.270
Broad subject/question, here goes.
The Ruger 77MkII in my opinion is a dandy rifle. The classic features of the bolt system are there, 3-position safety, controlled feed, claw extractor, blade ejector. The trigger mechanism is still fairly robust and simple too. I really like the integral scope mounts and Ruger rings. I have only one example of a MkII, and it does have some negatives. The bolt travel is notchy/rough, I suppose that could be polished up. When purchased, the trigger was far to heavy.....that has been corrected. My lone MkII is very consistent with accuracy, plunking about ALL ammo fed it into 1.25" and landing close enought to POA that mixing ammo is not a real concern. With select loads it goes sub MOA on occassion.
The .270 as a hunter? My .270 is not a Ruger, but a competitor's bolt rifle. My experience is with whitetails. I have only taken 3 whitetails with the .270, all were shot using a reload launching the 130 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip. I would like to get 3000 fps from that slug, but cannot in my 22" barreld rifle.
But no complaints on killing power, all went down after a short death sprint.
The .270 is a necked down '06. It shoots a bit flatter,and kicks a bit less by most accounts than its .30 caliber sibling. A vintage sport named Jack O'Conner was a huge fan and shot it around the world, taking all manner of game. From a 24" barrel making 3000 fps with its best bullets, one has to make the jump to magnum rifles to get a faster, flatter combo. That said, the new darling 6.5CRM may be flatter, I dunno.
Scopes. I like tidy scopes and practical magnification. I still believe that a 3x9x40 is all the scope most need for east coast/south shooting. However, the new standard seems to be the 4x12x42?? (not sure on the bell diameter). My scopes are affordable Leupold's , mostly Vari-X-II's and II(a)'s, and I hunt a number of fixed power Leupolds as well. The only other brand I will endorse is Burris. All my Burris's are made in USA and not the import variety. I've got a drawer full of broke Tasco's, Simmons, Bushnells.