Just how good is the 270 WSM

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Bearkilr is onto the only reason a .30-06 is more suitable for larger than deer game and that is bullet weight. If it can be done with a 150 grain bullet, a .270 (of any stripe) can do it. If you need a heavier bullet, then the .30-06 is the better choice because it can handle heavier bullets far better than the .270. There are things that can be done with a 180 or 200 grain .30 Cal bullet that cannot be done with the bullet weights in the .270. Although shot placement is almost everything, there are times only heavier bullets with high sectional densities are the best choice.

The .270 WSM can not "replace" anything, and that is why it is just a marketing adventure for Winchester that is getting those susceptible to marketing all lathered up. I feel the same way about all the "new" short magnums. Nothing new is getting done at all, so they are kind of interesting ..... but ... why bother?
 
Elk325 said:
you kidding right ..got another excuse..do u own a 30-06
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Do you own stock or something? Why are you so in love with this particular round?

And you should find out what you can actually get from a .30-06 with 130 or 140 grain bullets. You would obviously be surprised.
 
rral22 said:
Bearkilr is onto the only reason a .30-06 is more suitable for larger than deer game and that is bullet weight. If it can be done with a 150 grain bullet, a .270 (of any stripe) can do it. If you need a heavier bullet, then the .30-06 is the better choice because it can handle heavier bullets far better than the .270. There are things that can be done with a 180 or 200 grain .30 Cal bullet that cannot be done with the bullet weights in the .270. Although shot placement is almost everything, there are times only heavier bullets with high sectional densities are the best choice.

The .270 WSM can not "replace" anything, and that is why it is just a marketing adventure for Winchester that is getting those susceptible to marketing all lathered up. I feel the same way about all the "new" short magnums. Nothing new is getting done at all, so they are kind of interesting ..... but ... why bother?
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so if heavier bullet weights are good then the 338 win mag would crush the 30-06 ..ya think ?, or does shot placement only play a role if the calibre in question is one you own ..Hmmm ..the cartridge comes into play when you have one maybe..LMAO ..and NO the 30-06 does not keep up to the 270WSM in any weight ..not sorry
 
Elk325 said:
so if heavier bullet weights are good then the 338 win mag would crush the 30-06 ..ya think ?, or does shot placement only play a role if the calibre in question is one you own ..Hmmm ..the cartridge comes into play when you have one maybe..LMAO ..and NO the 30-06 does not keep up to the 270WSM in any weight ..not sorry
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So you come on here asking about the virtues of the 270 WSM compared to the 30-06 then slam everyone with a finding that doesn't match your opinion? I'd ask you to check a reloading book, but I suspect you don't own any.

After you've done your homework for school tomorrow, check out hodgdonreloading.com and report back to us.
 
Elk325 said:
so if heavier bullet weights are good then the 338 win mag would crush the 30-06 ..ya think ?, or does shot placement only play a role if the calibre in question is one you own ..Hmmm ..the cartridge comes into play when you have one maybe..LMAO ..and NO the 30-06 does not keep up to the 270WSM in any weight ..not sorry
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Yeah, I have to agree with others that this is getting pretty adolescent.
 
Elk325 said:
The 270 WSM with 150's grainers at 3120 fps, 140's at 3200 and the famous 130 running 3280 sure looks to be a very versatile round.Is it for elk and moose hunting in grizzly country? How does the 270 win ,308 and 30-06 compare.
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Compare?
How about price difference of the ammo.

As for versatility the older cartridges seem work just fine.
But hey whatever floats your boat.
 
Ammo cost? Like honestly if $5 is a deal breaker for you then get a new hobby. Much more expensive items in this hobby.

270wsm is a awesome caliber. Yes it's more noise and recoil then the 270win. I know I have both. It depends on your use. 270 win will kill moose all day enough of the .30 crowd like seriously. What did guys use before? 45-70govt?? 270wsm ill shoot a rhino with. Every caliber no every gun needs shot placement. If you can't do that then not even a 50BMG is good for moose.

