270 wsm or 300 wsm????

M

muddflapp76

New member
i am gonna buy a new deer rifle in the next few days and i am stuck between the 270 wsm or the 300wsm. i am mostly gonna deer hunt with this gun 95% of the time and maybe a couple years down the road an elk hunt if i ever get drawn here in kentucky. also i will be reloading for this gun so which has better reloading capabilities?? thanks for any info ahead of time as i am green to the wsm's.
 
I voted for the 270wsm last week when I bought one. I will use it for deer and elk. I don't see anyway that that could be considered undergunned for elk. Either one will work the same, but I decided on the 130gr TSX so I bought a 270.
 
i love the 270wsm. but if i were gonna buy just 1 and use it for deer and elk i would buy the 300wsm. not saying the 270wsm wouldnt work for elk but the 300 would be better hands down. i have reloaded for the 270wsm and it took to my reloads nicely but it is a bastard cartridge. i had to hog out my autoprime and customize my funnel for the fat cartridge.
 
You can split the difference with the 7mm short mag. Not sure if it is Win or Rem though. Much better bullet selection in either 7mm or .30, and I say that as a (very) long-time .270 owner and reloader. Even if you don't reload the 7mm puts you into the 175 grain category. The .270 tops out at 150 unless you hand load the Nosler 160 semi-spitzer partition. The 7 will do nicely for deer with the lighter bullets and still handle an elk without a stretch (if you use the right bullet and place it correctly). The .300 lets you go even heavier if you think you need it.

If I had to start over again I'd probably go with a .280 (sorry Jack O'Connor old buddy).
 
The 7mm WSM will be gone in a few years as far as new rifles, not enough consumer demand to justify continued
production.

The 270 WSM with the "right bullets" such as TSX makes a adequate part time ELK rifle.
 
Having hunted deer & elk all my life I will say the .300 is a much better choice for elk and the deer don't seem to mind.
 
Quote:
The 270WSM is a fine coice for elk especially with the newer design bullets of today.



Ditto, I own them both and they are both great cartidges. Both mine are in Brownings and the shoot the factory Win accubonds .5. I would not hesitate to take either one elk hunting but I have only shot a pile of whitetails with them so far. That accubond is one serious bullet. TSX would probably be a good choice for elk in the 270wsm.
 
If I could only pick one I would have to go with the .30 and only because of the wider range of bullet choices out there. Either one with the right bullet is enough for elk if shot placement is right, but neither is if it isn't.
 
My choice for deer would be the 270 WSM and for Elk the 300 might be a little better with the heavier bullets. I personally purchased a Left Hand Model 70 Featherweight in 270 WSM and replaced the wood stock with a McMillian Glass Stock. I load the Nosler 140 gr Accu-Bond with AA MagPro and WLRM Primers. My rifle groups 1/2 inch and some days a little better when i'm at my best from the bench. Between the two cal i would go with the 270 WSM . /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
It somewhat depends on the country you hunt. Here in Idaho where a wounded elk can run to the bottom of a 2000 foot deep brushy blow down canyon the 300 anchors better, in fact I shoot an 8mm Rem mag for elk.

The 270 will certainly anchor an elk, but I've seen elk with their heart blown out go 400 yards down a canyon wall where it took two days and a winch to get it out.

The use of bonded core premium bullets will help in those situations, but over the last 15 years I've been using a front shoulder shot. Once you remove the means of locomotion an animal won't go far.

If I were you I'd get the cartridge you want and tailor the bullet to the game. If this were a dedicated elk rifle then more power would be suggested, but the 270 will do fine for the type of hunting your thinking about.
 
A 270 WSM will kill elk farther then 90% of hunters can hit them at. Its all about bullet placement. Load it with a good 150g bullet and no elk will live with shoulders and lungs busted up. 300 WSM could be a better choice for longer range shots, but in all actuality, put the bullet where it needs to go and you'll have your animal.
 
325.WSM!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-006.gif

Ballistic equivelent if not slightly better than the 300. win. mag but not quite the recoil. I've abliviated whitetails out to 300 yds and would easily recommend it for elk size critters. My A-bolt groups them under a inch at 150 yds were I'm sighted in for.

If you want to see a pic of it, look to the left. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif My avatar is a BIG bodied deer taken a few weeks ago with the 325. at 280 yds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Dave
 


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