‘Modern’ .270?

wildfowler.250

wildfowler.250

Well-Known Member
Do people still think this caliber is still ‘relevant’ in as much as, would you go and buy one new off the shelf next week? Does it use copper as well as other similar calibers? Would a specific/more modern twist suit it better for copper and is this easy to do?

I only ask because I’ve used one for nearly 20 years. It just works. I don’t shoot ‘far’ but it’s fairly point and shoot for my needs.

If I took a notion to rebarrel the rifle tomorrow, would I go the same? A 6.5PRC seems to do all the same but with more 6.5 bullet availability,(appreciate not a rebarrel option). A .30-06 will have more bullet availability in the long run. And a 7PRC would probably do everything ‘better’ than what I’ve got.

And yet it still works. I know it has a cult following in Scotland and still has popularity in the states due to Jack O’Connor. How do people on here see it going forward?
 
wildfowler.250 said:
Do people still think this caliber is still ‘relevant’ in as much as, would you go and buy one new off the shelf next week?
Click to expand...
The modern .270 WCF is known as the .280 Remington. I had both.

I could shoot 140 grains through to 175 grains in the .280 but best "all around" was the 160 grain. Alas I sold my .280 some time ago (see SD Classifieds) for the now surplus bullets) but if the .270 Winchester were to be re-invented by a time traveller going back to 1925....yes it celebrates its centenary this year....I'd guess Winchester might have been better advised to have it with a .284" bullet.

I've also seen, and have, old Kynoch with 100 grain bullets for the .270 and these lighter weights did use to be offered by American bullet makers.

But like the .25-06 Remington the .270 Winchester does what it does exceptionally well in its niche of 130, 140 and 150 grain. I always thought that for the UK the 150 grain was the best of the three loadings and loaded down to around 2,800 fps.
 
Its a tried and tested round with a solid supply of hunting bullets
Limited bullet choice outside of the 130gr staple
It doesnt suffer from twist issues with any bullet from 90-180gr in a standard 1:10"
even copper at 130gr is easily stabilised

But... and its a big but
Despite learning on one, using one and still owning two it is dwarfed by some other cartridges in every aspect of recoil, velocity, efficiency, accuracy potential, etc etc

Run a 130gr in 270 for a solid 3000fps in most barrels, it will drop below that in a 20" and the unburned powder %age on factory ammo will increase
step up to 15gr and the velocity drop is so significant that it negates the increase in weight.
The 130s delivery more energy and volcity across the whole range 0-300m

the 145gr ELD-X are a very good trade off and I managed to get them up to a solid 3000fps in a 22" barrel


However at the fat end of 60gr of powder it is a diminishing return

I now run 147gr at 2950 from a 22" barrel using 52gr of powder in a 6.5-284
Significantly less perceived recoil
better external balistics and accuracy at range


Although the noise of an unmoderated .270 going off in a Glen in Scotland is a joy to behold!
 
I've always had a love-hate relationship with the .270. I took my first deer, a roebuck, with a Churchill .270 and sidemounted 4x81 Pecar "Light" back in 1989 and since then have owned two BRNO ZKK 600 and two Parker Hale M81 Classic and now have an iron sighted Czechoslovakian iron sighted rifle built using a Mauser 98 action with proper shaped classic turned down bolt handle. It maybe had someone mount a 'scope on it as the receiver rings were drilled and tapped but it never did when it came to me. The .270 does what is says on the tin. Other calibres not only do what they say on the tin bit a lot more else besides. But if you don't need that "lot more else besides" then the .270 at present with lead bullets always will do more than well enough.
 
‘Still relevant?” 😱

😉

Never more so as an ‘all rounder’ - age doesn’t diminish ‘perfect for purpose’.

For what it’s worth & with relevance to the mention of non-lead based bullets, Paul Hill (of Corinium Ranges) recently called it the ideal cartridge for use with brass/copper bullets.
 
My former boss and shooting mentor used one for years, partly because of the military calibre van in Ireland (he went Sika stalking there regularly). He used it for plains game in Africa and everything else at home. It wasn’t till the mid 90,s he got anything else at the smaller non magnum end of the cartridge spectrum. For all I know he still has one in the gun room.
I bought one some time ago for Sika mainly (and because they were cheap). It didn’t get a massive amount of use. I sold that rifle but did a one for one on a barrel for my then new to me 202. I have it set up with a 130gn soft point load. It gets a little use but is there as a back up. I can swap to the most suitable cartridge/bullet combination when required.
Would I buy another? Well if I finish this barrel off (it’s destined to be a donor for another barrel) I might well get another if available at sensible prices.
270 does the job as do many others. But they are less fashionable which is why I got a cheap one in the first place.
 
6.5 PRC over the .270 all day, outdated junk those .270s 👀😆... I say this as it ****es my .270 loving stalking compadre right off 🤣

Not much in it "ballisticly" speaking until longer range where the PRC wins out.

That said, I'm very smitten with my new PRC, apart from chasing fallow in the woods I don't think the .308 will be seeing much field time!
 
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