270 WSM

[MUSKY18]

I am going to buy a new rifle for deer hunting next year and am really thinking about buying a 270 WSM. Right now I shoot a 270, which is going to go to my oldest son. Anyone have thoughts/pros/cons about the 270 WSM? I am leaning towards a Savage rifle, but not completely decided on that as of yet. THanks for any thoughts or information you care to pass on.

[ruster]

I own a Browning A-bolt in the 270WSM. It is hands down the best deer rifle I have ever owned. I have found it to be extremely accurate, with great knock down power. I've owned this rifle for 4-5 years and have taken about 20 deer with it, the farthest at 375 yards(rangefinder not estimated). The recoil is minimal in hunting situations but it does sting a bit when sighting it in. I would highly recomend this caliber and would buy another one if I needed it.

[TrophyEyes]

That is a great round and I will be getting that caliber for my next rifle. I would go with the A-bolt as well.

[Wensel]

I'm with Ruster, I've had the A-bolt too for about 5 years with a Burris Red-(Contact Us Please), smooth and extreamly accurate, my longest shot was 225 yards.

Very nice gun, would buy another in a second

Never have missed a deer with it.....(knock on wood)

[lcornice]

I have one too. So far, I've only killed one elk and it performed well. I bought a Winchester M70 but would probably go with an ABolt next time around. I have an ABolt in 25 WSSM and I like the bolt throw much better than the Winchester.

The only downside I can see is the price of bullets. Unless you reload, it's tough to justify a lot of recreational shooting as good bullets cost a lot more than the 270 Win.

[Jameson]

I would think 270wsm would be a great cartridge. I shoot an A-bolt chambered in 300wsm. It's a little overkill on whitetails, but does make for an easy tracking job.

[Muddog]

I once used a 270win but know shoot an A-BOLT in 25wssm. I see no need for something bigger. A 7mm-08/ Rem #7 would be a good combo also. Nice guns and more then enough power for a White tail. If your thinking of Elk some day The 270WSM would be a good pick. For White Tail? You just don't need that much power. Your at the age were you should appreciate a light rifle and light kicking, flat shooting cartridge. After all, it all comes down to bullet placement.

[boatfixer]

No question the 270wsm is very accurate with plenty of knock down power. But because some one brought up the 7mm-08, I have to tell you about the spike I shot yesterday morning. He was walking to my right at about 75 yards away in some brush. I waited until he came to an small opening and let him have it. I had never seen the "backflip" before. Dead before he hit the ground. When I went over to him, I noticed bark missing from a 2" diameter tree. I then looked a little closer at the tree and found that I actually shot through the tree first, then hit the deer. When I dressed him out, I found the heart was completely gone. If the magnum is what you want, by all means get it. As for me, I will never be convinced that you need that much horsepower for deer. Just my .02.

[iffwalleyes]

Great gun for long range shooting. If you plan to head west for long range shooting great gun. Marine_Man on the boards has one. I saw him shoot an antelope at about 400 yards GPS distance. But it is plenty of horse power for deer and antelope. Meaning it will leave a hell of a hole in the animal. But it would also be plenty good for elk. But if you have always used a .270 and have had good luck why change. A .270 is plenty good for any deer I have ever ment.

[mnhunter2]

I also shoot a 270 and want to move up to a flatter shooting cal, used to have a 300 wtby but it was a little to much for deer but great for elk and larger. I want a cal that will work for deer and varmits and shoots as flat as possible, right now the 257/270 WTBYs are looking good but I wonder how the ballistics compare to the short mags?

[lcornice]

Quote:

---

I once used a 270win but know shoot an A-BOLT in 25wssm. I see no need for something bigger. A 7mm-08/ Rem #7 would be a good combo also. Nice guns and more then enough power for a White tail. If your thinking of Elk some day The 270WSM would be a good pick. For White Tail? You just don't need that much power. Your at the age were you should appreciate a light rifle and light kicking, flat shooting cartridge. After all, it all comes down to bullet placement.

---

Muddog - I have the exact same rifle. It's been spectacular on whitetails. I realize the cartridge hasn't gotten a lot of traction but it really is a phenomenal round.