I hate this arguement of calibers. It depends on your use. I like the high velocities for flatter trajectories. I own a BLR lever action with a short barrel. It's nice and small for a bush gun. So shorter barrel loses velocity. So having a faster caliber helps make up for my lost velocity. Every caliber from 270 and up will kill any moving creature on earth. Yes rhinos everything. A hole in the brain or heart of any size in any animal kills them immediately. Garbage shooters who make garbage shots are unethical for hunting period. The guy who uses 140 grain .243 but places every shot is far more ethical IMO.
 
the 270 is pretty close in brass and powder to the 306 and more then the 308. the best to way compare is go down to a gun shop and look at all three rounds and and read the backs of the boxes make sure they are the same make of bullets. that being said I prefer the 270 because it shoots flatter. better still the 6.5x55 and have taken moose, deer, black bear and elk with it, anything with a hole in its lungs dies. As for bear country If I am hunting any of those a short 12g strapped to your back never hurts.
 
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rral22 said:
It's not anything new. It does nothing that can't already be done by many other rounds (like any of those you mentioned). It's not worse than many others, and it is a tiny bit faster than the old .270 Win, but it does NOTHING NEW. If you want to buy one (or already have is my guess) then go ahead and use it. It will work just as well as the older rounds but don't expect any "Ooooohh's and Aaaahh's" from very many. And don't expect any different reactions from any animals you shoot with it than you would get from a .270 Win.

It's an example of marketing hype, not an example of any marvelous new ballistics.
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Bingo.

Great engineering, really good ballistic design - really admirable. Will it do anything that the .270 Win or .30-06 or .303 British won't? Over 400 yards, it certainly will. Now, let's put away the hunting-camp bull sessions. How many of us can use that to advantage - put a bullet reliably into a kill zone the size of a dinner plate - over 400 yards each and every time? Under 400, dead is dead and more velocity and KE won't make Bambi more-than-dead.

Against that you have cost, small-town ammo availability, etc.

Hey, if it turns you on, go for it. Just don't pretend that it's the Perfect round.
 
Elk325 said:
It just might be the new round for the NA do it all ...what you 308 , 30-06 and even 7mm fella's hafta say ?
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I prefer to use a cartridge that shoots flatter, and does it with a heavier bullet, and has manageable recoil. I am not aware of anything that a .277" bullet can do, that a .284" bullet at higher velocity,can't do better.:)
 
ATOM has a good post, can't add much to it.

I myself like the WSM, shows some evolution in the shooting world - but WSM's do not do anything other calibers don't, other than it does it more efficiently. As for the 270WSM, whatever rocks your boat - its not for me (but the/my 325 sure is!) as my buds T3 270wsm and its recoil was really not fun at all to shoot - that experience has tainted me -

However, i do think the only changes in the cartridge world worth their weight will be those that can push X caliber at X velocity more efficiently than the old relics that have done it for 50-100 years... Why wouldn't someone want a cartridge that shoots X caliber bullet at X velocity using 10-30% less powder to get there??? That is evolution! Sadly tho in this arena too many of us get stuck on not ever wanting change for no reason other than we don't want change!

IMHO the only debate that should be had when comparing cartridges should be the use of the most efficient/effective bullet for your needs. At least thats a constructive debate -
 
The short fats are marketing hype, still effective but pretty much only the 270 WSM is superior to any old time caliber it is meant to replace...270Win...marginally.

IMO

300 WM >300 WSM
no comparable for 325 WSM
270WSM> 270 Win...marginally
7 RM > 7WSM.

If one already owns a older caliber, you have little to gain buying a equivalent caliber WSM. If you own neither, take your pick.

I have never loaded for a WSM caliber, but understand they can be finicky. Further, while "superformance" powder is available it is not the same blended powder that fuels the WSM. So one is left buying very expensive factory ammo to approach the performance of a old timer...one that reloads easier and cheaper and has a lot of cheaper premium factory loadings available.

Can see the 300 WSM surviving, and the 270 WSM would be a awesome short action sheep gun. Not sure if sheep hunters buy enough rifles to keep it alive.
 
The 270 wsm as an advantage way out there if you shoot enough to capitalize on that, then it's probably worth it.

