270 Winchester better than 7mm mag?

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I voted for the 270WIN because when I think of smaller calibers, I want a lighter rifle than would typically come with a magnum like the 7mmRM. Something like a nice sub 6.5# mountain rifle (scope included) for speed goats in Wyoming or hiking backcountry trails.

@BeeMaa
If you want to go sub 6.5# get a nice kinber in 280AI.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

F150 gas engine=.270. F250 gas engine=7MM. F350 7.3 diesel engine=.338WM? Choose wisely grasshopper! Ha! Ha! Ha!

@CoElkHunter
So that means the F350 is bordering on marginal and the F600= the Whelen now we a re talking

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

He was thinking about getting a Mitsubishi last time I was talking to him.

@CBH Australia
Chris them is fightin words. In the 4x4 game there are Nissan's then others. Others don't even rate a mention. Hell you little Subaru brumby is better than a Toyota lo lux.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

And a 243!

@rdog
As long as my arse has a crack in it one of those things will never get near me or my gun safe.

 

[colorado]

I have owned, hunted, and shot 7mm mags and never a 270. Thus I prefer the 7 mag as my choice between these 2 calibers.

The 270 is a .277 diameter bullet, the 7mm is a .283 diameter bullet, I lean toward the bigger diameter bullets.

I also look at versatlity and variety of bullet choices when choosing a firearm caliber.

On paper and using math caliber comparisons can be debated what really counts is in the field and the individuals ability to handle recoil and placing the first bullet in the kill zone consecutively.

Then you should move up to a 500 Jeffery for elk hunting. That's what i used these days

 

[Safari Dave]

If I had to pick between the 2, I'd go with the 7mm Remington Mag simply because of more muzzle energy and better velocity.


But I don't, so I'd go either .30/06 or .300 Mag for African game.

 

[hawkeyesatx]

If I am going to use a magnum rifle round, in all actuality, that starts with a .300 Win Mag. It beats the 7mm Rem Mag hands down velocity and energy.
If I need to use the same amount of velocity and energy as a 7mm Rem Mag, then I’m using my .30-06 hand loads, 180 gr bullets using RL-26 to get over 2900 fps.
My hand loaded .270 Winchester, using 130 gr bullets, going at 3303 fps, using RL-26, or using 150 gr bullets, using RL-26, pushes them out at 3085 fps, that beats or equals the factory velocities of the 7mm Rem Mag.
So, for my light rifle hunts, I’m using my Winchester M70 Black Shadow, 24 inch barreled .270 Winchester!

Hawk

 

[gajie270]

3085fps with 150 grains and 130s at 3300fps is crazy fast @hawkeyesatx

edit: whats your load on those 130s? bullet, powder,ect?

 

[sestoppelman]

I know this may ruffle some feathers, and I apologize in advance….

When I was in my mid-twenties, I was reading a lot of those gun scribes accounts about having to have a 7mm Rem Mag, or a .300 Win Mag. I’m ashamed I bought into that hype, and I got a 7mm Rem Mag and started hunting with it. My buddy, who has been a professional guide in Wyoming, has always stated he hasn’t liked the 7mm Rem Mag, because a .30-06 can equal what a 7mm Rem Mag can do, within practical hunting distances. Now, I have to say, when I was younger, that ruffled my feathers. Not until several years later did I really look unbiased at both cartridges, and realized, dammit, he was right. A .30-06 hand loaded, will equal the 7mm Rem Mag, within a few grains of bullet weight. And that’s even if you keep within the 60k psi parameters of the ‘06 cartridge. With the ‘06, you still get that “beller”, and horsepower everyone talks about with the 7mm Rem Mag. Not to mention, if you use the same barrel length on your ‘06, it ups the velocities just a hair, and if you use the new progressive powders, like RL-26, or StaBall 6.5, in your ol’ ‘06, it ups the velocities even that much more, and you can almost turn your ‘06 into an old .300 H&H Mag.
Lately, if everyone keeps up with the writings of Craig Boddington, he was a magnum proclaimer in his younger years, and never gave the “regular” cartridges a try, or chance. Now that he is semi-retired, he has stated that he doesn’t like the kick, or boom of the Magnum rifles he once preferred, but uses regular cartridges more now. And 2 that he does use more, the lowly .270, and the .30-06!
He has come to realize that the 7mm Rem Mag has only a slight advantage over the .270, and the Mag only increases practical hunting distances 25 - 35 yds.
Now with that being said, I saw the error of my youth, and exuberance, and have gone to using the .30-06, which is housed in a Weatherby Vanguard, 24 inch barrel. And you know what?!? My buddy was right!! There’s no discernible difference in the field between those 2.
Lately, I’ve been on a .270 Win kick, and just acquired a Winchester M70. Black Shadow, 24 inch barreled .270! I’m going to use the new progressive powders on it as well, and I’m betting the advantage the 7mm Rem Mag is going to become even smaller.
So, for sakes of this post, I choose the .270, and that’s coming from an ashamed magnum addict.


