Custom Short Barrel .270 Win for a bush gun????

mlehtovaara

mlehtovaara

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My current Deer gun is a Browning Xbolt in .270 and while I love it it is not ideal for pushing bush.

I am considering options for a bush gun and while I could go with something basic, like a classic 30-30 lever, I am considering a custom toy to make things a little easier in the reloading dept.

Now I understand that to gain full performance out of the .270 Win a longer barrel at least 22 inches is the norm possibly 24, but in this case, this gun is not necessarily in need of all of that speed. Infact there is an argument to be made that at close ranges the .270 doesn't hold together well at full speed so I am thinking losing a little velocity might be a positive.

I have read that according to Lyman a 15 inch TC Encore is losing about 400 FPS compared to a 24 inch barrel. So if I am using a short barrel say 16 inches I wouldn't necessarily mind losing that little bit of velocity, as shots are not gonna be outside of 100m.

My plan is to pick up a cheap .270 like an axis or the likes, possibly following this years deer season, and have a custom barrel put on her, as well as some decent Iron Sights. Then possibly upgrade to a Boyds stock if I like the results.

Basically just wondering if I am a total idiot or if any of this makes sense.
 
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Absolutlely. It will do what you need done at a reasonable cost. You could buy a new Remington with a 16" barrel, but maybe thats only 300 Blackout, not sure. Or just get a used Axis chopped to 18".
 
Do you reload? Is this why you are sticking with the .270? It's my go to gun, but if I was going to intentionally make a stubby rifle I'd think of a .308 first- given that it was made with a 20" barrel in mind.
 
jaydog said:
Do you reload? Is this why you are sticking with the .270? It's my go to gun, but if I was going to intentionally make a stubby rifle I'd think of a .308 first- given that it was made with a 20" barrel in mind.
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Agreed. Why use a flat shooting "long range" cartridge like .270 for a bush gun? Muzzle blast and noise would be intense. .308 or .358 or .338 would be ideal
 
It doesn't make a lot of scene to me. I guess you could take a corvette and put a lift kit in it and big aggressive tires and turn it into a "bush buggy" but a good jeep would be a better option.

I know that some people just prefer to do something custom and have something unique rather that getting a standard tool for the job.

A friend has a Rem. 788 in 7mm-08 with a 20 in. barrel. He has loaded up some pretty fast and accurate loads for it with Varget and some of the copper and copper/alloy bullets.
 
Duffy said:
It doesn't make a lot of scene to me. I guess you could take a corvette and put a lift kit in it and big aggressive tires and turn it into a "bush buggy" but a good jeep would be a better option.

I know that some people just prefer to do something custom and have something unique rather that getting a standard tool for the job.

A friend has a Rem. 788 in 7mm-08 with a 20 in. barrel. He has loaded up some pretty fast and accurate loads for it with Varget and some of the copper and copper/alloy bullets.
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Haha, did you just compare a savage axis to a corvette? Oh boy.

I think the cartridge (.270 win) is perhaps not ideal for shooting through bush, a larger slower round may defelect less when shooting through branches or whatever, but I'm guessing the OP wants this caliber so he doesnt need to take more then one type of ammunition with him.
 
cody c said:
I think the cartridge (.270 win) is perhaps not ideal for shooting through bush, a larger slower round may defelect less when shooting through branches or whatever, but I'm guessing the OP wants this caliber so he doesnt need to take more then one type of ammunition with him.
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In the research I have done the whole idea of deflecting through twigs, and brush seems to be BS, so I am not worrying about that.

You hit the nail on the head though with the idea of not wanting to pack a whole new calibre when I can just load up a bunch of the same bullets.
 
For the record, I have shot several deer at close range with a .270.... in fact, my bush gun is a .270 single with open sights.... Never had an issue with the bullet not doing it's job at close range.... I do shoot 150gr. though......

And yes, Mlehto is correct... This shooting through brush stuff is complete nonsense although faster bullets are more easily deflected....

The .270 does the trick for me because I uphold the same standards for shot selection when brush hunting as I do for stand hunting...
 