Now with that said I have a horror story I can share about the 270 wsm and all of its incredible velocity. Last fall my little cousin (my first cousins son)out on a moose hunt with his dad shot a moose at distance of not more than a hundred feet, the old man tells the boy aim low enough try for the heart, boom. the shot looked good but it was no good, the bullet exploded in the meat of the arm and the moose ran off like the hounds from hell were on his ass. Now I really don't want to get in to to all of the coulda woulda shoulda stuff. The bottom line is the moose was not recovered after great deal of effort.
The 270 wsm is really fast and at the closer range it was to fast for a standard 150 grain lead and copper bullet in this case.

Everybody involved was stressed out by the fact, the kid knew it and quit hunting. Nobody got mad at the kid and everybody involved told him, that stuff happens from time to time . The boy felt terrible and has not hunted since.
I guess the point is velocity is good if you need it and can honestly use it.
 
This has nothing to do with the chambering.Could have happened, or not with anything.

jonny45 said:
The 270 wsm as an advantage way out there if you shoot enough to capitalize on that, then it's probably worth it.

Now with that said I have a horror story I can share about the 270 wsm and all of its incredible velocity. Last fall my little cousin (my first cousins son)out on a moose hunt with his dad shot a moose at distance of not more than a hundred feet, the old man tells the boy aim low enough try for the heart, boom. the shot looked good but it was no good, the bullet exploded in the meat of the arm and the moose ran off like the hounds from hell were on his ass. Now I really don't want to get in to to all of the coulda woulda shoulda stuff. The bottom line is the moose was not recovered after great deal of effort.
The 270 wsm is really fast and at the closer range it was to fast for a standard 150 grain lead and copper bullet in this case.

Everybody involved was stressed out by the fact, the kid knew it and quit hunting. Nobody got mad at the kid and everybody involved told him, that stuff happens from time to time . The boy felt terrible and has not hunted since.
I guess the point is velocity is good if you need it and can honestly use it.
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The 270 WSM along with all the 277 cal cartridges are great deer rifles period...........They do NOT compare with 284 or 308 dia bullets and cartridges and should have died and been buried at inception. JMHO
 
"The 270 WSM with 150's grainers at 3120 fps, 140's at 3200 and the famous 130 running 3280 sure looks to be a very versatile round.Is it for elk and moose hunting in grizzly country? How does the 270 win ,308 and 30-06 compare. "


If you want a 277 cal rifle the 270 WSM isn't a bad choice, it's a little faster than the 270 Win at the cost of mag capacity, it doesn't really offer anything that different though. Personally I would (and do) use the 270 Win but that's just my choice. I use the 270 Win for deer hunting and for bighorns in Southern BC when I'm not in grizzly country. For elk and moose in grizzly country my personal choice is a 300 Mag of some flavour or larger, that's just personal choice and it's not so much grizzly paranoia as I appreciate the heavier bullet weight on moose and elk. I personally don't use a 270 on elk and moose but it's because I don't have to, the 270 will do it but all things being equal (which they never are) the 300 (or larger) with heavier bullets will do more.
 
Elk325 said:
The 270 WSM with 150's grainers at 3120 fps, 140's at 3200 and the famous 130 running 3280 sure looks to be a very versatile round.Is it for elk and moose hunting in grizzly country? How does the 270 win ,308 and 30-06 compare.
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I had a 270wsm. It had plenty of killing power for moose or elk. Compared to a .270 30.06 or 308, placed in the vitals, I don't think one caliber is any deadlier than the other. A postmortem tissue analysis of the organ could be definitive. But for the animal you're going to shoot through the heart or the lungs, I don't think the animal is going to die any faster or know the difference.
I've never opened up or shot a grizzly bear with a .270wsm, so I cant offer an informed opinion re. bear.

I didn't care for the recoil or blast of the short magnum.
And the shells were more expensive.
The question is, is it more efficient than conventional calibers?

I hunt with a 30.06 now. And think I'd like a standard .270.
 
Chago said:
Ammo cost? Like honestly if $5 is a deal breaker for you then get a new hobby. Much more expensive items in this hobby.
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Well actually yes $5 does make a big difference to me and I suspect .270 WSM is a lot more expensive then $5 in comparison to the others mentioned.

Besides which it's not for you to tell anyone what hobby they should have.

I personally don't have an issue with what other people are shooting until they make grand claims that theirs are somehow better then what anyone else would be using.
 
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