1000 yrd .270

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cobra246

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Hey guys i bought a winchester xpr .270 a few weeks ago and i got to thinking if i could turning into a 1000 yrd rifle.?
For one i like the round..its lighter than the .308 but a slightly heavier powder charge. Not exactly the best in terms of buckimg the wind but if it can hit 500 yrds whats to stop it from doing 1000?

So heres what i got. Synthetic stock with a 24" chrome-moly barrel 1:10" 4-grove twist. Bolt action. Trigger pull is just over 3 lbs.

Heres my main question. What scope would work best on this rifle? Someone told me that something with side parallax adjustment, 20x zoom are essential. Any help would be appreciated.
 
There is no doubt the cartridge is capable of 1000yd shooting. The problem is getting match grade bullets ideal in that caliber for long range shooting. I'm sure you can make/find some custom bullets, but then you will also need a faster twist.

...but it sounds like a fun project to try! :)

JIMHO...
 
The limiting factor for using a 270 for long range is a lack of high BC bullets. Most 270 bullets are designed as hunting bullets and since so few use it for long range targets there is no incentive to develop any. In recent years there have been some developed, but actually finding them may be a problem.

While theoretically possible, there is so much more load data and other information available for other rounds.
 
Berger makes hunting VLD bullets for the 270 but no target bullets.

If you had Berger manual looking at 7mm 168gr VLD/180gr VLD hunting/target bullets both have same BC and it same with many 30 cal VLD bullets same weight/jacket length. I'm guess but might be the same cost.

Matrix VLD bullets are using J4 jacket from Berger.

I haven't hunted with any of the Berger 270 bullets but I do shoot them.
 
There is no doubt the cartridge is capable of 1000yd shooting. The problem is getting match grade bullets ideal in that caliber for long range shooting. I'm sure you can make/find some custom bullets, but then you will also need a faster twist.

...but it sounds like a fun project to try!

JIMHO...
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The limiting factor for using a 270 for long range is a lack of high BC bullets. Most 270 bullets are designed as hunting bullets and since so few use it for long range targets there is no incentive to develop any. In recent years there have been some developed, but actually finding them may be a problem.

While theoretically possible, there is so much more load data and other information available for other rounds.
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I use a .270 for High Power Metallic Silhouette competition. High BC hunting-match grade bullets are available from Berger. I use the 140 gr VLD and my Tikka shoots 2-3/4" groups at 500 meters. I haven't tried their 150's or 170's, but if I was competing in 1,000 yard matches, I would seriously look at the 170 gr.EOL Elite Hunter with its G1 BC of 0.662.

ETA: According to the Berger website, optimal twist rate for the 170 gr. EOL Elite Hunter is 1:8. All other .270 bullet weights is 1:10.

ETA: http://www.bergerbullets.com/products/hunting-bullets/

YMMV, of course.
 
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The 270 Win, even with a 1:10 twist barrel is more then capable of shooting well past 1000 yards.

There are bullets, common bullets, out there, you can do it with the 130s but I shoot 150s.

The Hornady 150 SST/IB are excellent choices. Berger is another, but those two aren't the only ones out there.

I don't load my hot, I load to about 2750 fps mv. The limiting factor is at what point the bullet goes sub sonic. Keep it super sonic and then its up to you the shooter.

Check the BC of the Hornady and Berger bullets, they will stay super sonic past 15oo yards.

The 270 makes a good target round. But you might wont to limit your hunting range. For example, Berger engineers told me that to work properly they need a remaining velocity of 1800 fps. The way I load mine, I'm limited to 850 years based on Berger's guidance.

I shot an antelope last fall at 637 yards (measured with a range finder, confirmed with a GPS). I was using Hornady's 150 IB and I could put my fist in the exit wound.

Anyway the limiting factor on the 270 would be the shooter, not the round.

As to glass, Vortex makes some excellent reasonably priced scopes in the $200-300 price bracket.

I use one on my Model 70 Target rifle in PR matches and could not find fault with it. My wife stole the scope off my Mod 70 270 hunting rifle for her Ruger PR, so I replaced it with a Vortex 6-18X. Haven't hunted with it yet but so far it works as good as any other Vortex I have. Cant beat Vortex's warrantee either.
 
