.270 Win vs. .270 WSM

I have a 7mm WSM but ammo is not a problem for me I have 250 rounds of ammo and reloading dies. On subject of your question my Aunt took the #2 Boone & Crocket trophy Mountain Caribou in the 50's with a .270 with one shot.
 
.270 win. I have taken pigs out to 220 yards using 130gr Corelokt ammo with my M70 in .270. I have complete confidence in the rifle and round....
 
If you're buying factory ammo

If your using factory ammo it's going to be a lot more expensive to use the 270 WSM. You will find 270 on sale at any walmart. Not so for the 270 WSM. I also notice WSM are a little finicky to reload. I have a 300 WSM and a 25 WSM. You can get them to shoot but it takes a lot of tweeking.
 
If you handload or plan to: Get the 270wsm.
If you don't or don't plan to: get the 270 win.

I have a Vanguard in 270wsm and it is the most accurate rifle I have ever owned. I also handload, so that is why I will never get rid of it. However, there is nothing the wsm can do that the win can't do, except that you have to be about 30 yards closer.
 
As others have said, get the 270 Win if you plan on finding readly available ammo. The WSM and all the others of its kind don't offer any distinctive advantages over the tried and true standards. Like many other new whiz bangers it was a way for the manufacturers to increase sales for the latest and greatest. They created a buzz and a following but based on history, they'll fall from popularity pretty quickly. Honestly, I seriously doubt that the animal or target on the other end is going to know the difference but your wallet will. I really believe that these are fad cartridges that are going to be harder and harder to find as time goes on, the .270 Win will always be around.

I use to be a Magnum Hound but I've realized that they have applications only when the shots are at distance and that most shooters of them never fully realize their uses where a standard will do the same. In fact my 7mm-08 is better suited to the whitetails and hogs we hunt than my 7mm Mags are.
 
The real reason for the short mags was to reduce manufacturing time, expenses and inventory for the manufacturers. They can make more short actions, save a little steel and put out a greater variety of calibers with same/similar actions.
Doing that allowed marketing geniuses to come up with statements that suggested magical performance from a shorter cartridge.
Oh, and charge more.
But, for what you want, I would go with 30-06, especially for the black bear and elk. Close second choice, .308 and you would get a shorter cartridge.
Really, it is a matter of choice but I like the greater versatility of the 30 cals.
 
The real reason for the short mags was to reduce manufacturing time, expenses and inventory for the manufacturers. They can make more short actions, save a little steel and put out a greater variety of calibers with same/similar actions.
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If that were the true reasons then the manufacturers would stop making all long actions. Plus the tooling up to make the other parts to allow the WSM cartrdige to function in a short action is no small expense. The truth is it was another product to offer in their catalog, and to pay the gun writers to proclaim it as the new wonder cartridge/s to get the masses to purchase them. The reason for this is, if the only chambering offered was .270 Win or .30-06 how many of each would you own?
 
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The .270 will do fine on all the above mentioned, and I do mean the .270...not that new stocky little mutant. Plus, the .270 Winchester will give you more ammo for far less money.
 
I'll join the banter..

Nothing wrong with using what's proven. My hunting rifle is a 30-06, so trust me I like using what works.

But the flip side of that is even though the WSMs and other similar alphabet calibers don't have a huge ballistic advantage, its still an advantage. Progress doesn't always comes in leaps and bounds. Sometimes its multiple small steps. I for one am glad we still aren't driving Model Ts around because I like having a DVD player in our minivan so my daughter doesn't drive us crazy while on long road trips.

So don't give people who buy the latest and greatest too much grief because they are financing progress is how I see it.
 
The "handier short action" arquement is B.S. on some guns. Some mfg's put a 2" longer barrel on the WSM's so the gun is actually longer than a long action 270 Win. Also I've had a 300WSM Kimber and 270WSM Sako that each had feeding issues with the short fat case. There was a reason for the shape of the 30-06 case. They knew it would feed reliably.
 
The "handier short action" arquement is B.S. on some guns. Some mfg's put a 2" longer barrel on the WSM's so the gun is actually longer than a long action 270 Win.
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Compare a short vs long action Browning BLR and you'll notice the difference. There's more to handling than overall length. It's a question of balance. Shotgunners spend thousands of $ to get it just right and although it's not as crucial on rifles it's still worth considering.
 
If you don't reload get the .270 Win. HUGE difference in ammo prices. HUGE. And you can always find .270 Win ammo. Not necessarily true for .270 WSM. The short mag fad is dieing out.
 
I have a 270 WSM and like it a lot. Would I recommend it to a person who doesn't reload? Absolutely not. I bought it because I got a steal of a deal on it. The scope that was mounted on it was worth the price alone. Why did I get such a great deal? Because the guy who originally bought it was a new shooter who just had to have the "best" he could afford that day. Then he found out how much the ammo cost! :) For me, I can load up 270 WSM cartridges for the exact same price as 270 Win. Is it THAT much better? Nope. But it is cool! :)

Actually, I got a fantastic buy on an almost new Browning BLR in .325 WSM for the same reason and I like it a lot too.

But absolutely for the first rifle or a non-reloader, DON'T do it. Get a regular ole 270.
 
Compare a short vs long action Browning BLR and you'll notice the difference. There's more to handling than overall length. It's a question of balance. Shotgunners spend thousands of $ to get it just right and although it's not as crucial on rifles it's still worth considering.
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That's my point. I prefer a standard length 22" barrel with a long action rather than a 24" barreled short action gun. Neither of the 2 wsm guns I've owned were handier than the same model gun in a long action. Dunno about BLR's. My opinion is based on bolt actions.
 
I have .270 and .30-06. These have worked fine for years. I looked at the Win short mags but couldnt really find a good reason for going to one.
 
I have a .270 WSM and love it. Where I hunt it is not uncommon to have 300 yards shots. However, as many have said, the ammo is expensive.
 
I have a .270 WSM and love it. Where I hunt it is not uncommon to have 300 yards shots.
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Same here but I don't have any problems killing game at that distance with the plain old .270 & .30-06 and even some smaller cartridges. If you have everything correct (range & velocity data from your rifle), distance is easy to compensate for. Energy is the only advantage that I see, the WSM delivers more of it to the target at all distances.
 
I have not been much of a fan of the short mags. The standard mags work well enough for me. I also believe that the 308 would have never been as popular had it not been for its adoption by the military and in fact I still prefer the old 06 to it. Maybe its because I am old and have a tendancy to resist change.
 
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