Shato,
Don't feel bad about starting this thread.
What you have to consider is the era these cartriges were made.We a humans have been trying to devise away to make things go faster,cars,boats,bows,arrows,guns,so on and so on.

Now what we have to look at is when the 270 came into exsitance it was a laser compared to guns at the same time,like the 30-30,45-70,303 brit,30-40 krag.With a 130 gr bullet you could shoot alot farther than your granpa's 32-20,it was FLAT SHOOTING(the 270).
Now step back afew years earlier,with the making of the 30-30(thanks to smokeless powder)it was flat shooting had power,compared to the blackpowder guns of it's time.You go farther than that and compare muskets with rifles muzzel loaders,with rifling,they were more accurate could shoot farther ect...THEY WERE FLAT SHOOTING OF THEIR TIME.Look at Mid-evil bows vs Mid-Evil crossbows,could shoot farther hand more accuracy so on and so on.
So you realy have to look at the era and tecnology they had,or have.We can only push bullets so fast until new tecnology comes around and makes Laser guns.
The cartriges of our time can only go so fast so flat(last 70 years),so that is why you see all these other close reltively minimal gains in the NEW FLAT SHOOTING ROUNDS.Bigger case,smaller bullets,more powder,higher psi= fast hard hitting,a little flat shooting cartrige.
BBJ