Hawk

I suspect you havent actually read much of CB's writings but rather listened to those who for one reason or another dont like him or his writings. Too many ( ! ) to suit some I guess.
However you can go back many years and find him singing the praises of standard rounds and has often said the .30-06 is one of the very best and he did in fact take one to Africa on his first trip in 1974 I think it was. He also is/was a fan of the .270, .280 rounds and the 7x57.
He likes the mags, so do most of us when they are needed, but CB is no more a mag proponent than anyone else.
Broaden your horizons....

 

[hawkeyesatx]

I suspect you havent actually read much of CB's writings but rather listened to those who for one reason or another dont like him or his writings. Too many ( ! ) to suit some I guess.
However you can go back many years and find him singing the praises of standard rounds and has often said the .30-06 is one of the very best and he did in fact take one to Africa on his first trip in 1974 I think it was. He also is/was a fan of the .270, .280 rounds and the 7x57.
He likes the mags, so do most of us when they are needed, but CB is no more a mag proponent than anyone else.
Broaden your horizons....

I apologize if I ruffled your feathers on that one.
I’m not against CB at all, and I actually enjoy reading his insights into rifles, and cartridges that he hunts with.
He, himself, has called himself a magniac, because of his penchant for using magnum rifle cartridges a lot.
I was trying to say, that just like him, as I get older, and hopefully wiser, that I don’t need all of that “magnum power” to go hunting, and have found, that like CB, the “average” cartridges, like the .30-06, and .270, are more than adequate to use for almost all of North American hunting, plus some African plains game animals.
There’s a reason why they call these cartridges “classic”, because they plain work, and have been working for a long, long time.

Hawk

 

[hawkeyesatx]

3085fps with 150 grains and 130s at 3300fps is crazy fast @hawkeyesatx

edit: whats your load on those 130s? bullet, powder,ect?

RL-26 powder/ 63.8 grains, Hornady Interbond 130 gr bullet, 3303 fps.

RL-26 powder/ 63.8 grains, Nosler Accubond 130 gr bullet, 3302 fps.

RL-26 powder/ 60.3 grains, Nosler Accubond 150 gr bullet.

Both Max loads, so reduce loads 10% for starts, and work up from there.


Hawk

 

[sestoppelman]

I apologize if I ruffled your feathers on that one.
I’m not against CB at all, and I actually enjoy reading his insights into rifles, and cartridges that he hunts with.
He, himself, has called himself a magniac, because of his penchant for using magnum rifle cartridges a lot.
I was trying to say, that just like him, as I get older, and hopefully wiser, that I don’t need all of that “magnum power” to go hunting, and have found, that like CB, the “average” cartridges, like the .30-06, and .270, are more than adequate to use for almost all of North American hunting, plus some African plains game animals.
There’s a reason why they call these cartridges “classic”, because they plain work, and have been working for a long, long time.

Hawk

My feathers arent ruffled. I just draw a bit of difference in your assertion that he is just now coming to this realization that magnums arent always needed.
I dont believe that to be accurate at all.
Like to see where he ever called himself a "magniac" or anything similar.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

I apologize if I ruffled your feathers on that one.
I’m not against CB at all, and I actually enjoy reading his insights into rifles, and cartridges that he hunts with.
He, himself, has called himself a magniac, because of his penchant for using magnum rifle cartridges a lot.
I was trying to say, that just like him, as I get older, and hopefully wiser, that I don’t need all of that “magnum power” to go hunting, and have found, that like CB, the “average” cartridges, like the .30-06, and .270, are more than adequate to use for almost all of North American hunting, plus some African plains game animals.
There’s a reason why they call these cartridges “classic”, because they plain work, and have been working for a long, long time.

