.270 Winchester

The .270 Winchester dates to 1925, but its roots run deeper. Paul Mauser developed the 7x57 in the early 1890s, on the heels of the French 8x50R Lebel (the first military cartridge to use smokeless powder). The 7x57 launched a 173-grain bullet at around 2,300 fps. Chambered in the Model 1893 Mauser, it was adopted by many European and South American governments. Hunters found the 7x57 ideal for deer, mountain game and antelope the world over.

In 1917, the brilliant Wilhelm Brenneke introduced his 7x64, which drove a 173-grain bullet 500 fps faster than the 7x57. Eight years later, Winchester announced the similar .270, essentially a necked-down .30-06. The .270's .277 bullet is just .007-inch smaller than that of 7mms. The Winchester name helped endear it to hunters Stateside. So did Jack O'Connor, who began his career as a gun writer during the .270's infancy. When in 1937 it made the list of charter chamberings in Winchester's Model 70, the .270 became even more popular. Only the .30-06 has enjoyed a larger production run in this rifle.

Initially loaded with 130-grain bullets at 3,000 fps, the .270 gained a reputation for destroying meat. Hunters used to the modest damage inflicted by .30-30 bullets called for a milder load. Winchester complied with a 150-grain offering at 2,675. Nobody bought it. Stronger bullets that opened predictably and drove deep at high impact speeds later gave the .270 more appeal. Standard rifling twist: 1-in-10.

When Roy Weatherby announced his .270 Magnum in 1943, hunters were slow to embrace it--albeit the belted round beat the .270 Winchester out of the gate by 200 fps. Most shooters wanted high performance, but in an affordable rifle that could be fed with ordinary ammunition. In 1957, the wildcat 7mm-06 was adopted for commercial loading as the .280 Remington. Stoked to 47,000 psi to function reliably in Remington's pump and autoloading rifles, it got a peppier 150-grain load in 1979, when it became the 7mm Express. The name did not stick, so Remington revived the .280 designation. Ballistically, it's a .270.

Winchester's .270 faced its stiffest competition from the 7mm Remington Magnum, which arrived in 1962 in a brand new bolt rifle. Model 700s soon set sales records. Wyoming outfitter Les Bowman, himself a .270 fan, hawked Remington's new 7mm as a perfect cartridge for the West. Still, the .270 Winchester remains among the five most popular elk rounds in hunter surveys I've conducted over the last decade.

Despite the .270 Winchester's success, there aren't a lot of factory-loaded .270-bore alternatives. The wildcat list includes the .270 Titus on the .300 Savage case and the .270 Redding, based on the .308 Winchester hull but with a 30-degree shoulder. The long rimless .270 AHR appeared in the 1990s, designed by Ken Howell and offered in bolt guns by Ed Plummer and company under the banner of American Hunting Rifles. The .270 Winchester Short Magnum came later; it nearly matches .270 Weatherby performance.

Application

The .270 Winchester is arguably the best open-country deer cartridge ever developed. Perhaps the best sheep round too. I've shot elk with .270s. O'Connor used his on moose. Alaskan guide Hosea Sarber is said to have killed grizzlies with a .270. While a .30-06 with heavy bullets makes sense for tough animals at oblique angles up close, a big selection of 150-grain controlled-expansion bullets have blessed the .270. Modest recoil is a plus; almost anyone can learn to shoot a .270 well. Varmint hunters can dust prairie dogs with Remington's 100-grain load. Federal and Hornady catalog 140-grain bullets in High Energy and Light Magnum lines. With a 2.54-inch hull and 17 1/2-degree shoulder, the .270 fits perfectly in rifle mechanisms developed for the .30-06. Graceful in form and function, .270 rounds stack neatly in magazines and glide smoothly up feed ramps. Handloading is easy. Mid-range powders like RL-15, IMR 4895, H380 and AA 2520 work with 130-grain bullets. I prefer RL-19 and the 4350s but have charged many cases with surplus H-4831. Yes, you can dump H-4831 into a .270 hull, card off the mouth and seat a 130-grain bullet. You'll get better accuracy with a scale.

Ballistics

Classic 130- and 150-grain .270 loads have been joined by 140-grain offerings. A list of all .270 factory loads would total nearly 50, including excellent options from Fiocchi, Norma and RWS. Remington even fields a Managed-Recoil load.