What the rifle likes

LITTLE ROCK — Since Winchester introduced its new line of short-magnum cartridges in 2001, one in particular, the .270 WSM, captured my fancy.

That’s because the .270 WSM is the only one that offers a clear improvement over an existing option. The 300 WSM and 7mm WSM are no more powerful or faster than a 300 Winchester Magnum or 7mm Remington Magnum.

In 1923-2000, however, the .270 Winchester was the only factory choice for those who like the .277 caliber.

Then, along came the .270 WSM. Its short, fat case holds more powder than the .270 Win., propelling a .277-caliber bullet on average about 200 feet per second faster than the .270 Win.

I’ve wanted a 270 WSM rifle for years, but passed on several, most notably a pre-owned, unfired Winchester Model 70 Classic Featherweight that I could have gotten for a very reasonable price.

Last summer, I found a Remington Model 700 SPS with a stainless steel action and barrel with black composite stock at Gander Mountain. It was one of several “gun show” firearms on display at a deep discount, and it was too good of a bargain to resist.

I topped it with a Burris 3-9x40 Ballistic Plex scope set in Weaver-style, Leupold rings and bases. For testing, I used two 130-grain loads.

One was Federal Power-Shock, and the other was Winchester Ballistic Silvertip. The rifle does not shoot either load accurately.

There seemed to be another problem, too.

According to Sporting Arms and Ammunition Institute specifications, the maximum overall cartridge length of a .270 WSM is 2.860 inches. The Sierra Reloading Manual Fifth Edition specifies the C.O.A.L. with a 130-grain bullet at 2.775 inches. The Federal cartridges are 2.648 inches long. That is more than one-tenth of an inch shorter than recommended C.O.A.L., which could have a big effect on accuracy. TheBallistic Silvertips are 2.753 inches long. Since the rifle didn’t perform well with either load, I disregarded that variable and concluded that the rifle simply does not like 130-grain bullets.

This prompted a trip to the reloading bench.

For my custom handloads, I chose two 140-grain bullets, Nosler Partitions and Speer Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. I loaded 10 rounds apiece with 58.5 grains of IMR-4350 powder and Federal Large Magnum Rifle primers.

I used once-fired cases from the aforementioned factory rounds. The Federal cases are brass, and the Winchester cases are nickel.

To resize the cases, I used a Lee full-length resizing die. Following the directions, I screwed the die into the press until it touched the shell holder, and then screwed down the die an extra one-third turn.

Before loading any of the cases, I tried chambering one empty brass and nickel case. To my surprise and dismay, both got stuck, and I could not close the bolt. I had to punch them out with a cleaning rod.

I called my friend and reloading mentor, HowardRobinson, for advice. He said the die probably didn’t set the case shoulder back far enough and recommended screwing the resizing die down farther incrementally until I got the result I wanted. I screwed it down a full 3/4 turn after contacting the shell holder, and those unloaded cases chambered easily.

I seated the Partitions for an overall cartridge length of .2803 inches, and the Bear Claws at 2.721 inches because those were the lengths that the rifle chambered without resistance.

Finally, it was time for a trip out to my back 40 for testing. I usually test my loads at the 100-yard range at the Benton Gun Club, letting my gun cool for 7-10 minutes between shots. However, a maker of high-dollar competition rifles in northeast Arkansas said I should replicate as closely as possible the conditions under which I would actually use the gun.

So instead of sitting at a bench shooting at a level target at 100 yards, I stood a two-liter Mountain Dew bottle on top of two stacked, 5-gallon buckets at the bottom of the hill 118 yardsaway. That approximates the height of a whitetailed deer’s vital organs. The slope, or declination, according to my Leupold rangefinder, is 5 degrees, which more or less replicates shooting from an elevated stand. I used an old bookcase for a shooting rest.

I shot the Partition first, aiming at the label. It hit about 1 inch high and about a half-inch to the right.

The bullet left clean entry and exit holes and did not expand. The next shot was with the Bear Claw, which is shorter than the Partition, with a rounder tip. This time I aimed at the bottleneck cap. I drew a deep breath, exhaled halfway and squeezed the Remington’s light, crisp trigger. The Bear Claw ripped the bottlecap right off.

Two one-shot “kills,” at point of aim through a cold barrel in a stiff wind. You can’t beat that.

The next test was on live game. I used the Partitions on opening week of modern gun deer season from a box stand in Grant County. A doe stepped into an opening 78 yards away. I waited until the last few minutes of legal shooting time hoping a buck would step out. That did not happen, so I tooka slight quartering-away shot, behind the shoulder.

The bullet entered at point of aim and exited through the chest, leaving a massive vent.

The .270 WSM with those combinations of bullet and powder is a winner, and I suspect that rifle would shoot any 140-grain bullet just as accurately.

On the other hand, a 130-grain bullet is the classic mate for the .270 Win. A 140-grain bullet is synonymous with 7mm cartridges, like the .280 Rem. and 7mm Mag. With IMR-4350, the .280 Rem.

propels a 140-grain, 7mm bullet at the same speed as the 270 WSM with nearly 5 grains less powder. With the same powder charge, the 7mm Mag. provides almost identical performance.

That’s a mid-range loading for the 7-Mag. You can stoke it to go a lot faster.

The main difference is that the .270 WSM gives you that performance with a shorter barrel - 2 inches shorter, on average - with noticeably less felt recoil.

If you shoot either of those 7s and are happy with them, the .270 WSM is not an upgrade, but it is a nice addition to any arsenal.