270 Winchester better than 7mm mag?

[C.W. Richter]

IF they made the 7 w/ the same case as the 300, it'd be even better. It's 2.62 in long. Same for the WBYs (the 7 is shorter than both 300s, thus the 7x300 Wildcats.)

 

[Newboomer]

Actually, the .338WM, .300WM, 7mm RM, along with the .264WM and .458WM are all the same case (2.5" length) necked up or down and based on the parent .375 H and H case.

270 vs 7RM. Kinda like 9.3x62 vs 375HH. Close but no cigar when it comes to terminal performance. The 7 and the 375 have a definite edge. I've not shot or owned a 270 but I have a 7 and 375 and have had a 9.3. Taken a lot of pg with my 7, some with the 375. In my experience the 7RM is hard to beat for pg up to eland. I've taken zebra, black and blue wildebeest, nyala, waterbuck and a host of smaller stuff with Barnes 160gr TSX ahead of 52gr of 4064, all one shot kills out to 270 yds.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Whiskey versus red wine argument. They are both excellent calibers. Disclosure: I own and use both.

 

[CoElkHunter]

The 300 WM case is actually a bit longer and a bit more capacity than the 7mm mag or 338 WM.


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The last one is all you need! LOL

 

[CoElkHunter]

With the exception of the 300 I believe you are correct, dimensionally. The loaded case capacities are not the same. Esp. so w/ the longer case 300.
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That's the Mags; .264, 7, 300, 338, 458 (threw my DG Fav in at the end: 416 Chatfield-Taylor! Same velocity as the Rigby, Rem and way more efficient use of that case.)

If Winchester hadn’t procrastinated in the early ‘70s with producing factory ammo for the .416 Taylor (Winchester and Ruger each made prototype rifles), the .416 RM and .416 Ruger may have never come to fruition? I have a .416 Taylor and it’s a great cartridge.

 

[C.W. Richter]

I would stick with the larger case 300. My second centerfire rifle as a kid now we have three of them for different purposes! With the larger case capacity and larger bullets available the 300 outshines it.

 

[C.W. Richter]

If Winchester hadn’t procrastinated in the early ‘70s with producing factory ammo for the .416 Taylor (Winchester and Ruger each made prototype rifles), the .416 RM and .416 Ruger may have never come to fruition? I have a .416 Taylor and it’s a great cartridge.

Yeah that's a whole weird area even Taylor's death had mystery surrounding it they were clearly going to introduce it. But luckily a couple companies do make factory ammo if handloading isn't your thing.

 

[C.W. Richter]

'Not advocating this, but it's a testiment, of sorts! LOL As a late teen, I had already accurized and optimized handloading for a semi-custom Mauser obtained via the barter system for working on some (now RIP)-guy's 56 Chevy Panel Delivery Wagon...it was a Shooter I should've never, ever gotten rid of!!!!! Anyhow, on break from school 'went stalking at one of the old fam farms in a fairly deep snow...A huge doe was kicking snow away to reveal acorns 150 yds down a logging road. 'Got into the kneeling position, took a rock-steady shot (and after recovering from the recoil, 'no deer in-sight.) 'Walked up to the spot, saw a blood trail going up the hill to the right and down the hill to the left (of the old road.) Upon closer inspection, there was a doe lying uphill 10 yds and a fawn downhill 10 yds. 'Turns out the fawn was standing broadside behind the doe (i did NOT see it,) but I recovered the bullet (165 gr Sierra or Hdy 165 gr BTSP, 73 gr 4350, CCI 250-3,250 fps) inside the far hide of the 2nd deer! Impressive. Long day/drag (no tractor or vehicle could reach this spot a mile from nowhere and we didn't own snowmobiles.) 'Had 2 doe tags! After this, not knowing I was going to Africa or all over the world for that matter, I deemed the gun "too powerful" and got rid of it (I did bag a nice black bear with it too.) Mistakes we make!!! The 270 would've cleanly taken the 1st deer and the 7 would've wounded the 2nd!

 

[Traveler1]

I go up to 175 grain in the 7mm rem mag for plains game at slightly lower velocities than you stated with great results. I drop down to 143 grains for southern white tails. I prefer the 7 mag!

I do the exact the same thing. 7mm all the way!

 

[johnnyblues]

As always, it depends entirely on the game your hunting, that being said I’ve killed moose, caribou, sheep, goat….well you get the picture. Shot placement and modern bullet designs have come a long way. The late great Jack O Connor would surely be a great advocate for the 270.

