270 WSM:
The 270 Winchester Short Magnum is a relatively new center fire rifle cartridge developed in partnership with Browning Arms Company and Winchester ammunition.
It made its debut and was introduced to the shooting public in 2001.
The new .277″ short magnum cartridge is chambered in Winchester’s Model 70 bolt action rifle.
The 270 WSM is a commercial cartridge based on the 404 Jeffery cartridge case. They shortened it to 2.100″ and necked it down to .277″ caliber. They then sharpened the shoulder angle to 35 degrees.
The 270 WSM cartridge has plenty of case capacity for powder and reaches true magnum speeds.
The 270 WSM cartridge achieves its useful purpose as an excellent cartridge for white-tailed deer, mule deer, sheep, elk — and to a lesser degree under the right circumstances, moose and bear.
The .277″ caliber is a time proven caliber for deer size animals.
The 270 Winchester Short Magnum cartridge is a well thought out cartridge as Winchester is no stranger in .277″ caliber cartridge development.
Winchester has now developed 2 cartridges in this caliber; (270 Winchester in 1923), and (270 Winchester Short Magnum in 2001).
The 270 WSM factory loadings show a velocity over 3,200 feet per second for a 130 grain bullet for deer hunting. This translates to moderate recoil for the shooter with plenty of bullet energy at the 500 yard mark to flatten a white-tailed deer size animal.
The 270 WSM cartridge, chambered in a short action lightweight rifle may well be the ultimate combination for a superb mountain rifle in rugged terrain.
270 WSM Ballistics:
This 270 Winchester Short Magnum ballistics chart shows Hornady 130 grain GMX Outfitter loads:
| Muzzle | 100 YDS | 200 YDS | 300 YDS | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 3210 | 2994 | 2788 | 2592 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 2974 | 2587 | 2244 | 1939 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | +1.2 | 0 | -5.7 |
This 270 WSM ballistics chart shows 150 grain Federal Fusion:
| Muzzle | 100 YDS | 200 YDS | 300 YDS | |
| Velocity (FPS) | 3060 | 2867 | 2682 | 2504 |
| Energy (FT/LB) | 3118 | 2737 | 2395 | 2088 |
| Drop (Inch) | / | +1.4 | 0 | -6.2 |
Bullet Diameter: .277 Inch.Maximum Case Length: 2.100 Inches.Trimmed Case Length: 2.090 Inches.Primer Size: Large Rifle.Maximum Cartridge Overall Length: 2.860 Inches.
