lunch the velocity is down too BUT the results are nearly the same at the other end. I've said it loads of times but in the UK the 270 is not considered the low recoiling number you guys think of it as being. Here we think it's loud and harsh - no doubt we're wimps. [ 06-05-2002, 16:37: Message edited by: 1894 ] | |||
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I'm glad to have a 358 back in the rack!! Now back to the problem at hand. Either get another 308, take yours back and tell junior to get his own, or go forth into the darkness and try something different. Maybe a 257 IMP a good combination for deer and varmints. | |||
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| One of Us |
Dang! I wonder if my Pa is going through these withdrawls over the old Mauser he passed on to me..! Hmmm!! ![[Confused]](images/icons/confused.gif){kind=icon} Hope not, that just aint right.. If a custom gun is a bit much then why not just find something with a good action and have it re-barreled in 358?? I didnt realize they (358s) were that hard to come by but then I havent looked for one either. That damn 30-06 doesnt allow me too, does its job too well. I definatley think its time for you to find out when your next local gun show is though .. It must be kind of hard to curse that 270 for doing its job so good, kind of like when the kids do exactly what theyre told and were supposed to do the oppisite.. [ 06-07-2002, 05:35: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ] | |||
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| <Paul Dustin> |
You can not beat a good 270 Win | ||
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| <Orion> |
AMEN weidmansheil martin | ||
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| <Zeke> |
Got mad at my CD burner last month. Took it out to the woods set it on a stump and nailed it six times with my dull boring .270. The Rangefinder measured the distance. 507 yards. I like my .270 ZM | ||
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| one of us |
If you lack the imagination to come up with a reason to buy a new rifle, then you don't deserve one. ![[Razz]](images/icons/tongue.gif){kind=icon} | |||
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quote:I don't have any problem with REASONS to buy a new rifle, Buck....it's JUSTIFIABLE reasons where my britches snag on the wire. By the way, all, I took my 270 to the rifle range today, fired 5 shots at 100 yds and when I pulled my target they were all just a tad under an inch. Close enough for government work! The 270 stays. If any of my arsenal is to leave, it won't be my 270. I reckon this is about the worst thing a 270 is guilty of...being boringly dependable. No surprises with this cartridge. | |||
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Just throwing out an idea: I think a real classy pair would be a .270 Winchester teamed up with a .35 Whelen. Both are from the same era (1920s) for that nostalgic touch and they would compliment each other well. Just my two cents.... -Bob F. [ 06-10-2002, 01:58: Message edited by: BFaucett ] | |||
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quote:What is it with you people and justification? christ you'd think you came from the ussr with your logical this and justifiable that and so on and so forth ...i'm perpetually broke, ![[Embarrassed]](images/icons/blush.gif){kind=icon} and i live under the thumb of seriously anti-gun nyc laws (you western boys have no clue about the pain in the ass beaurocracy we put up with for some reason ) and i still manage to find something new to play with no matter what ...[ 06-08-2002, 02:43: Message edited by: Curtis_Lemay ] | |||
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| One of Us |
Bob, I agree very much with the 270 and 35 Whelan pairing. Two others but not related to this thread are the 264 and 338 and the obvious one of 300 H&H and 375 H&H. Mike | |||
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| one of us |
quote:You'll never get a new gun with an attitude like that. If you hunt larger animals like elk, it wouldn't hurt to have something in a .338 or bigger to put them down with authority. Or how about 22 LR's? Everyone should have one in a lever action, one in bolt action, one autoloader, and one handgun. Come on; you're not even trying. | |||
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| <JimF> |
Here's an idea: Since you already have a caliber you love, (.270) and it'll do anything you need it to (lower 48), why not build another (different) one as a project? Say the one you have is a std. mod 70......you could build another one that is really light (so's to climb a bit bigger hill). Or you could build one that's heavy with a sexy fluted 26" bbl. or something. That oughta keep ya busy for a year or so. Jim | ||
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UPDATE I've sold my Ruger 44. First step towards a new gun for Ole P45. Next step is trying to congeal all the good advice you guys gave me here and figuring out WHAT it is I can't live without. My requirements at this moment and subject to change without rime or reason are:New rifle must be - 1. Light weight 2. Smooth action 3. Good trigger 4. "Feel good" and come up naturally 5. Cartridge must be fast and flat 6. Case must be no larger than 30/06 7. Cartridge should be fun to reload - Not tempermental bitch. 8. Cartridge should be a couple of calibers removed from .277 bore, i.e. 6.5 or smaller - .308 or larger Stay tuned to see what the crazy Pecos45 picks to go with his 270! Top contenders thus far are .243. 260 Rem, another 308 or a 30/06. Much to be said for another .30 bore since I seem to break out in hives when I don't have one around and this was the cartridge I grew up with. Man...I feel like a woman in a shoe store! [ 06-11-2002, 00:23: Message edited by: Pecos45 ] | |||
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| one of us |
Pecos45, Last time I had a similar dilemma, I simply bought another 270 Winchester. This time in a heavy barrelled, long range Sendero package. Perfection in a new dress.  | |||
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| One of Us |
HuntR, I can't fault your logic, Sir. If you can't lick them and have already joined them.......well, join them again! There is a nice logic to that.HOWEVER, to put all you guys out of your misery wondering what the devil this old fool is going to do now that he's given away his prize .308... the answer is I broke down and bought a new rifle today. I bought a Classic Featherweight Winchester M-70 chambered for .243. I plan on dropping a variable 2.5 X 10 or 4 X 12 scope on this rifle. Figure it will probably trick out at about 8.5 lbs with scope and sling. This purchase is pretty unique for me as I've been a card carrying 6mm Hater all my life. For some strange reason I've never liked the 6mm bore. Probably because I've seen so many friends have trouble of one kind or another with it. Still I know the rifle has a good following and on paper the ballistics are pretty dramatic. Common sense tells me there's got to be more to this cartridge than I've ever been willing to admit. So, I've decided one of my final big gun quests is going to be to get to the bottom of what a .243 is all about. I want to ring this little darling out and see what it will do. Since I've got the 270, I figure I'll work on 60-85 gr .243 bullets. If I want heavier, I'll go to the .270. Mostly I want fast and flat. Thanks to all of you for your wisdom and suggestions. Long live the damn 270 that has caused me all this consternation! One thing this quest has made me realize perhaps more than I ever realized it before...and that is how a FEW rifle cartridges really are All-Around Guns. I love them all and hope shooters can enjoy them as I have forever. | |||
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