could the .270 Winchester see a resurgence with the new 6.8 bullets ???

M

Magnum Wheel Man

New member
as I'm building a new 6.8 SPC bolt action rifle, I've been looking at components... I'm seeing lots of new slippery match grade bullets & premium hunting bullets, a lot of them geared towards the 6.8... but does anyone think some of these new bullets may help out the old .270 Winchester ???

I'm wondering if some of the match bullets, might make the old .270 into a better long range target gun, or some of the new bullets might offer more lighter weight bullets that would offer more options in the Deer & antelope class of game animals ???

I sold my old Herter's manlicher stocked .270, with the thoughts of buying a stainless composite .270 rifle specifically for hunting, but seems like since it's main proponent died, the rifle has really diminished in popularity & availability... I have the dies, & 1,000's of cases, so I'll likely still go ahead with my plans of a .270 hunting rifle... just hoping that the new interest in 6.8 can breath some life into the .270 as well...

thoughts ???
 
I didn't realize that the .270 had fallen out of favor. It seems to me that guys who shoot the .270 don't write about it, they simply harvest their game and go home.
 
Guess I didn't know it either. Dicks and Gander Mountain sell all the "intro" priced rifles in either 270 or 30-06. I guess they didn't know it either. Neither did the buying public. They sell a ton of them. Seriously, the 270 is far from out of favor. It's still a very strong selling caliber. What makes you think it isn't?
 
The 270 Winchester hasn't gone anywhere but the new bullet technology has made a great caliber even better. If anything, it may be more talked about because the magnum push is dieing off in the hunting world. This could be because bullets have gotten better and the reality check of power required for medium to large game kills under 500 yards. The good old non magnum calibers have gotten more popular.
 
The 6.8 is a neat little caliber, designed to operate through the standard AR action, but once you step up to a bolt action, it loses everything to the .270.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing the caliber, but there is a whole lot of wasted space in that action, and I like weird little rifles. If I were in the market, I'd like to convert a mini-action into something like the 6.8 SPC or the 7mm TCU. They'd make great little hunting carbines for the smallish deer we've got in our local woods.
 
I sold my "collector" .270 Winchester, about 6 months ago... with the intention of buying another specifically for hunting... however with both local big gun stores, neither has had a good bolt action .270 Winchester over the last 6 months... so I assume ( at least locally ) it's not as popular around here...

I have been hearing a lot of negative stuff about the .270 Winchester now that Jack O. is no longer around to defend it... ( vintage guns with poor accuracy, etc. )

MYSTRO has been doing his part, promoting the round, by posting some nice groups with the "tribute" rifle... of course seems like no one shoots the caliber for targets, with 6.5 & 7 mm seeming to be the choices, & leaving the .270 sitting in the middle...

I have no issues with the 6.8 & all the "more efficient" new cartridges, for guns I shoot "everyday" they are just more practical, with the price of powder & components now days... & it's fine in a short action... & if you want to talk wasted space, look at a .223 in a Tika ( I like the Tika's & am not dissing them either :) ) but I sill like the "classics" & still shoot them, just less often now days... BTW... my last custom build was a .416 Rigby bolt action repeater ;), & my 375 H&H Browning went with me the last time I went Elk hunting...
 
Last edited:
For many years the Remington 760/7600 in .270 has been one of the top selling rifles in Pennsylvania. The years I hunted up there about 1/3rd of the camp had a 760 in .270, and quite a few more had other flavors of .270.
 
Maybe the reason your "big" store don't have any .270s on the shelf is they're selling them that fast. ;) I was cruising a gun show about two years ago and I saw a Winchester M70 XTR push feeder in what looked like a McMian stock in the M70 FWT configuration. It had a decent scope on it and was clean as a whistle. At $400 he price wasn't too oout of line so I bought it. The guy selling it said it was sighted in so on the way home I bought a box of 150 gr. Power Point ammo to test the gun. The man was not lying, it was sighted in. I shot four 5 shot groups, taking my time and not letting the barrel get too hot. The smallest group was .50" and the largest, the last one BTW at .80". My pet handload with the long discontinued WMR powder and the 150 gr. Sierra Game King also keep groups well under an inch. I have thre mor rifles in .270 Win. and only the Ruger #1A shoots groups larger than one inch. Even that one averages 1.25".
My preference is for 150 gr. bullets in the .270 as I find I get good accuracy with very little load work. I find the 130s are not quite as accirate for me and damage too much good eating meat. I may try some of thoe TSX/TTSX bullets in 130 gr. weight just to see how they work out.
I play on other site besides this one and seriously, althugh the .280 Rem. shooter rag the .270 guys, it's more in fun than anything else. The .270 obsolete? I don't think so.
I freely admit that there are cartridges I like better but if I were "stuck" with a .270 for a hunt up to and including elk, I would not feel handicapped at all.
Paul B.
 
