Meat and potatoes .270

W

Who Dey William

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I'm a current owner of a Remington 700 chambered in .308- I've been generally happy with its accuracy when coupled with a mid-grade Vortex scope. I've got a couple scopes in my safe in desperate need of a rifle pairing; I'm thinking a new .270 is what the doctor ordered. Any thoughts on no frills, meat-in-the-freezer rifles? Most shots will be within 200 yards, don't want something I'll feel bad about taking through brush and elements. I'll be making sure the rifle 'fits' me before buying, of course, but if anyone has insight on sub- $700ish rifles, I'm all ears.
 
Ruger 77, ruger American, Howa 1500, savage 110 or 111 would be my top picks.

Sadly the ruger 77 is the only one that comes in a 24" barrel as far as I can remember.
 
The TC Venture is advertised as "MOA guaranteed", the 270 comes with the 24" barrel. I bought one in .243 from Dunhams sporting goods a month or so ago that was marked at $349. I had some coupons and with a Redfield scope (chosen because its marketed a made in America along with the rifle) mounted and bore sighted by the clerk I was out for under $500. I have a bad feeling one of my nephews is going to lay claim to that gun (and scope) though about mid-way through this hunting season though.
 
"...I've been generally happy with its accuracy..." Buy another M700 in .270. Currently on sale with a scope(no mention of brand) for $459.99 at Cabela's.
A Savage 11/111 Trophy Hunter XP with a Nikon 3x to 9x - 40 runs $569.99 - $599.99.
You do have a lot of options.
 
I agree with the Ruger American recommendation, the synthetic stock will take alot of abuse and you wont need to feel bad about it.
 
Lots of good rifle choices at $700. You can buy 2 at that price if you're primarily looking for performance. I like the Ruger American as a beater gun, but there are others.

The problem with a $700 budget is that you have lots of good $300-$500 options in budget guns. You don't start getting a top end gun with nice blue and walnut until you get to the $850-$1,000 price range. I don't see any $600-$700 rifles that are any better than a lot of $300-$400 guns There are lots of $300-$400 rifles that will out shoot many $1000 rifles. It comes down to which is more important to you, performance or aesthetics.

I know the 270 is a Classic. But in 2017 I'd go with a 7-08, 260, or 6.5 Creedmoor if I wanted a sub 30 caliber rifle. Preferably one of the 26 calibers. These cartridges don't give up much performance to 270, but have about 1/3 less recoil. Considering many of these budget guns tend to be on the lighter side long action cartridges such as 270 and 30-06 tend to have more recoil than many people want. In a heavier rifle it is less of a concern. In the same weight rifle a 270 will have more recoil than the 308 you have. One of the 26 calibers will have about 25% less than you 308.
 
I don't think that you really need a 270 when you already have a respectable bolt-action in 308. However, I personally would much rather have A Winchester model 70, with a Walnut stock, in 270 Winchester, or even 30-'06, than what you've got. In reality both rifles will do the same jobs. And, yes, I definitely take Walnut stocked rifles out in the woods. Since need has got nothing to do with this, but you are gonna do it anyway, I suggest that you don't get another cheap, plastic-stocked rifle just to have a 270. Get a nice model 70 Winchester, stocked in Walnut, put a Leupold 3-9x40 on it and a leather, "military", sling on it.
 
The day I find a bad review of a Mossberg rifle barrel will be the day I stop recommending them for this purpose. I think Mossberg is the greatest sleeper in the game for low priced rifles.
 
If you want a smaller bore cartridge inside of 200 yds (or even 300 yds), why suffer through the muzzle blast and recoil of a .270 when a 7mm-08 (or one of the 6.5mms) will kill deer just as dead with much less unpleasant side effects?
 
I love my .270, it is a Remington 721 manufactured 1957. .270 is a great caliber. It has put meat in the freezer for me. I would suggest you look at Savage axis II. I bought mine in 308. It came with the scope. Very basic gun but shoots great. I paid just over $300.
 