[Meat-Run]

I have to chime in on this and state my experience and plans. My current caliber is a 270 win. and this has been one of the most accurate guns to shoot for all of MN whitetail hunts that will allow a rifle in that particular zone. Once sighted in about 6 years ago it has been "on" every year and every place I want to put the bullet. I am confident that I can take aim on any deer and harvest with a neck shot every time and out to 150 yards. I will not take any shot that is ify or marginal so if it isn't a clean shot the deer walks. My point is this one of the best all-around calibers a hunter could ask without knocking your shoulder off at the range and easily hand down to my younger boys when they are old enough hunt. So if need to I can hunt out west and take mullies or speed goats. Now my replacement gun will be a 270wsm with an even larger optics for better viewing and clearity. I did allot of research before I purchased my Remington Model 700 270 and it is by far IMO across the board best caliber. Good luck in your research and you don't always need a big bullet to prove anything just confidence.

good luck,

mr

[DRH1175]

I was going to buy the WSM but decided on the .270Win. IMO one if not the best all around caliber ever invented. It has the knock down to put away any elk. And is accurate out to 400 yards. If you already have a .270 why not get another. You can share ammo etc... I reload so ammo prices are null for me. But if I didn't I would deffinitly stick with the .270 win. The WSM can really drain that pocket book! Good luck on whatever you buy. Savage does make a good gun. In the Short Mags though I would definitly take a look at the A bolts they do have a very nice short throw on them.

[Muddog]

I'm very happy with the .25wssm. With 3 shots in 3/4" at 100yds with 120gr bullets. The 115gr have a Ballistic Coefficient of 0.446. How can I not be happy. The only thing I can think of that might be better for deer would be a .25 Roberts/CZ 550 combo or a 7mm Mauser action with the .25 Roberts (Bob).

If you know how to shoot, the 270win is as flat shooting as you need. Snipers use .308s with 165-8gr bullets but know we are talking ballistic Coefficient and where real long range shooting takes place. In a 270 you would need a 1 in 9 rifling twist or so to stablize a bullet with that kind of BC. So it would be better to go with 7mm mag which already has a quicker twist for bullets with higher BC. You wouldn't see the differance at ranges shorter then 300yds and if you can't get within 300 yds your not really hunting are you?

7mm = .284

.270 = .277

That is .007" differance. With out the quicker twist in the 7mm there would be no reason for 2 of them.

No matter how flat or hard hitting the round is, it will not make up for poor shot placement.

[MUSKY18]

Thanks for all the input on the .270 WSM. I do love the .270 Win and that gun is being handed down to my oldest son who has outgrown his youth model .243. The main reason I am thinking about going to the .270 WSM is because I want to go out west and whitetail/elk hunt and would like the extra bang. It is a hard decision, and if I don't get the WSM, I will pick up another .270.

[lcornice]

It is a fine elk round. Here's a 140 grain Winchester Fail Safe pulled out of a cow elk. I shot her in Utah at 200 yards and the bullet stuck in the off side shoulder.

[vister]

my girlfriend has this caliber in a sako model 75 finnlite. beautiful gun, extremely accurate, a bit pricey,and cause of the light weight, only just a hair over 6 pounds, tends to kick like a mule when sighting it in, so i'd recommend boresighting, as i would for any new gun or scope mods.

[Coldfeet]

I shoot a Savage model 16 chambered in 270WSM. It is my personal opinion that the government should make all other guns illegal for deer hunting and force everyone to use this one. I shot 4 deer with it last year and 3 this year. It only took 7 shots to kill all 7 deer and the farthest any of them ran was about 2 inches. In all my life (I've been deer hunting for 20 years) I've only had two deer that I can think of drop dead on the spot like that. Now it's seven in a row and counting. Sure is easy to track deer when they just fall on their face. Oh, one more thing. Although 6 of the 7 deer I've taken with this gun were within 75 yards, the first of the three I took this year was at about 180 yards while standing with nothing to support the gun while I shot. Note that I estimated the distance by counting the steps from where I stood to the deer (178 steps if I recall correctly). I am 6'3 so my stride should be a hair over 1 yard.

