What cartridge and caliber?

[coydog]

Wow You guys are awesome!

It sounds like the original .270 gets the most votes and all the reasons you guys listed are very good points.

Is a tikka stainless synthetic a good way to go?

[Elkhuntingfool]

My brother's Tikka is very very accurate.

[Sage]

Tikka is a very nice way to go. The barrels on Sako and Tikka are the exact same thing. Made side by side in the Sako factory. Best factory barrel made in the world. I do not like the action on the Tikka, but you can not buy one better for the money. My 2 cents.

[rifle666]

+ tikka
it seems to be here to stay. my next rifle will be a tikka.

[Frisco Pete]

There is really nothing wrong with the .270 Winchester. It was ahead of its time and offers trajectory virtually identical to many magnums with its 130-gr. bullet. It also has a bit less recoil than some of its bigger brothers, yet offers the same killing power as other popular big game rounds. So can it be improved just a bit?

Well... I think the .270 WSM is a little better .270 than the "real" .270. So far factory ammo chronographs at what it is supposed to and that is not the case with the original that seems to have been downloaded a bit from original pressure specs. So it is faster, harder-hitting and a bit flatter shooting. The short-fat non-belted case is a nice design as well, and it, along with the .300 WSM, is the most popular short magnum and offered in the most rifles. Recoil is the lightest of any listed magnum, especially lighter than the 7mm Rem Mag, yet performance is virtually identical. I think Jack O'Conner would approve of the new .270 even though there are no flies on the original 270 (one that I still own as well). The .270 WSM just seemed to be a winner out of the starting gate just like its .300 WSM parent.

I have had no feeding issues with my original Win. Model 70 Classic .270 WSM and the .270 WSM is available in other good rifles as well, including the Rem 700 series. Even semi-custom rifles like the Kimber chamber it. Popularity seems to be very good ensuring ammo and component availability.

I also feel that with the superior design of today's premium construction "boutique" bullets that there is no abiding reason to think that with bullets of such similar weights, diameters and sectional densities and velocity range that bullets heavier than 150 in .277" are really necessary or give up any performance to the .284" brothers.

So if you like the .270 Winchester, yet would like to have a little more "magnum" performance like some of the other popular rounds offered - here is your chance with the .270 WSM.

The 7mm Remington Mag suffers from the very wide chamber variations of different rifle makers and makes the ammo makers very conservative with pressure. Or good pressure with one rifle and load may be only .280 performance in another 7mm Mag. I have seen this one personally in my gun. Check out about 4 or 5 reloading manuals and try to determine a max load that is consistent. Most 7mm Mag guys I know do everything with a 150 or 160, so bullet range is moot.
As a reloader I hate belts for short case life that often entails because of huge chamber and headspacing variations around, especially in this caliber. When it headspaces on the belt - why bother with a tight, uniform spec chamber? - is evidently the thought.
If pure faith in the Magnum name makes the round perform ballistic magic, there is not a more believing crowd than 7mm Rem Magnum aficionados.

The 7mm Short Mags don't suffer from the above chambering issues and pressures and performance are consistent so I believe it is a better 7mm Mag than the original but not very popular and not chambered in nearly as many rifles as the virtually identical performing .270 WSM.
This is one caliber that I would worry about availability and continued existence. Remington has their own struggling 7mm short mag and won't chamber the Winchester version. Most other outfits sit it out and just chamber the similar performing .270 WSM because it is proven to be popular.

As always, it is hard to go wrong with any of the listed calibers, but I do have some prejudices just like the next guy...

[m gardner]

I've killed a great deal of game with the 270 winchester and have tried many other calibers but the 270 is my favorite. It was designed for deer size game and to be flat shooting out to reasonable distances. I like the 150 Speer Grand Slams ahead of IMR 7828. The Trophy Bonded 140 is my next choice. It'll work on elk too if you're careful. The largest elk I killed I took with a 270 win. It was a model 700 remington. I used it 3 years before the barrel went sour. A 7mm mag or 270 mag will probably wear out sooner because of the larger powder charge. If you shoot 100 rounds a year it should last your lifetime.
Mark

[Sage]

With the cartridges that you mentioned flip a coin, they are all great.

[Champion]

None of the above for me. Sorry. I like the 06 better than the .270 and I like the 7MMRUM and the 300 WSM better than the other 7's.

[Surfer Coyote]

It's a toss up between the 7mm and the .270.

I don't care for the short mags much.

[BPTurkeys]

If all you are going after is deer, the old .270win is a great gun. But if elk are on the horizon, you really need to get something a little larger. I think that is why some of the guys are throwing out the .06 at you. Oh I know, there's been plenty of elk killed with the 270, I' ve killed three or four over the years with one myself but sooner of later you're going to loose one that a little larger bullet would have planted. Look the ballistic tables over closely and you'll see the old .06 does everything your .270 will do AND you can handle 180gr bullet that your .270 can't. It can even do a pretty good job with the 200 gr stuff. Stick with .30 or bigger and you'll be shooting enough gun!

[shootinfool]

I have found that the only difference between the short mags and the mags are the weight(and the extra few hundred feet per second). The wsm's are built on a short action allowing the gun to be just a little bit lighter than the regulars. The problem with this is the kick, which is increased. I own both the .270 wsm and the .300 wsm along with the 7mag(two) and have owned two .270's and they all do what I want them to do so it really comes down on what you want to try and see if it works for you. Despite all of the roomers, I have never had a feed problem on any of the short mags that I have owned. They have all functioned flawlessly and been very accurate shooters. They have, every once in a while had problems when I go to long just necksizing them only(8-9 times). You will get this with any gun after a while though if you necksize only. The fireformed cases start to fit the chamber too well and all you need to do is just bump the shoulder back just a little bit and they will fit fine for a while again.

[snobiller22]

I'd pic the 5.77 T-Rex. Guaranteed to stop game in their tracks!!

[Surfer Coyote]

I'd pic the 5.77 T-Rex. Guaranteed to stop game in their tracks!!

....as well as the shooter!