270 Winchester:
The 270 Winchester rifle cartridge is based on the popular 30-06 Springfield cartridge case necked down to accept .277″ diameter bullets. Winchester began producing the 270 Winchester in 1923. Although the 270 Winchester was in production in 1923 it was not officially announced until the introduction of their model 54 rifle chambered in their 270 Winchester cartridge in 1925, later it would be chambered in their famous featherweight model 70 bolt action rifle.
The 270 Winchester is a great dual purpose cartridge that can be used for varmints sending a 110 gr. bullet out the muzzle at a sizzling 3,450 feet per second or it can be used as a big game cartridge sending 130 grain bullets out the muzzle at speeds of 3,100 feet per second with sufficient power out to the 400 yard mark for deer sized game.
Using 140 grain bullets at 3,090 feet per second it will harvest an elk with bullet energy to spare out to about 350 yards.
While much has been written about the 270 Winchester cartridge it truly is a great North American, big game cartridge. There are plenty of excellent bullet choices for handloaders and as of late more factory ammunition choices are available in a variety of bullet weights as well, all of which adds up to better hunting ballistics.
The 270 Winchester with the power it offers down range will recoil somewhat to the shooters shoulder with heavier bullets in the 150 grain range but is still tolerable to shoot. If the recoil bothers you too much just find a quality gunsmith in your area and have a recoil pad installed on your rifle or shoot reduced recoil ammunition.
There are also quality slip on recoil pads that are easy to install at home, like this one which can be bought off Amazon and shipped to your front door.
Also, when practicing with your 270 Win rifle, we recommend using dummy rounds like these machined ones that can be found on Amazon.
Ammunition:
| 270 Winchester Factory Ammunition: Recoil Energy Based On Rifle Weight Of 8.5 Pounds. Bullet Velocity Based On Rifle Barrel Length Of 24 Inches: | |||||
| 270 Winchester Cartridge Manufacturer | Bullet Weight Grains | Bullet Ballistic Coefficient | Muzzle Velocity Fps. | Muzzle Energy Ft. lbs. | Recoil Energy Ft. lbs. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remington | 100 | .252 | 3,320 | 2,447 | 13.52 |
| Cor-Bon | 110 | .323 | 3,450 | 2,907 | 15.98 |
| Remington | 115 | .295 | 2,710 | 1,875 | 12.95 |
| Norma | 120 | .314 | 3,250 | 2,814 | 16.75 |
| Hornady | 130 | .460 | 3,200 | 2,956 | 18.34 |
| Hornady | 140 | .495 | 3,090 | 2,968 | 19.48 |
| Federal | 145 | .410 | 2,200 | 1,558 | 11.66 |
| Winchester | 150 | .503 | 2,950 | 2,898 | 20.29 |
Ballistics:
| 270 Winchester Factory Ammunition Ballistics: | |||||||
| Rifle barrel length: 24 Inches. Ammunition: Hornady 130 grain SST bullet. Bullet diameter: .277 inch. Bullet weight: 130 grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .460. Rifle zero: 235 yards, 2″ mid-range rise. | |||||||
| Range | Muzzle | 50 yds. | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | 500 yds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Velocity: | 3,200 fps. | 3,090 fps. | 2,984 fps. | 2,778 fps. | 2,582 fps. | 2,393 fps. | 2,213 fps. |
| Bullet Energy: | 2,956 ft.lbs. | 2,757 ft.lbs. | 2,570 ft.lbs. | 2,228 ft.lbs. | 1,924 ft.lbs. | 1,653 ft.lbs. | 1,414 ft.lbs. |
| Bullet Drop: | – 1.8″ | + 0.4″ | + 1.7″ | + 1.2″ | – 3.8″ | – 13.9″ | – 30.2″ |
| 270 Winchester Factory Ammunition Ballistics: | |||||||
| Rifle barrel length: 24 Inches. Ammunition: Hornady 140 grain SST bullet. Bullet diameter: .277 inch. Bullet weight: 140 grains. Bullet ballistic coefficient: .495. Rifle zero: 265 yards, 3″ mid-range rise. | |||||||
| Range | Muzzle | 50 yds. | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | 500 yds. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullet Velocity: | 3,060 fps. | 2,991 fps. | 2,894 fps. | 2,706 fps. | 2,526 fps. | 2,353 fps. | 2,187 fps. |
| Bullet Energy: | 2,968 ft.lbs. | 2,780 ft.lbs. | 2,603 ft.lbs. | 2,276 ft.lbs. | 1,983 ft.lbs. | 1,721 ft.lbs. | 1,487 ft.lbs. |
| Bullet Drop: | – 1.8″ | + 0.8″ | + 2.4″ | + 2.5″ | – 2.2″ | – 12.3″ | – 28.8″ |
| 270 Winchester Reloading: |
Bullet Diameter: .277 Inch.
Maximum Case Length: 2.540 Inches.
Trimmed Case Length: 2.530 Inches.
Primer Size: Large Rifle.
Maximum Cartridge Overall Length: 3.340 Inches.
Check out our rifle ballistics chart for even more cartridge information.
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