I think that Superbrad makes a lot of sense about the 150 grain bullets for the brush hunting parts of your hunting.They will be a little slower than 130 grain and they are often round nose which some believe result in less deflection. I think that you should stick with one rifle for all your hunting....the 22 inch barrel should be fine.
My thinking is that while "brush hunting" your shots will likely be close and time to get your shot off will be brief. Having a rifle with a different safety, different sights or a different action might actually be a disadvantage.If you like your current rifle just stick with it.If you practice , you will be able to acquire targets quickly with scope set at low power.
My "woods rifle" of choice here in the Eastern Townships of Quebec has always been a .270 bolt with scope set at 2.5 ..........have used several models over the years.
Pete G
 
diemaco said:
Agreed. Why use a flat shooting "long range" cartridge like .270 for a bush gun? Muzzle blast and noise would be intense. .308 or .358 or .338 would be ideal
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I was thinking the same thing. Even a short barrelled 30-06 would make more sense than a short 270 but to each their own.
 
Where I live (Huron county) I am unable to use a center fire rifle to hunt deer....I must use a shotgun and use the new rifled barrel slugs.For a bush gun it would be hard pressed not to use a pump shotgun. I have shot deer out to 300 yards and killed them deader then dead can be (lol)...these new slugs have came along way..
 
Short barrels are awesome if you like muzzle blast and large increases in volume. How is it that our forefeathers could run around with four foot long BP rifles and 24" model 94s and still put meat in the pot?
 
philthygeezer said:
Short barrels are awesome if you like muzzle blast and large increases in volume. How is it that our forefeathers could run around with four foot long BP rifles and 24" model 94s and still put meat in the pot?
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You are right... we should not use any modern technology at our disposal... and now... back to surfing the internet....
 
I think that Superbrad makes a lot of sense about the 150 grain bullets for the brush hunting parts of your hunting.They will be a little slower than 130 grain and they are often round nose which some believe result in less deflection.
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The whole idea of "brush busting" cartridges and bullets has been proven through testing to be just another myth.
 
Aboslutely nothing wrong with using a .270win as a bush gun.......

You guys got to remember that all the Calibres are reasonably similar that they had to catergorise certain rifles into "long range" "brush" "woods" "medium game" whatever the reason... mostly so it looks like the cartridge has its place in the world.

Cos to be honest theres not really much differene between 270 an 280, neither 280 and 30-06, so there wouldn't be much difference between a 270 and a 30-06, so that would mean the 270 an 308 perform similar too... get my drift?

anyway, Get one of them Savages you speak of, lop the barrel to desired length an reload with 150gr projectiles.
If a projectile is going to hit a tree, well its going to hit a tree.... I don't think it matter if its a 270 or a 30, You would be surprised how little effect the light bushes/leaves has on a bullet, especially if the animal is close behind the bush... shooting through bush that is 50-100m infront of the Animal is not gunna work out too well in anyones book.


Another way I look at this, by losing velocity with a shorter barrel you are indeed going to be suiting the impact velocitys to the not so premium projectiles, which have worked for hundred years..


I say go for it, Reload for one cartridge , use it for 2 different scenerios... = 1 happy hunter & he's mighty .270...ay

WL
 
mlehtovaara said:
My current Deer gun is a Browning Xbolt in .270 and while I love it it is not ideal for pushing bush.

I am considering options for a bush gun and while I could go with something basic, like a classic 30-30 lever, I am considering a custom toy to make things a little easier in the reloading dept.

Now I understand that to gain full performance out of the .270 Win a longer barrel at least 22 inches is the norm possibly 24, but in this case, this gun is not necessarily in need of all of that speed. Infact there is an argument to be made that at close ranges the .270 doesn't hold together well at full speed so I am thinking losing a little velocity might be a positive.

I have read that according to Lyman a 15 inch TC Encore is losing about 400 FPS compared to a 24 inch barrel. So if I am using a short barrel say 16 inches I wouldn't necessarily mind losing that little bit of velocity, as shots are not gonna be outside of 100m.

My plan is to pick up a cheap .270 like an axis or the likes, possibly following this years deer season, and have a custom barrel put on her, as well as some decent Iron Sights. Then possibly upgrade to a Boyds stock if I like the results.

Basically just wondering if I am a total idiot or if any of this makes sense.
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It makes sense to me. Personally I would go with a short action but to each their own. It's a free country and we can make our own choices. You said you reload and I can understand why you want to stick with one caliber.

A custom barrel to go below 18" is going to cost more than a Savage Axis. Might as well take the factory barrel and cut it to 18". It doesn't seem worth the cost for a slightly shorter barrel.

Good luck!
 
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