Resurrecting the 270 Win

[bruce moulds]

a good project while your shoulder recovers bob.
then you will never die wondering.
bruce.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

a good project while your shoulder recovers bob.
then you will never die wondering.
bruce.

@ bruce moulds
Only the good die young mate. I plan on staying around a while and extolling the virtues of the 25s and the 35 Whelen and paying out on the nasty little ove rated 243 and giving the 6.5 man Bun crew a bit of curry, while trying to extol the virtues of hunting as a form of conservation and a wholesome family activity.
Bob

 

[Professor Mawla]

Was the .270 Winchester ever really even dead ? I have personally observed it to be a reasonably popular calibre in Texas , especially for hunting our relatively small whitetail deer .

 

[colorado]

It does well on our slightly larger elk in Colorado too ...

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Was the .270 Winchester ever really even dead ? I have personally observed it to be a reasonably popular calibre in Texas , especially for hunting our relatively small whitetail deer .

@Professor Mawla
From everything I've head about Texicans as long as it goes BANG the will find something to shoot with it , being a tin can or anything bigger. The bigger the BANG the better.
Bob

 

[CoElkHunter]

I’d love to resurrect my Winchester .270 as soon as I can find some ammo for it. I have a half box of 150gr Noslers left. Might have to break out the reloading dies and my forty five year old Sierra bullet seconds. I do have H4831 for it though. Fun stuff!

 

[CoElkHunter]

It does well on our slightly larger elk in Colorado too ...

My friend’s brother came out a few years ago from Maryland and shot a small 4x5 trotting bull with his Winchester .270 using a super premium 150gr Remington Core Lokt at about 100yds with one well placed shot and dropped it like one of BobNelson35 Whelen’s bad dreams! I got to pack the head/cape two miles back to the truck cause we didn’t have horses that year. Yahoo!

 

[HuntingGold]

I am trying to decide what twist my .270 build shall have. Most .270's built commercially have been 1:10 twist. I am strongly leaning to 1:9 or possibly 1:8.5. This reminds me I need to measure the magazine box to see how long I can go with the current box. I could go with a longer after-market box if needed. I bought a box of 165 Grain Nosler Accubonds to play with once this is done. Some of the longer monolithic copper bullets should "like" the quicker twist as well. Anyways.... just rambling type of thoughts.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I am trying to decide what twist my .270 build shall have. Most .270's built commercially have been 1:10 twist. I am strongly leaning to 1:9 or possibly 1:8.5. This reminds me I need to measure the magazine box to see how long I can go with the current box. I could go with a longer after-market box if needed. I bought a box of 165 Grain Nosler Accubonds to play with once this is done. Some of the longer monolithic copper bullets should "like" the quicker twist as well. Anyways.... just rambling type of thoughts.

165gr in a .270? I wouldn't. 150gr. Partition, Accubond, A frame, Core Lokt, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Sierra is ALL you would need for elk on down. Don't overthink this? Just my 2 centavos.

 

[fourfive8]

Ya that would be interesting in that I've always suspected and felt shooting 150s in the 270 Win could benefit from slightly faster twist. My 270s have had standard 10" twists so no experience with different or faster twists. I don't know empirically but the potential benefit seems logical based on my experience with 130s vs 150s in the 270. I've always been able to get just a little better accuracy out of most all the 130s when carefully comparing to the 150s. And yes, the TSXs and monos also throw a wrench in all the generalities about weight simply because of the length vs stability considerations. Following in that logic even if only an unsubstantiated anecdote, I have really gotten great accuracy out of the 270 10" twist rifles shooting 110 TSXs. If I were building a 270, I wouldn't hesitate to try a 9" twist. And given the ballistic capabilities, characteristics and strengths of the 270, I too would stick with working on the 140s and 150s at the heavy end.

 

[HuntingGold]

165gr in a .270? I wouldn't. 150gr. Partition, Accubond, A frame, Core Lokt, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Sierra is ALL you would need for elk on down. Don't overthink this? Just my 2 centavos.

I've shot plenty of elk with the good old .270 (not quite twenty) along with lots of deer and pronghorn too. The venture into a heavier bullet is for fun, and hey why not?
****
In my old stand bye, a rifle originally named Emmy Lou, and now affectionately called "The Legend," My pet load is a 140 grain load of just about any make. The 140 grain Sierra Gameking HP is affectionately known as a blacktail eater. Stiffer bullets like a partition are great for elk. The last bull was shot with a Berger. I just like the caliber. It works. Again, Fooling with the heavy for caliber bullets is for fun.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I've shot plenty of elk with the good old .270 (not quite twenty) along with lots of deer and pronghorn too. The venture into a heavier bullet is for fun, and hey why not?
****
In my old stand bye, a rifle originally named Emmy Lou, and now affectionately called "The Legend," My pet load is a 140 grain load of just about any make. The 140 grain Sierra Gameking HP is affectionately known as a blacktail eater. Stiffer bullets like a partition are great for elk. The last bull was shot with a Berger. I just like the caliber. It works. Again, Fooling with the heavy for caliber bullets is for fun.