 

[C.W. Richter]

In regards to the Wby comments, while I do love U. Roy (had many .257s, many friends with 6.5s, 7, .340 and I have an early .338-378 prototype prior to standardization-and they're all shooters, with the exception of the obvious improvements that can be put to effective use in the .224, .257, 6.5-300, and .340, .338-378 cases, there is nothing the others do better than the "std" cartridge it seeks to improve upon. The .300 Win can take anything on Earth that it was designed for. It can kill out to 1,000 yds if that is your game. There is no need to go bigger, unless the reason is enjoyment or extreme long range shooting (IF that big, heavy-recoiling Wby is set up properly and can shoot accurately!) The .416 is a perfect example: with 75 gr powder (Taylor,) 90 gr powder (Rem,) and 100 gr powder (Rigby,) you can acheive the same 2,450 fps. 'Too much of a good thing...the Rem RUMs are famous for decreased accuracy, and many a PH has seen this with bigger Wby calibers in the field! (and why that guy is still to this day trying to sell his .460!) LOL 'Love Browning's 06 case in all of its variants. Like the shortened, necked down 375 case cartridges (and same for 404 J) a tad more.

 

[One Day...]

Depends for what...

People in the know have long considered the 7 mm Rem Mag with lighter bullets (140 gr range) as nothing but a loud .280 Rem or 7x64.

Considering that the .277" .270 Win 130 gr and .284" .280 Rem 140 gr (or .277" .270 Win 150 gr and .284" .280 Rem 160 gr) are for all practical intents undistinguishable in the field, the 7 mm Rem Mag does not make a lot of sense with lighter slugs.

Where the 7 mm Rem Mag shines is with the 175 gr slugs.

So... if deer/impala/blesbok/hartebeest/etc. are the target, the .270 Win does it all with less fuss than the 7 mm Rem Mag.

But... if elk/wildebeest/kudu/zebra/etc. are the target, the 7 mm Rem Mag has an edge with heavier slugs.

This being said... a .270 Win 130 gr TTSX or AFrame will now out-penetrate a 7 mm Rem Mag 175 gr cup & core, so I have zero issue with the .270 Win on elk/wildebeest/kudu/zebra/etc.

But in fairness... let's just say that a 175 gr TTSX or AFrame 7mm Rem Mag will kill Moose and Eland in the proper hands with a larger safety margin than the .270 Win will.

 

[CBeck]

Between the two, 7mm rem mag but I would also take a look at .280 Remington or .280 ACKLEY improved.

Most of the advantages of a 7mm rem mag with recoil similar to the .270 and significantly less powder burn than a 7mm rem mag.

I have a 7mm rem mag, .280 rem and a .280 AI. I tend to reach for the .280‘s most often.

 

[sestoppelman]

The OP undercut the Rem mag just a tad, it can do better than stated.
Actual difference in case capacity between the Remmi and Weatherby is less than 5 grains, so basically what one will do the other will do, certainly nothing hit with either will know the difference.
Load them both to the same pressures in the same barrel length and you wont have much real world difference between them.
I am not a fan of the 7mm mags, but if I had to choose between the .270 and the 7 Rem mag, I would choose the Rem all day long, much better potential and reach.

 

[F. Vaccaro]

I’ve never owned a 7mag. I’ve shot several & they are flat shooting & pleasant to shoot, the .270 is also flat shooting & pleasant to shoot. The 7mag. is very popular here for elk & we do have grizzlies here! Being a hand loader, I’d go with the 7mag & load it to suit the situation.

 

[meigsbucks]

The .270 is one of my favorite rounds, although the largest animals have been mule deer. I’ve also shot a few head with the 7mag. Once again, nothing larger than a mule deer and black bear. All performed well.
I’ve only used 130gr in the .270 at ~3070 fps. I have a load for the 150gr at 2890 fps. In the 7mm Rem mag, I load a 160gr to right at 3000 fps (26” barrel). Although I wouldn’t hesitate to take larger game such as elk or kudu with either, I’d prefer the 7 mag. However, for such game my preference is a .300 or .338 mag

 

[CoElkHunter]

The .270 is one of my favorite rounds, although the largest animals have been mule deer. I’ve also shot a few head with the 7mag. Once again, nothing larger than a mule deer and black bear. All performed well.
I’ve only used 130gr in the .270 at ~3070 fps. I have a load for the 150gr at 2890 fps. In the 7mm Rem mag, I load a 160gr to right at 3000 fps (26” barrel). Although I wouldn’t hesitate to take larger game such as elk or kudu with either, I’d prefer the 7 mag. However, for such game my preference is a .300 or .338 mag

I believe Jack O'Connor killed about everything he hunted with his .270 using 130gr. bullets? With the availability of better constructed bullets today, who knows what larger animals the 130gr. could kill efficiently?

 

[meigsbucks]

I believe Jack O'Connor killed about everything he hunted with his .270 using 130gr. bullets? With the availability of better constructed bullets today, who knows what larger animals the 130gr. could kill efficiently?

The 130gr Barnes TSX in the .270 is a heck of a penetrator.

 

[Philip Glass]

I really don’t mean to be rude but really? Hands down the 7mm Mag wins the comparison. Sorry I’m not a fan of the .270. There are so many better options.

 

[Safari Dave]

For no really good reason, I'm not a fan of either (and I own both).

I opt for a .30/06 when I think my game will be 300 yards or less, and I go .300 Winchester or Weatherby when I think it might be more.


My main hunting partner uses a .270 Weatherby, and nothing walks away from that thing.