The “Obscure” 270

There are so many of these "new & improved" rifle calibers floating around, that I think a short message would be in order concerning one of the finest deer & elk  cartridges EVER.  The little 270 Winchester.

Of all of my hunting rifles, it was my 270 that most often went out with me. (I lost interest in game hunting several years ago, and gave that rifle to my son)..........but I always felt it was the perfect caliber for both deer and elk,,,,,,and let's face it....that's what MOST of us HUNT, is it not?

I do not currently own or need a 270 today, so I don't have any good photos to SHOW you guys.....but I'd be the first one to recommend it for the fall season, and if I were of a MIND to "stalk the tree lines" again, I would ONCE AGAIN own one.

To ME.....the 270 is basically a necked-down 30.06.......in fact, in technical terms, that's EXACTLY what it is.  It's .277 diameter bullet flies faster and flatter than the .308 bullet it was derived from.  Its only limitation is that there aren't any bullets over 160 grains in weight for the 270.

The 30.06 can handle bullet weights up to 220 grains........but you lose speed as you go UP in bullet weight.  You CANNOT use as much powder behind the heavier bullets, because of the increase in chamber pressure that is already created from a heavier slug in that barrel.

I'm not the "world expert", but I HAVE hunted deer & elk for enough decades to know that a mule deer does NOT require a 180-grain bullet to bring him down.  The little lever-action 30-30's have been doing it for over a century, and still lead the pack today, in the "numbers game" of deer taken annually in this country.

So really..........what IS a "deer rifle?"

With 150-grain bullets, the 30.06 is a bit faster at the muzzle than the 270, but as the two go down range together, the slightly WIDER 30 caliber creates a little more wind resistance than that 27-caliber does, and somewhere between 200 and 300 yards, the "little" 270 overtakes the 30.06, and if the shot required is "WAY OUT THERE", the more streamlined 270 doesn't "drop off' as quickly....so ITS 150 grains of bullet will impact the animal with less drop on its way to the target, and more AUTHORITY when it gets there!

The smaller diameter of the 270 slug doesn't create quite as much back-pressure (and resulting recoil either)..... for whatever THAT might be worth to ya.

It's a nice fast round that'll get the job done, as long as you do YOUR part and put the bullet where it needs to be, (as you have to do with ANY caliber), and it doesn't beat the daylights out of you at the same time.

The 7mm Magnum is a very "OOH and AAH" caliber....and pretty popular.....but did you know that side-by-side-------a 7mm Mag/154-grain bullet, and a 270/150-grain bullet.........BOTH leaving the barrel with their maximum allowable loads...................

...........at 500 yards, the 7mm is only 66 feet per second faster than the 270? (ITS ,284 diameter bully has a little "drag" too).

And to GET that "extra" 66 feet per second, you're burning about 38% more powder and taking a lot more recoil in the "bigger 7."

At THIS point, our 7mm Mag hunter will push one of his 175-grain loads in our face, and dare us to match THAT in our 270..........but that ok.....we've made our point-------in the deer & elk world anyway.

As I said earlier, nobody makes anything heavier than a 160 grain bullet for the 270.  If they DID, it would have to be LONGER, and the extra mass in that little .277 diameter barrel would be dangerous, pressure-wise.  All rifles have chamber-pressure limits, which is a combination of bullet weight in the barrel, and the powder load.

So.......if you want to shoot heavier-grain bullets in a gun, you have to DECREASE the powder charge as you go up in bullet weight, so that you don't create TOO much "overall" chamber pressure....and blow the gun up!

That's why heavier bullets WILL do a better job of taking down a big animal at the closer ranges, but because they're SLOWER, the bullet drop is more noticeable as extreme yardage goes by.

There ARE "trade-offs."

If I was hunting moose or bear.....I would want the wider/heavier slugged 30.06..........

But if all I was ever gonna hunt around here was deer or elk..........I'd go with the old 270 every time.  I've never had to chase one after a "270 hit", and have never had to shoot one twice.  It doesn't try to pound your shoulder into hamburger, and ammo is readily available almost anywhere.

Because we're all trying to "one-up" each other today with these "short magnums", and "Weatherby Magnums" and the forever-popular 30.06............the little 270 has almost been forgotten about.....and buried in obscurity.

But in MY opinion anyway....for that open terrain of Idaho, the 270 Winchester is still 'the one to have."