Go for it then! Life's too short for compromise if the "bug" is too great!

 

[Tra3]

I've shot plenty of elk with the good old .270 (not quite twenty) along with lots of deer and pronghorn too. The venture into a heavier bullet is for fun, and hey why not?
****
In my old stand bye, a rifle originally named Emmy Lou, and now affectionately called "The Legend," My pet load is a 140 grain load of just about any make. The 140 grain Sierra Gameking HP is affectionately known as a blacktail eater. Stiffer bullets like a partition are great for elk. The last bull was shot with a Berger. I just like the caliber. It works. Again, Fooling with the heavy for caliber bullets is for fun.

What weight berger did you use? I’ve only shot one elk with berger bullets and they performed very well. (Broadside at 200 with a 7 mag 180 gr berger). I’d consider using them in my .270. Will you continue with that bullet?
For elk I’ve mainly used accubond lately. But also SST, Barnes, and in the 1990s and early 2000’s, any bullet I could afford (Remington core lock)

 

[HuntingGold]

That's the current supply of 277 projectiles.

I used the Berger on a 5 pt bull at 80 yards. It was one shot and done, but just about any of those bullets would've done it at that range. I don't have any other experience with them to give a definite opinion. Before Covid took me out of the game this year, I shot a hulluva 200 yard group with the Berger. An measured but unrecorded group that still has me smiling. It was under an inch at 200, can't remember exact dimensions.

 

[CoElkHunter]

View attachment 391471

That's the current supply of 277 projectiles.

I used the Berger on a 5 pt bull at 80 yards. It was one shot and done, but just about any of those bullets would've done it at that range. I don't have any other experience with them to give a definite opinion. Before Covid took me out of the game this year, I shot a hulluva 200 yard group with the Berger. An measured but unrecorded group that still has me smiling. It was under an inch at 200, can't remember exact dimensions.

Wow! You have more bullets than most gun stores have currently! Take your pick!

 

[HuntingGold]

I am helping part out an estate. In the estate has been a box of loose packed bullets labeled as 130 grain Grand Slams. The box has been calling my name. Finally today I pulled that box and counted the bullets and found that it was over 400 pieces of a mixed box of various 277 bullets... some factory seconds and some that are obviously larger (maybe 140 or larger??). What promised to be a little gold mine has proven to be not much more than practice rounds. Tomorrow I'll see what kind of offer he will take for the box. Hopefully he will deal.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I am helping part out an estate. In the estate has been a box of loose packed bullets labeled as 130 grain Grand Slams. The box has been calling my name. Finally today I pulled that box and counted the bullets and found that it was over 400 pieces of a mixed box of various 277 bullets... some factory seconds and some that are obviously larger (maybe 140 or larger??). What promised to be a little gold mine has proven to be not much more than practice rounds. Tomorrow I'll see what kind of offer he will take for the box. Hopefully he will deal.

Well, they'll be better than my 45 year old Sierra bullet seconds! Ha! Ha! Actually, they shoot real well after you break off the extruded lead from the point. MOA boys!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I’d love to resurrect my Winchester .270 as soon as I can find some ammo for it. I have a half box of 150gr Noslers left. Might have to break out the reloading dies and my forty five year old Sierra bullet seconds. I do have H4831 for it though. Fun stuff!

@CoElkHunter
You could always use a tapered Lee expander and neck those little 270 cases up to 35 and have some good Whelen cases. Lube the necks and I t can be done in one pass.
I can see the nightmares continuing!!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I am trying to decide what twist my .270 build shall have. Most .270's built commercially have been 1:10 twist. I am strongly leaning to 1:9 or possibly 1:8.5. This reminds me I need to measure the magazine box to see how long I can go with the current box. I could go with a longer after-market box if needed. I bought a box of 165 Grain Nosler Accubonds to play with once this is done. Some of the longer monolithic copper bullets should "like" the quicker twist as well. Anyways.... just rambling type of thoughts.

@HuntingGold
Go the 1 in 8 twist. I think Woodleigh makes a 180 grain 270 projectiles. You would t hhen have a long action 6.8 Westener.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

165gr in a .270? I wouldn't. 150gr. Partition, Accubond, A frame, Core Lokt, Barnes TSX or TTSX, Sierra is ALL you would need for elk on down. Don't overthink this? Just my 2 centavos.

@ CoElkHunter
225 grain in a 35, all you need f or rabbits on up past elk.
Mate just get one.