A lot of the "6.8 bullets" have been around for quite a while. They just weren't popular with most .270 reloaders, or had sporadic production runs.
I have a whole box of .277" bullets in my reloading gear that are simply marked with diameter and weight. But, if you check the shelves today, you'll find every one of those bullet types marked with "6.8mm" or even 6.8 SPC.

It's just the bullet companies trying to make sure their product sells, by tweaking the packaging for what's currently popular.



As far as the .270 falling out of favor....
Here's a little glance around the campfire during last year's Elk hunt: (primary / backup)
.270 Winchester/.444 Marlin -- .270 Winchester/.30-06 -- .358 Winchester/.270 Winchester -- .270 Winchester (one-rifle-guy ;)) -- .30-06/.270 Winchester.
Most of those rifles are less than 10 years old. And, somewhat interestingly... we were a group of guys who had, for the most part, had zero influence in each person's decision to pick up a .270; and the rifles had come from all over the country (and as far away as Florida).
 
If the 270 has gone away its simply that it retired and moved to WY where it is killing much game and getting no headlines. Sounds like a few old farts I know.
 
Consider the 270 Winchester Hornady 130 SST Superformance is rated at 3200fps out of a 24" barrel. That's is right about what a 270 Weatherby Magnum is rated with a 26" barrel. The Hornady Superformance is only $26.30 a box. Unloaded/unprimed Weatherby brass cost about that.:eek:

Here is some very good in site into the modern 270 Winchester.....

270 not only good for elk, but recomended
http://montanaelkhunting.blogspot.com/2009/12/270-winchester-for-elk-hunting.html

Here is a long range 270 gun build.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/270-win-long-range-shooting-1.php

This is a big bear...
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/outdoors/103797379.html?ipad=y

How could the legend and most famous "Rifleman" JOC be wrong...;)
 
Last edited:
Though lists differ, the .270 Winchester will be as high as 2 and never lower than 5 on the lists of annual rifles sold in U.S.A.
 
A lot of the "6.8 bullets" have been around for quite a while. They just weren't popular with most .270 reloaders, or had sporadic production runs.
Click to expand...

I've launched far more .277" 110gr V-Max than any other bullet out of my 270WIN ...... the same ones that folks are loading for the 6.8 SPC .....
 
I'm a fan of the .270 and all of the '06 family for that matter, but I personally don't think you will ever see the .270 win "bust onto the scene" in competition target shooting. Short stubby cases are desired for "inherent accuracy". (but somebody forgot to tell Mystro that when he shot his groups with the JOC rifle ;))

The .270 will however ALWAYS be one of the top cartridges for hunting game as small as coyotes to as large as elk.

The renewed interest in the 6.8/.277 caliber bullets makes me wonder if you will see more wildcats or even a new commercial cartridge in that caliber in the next few years.

How about a .27-08 or a 6.8 creedmoor or a .270 win mag?
 
6.8??????

If it don't come in a Model 70 Winchester, I don't want it.

If the 270 has gone away its simply that it retired and moved to WY where it is killing much game and getting no headlines. Sounds like a few old farts I know.
Click to expand...

I like that.
 
Checkout the new Nosler 'Long Range' Bullet in .277

It should have long range shooters giddy, with it's relatively high BC
G1 Ballistic Coefficient 0.625

G7 Ballistic Coefficient 0.317
 
I think he was trying to mention the new appearances of match grade bullets in the .277 calibre.

270 has for a long long time been very popular as a hunting round, but you seldom hear it being spouted as a prime long range hunting/target round.
But lately it seems there has been a large increase in target bullets, I've noticed in the past few years, Berger seems to have increased it's .277 selection quite a lot.

But I wouldn't say these new match grade .277 bullets are because of the 6.8spc as they are all much heavier than what is standard for that round.
 
Shhhh. Don't tell anyone how great the .270 Win really is. Let them buy something that shoots not as flat, or hits less hard, or kicks the heck out of them.

It's our little secret.

Jack O'Picher
 
O.k, I am gonna post this here too.
Read this book..... Think of it as the answers to all your rifle and caliber questions.;)

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top