Hawk

A year or two ago he wrote an article for American Rifleman about the 270 win that I enjoyed quite a bit.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | A New Look at the Old .270 Winchester

With all the attention focused on relatively new cartridges such as the 6.5 mm Creedmoor, what about the venerable .270 Winchester? Perhaps Professor O’Connor was right all along.

www.americanrifleman.org

 

[gajie270]

@hawkeyesatx thanks might try them if I get my hands on any reloader 26 those velocity’s are too good to pass up

 

[hawkeyesatx]

My feathers arent ruffled. I just draw a bit of difference in your assertion that he is just now coming to this realization that magnums arent always needed.
I dont believe that to be accurate at all.
Like to see where he ever called himself a "magniac" or anything similar.

Here are some articles where he self describes himself.

The .270 Is Still The Classic Cartridge - Union Sportsmen's Alliance

Craig Boddington Among middle-aged shooters like myself the .270 Winchester is best known as Jack O’Connor’s cartridge. Truly a man of letters, as a young man O’Connor wrote three pretty…

unionsportsmen.org

An NRA Shooting Sports Journal | Lessons Learned: .30-06 Cartridge Utility

Many cartridges are newer and flashier, but few offer as much genuine utility. Over a century old, the venerable .30-06 is still one of the most popular and effective hunting cartridges for game worldwide.

www.ssusa.org

Hawk

 

[hawkeyesatx]

@hawkeyesatx thanks might try them if I get my hands on any reloader 26 those velocity’s are too good to pass up

I agree!

If you have a 22 inch barrel, the RL-26 load will get you 3266 fps. Not as fast as my 24 inch, but still very zippy!


Hawk

 

[Art Lambart II]

I'm a fan of the 270 but I don't own a 7mm RM so I can't make a fair comparison. These days I don't use my 270 and I have no plans on buying a 7mm RM because I use a 35 Whelen. I set a personal limit of 300 yards for shooting game, and at 300 yards and in no 270 or 7mm RM load can compete with my Whelen using a 225-grain bullet for dropping game in its tracks.

If I had to recommend the 270 or the 7mm RM to someone I didn't know I'd recommend the 270 every time, just because of the recoil difference between the two rounds.

 

[Lee M]

I always enjoy these threads listening to those who have a favorite caliber and compare it to another. As a few have mentioned i agree that there is usually not one caliber better than the other, they are just different.

However, the one thing i always cringe when reading here is when someone compares their personal favorite stout hand loaded cartridge to a different caliber factory loaded round and then says - see my favorite equals or exceeds the other calibers performance. That is just not a fair comparison.

 

[hawkeyesatx]

I always enjoy these threads listening to those who have a favorite caliber and compare it to another. As a few have mentioned i agree that there is usually not one caliber better than the other, they are just different.

However, the one thing i always cringe when reading here is when someone compares their personal favorite stout hand loaded cartridge to a different caliber factory loaded round and then says - see my favorite equals or exceeds the other calibers performance. That is just not a fair comparison.

Not to be argumentative, but factory loads for any given cartridge, other than the Hornady Superformance cartridges, usually run 100 - 200 fps slower than advertised.
Also, with what can be done to up performance can be done as well for the 7mm Rem Mag, by hand loading. Which, if hand loaded, only has a small 20 - 25% performance increase. But the thing that increases more for the Magnum, is muzzle blast, and recoil.
For me, I want something that kicks less, with less muzzle blast. I know I can shoot that better.

Hawk

 

[Dr Ray]

I am on my 4th 270. I’ve owned a 7 mm Remington too.
They’re for different targets as far as I’m concerned. In my opinion (only) the 270 is a ideal plains game rifle up to deer sized animals. Sure I’ve shot well outside of that sized animals,

But
The 7 has a lot more punch and I can tell no difference between the 7 and 300 Winchester.
The 7 fires a heavier bullet at higher velocities compared to the 270.
The 270 however is my favourite.