Winchester's Grade III Model 70

We love early mid 20th century America. Cars were faster, homes were low cost, everyone was happy, and all Winchesters shot 1/2 MOA groups… 5 shot groups, not those sissy 3 shot groups of today. Elmer Keith was a living legend. Jack O’Connor was a living legend and they controlled the ink that could paint that era to be anything they wanted… and they were artists.

I always thought O’Connor was a bit… fancy for my taste, but Keith… he seemed like a guy who could kick ass and take names. Those two guys, and maybe three others, made me like firearms, made me like math and physics and made me like hunting. Really. I had no choice. As a kid, I needed an American Dream that suggested things could get better, and those guys were living a dream and sharing their respective versions.

Reflecting on the prior paragraph, there is probably some irony to be found in the subject rifle selection. It is, after all. a 270 Winchester, the focus of O’Connor’s idolatry. However, I would say in my own defense, I’ve already written extensively, if not knowledgeably, about the: 338 Winchester Magnum, 7x62mm Mauser, 270 Winchester, 270 WSM, 300 WSM, and 375 H&H versions.

Made in China? According to “Cartridges of the World”

“Cartridges of the World” attributes the origins of the 270 Winchester to the Chinese. Their expressed rational is that the 270 Winchester utilizes a 0.277″ bullet and that they had heard of the existence of an unidentified 0.277″ Chinese cartridge. They did not know the name of the cartridge, or the dimensions or its performance, but still concluded that this was behind Winchester’s design of the 270 Winchester. Cartridges of the World closed the relevant passage with “We will likely never know”… which was very dramatic and also very unfortunate as the rest of us do know.

China adopted the Mauser rifle, 1907-1917, chambered for a 6.8x57mm, a cartridge originally designed and manufactured by Austrian George Roth as the 6.8×56.3. The round was standardized for the Chinese Mauser as the 6.8x57mm and China joined in its production. By 1914, China had already abandoned the 6.8x57mm and was converting the balance of production over to the 7.92x57mm. A 6.8x60mm appeared in 1908 as the 6.8 Mauser M-08, however, this was never adapted by the Chinese. Users of QuickLoad will find this last round in the database, along with dimensions and capacities.

I don’t know what’s up with the chuckle head authors of  “Cartridges of the World” and their attempt to revise history and unjustly discredit an American initiative. It would have been nice if these very seasoned authors would have actually spent a little time researching before making such assertions. 6.8x57mm is based on the 7x57mm Mauser and does NOT share case head diameter, case length or body diameter, capacity, or performance with the 270 Winchester.

I am not a American firearm-cartridge only guy. In fact, a study of firearms is often synonymous with a study of world history. However, I am also not a discredit American first kind of guy. Despite revisionists attempts to erase the history of this great nation, I’m very proud of what our country has contributed to the world and those contributions are well documented. I would just like people be truthful and offer credible commentary to appropriately credit all contributing sources.

270温彻斯特

Jack O’Connor caused the 270 Winchester to not be my first centerfire rifle by convincing me with his writing that it was a “Western” cartridge, made for the wide open spaces. At the time, I was hunting dense woodland and paying way too much attention to the recommendations of others.

The 270 Winchester, far left, was developed in 1923 by Winchester and introduced to the public in 1925. The 270 Winchester was one of a number of necked down and hot-rodded versions of the widely popular 30-06 Springfield that appeared in the early 1900s. However, it was the first such round to succeed commercially; the 280 Remington was factory homologated in 1957, the 25-06 Remington in 1969. Neither of the latter rounds persisted in popularity, even though each is an excellent cartridge in its own right.

Life experience tells me that the 270 Winchester’s usefulness depends upon bullet types and loads selected. Bullet weights from 90 grains to 180 grains are widely available. The lightest weight is certainly light enough for larger varmint hunting, coyote as an example, but way to much for cartridge for prairie dogs. The mid range bullet weights offer enough power and reach for deer, antelope and sheep hunting. The upper bullet weight range; elk and moose and not in the least bit marginal.

Personally, I would reserve the 160 and, certainly, 180 grain bullets for 270 Magnums. Velocity drops into the 2,400 fps range for the 270 Winchester at these bullet weights, but bumps to 2,800 fps in the magnum versions of the 270. I would also avoid 6.8mm labeled bullets. While they are 0.277″ in diameter, they are made for the 6.8 SPC making their construction and cannelure placement incorrect for the 270 Winchester.

Recoil generated by the 270 Winchester is modest in sporting weight rifles. Muzzle blast is not exceptional for a centerfire rifle. Fired from a seven pound rifle, 130 grain to 150 grain loads will generate between 23 and 25 ft/lbs of recoil, or approximately 6 ft/lbs less than a 180 grain 30-06 Springfield and approximately 10 ft/lbs more than a 105 grain 243 Winchester load. The 270 Winchester rates a 15.7 on the Real Guns barrel burner index.

Performance from factory ammo

The 270 Winchester is a natural middleweight… which probably explains its original release with a 130 grain bullet. Today, factory ammunition is loaded to 150 grains, however, peak performance as indicated by retained velocity, energy, momentum and brief time in flight suggests weights above 130 grain come with tradeoffs. Like a boxer who puts on weight to move up from his natural weight class and loses speed and knockout power, so goes the 270 Winchester.

Meanwhile, back on planet Earth. Something to work with…

The bullets selected for handloading the subject rifle are, as pictured left to right, top to bottom on the table. They are all reasonably priced and readily available: