.270 Winchester Ammo: An Buyer’s Guide

There are many.270 Winchester ammunition options, which contributes to the cartridge’s versatility. However, it is not as common or as versatile as.270 Winchester ammo. The Winchester Model 54 in 270 W.C.F. Photo: Rock Island Auction Company. The cartridge was created by reducing the.30-04 Springfield (not the.3006 parent case), to allow for a.277 inch (6.8mm diameter) bullet. This made it less likely to drop at long ranges (especially between 300 and 500 yards) than the more popular.3006. These qualities were a big draw for hunters such as Jack O’Connor and Townsend Whelen. Jack O’Connor holding a trophy, a stone sheep. Photo: Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center. Although the buying public took some time to get on board, rifle hunters in the U.S., especially in the western states, eventually noticed its unique qualities. O’Connor’s constant advocacy for the cartridge and the Winchester Model 70 rifle, which replaced the Model 54, certainly helped. It can be found on every continent except Antarctica, and has harvested almost every species of game you can name. What’s so great about.270 Winchester. It has very poor support in semi-autos. The cartridge is primarily used in bolt-actions. However, it has poor (almost zero) support in semi-autos. Mag., .300 Win. Mag.,.338 Win. Mag and.338 Win. It’s about 4 feet lighter than the 165- or 180-grain loads in.30-06. A 150-grain Sierra Game King in the.277 caliber has an average G1 BC value of.483 as well as a sectional density of 0.2779. This compares to 0.226 and 3.68 in the.308 caliber. There are four styles of.270 Winchester ammunition. From left to right: 100 grain HP, 115-grain FMJBT and 130-grain SP. 150-grain RN. Photo: Wikipedia. However, heavier-for-caliber bullets may provide a higher BC for.270 Winchester ammunition. Sierra’s Tipped-Game King 175-grain bullet has a nominal G1 BC 0.560, Nosler ACcubond LR 150 -grain bullets have a G1 BC.625, Berger’s 170-grain EOL Bullet with a G1 BC 0.662. This means that it overcomes air resistance more effectively than.30-caliber bullets with the same grain weight. This allows for greater penetration into critical areas. While.270 Winchester ammo is great at long range shooting, the 6.5mm cartridge and 6mm cartridges still dominate long-range shooting and high power rifle events. The.270 Winchester is a fine cartridge for hunting in open areas. The.270 Winchester is known for its accuracy and tolerable recoil. However, this cartridge is not as effective in open areas where there is less opportunity to shoot and the game is smaller. Photo: Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center. The.270 Winchester is the best choice for hunters in the West. Shot opportunities are often within 200 yards and game is smaller-bodied. Photo by Jack O’Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Centre. To get a better understanding of how.270 Winchester ammo performs, we compared two loads to see the ballistics and trajectories. Made using ShootersCalculator.com, all the following tables and graphs were calculated using a 200-yard zero, a 1.5-inch sight height, a 10-mph crosswind and no corrections for atmosphere. Keep in mind that elevation, temperature, humidity and pressure can all impact true performance in the field.First, here are the ballistic charts comparing Remington’s 130-grain Scirocco II load of .270 Winchester with the 150-grain Scirocco II load of .30-06.Source: ShootersCalculator.As you can see, the .270 Winchester load begins with a higher muzzle velocity than the .30-06 and retains its lead at 800 yards. The data also shows that .270 Winchester has less drop, is less affected by wind and reaches its target faster than .30-06 at every range listed.The trajectory graph tells a similar story.Source: ShootersCalculator.When comparing modern, heavy-for-caliber, high-BC bullets, the equation starts to change. Here’s a comparison of Remington’s 150gr.300 Winchester Expedition 150-grain Nosler AccuBond LR load and Winchester’s Expedition 150gr Nosler AccuBond LR loads. Mag. Core-Lokt load.Source: ShootersCalculator.These tables show that while the two cartridges experience a similar amount of drop out to 500 yards, beyond that .300 Win. Mag. Mag. begins to sink like a stone in contrast. .300 Win. Mag. Mag. What are the best loads? This load is a game-getter and will do whatever you need it to as long as your job as an marksman. Although it is a little too light for elk or moose, this load is easily one of the best deer, sheep, and pronghorn loads ever created. Bullet type: Jacketed soft tipBullet weight: 130Muzzle velocity is 3,060 feet per secondMuzzle energy is 2,703 foot-poundsG1BC: 0.416SD; 0.242MSRP $58.99 for 20Hornady ELD-XThe bullet’s aerodynamic design makes it ideal for hunting at longer ranges. The 145-grain load in the.270 Winchester is a great choice for hunting loads that can do it all. Although the load is a little lighter for black bears and moose, it will still be very effective in guiding them. Unless you make your own ammunition, this caliber is not a good choice for cheap range ammunition. Core-Lokt is not the most powerful long-range ammunition, but it’s still a great hunting bullet. load. It is loaded with 150-grain Nosler AccuBond LR ammunition with a G1 BC of.625. Federal Fusion 150-grain Bonded Soft point bullets are loaded with it. They have a G1 BC of.625. Federal Fusion 150-grain bonded hard point loads will expand well, making them a good choice for all types of game. Target grids and bullseye sizes can be downloaded in MOA. This is a great option for long-range shooting. Enter your email address below.