Why no 270-08 ?

[MudRunner2005]

I think ballistically it is so close to a 7mm-08 that it would be money better spent just to have something already popular and commercialized. Like the 7mm-08, plus you can load some Berger 180's in it and have some nasty heavy-hitters for close to mid range large game. The 168 Berger VLD's would be nasty, too.

I shoot the 140 Nosler Accubonds in my 7mm-08 backed behind some Varget.

 

[benjamin2515101]

I might have missed it, but why didn't anyone mention the .260 Remington (used to be the 6.5-08 A-sqare)? Same thing you want in grains and fps, with a great selection of high BC bullets and commercially available brass. Only 13 thousandths difference, same bullet weights available. 7mm-08 is even less diameter difference, maybe just less velocity. I just don't think you'd see any real difference in the field after you put the effort into the wildcat. There is also a 6.5-06, if you want the fps advantage over the .260 Rem. If you really want some power behind a 130-140gr bullet, look at the .264 Win Mag.

If I were going to insist on the .270 caliber, I think you can't go wrong with the original. I have a friend that loves his .270 WSM, a real flat shooter.

 

[msalm]

Ding ding ding, Benjamin just nailed it. I just glossed through this whole thread and was wondering why in the hell the 260 was completely glossed over. Better selection of bullets, more than capable of elk @ 300, low recoil, GREAT round! Why in the blazes would you want to go to a bullet a few thou larger with less than half of the selection of bullets?

 

[winmag]

I might have missed it, but why didn't anyone mention the .260 Remington (used to be the 6.5-08 A-sqare)? Same thing you want in grains and fps, with a great selection of high BC bullets and commercially available brass. Only 13 thousandths difference, same bullet weights available. 7mm-08 is even less diameter difference, maybe just less velocity. I just don't think you'd see any real difference in the field after you put the effort into the wildcat. There is also a 6.5-06, if you want the fps advantage over the .260 Rem. If you really want some power behind a 130-140gr bullet, look at the .264 Win Mag.

If I were going to insist on the .270 caliber, I think you can't go wrong with the original. I have a friend that loves his .270 WSM, a real flat shooter.

Well, you are right.
The 6.5 has higher BC & SD for same wt bullets than the 270. (130, & 140gr)
And to Mudrunner The 270 has higher BC & SD for same wt bullets than the 7mm (140gr) Accubond vs Accubond Partition vs Partition (I'm a Nosler fan)

But again, BC means very little at 300 & less. SD is what counts here.
Also remember I'm looking at 130-140gr for light recoil, at reasonable velocity. That rules out all but the 140 in the 7-08. Heck if I wanted to launch heavies, at dog turd velocity, I could launch 270 cal 160gr Partitions. But come on, MV would be minimal, & 1800fps min for expansion that's a looser combo for recoil, & case capacity.

Yes, I love my 270WSM, & I load for 3 of them. I love all my WSM's, & LR rifles, but this is not for LR. It's a build with my wife & daughter in mind. Light weight, Light Recoil, but still capable of taking Elk at 300yds.
I am aware of the 260 Rem, & many other .264/6.5 cartriges already out there. The 260 Rem is the closest thing to the 270-08 that I can find for launching 130's, & the 7-08 is very very close with 140's.
However, I stated in my first post that I am fully aware of the ballistic advantages of the 6.5's & 7mm's with heavy for caliber bullets. But again, this is not a build for LR, & I just have no interest in them. Not a metric fan I guess
Call it a 264, or a 284 & it sounds better, but call it a 270, & it sounds just about right
One develops a certain fondness for certain calibers, & a grudge against others, based on personal experiences, & memories. Thus, my love of all things 270.
It's not all about the numbers all the time. But with the intended purpose, & bullet weights to suit the intended purpose, I like 270.

 

[winmag]

Among commercial cartridges, there really isn't another cartridge that does what the .270 Win does at normal hunting ranges. I am a bigger fan of the .280 Remington, but in factory form it doesn't live up to its potential. The classic .270 offers a combination of high velocity, flat trajectory, low recoil, and good terminal performance that places is squarely by itself.

I really think the original .270 is a well enough balanced cartridge that changing it around a bit tends to dim its virtue. I don't know how popular the WSM version is, but it is safe to say that it is nowhere near as popular as the original. The 6.8spc is basically a niche cartridge for AR's.

From a big picture standpoint, if you put a .270 bullet in a .308 case, it goes from being in a class by itself to being bracketed by well established cartridges to which it would offer little or no advantage and be ballistically inferior.