The gun is, to quote Marisa Tomei in "My Cousin Vinny", dead on balls accurate. I only shot twice when sighting in this year (actually, I didn't "sight in" at all, just verified that the bullet was still going where it's supposed to) and the two bullet holes on the target actually overlapped each other 1 inch above dead center @ 100 yds.

As far as kick goes, unlike others that have posted in this thread, I think it's quite light on the shoulder. I shoot Winchester XP2's and it's not a problem. My wife shot it once and agreed that it's not bad at all. My 30-06 kicks twice as hard. Of course, I do have a muzzle brake on mine and that does affect the kick quite a bit. The only gripe I have about the gun is that it is about 5x louder than any other gun I've ever shot, again due the the muzzle brake I'm sure. Just wear good hearing protection and you will fall in love with this gun!

[vister]

dropping deer in their tracks is all about shot placement, not Just the caliber. My 7 mag packs more of a punch and velocity numbers with 165 grain boattails than a 270 wsm with 140 nosler accubonds. the 7 mag is sighted in at 250 yards, and can get two inch groupings at that range, which aint all too bad. the reason for the long distance is it is also my elk rifle. shot placement is just like realty, location, location, location.

[surewood]

Only down side is the price of the ammo which is the main reason I went to the 270win. I really don't think you can do any better for whitetails.

[Coldfeet]

Quote:

---

dropping deer in their tracks is all about shot placement, not Just the caliber. My 7 mag packs more of a punch and velocity numbers with 165 grain boattails than a 270 wsm with 140 nosler accubonds. the 7 mag is sighted in at 250 yards, and can get two inch groupings at that range, which aint all too bad. the reason for the long distance is it is also my elk rifle. shot placement is just like realty, location, location, location.

---

Agreed, but it seems to me to be a bit easier to place those shots with this particular gun. I think one of the main reasons is the accu-trigger that Savage has. If set light enough (mine is at about 3 lbs) it doesn't really give you a chance to flinch before you shoot and helps you achieve better accuracy in my opinion.

[Bassboy1645]

the other thing about the ammo is that in rural area gas stations and bait shops you shouldnt have a problem finding .270 if its well stocked but .270wsm is another story. I only see ammo for that at bigger outdoor retail stores like sheels or gander. youd hate to forget bullets or somehow lose them and not be able to replace them in the middle of nowwhere...which brings me to another point. even if its a shotgun at least have something with you as a backup weapon and ammo for that!!!

[Muddog]

The .270 woks just fine.

Let me just add something completely differant.

I get a kick out of people calling a .243win a kids or womans round. After reading all of this you would think the .243win should only be used by competent shooters who can surgically place the bullet. Lord knows .243win will never take out both shoulders, take the heart and a lung out the exit wound while giving blood damage to most of the front quarter of exit wound side. No, thats big boy stuff.

At +$2.00 a shot. I should hope you would take the time to site I you .270wsm. 7 shots, 7 Deer. With my old 270win I once got 2 Deer in one shot! Yes the .270 has enough OUMPH.

[benelli_dude2002]

My father in law just bought his wife a 270WSM in a Browning A-bolt. SHe shot her first deer with it this year which was a big doe at 165 yards, only made it about 10 ft before it piled up. I compared the casing to my 300 WSM and they looked about the same size. They did find out that 270 WSM ammo around here is harder to find. I have a 270 that I hardly ever use anymore but its there if I need it. My dad who lives in Ontario, this is what he uses ( his 270 ) for everything, moose, deer or bear. I watched him shoot his biggest bull moose ( 56 inch spread )and dropped it in its tracks with one shot. I read articles in magazines in the past and some think that the 270 is too small for moose. I kinda chuckle when I read something like that. I gotten use to a scope that is why I hunt with my 300 WSM now and my 270 is just a plain jane Remington 7600 without a scope just like my dads. I think the 270 WSM is a good caliber but now that rifle season is over in MN there is alot of time between now and next season. Get used to shooting what you got and know your limits as far as feeling confident and like someone mentioned before....shot placement is key no matter what you shoot. Just my input! Happy hunting!