B & R Photography

So, for a very long time I have heard that the .270 Winchester is one heck of a deer slayer. I have never owned one or shot one but the more I hear the more I agree with this sentiment.

The .270 Winchester was one of the many children of the .30-06 Springfield. Definitely one of the most popular options at least. Having the case necked down to accept .277 or 270 projectiles allowed for a very fast and flat shooting cartridge covering distances that most deer hunters liked at the time. The main difference between this and its parent cartridge is the case neck is 0.050” longer and its necked down.

The .270 Winchester was released in 1925 featured in the Winchester Model 54 bolt action rifle. When released it originally was named the 270 WCF or Winchester Centerfire. At first it wasn’t super popular as most people were using the .30-06 Springfield in military M1903 rifles which made for easy access to hunters. It did however become very popular with most hunters and shooters following World War II and the decades to follow due to is flat shooting trajectory of the time.

One of the reasons I think this cartridge became so popular was Jack O’Connor as being one of the most prolific gun writers and the time he talked about and used the cartridge for 40 years allowing it to be mentioned in Outdoor Life on a regular basis.

When released the factory offer was a 130gr projectile traveling at roughly 3,140 fps. Later it was decided to reduce the load slightly so it was then traveling at. 3,060 fps. This projectile was suitable for big game in most places and had a range of roughly 300-500 yards. In the later years a 100gr projectile loading and a 150gr projectile loading were developed and produced however the 130gr offering still seems to be the most popular.

When we take a look at trajectory this is the information we get. Using the 130gr SP Interlock offered by Hornady. Leaving the muzzle at the traditional 3,060 fps when zeroed at 100 yards we get the following drop:

200 Yards: 2.8760 inches of drop.

500 Yards: 46.3476 inches of drop.

1000 Yards: 327.4562 inches of drop.

(Please note the above trajectory information was pulled from http://gundata.org/ballistic-calculator/ )

In comparison a 300 Win Mag shooting a 178gr Projectile has 260 inches of drop at 100 yards.

Short Notes.

Official Name: .270 Winchester (270 WCF.)

Year Designed: 1923

Designed by: Winchester

Parent Case: .30-06 Springfield

Rifling Twist Rate: 1 in 10”

Maximum Point-Blank Range: 325 yards.

I hope you enjoyed this brief overview of the .270 Winchester and will return next week for our Cartridge of the Week series.

Please remember to always practice safe muzzle control when dealing with firearms and happy shooting.

B