Lohman446 said:
The TC Venture is advertised as "MOA guaranteed", the 270 comes with the 24" barrel. I bought one in .243 from Dunhams sporting goods a month or so ago that was marked at $349. I had some coupons and with a Redfield scope (chosen because its marketed a made in America along with the rifle) mounted and bore sighted by the clerk I was out for under $500. I have a bad feeling one of my nephews is going to lay claim to that gun (and scope) though about mid-way through this hunting season though.
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Yep. My T/C Venture 30-06 easily shoots moa. I bought one so I wouldnt have to hunt with my 1903 anymore. Synthetic stock is well made and doesnt get beat up. Great rifle for the money.
 
I like the Ruger American quite a bit, just bought a 2nd one
that is not here yet, but should be in within 2 days. I am
really impressed with the 3 lug bolt and smooth 70 degree
action.

I like the Remington 783 quite a bit also. I just bought one
in 223 about a month ago. You can get 783 chambered to 270
also. They are really dirt cheap, and Remington even has
a $40 rebate on them right now. They do a very nice job
on this gun, and the tests I have read on them were quite
favorable. I like mine a lot.

The 270 is really a fine classic caliber and very popular still.
I sold guns for Cabelas for awhile not too long ago, and was
surprised how many of those are still sold. It was one of the
most popular sellers. It is nice and easy on the shoulder.

By the way, I like synthetic stocks. I think they are
superior to wood, and over time I have phased out
most wood from guns. For example I have two
SKB over/under shotguns, that I removed the wood
from and sold it on Ebay. I built steel and fiberglass
stocks to replace the wood on my shotguns. In fact,
I now own 9 shotguns without a wood stock in the bunch.
I believe you will see less and less wood on guns as time
goes on. I do have wood on my 30-30 and my 760
pump. Also have wood on some 22 rimfire pump guns.
 
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Ruger American, Savage, Tikka.

The Mossberg Patriot lost it for me when they only make 22" barrels. I like longer for the 7mm Rem Mag.

TC i would buy if it were a Contender.
 
My preference is for hitting the used rifle racks.

Ruger M77 Mk II. (Any variant.)
Solid rifles. Good barrels (and the later the production, the better it gets).
Downside: A bit heavier than most competing rifles -- especially the laminate models.

Used rack alternatives that fit my preferences...
Win M70. -- Some bad years, some good years. Research it, if interested.
Sporterized Mausers. -- They often sell for pennies, but many are great rifles that just aren't loved by the current generation(s) of shooters. If it looks good and looks professionally done, it's probably a good rifle.
Remington 78 Sportsman. -- "Budget model" Rem 700. Same gun. Cheaper finish, and super-cheap stocks (they look like 2x4s). Every one I've ever heard anyone talk about has been a great rifle.

Tikka and Howa are good for new production.
The Ruger American is decent, but I don't like the magazine and it's a 'consumer commodity' type budget rifle. (The magazine is a minor issue, apparently, since I own an American. :rolleyes:)
The Ruger M77 Hawkeye is pretty decent, as well. But I'm still holding a grudge against Ruger for replacing the M77 Mk II with the Hawkeye (solely because they found cheaper ways to manufacture it).


I do not recommend the Remington 783, as it's a direct descendant - nearly a copy, and sharing several components - of the Marlin X7. Both rifles have issues with extractors breaking or popping out of the bolt, and the 783 seems to have issues with ejectors getting stuck in the bolt head. Extractors popping out is bad. It results in the bolt getting jammed closed, more often than not. Ejectors getting stuck mean that the case doesn't eject, and you rechamber an empty case (or jam the rifle). Neither failure is great when hunting... :rolleyes:


I know I missed plenty, but that's what comes to mind right now.
 
Yep. My T/C Venture 30-06 easily shoots moa. I bought one so I wouldnt have to hunt with my 1903 anymore. Synthetic stock is well made and doesnt get beat up. Great rifle for the money.
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MOA is lost on me in that I am not that good of a shooter. Do not seem to need to be for hunting and the distances around here are pretty limited anyways. Having an MOA rifle just means I have to quit blaming the rifle. Now I blame the scope or mounting rings :)
 
I'm not a 270 fan so I'll offer this: the 25/06 has a lot of potential as an addition to a .308. Far better as a multi-purpose cartridge than 270. It's a better choice for varmints, a better choice for longer range deer, and has less recoil.
I like the HOWA since the Rem 700 seems to have taken a dump in quality recently. Don't care for Winchester or any of the newbie "price point" rifles. Have several Savages but wouldn't buy another if HOWA had something close.
 
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