270 wsm or a regular 270????

[high country]

I think a lot of guys get hung up on numbers. I can honestly say the single most impressive gun I have ever killed a critter with isthe 257roy stoked with 100gr tsx's. you wanna talk bang flops.....that is your flopper. people will always look at you crosseyed when you haul a 257 into elk camp, but the ones who get to see its magic are impressed. can an elk really tell that it was hit by a 277 instead of 308 and shrug off the missing .031".....not.

[Buckrub]

Here... look at the stock ballistics between a .270 vs. a 300... 500 more ft lbs of knockdown @500 yds.

http://weatherby.com/_docs/Weatherby_catalog_ballistics.pdf

I don't shoot rifles anymore but if I had to pick one...eh 30 cal. especially for elk.

[high country]

like I said, untill you have seen it and done it.....numbers sell. might as well buy a 375 rum......or a chey tac

[Pathfinder101]

I have hunted almost exclusively with a .270 win since I was 15.  I was a huge Jack O'Connor fan from reading my Grandpa's old Outdoor Life's he had stacked in his basement, so when I saved up and bought my own rifle there was no question.
That being said, I have a good buddy that I hunt with that lives in Montana that carries a .270 WSM.  I have to admit, it is impressive, both at the range, and in the field.  If I were to "start over", I would think real hard about that short mag.  

[Tony 270]

I had a 270WSM. And a 7mm and 300 WSMs. Went back to the plain 'ole 270 because I've only shot beyond 400 yards twice at game. The ammo for the standard 270 is quite a bit cheaper, has less recoil, and it simply gets the job done. The WSM is a good round and gives you some extra distance if you need it, I just didn't personally.

[carpsniperg2]

normal 270 you get an extra round and they are cheaper and you dont really gain much with the wsm

Well that's is not 100% true. Here is the run down on the 2. Say you are shooting a 130grain factory xp3 load. He said 300-500 yards.
Here is the differences.
And just so everyone knows i love both the cartridges! I own and shoot both. But the 270wsm is better when it comes to ballistics's

Both rifles sighted in at 100 yards 1.5" high

270win:  300yards -11"  1690FT-LBS/400y -25" 1433FT-LBS/500y -45.5" 1200FT-LBS

270wsm: 300 yards -8.5" 1970FT-LBS/400y -21" 1681FT-LBS/500y -38" 1426FT-LBS

So with the 270wsm you get a little better BC most of the time. The drop on the 270wsm is less 7.5" at 500yards. And about 200+ft-lbs more. I like the 270 win for less then 300 yards and the 270wsm for 300+ yards. Having one extra shell isn't to much of a gain. Shoul not take more then 3, well most of the time

GET THE 270WSM!

buy bc do you mean ballistic coefficient?

Yeah, a .27 caliber bullet is a .27 caliber bullet... so, based on same bullet design/weight, they're equal.  The difference is that you will get better trajectory and energy (in a short action) with the more efficient short mag.

Oops don't know how that got in there I was thinking about my personal loads. Being with diffrent bullets, meant to say with my 270 wsm load i get a higher BC "Ballistic Coefficient" then with my 270win 2 late at night.

[dewandgin]

My dad has hunted with the 270 since the early to mid 60's and when it came time to buy the three boys rifles they all got 270 so there was no question about which ammo was grabbed. Since then I have owned many a gun including the 270WSM and it is a awesome gun but I still have the 270 and the ammo is cheap and it has killed everything from a Jack Rabbit to a moose and as long as I did my job it did its job. Total personal preference is the 270  the 270WSM has more thump and a little bit less drop but shooting them and both at nearly identical ranges as Antelope and Mule deer did not see a diff on how soon they died or how they did.

[Hyde]

I love the 270 win, had several over the years.  Nowadays, it falls into that category (like the '06) of being "Not Sexy".  I would choose it over the WSM though, but partially because they are a dime a dozen in left hand bolts.  

[elkaholic123]

BC would be the same,refers to the BC of the bullet not the caliber

[carpsniperg2]

Diffrent bullets have diffrent BC. My software that i am using says the bullets in my 270win is .372 and the 270wsm is .432.

[elkaholic123]

you have bad software  my 140gr accubonds have a BC of.496,does not matter which gun you shoot them out of.

[carpsniperg2]

you have bad software  my 140gr accubonds have a BC of.496,does not matter which gun you shoot them out of.

You might want to read what i said "I was thinking about my personal loads. Being with diffrent bullets"
Thats what i said. Not shooting the same bullet in both guns

Intresting read for everyone

The Ballistic Coefficient of Rifle Bullets

By Chuck Hawks




Ballistic Coefficient (BC) is basically a measure of how streamlined a bullet is; that is, how well it cuts through the air. Mathematically, it is the ratio of a bullet's sectional density to its coefficient of form. Ballistic Coefficient is essentially a measure of air drag. The higher the number the less drag, and the more efficiently the bullet cuts through the air. So for purposes of flying through the air efficiently, the bigger the BC number the better.

BC is what determines trajectory and wind drift, other factors (velocity among them) being equal. BC changes with the shape of the bullet and the speed at which the bullet is traveling, while sectional density does not. Spitzer, which means pointed, is a more efficient shape than a round nose or a flat point. At the other end of the bullet, a boat tail (or tapered heel) reduces drag compared to a flat base. Both increase the BC of a bullet.

For example, a Hornady 100 grain round nose 6mm bullet has a BC of .216; a Hornady 100 grain spire point 6mm bullet has a BC of .357, and a Hornady 100 grain boat tail spire point 6mm bullet has a BC of .400. All three of these bullets have a sectional density (which is the ratio of a bullet's diameter to its weight) of .242, because they are all .243" in diameter and weigh 100 grains. But the more streamlined bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient. They are the ones to choose for long range shooting where a flatter trajectory is important.

[addicted]

MBPR

Maximum point blank range.

.270 is at 305 yards. the magnums are around 315-325. not a huge difference.

I think this article has been on here before.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/ultra-long-range.htm

[700xcr]

Either one you would be happy with. I own a Remington 700xcr in 270wsm. The only thing I have done to it is adjust the trigger down to 2Ibs. Change the factory box magazine with a Watts single stack magazine and a barrel break-in proceedure. I am getting 1/2" groups with it with no feeding problems. Very accurate gun and puts the hammer down on mule deer from 85yds to 550yds for me.

[high country]

guys that need to buy a round based on energy figures have not killed enough stuff in their lives. velocity kills, no doubt, but nary does a critter walk off with a hole in the lungs/heart. I get a kick out of the "must kill better cause it hits with more energy" scratch your head on this;

a 277 bullet is only slightly larger then 1/4 of an inch, I am sure most of you own a drill, so go grab a 9/32" drill bit and see how much force is required to push it through a piece of meat. now do the same with a 1/2" which is about the size of a mushroomed bullet. it does not take 2000 lbs to do it. contrary to popular belief, higher velocity does not always mean increased penetration. your bullet maker can give you the velo range of their bullets. most game animals killed with good bullets at sane ranges regardless of headstamp fail to stop bullets, some do, most do not......so the extra energy/velocity is only there to help with the trajectory and self confidence.