The limiting factor for using a 270 for long range is a lack of high BC bullets.
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Twist rate is also a problem. .270s typically have a 1:10" twist, and yet lie between 6.5mm and 7mm which usually have 8 twist and 9.5 (ideally 9) twist respectively. That pretty much cripples the .270, at least at lower elevation or in the cold. Get a custom 9 or 8 twist .270 barrel and it's a different game, but no one has those...
 
Brian Litz had done a lot of testing on bullets, while Berger 150's will probably shoot in a 1:10 twist barrel they may not be optimally stabilized. Litz also tested the Nosler LRAB bullets and found the 150's in .270 caliber to need a 1:7 twist to get anywhere near the advertized BC of the bullet. Now none of this means the bullets won't be accurate and usable in a 1:10 twist .270, just that you're not going to take full advantage of the bullets BC. Which in long range shooting BC is the name of the game.

LRAB.png
 
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Douglas makes 1:9" twisted barrels, I'm getting one built right now on a Remington 03a3 action just to shoot the 150's and up.
My heater bullet will be the 140, or 150 Partition, when I move up to heavier 800-1000 shouldn't be a problem, however I'm not gonna shoot animals at over 500-600, realistically..
 
Berger has good high b.c. match bullets for .270. I at one time had a .270 WSSM 1k match rifle. Bergers were awesome in it. (Yes, WSSM not WSM)
 
"...what's to stop it from doing 1000?..." Bullet drop. With a 200 yard zero a Hornady 150 grain bullet drops 44.1" at 500 with 1929FPS/1239 ft/lbs. remaining velocity and energy. As mentioned. there just aren't any .277" good long range bullets.
No scope will make any rifle shoot farther. Scopes do not do that.
 
taylorce1 said:
Brian Litz had done a lot of testing on bullets, while Berger 150's will probably shoot in a 1:10 twist barrel they may not be optimally stabilized. Litz also tested the Nosler LRAB bullets and found the 150's in .270 caliber to need a 1:7 twist to get anywhere near the advertized BC of the bullet. Now none of this means the bullets won't be accurate and usable in a 1:10 twist .270, just that you're not going to take full advantage of the bullets BC. Which in long range shooting BC is the name of the game.

LRAB.png
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So is it a good idea to get a tighter twist barrel for this project?
 
What scope would work best on this rifle?
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1000 yards is a long way off, especially if you don't have a good scope. I have two scopes that I use for target shooting at that distance, one is a 5-25, the other a 6-24, and I use the highest magnification on both when shooting 1000 yards if mirage allows. Both of the scopes have parallax adjustments and it also is very nice to have. If I were in the market today for a LR scope I would start by looking at what Vortex has to offer, I have their PST and it is a good scope for the money in my opinion. Another brand I would check into is Bushnell, their Elite Tactical is getting good reviews from what I've seen.

Good luck in you endeavor, I look forward to reading how the project works out.
 
"...what's to stop it from doing 1000?..." Bullet drop. With a 200 yard zero a Hornady 150 grain bullet drops 44.1" at 500 with 1929FPS/1239 ft/lbs. remaining velocity and energy. As mentioned. there just aren't any .277" good long range bullets.
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Bullet drop is meaningless for fixed distance long range shooting, all that matters is wind. You will need a tapered LR scope base, but those are widely available and inexpensive (unless you think you need something "Tactical").

The Sierra .277 135gr Matchking BC is comparable to the .308 155gr Palma Matchking, actually a little better below ~2700 FPS. That is more than capable of shooting 1000 yards.

The .277 150gr is even better, but a hunting bullet, not a match bullet.

For the scope, side focus is nice but not mandatory (LR you will be on ∞ anyway), but you probably want a 30mm tube, and definitely want target turrets.

I have an earlier generation of this scope on my LR rig:

www.midwayusa.com/product/136219117...-rifle-scope-30mm-tube-65-20x-50mm-side-focus

Excellent glass, repeatable adjustments, plenty of adjustment range (more so with a tapered base), lifetime warranty, all around excellent scope.

It is in your budget too.
 
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