270 WSM Opinions
 

First off, anyone that knows me knows I'm a diehard big gamehunter and 7mm fan. My cousin works for Browning and is telling me great things about the WSM's and even got one for himself. I'm about to get a new gun for the collection with my boys in mind (soon to 12 and hunting age). They will be chasing mule deer and elk. Now I'm an elk hunter and I'm not a huge fan of a standard 270 when hunting them. I've killed elk with one myself, but "prefer" the bigger cals since Ihave them.

My question is what are people's opinions in general of the 270 WSM for elk. Is the added punch and velocity over the standard 270 worth it? Does it give you a more reasonable "bigger" game rifle than the standard? If I had my way, I'd just get another 7mm, but I'm open to technology and change. My cousin knows his stuff and I'm leaning on getting the 270 WSM, but curious your opinions.

P.S. I'm a hand loader, so I'd be working up a load with a 150-160 gr bullet in mind.

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

Only if you can achieve those extra FPS and Energy! I don't think it offers you anything over the standard 270 in way of making it a more capable biggame cartridge. The only thing I can see is it gives you a short action vs a long. Which some like/prefer & theory is more accurate. Ain't nothing wrong with .277 cal, it has worked for me and will continue to work for others on the likes of elk. However the WSM IMHO does nothing to raises it's level in this regard.

You answered your own question. The 7mm mag will chuck a 150 or 160gr pill, faster, flatter and hit harder than the 270 ever will and it has better SD for the likes of Bigger Game. In my opinion if your looking for a elk/deer rifle between the 2 no contest - 7mag!!

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

270WSM? Nice cartridge, but no BIG advantage over the old 270Win., unless you like short actions, and prefer them with 24" barrels.
The old 270Win. with 150gr. Nosler Part. bullets will work ok on elk, or load it with the 160gr. Nosler Part.
Then again, out west there, it's hard to beat the 7mm Rem.Mag. And, it gives you the option of going with even heavier bullets - if you feel the need.

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

it's still a .270.......and not an appreciable step up on the .270 winchester.

anything one can say about the 270 winchester is equally applicable to the 270WSM........except one can find ammo for the former a lot easier.

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

I love mine for deer , for elk Id take my 300 minmag , with 180 grain bullets .

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

Just a reminder that I'm looking for my boys (one 12 next year, the other a couple of years later). I already own a 7mm and use it myself, etc.

Also, I might be out in the night, but my research has shown that the 270 WSM is closer to the 7mm for performance than the traditional 270. This was done comparing the same 150 gr bullet in the 270's and the same brand/point in a 165 gr bullet from the 7mm. I was looking a Energy, Path and Velocity from a very reliable ballistics program I use when working up loads myself, etc.

Also, buying ammo is no issue. I reload everything for every rifle I own.

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

I have a 270 WSM and really enjoy it. When I was purchasing it I never really compared it to any other cartridges. All I know is that it has a bit of kick and should do fine for my type of hunting. ;)

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

Although I own a 7 STW and a .300 Win Mag; I use the .270 Ackley Improved for most of my elk hunting. My favorite load is the 130 Swift Scirocco at about 3350 fps - which is about where the .270 WSM and the .270 Weatherby will max out for this bullet weight.

Although my experiences with various .270's was somewhat mixed over the years, this caliber with the Scirocco bullet works so well on elkthat I have not used my bigger rifles in a number of years. We hunt in Colorado and New Mexico, and participate in lots of special late hunts and dispersal hunts. Last year alone, I killed five elk. These new bonded bullets - like the Scirocco, Accubond, and Trophy Bonded in the .270 caliber - will put an elk on the ground in a hurry. Much of what you "think you know" about the .270 just isn't true any more.

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

if you're a 7mm fan why not jsut get a 7mm WSM

RE: 270 WSM Opinions
 

It is an awesome cartridge with which I have shot 3 deer (1 mulie & 2 whitetail in WA State) and 2 elk. All the animals didnt take even one step! dropped int their tracks!! The deer were all taken with winchester 130 Gr Silvertips (ballistics) and the elk were taken with 140 Gr failsafes. The only reason I sold mine is because I wanted two different guns for deer and elk. The reason was simply because I didnt want to have to re-zeroe my rifle for the two different bullet weights. So, I bought a Kimber 7mm-08 for deer and I have my eyes on a win mod 70 338WM for elk. To me, the 338Wm is the quintessential elk round (plus I just love the caliber and the way it shoots on the mod 70). With very rare exception all the deer I have taken (even in open country) have been 300 Yards or under so the 7mm-08 will be fine. The ones I shot at that were farther away than that I missed. So, I have relegated myself to a max of 300 yards now. The elk were taken at 50 yards and 120 yards with failsafes. The 270WSM will kill deer and elk with proficiency if you do your part. I just like to have two guns ready for their repective tasks when needed. As far as the 7mm WSM it is the most unjustifiable shortmag of the bunch...a big why bother. The 270WSM makes more of a case for it's existence.Also easier to find ammo for (though it wasnt as easy as I'd hoped or as cheap (another reason I went with the 7mm-08). Better yet, get a 308 and call it good. Cheap ammo....can shoot a 180Gr bullett and when you stop and think about it...it's all you really need for deerto 350yards and elk to 250. I'm sick of magnums....especially WSM's...can you believe this 325WSm stuff??? what a waste of time. The 270WSM is the only one so far that should stick around (and even that is debatable). Okay i will get off my soapbox now.