I say this by way of attempting to address the question you posed. I am not bashing your idea. I think it will do what you want it to do. Since you are a .270 fan, you will likely enjoy the pursuit. In the big picture, though, I think the question of why it's not more popular has a lot to do with the fact that most .270 shooters are pretty happy with the cartridge in its classic form. It's a Classic Coke vs New Coke sort of thing. We all know how that turned out.

Agreed, it is bracketed very closely by the 260 Rem, & 7-08.
I'm also a huge 270 Win fan, & Coke wins hands down, but wouldn't the 270-08 be a fun lil bugger to load for, & shoot?!?

 

[winmag]

Dear God man that won't kill an elk, haven't you been reading the internet I've come very, very close to buying a 270-308 reamer, I think your on the right track, besides a 270 cal will get you a some extra yardage because it's just better

I know right. If its a smaller bore diameter, & not Metric it must not work!
Of course I did see a rock chuck that I was seriously wishing I had a 338AM for two days ago. Dang thing could've whooped roaddog1m's Malanois cop dog it was so big!
Wonder how he's doin, & if he ever wrote that Trust Land book?

 

[bigngreen]

The 270 would have a ballistic advantage over the 7mm, the 165 matrix can be shot from it and it will oulout BC the 168 Berger in the 7mm, the 270 also would also shoot the lighter bullets a touch faster than the 260. The difference between them all would be minimal, one could get an advantage with any of them if you tweak them. Why not a 270, it will perform with the others just fine gun)

 

[barnesuser28]

Now the only person needed to round out this 270 shooters club is Mr royinidaho himself. gun)

 

[winmag]

Now the only person needed to round out this 270 shooters club is Mr royinidaho himself. gun)

Amen!
He's the closest thing we've got to Jack O'Conner himself, & alot funnier
Roy Rocks!

PS
Riley, I like the heck out of you, & you are always helpfull, & are an incredibly knowledgeable gun guy, but judging by the YouTube thingy's in your "signature" you have Terrible taste in music hahahaha. Just sayin'

 

[AZShooter]

The 270-308 actually has a slightly improved version. It is called the 270 Redding. From what I have read Richard Beebe, president of Redding Reloading back in the 50s was one of the proponents of this wildcat and may have named it. It was first made when the 308 came out. It has a 30 degree shoulder and the article below states it duplicates the 270 win in performance.

The July-Aug 1990 handload magazine has an article on the 270 Redding.

Butch Jenson son of Bob Jensen (Jensen's Custom Ammo in Tucson) had one back in the 70s, might still have it. I remember Butch raving about its virtues in a lightweight SA rifle for coues wt hunting.

Here is a link with some load data at bottom:

Adventures With The .270 Redding. - Free Online Library

Author's name is not shown. He used a 22 inch barrel and got 3025 fps with a 130 Speer grand slam and 46 gr of Varget.


If I were making this wildcat I'd consider the 270 Redding over the 7mm-08. There are dies available as well as reamers.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

the author is Charles E. Petty

Adventures With The .270 Redding. - Free Online Library

 

[msalm]

If you're truly looking for light recoil for smaller/younger shooters with performance good enough for elk (better than 243) then it's right at 6.5mm. 6.5X47 Lapua, 6.5 Creed, 260 Rem. Couldn't get a better round for a young shooter. Can you tell I'm jaded on the .270??? Can't stand it and never could. Only rifle I ever built I couldn't get to shoot...to be honest it was completely the barrel, but it just left a sour taste. Never built another one and stored all my 270 bullets. Anyone interested I have a box somewhere with dies, brass and bullets (lots of bullets) that I can guarentee I will never use.

 

[marshal]

I shoot a 270-08AI, it is hands down my favorite mid range cartridge.
In my opinion it's the best thing you can do with an 08 case.

 

[CogburnR]

I think the 270-08 would be a great cartridge.

A nice little Model 7 or M70 with a skinny little barrel would be a great antelope and deer carry rifle and would have plenty of power for shooting as far as you would want to with a little light rifle.

The bullet selection has some stellar performers including the 130CH Berger, 140HPBT Sierra, 150NPT, and 165 Matrix and they can be currently found on the shelves. Something that is an advantage these days.

Brass is plentiful and it takes some powder that is readily available also these days. 4007sc, 2000mr, etc can be found on the shelves.

As stated the 7-08, 260, and 6.5x284 have it surrounded pretty well but what the heck, if you want one build it!