I believe we were pretty thorough in our Part 1 coverage of the Savage Model 114 American Classic, but we wanted to run some factory ammunition and handloads to get a feel for the Savage/270 combination. The 270 Winchester is a potent round. With bullet weights from 90 grains to 180 grains, in the hands of a skilled hunter the 270 Winchester is suitable for everything from varmints to the largest North American game.
As is the practice with many manufacturers these days, the Savage Model 114 has a 22″ barrel when chambered for the 270 Winchester. Based on case capacity and bore volume, a 24″ barrel would tack on some feet per second, but the 22″ barrel performance wasn’t shabby either.
| Ammunition | Bullet Weight Grains |
Rated FPS 24″ |
Recorded FPS 22″ |
3Shot Group Size” |
| Prvi Partizan | 130 | 3051 | 2979 | 1.3 |
| Prvi Partizan | 150 | 2837 | 2762 | 1.2 |
| Remington Express | 150 | 2850 | 2777 | 1.2 |
| Remington Premier | 130 | 3060 | 2980 | 1.0 |
| Winchester Super-X | 150 | 2850 | 2792 | 1.1 |
Nothing special was done in the way of handloading. The ammunition selected was developed as standard shop loads. There are many other bullet types and powder combinations available, however, these seem to cover the most 270 Winchester applications: Left to right – Sierra Varminter 90 grain, Hornady 130 grain Soft Point, Sierra Game Master BTSP 140 grain, Nosler Partition 150 grain.
I don’t usually load 90 grain 270 Winchester loads. For me, the bullet is light for the cartridge capacity and I don’t care for the ballistic coefficient, but the Savage handled it and pretty much everything else. Accuracy for a box stock sporter was very good and it was consistent.
|
Cartridge: 270 Winchester |
|
| Rifle: Savage Model 114 | Max COL: 3.340″ |
| Bullet Diameter: 0.277″ | Primer: CCI 200 |
| Barrel: 22″ | Reloading Dies: Hornady |
| Max case length: 2.540″ | Groups: 3 Shot 100 yards |
| COL and Capacity | Load Data & Performance | |||||||
| Bullet Type | Bullet Weight |
C.O.L. Inches |
Case Grains Water |
Powder | Charge Grains |
Muzzle Velocity FPS |
Group Size Inches |
|
| Sierra Varminter HP | 90 | 3.125 | 63.2 | H414 | 63.0 | 3551 | 0.9 | |
| Sierra Varminter HP | 90 | 3.125 | 63.2 | RS Big Game | 60.5 | 3534 | 1.2 | |
| Hornady SP | 130 | 3.180 | 59.9 | Re19 | 58.0 | 3066 | 1.0 | |
| Hornady SP | 130 | 3.180 | 59.9 | 7828SSC | 60.0 | 3029 | 1.1 | |
| Sierra Game King | 140 | 3.300 | 61.7 | Re19 | 57.0 | 2913 | 0.9 | |
| Sierra Game King | 140 | 3.300 | 61.7 | H4350 | 55.0 | 2892 | 0.8 | |
| Nosler Partition | 150 | 3.330 | 59.5 | Re19 | 56.0 | 2828 | 1.1 | |
| Nosler Partition | 150 | 3.330 | 59.5 | Norma 204 | 55.5 | 2841 | 1.0 | |
| Sierra 140 grain +3 Ordinate 287 Yard Point Blank Range |
||||||
| Yards | 0 | 100 | 200 | 300 | 400 | 500 |
| Velocity – fps | 2913 | 2709 | 2514 | 2328 | 2150 | 1980 |
| Energy – ft.-lbs. | 2637 | 2281 | 1964 | 1684 | 1436 | 1219 |
| Momentum – lbs-sec | 1.80 | 1.68 | 1.56 | 1.44 | 1.33 | 1.23 |
| Path – in. | -1.5 | 2.6 | 2.0 | -4.1 | -16.7 | -36.8 |
I’m glad we had the opportunity to spend some time with the Savage Model 114. The rifle stayed tight throughout the entire project and required no maintenance. Hot or cold, the rifle placed shots consistently and it was comfortable shooting from the bench, standing, sitting or prone. Hopefully we will have the opportunity to check out more of the Savage product line.
Savage’s Model 114 American Classic Part 1
Savage’s Model 114 American Classic Part 2
Email Notification