So….. it’s a couple of weeks before the start of deer season and I decide to “scope check” my rifle and make sure it’s still set where I left it, which in this case was on the bullseye. Fired one shot and when I looked through the glass, I saw this! Right where I left it! Tikka T3 Hunter in .270WSM. Worth every penny!
gotta love tikka’s
Close enough I suppose. 
Low and to the right 
…. 
JK nice shot
I’ve had a few headaches getting the .270 WSM to dial in with hand loads. After taking a step back to really understand the load from the pressure characteristics, I am in love! I have the T3 270WSM stainless and couldn’t be much happier with a hunting rifle. I’m shooting regularly over 400 yrds and have a true sense of if I can see it – I can kill it! Unless I’m contending with sustained 26 mph winds and gusts over 40 
Per my hunting area, which is much shorter than the range you’re dealing with, I share that feeling and it’s got me really excited about the rifle. You operate on a much higher knowledge plane than I do so when I plunked a Remington Core-Lokt 130gr. into the bullseye 2 years ago and felt I’d found a good factory load, I wasn’t really blown away until my first shot 2 years later repeated that result. Like I said, I wish it always went like this!
When I bought this unshot, in the box from a private party, it came with 8 boxes of ammo, one of which was the Core-Lokt, 2 are Winchester Power Max, and 5 were the Winchester Supreme Elite XP3’s. Because there was only one Core-Lokt, I decided to speed dial the scope and see how much use I could get out of the odd box and use it up in my deer woods, saving the better stuff for future, longer distance use. Well, that left me with 7 rounds for the season and while I’ve never used more than 4 rounds in any season, I thought I needed a cushion just in case and I bought another box of Core-Lokt.
Somewhere down the road I’ll shoot the others to see how they compare and what changes need to be made but until I need this rifle for western use, it’s my new whitetail buddy! 
I have a 7mm WSM that I have been shooting for 5 deer seasons now. it is a Browning A Bolt. The gun came with 2 boxes of Ballistic tips or Silvertips, can’t remember. Anyways, these 140 gr rockets were not great whitetail bullets. I shot 2 deer under 20 yards and had to track and take follow up shots to end it. Upon skinning, it was obvious that these bullets fragmented and left several wounds instead of maintaing it’s integrity and mushrooming and creating a big wound channel. I switched to Winchesters Power Max bonded bullet and have seen great results. All deer since have dropped in their tracks.
I know that this caliber and gun isn’t the ideal whitetail combo, but with a good bullet, I’ve been happy. This is definatley not a “brush” gun however. Does anyone have any other ammo recommendations for this gun/caliber? My only complaint is that the ammo is very expensive.
Long are the debates over what is the ideal whitetail set up and I’d agree that my .270WSM isn’t the ideal set up either.
Most of my hunting area is brushy/short range country and even my .308 seems overkill at times. However, this year I found a location to overlook a swamp that has a couple of 200yd. shooting lanes while not giving my presence away in the skyline view of those deer. My .308 can still reach out there just fine but I decided to look into “energy at range” and the .270WSM shoots flatter while meeting that desire. I shudder to think of a 20yd shot with it, especially with soft point bullets but out to range, I should get the same acceptable performance I get from lighter loads in closer proximity. I’ve taken 20-40yd shots with SP’s in my .308 and had no blow up or run off issues. If they run, it’s a 30yd or less walk to retrieve them.
I actually bought the gun for going west and with the ammo included….. the deal was just too good to pass up.
For the most part, the .270 and/or .300WSM’s I own will only be used in that one stand with the long shoot lanes. They really are waiting for western use. Otherwise, my .308, .30-30 will suffice. For swamp/brush walking I still use a 20ga. slug. Having a selection of rifles/guns isn’t everyone’s gig but I’m that kind of “weird”. I like different ones for different situations.
As for the ammo pricing issues you face, I wish I had a suggestion for you. All the online stuff seems every bit as steep or steeper than going to a retail center and I think the 7mm WSM is some of the highest price short-mag ammo I’ve ever seen. Maybe keep an eye on “listing” style sites like Craigslist or Armslist and hope that someone just happens to have some they just need to get rid of and at a good price. This summer, I found a guy in my hometown that was dumping a 50rnd box of .41mag and was only asking $20.00! 5 minute drive on the bike and $40.00 saved off the retail shelf! It can happen….. just not everyday. Just keep your eyes open for deals.
I do have a friend in TX that shoots the Winchester Supreme Elite XP3’s out of his .300WSM and really brags them up for both accuracy and lethal performance. I dread the thought of $60/box but it sounds like it’s worth it to him.
I have a question about WSM’S in general. Are they designed to perform better at long distances after the velocity drops? I have shot several deer at 20 yards and less with the bonded bullet and it mushroomed(I think) and created a nice big pass thru hole. What is the main difference between a WSM and regular 7mm Mag other than flatter and faster WSM?
What would you guys consider to be a good brush gun? I’ve considered picking up a new rifle and have debated between a 7mm mag and the old reliable 30/06. My dad and brother shoot 180 gr Core Lokts and they literally shoot thru any brush they need to.
I’m definitely not a guru, but a few advantages you get.
Long action (mag) performance from a shorter action. Shorter bolt throw. You pick up a little more “usuable” length in the barrel since they aren’t chambered as deep (compared to 7mm RUM). Plus, the powder burn is more even. I’m sure any one of these points can be argued.
One very distinct difference I noticed when comparing the ballistics of the 270win Vs 270 WSM and 7mm RUM was the PSI of the charges. The 270WIN was on average 10,000PSI lower and the 7mm RUM & the 7mm WSM was about the same as the 270 WSM. Then after comparing all the ballistic info, I felt the 270 WSM was the best over-all for me. with a 140gr Barnes TSX bullet out of the 270WSM, it carries almost as much punch as the 7MM RUM, but with almost 20grains less powder. Plus, I like to shoot all year long. I may shoot 100 rounds one month, 400 rounds another, and only 50 the following….but at the end of the year I burn a lot of powder. Nothing like the pros that are shooting 100’s per day, but it adds up.
Since I started shooting Barnes TSX solid copper for hunting, I really haven’t looked at other manufactures for the last few years. For me and my style, I don’t like bullets that fragment. I like a good mushroom and a heck of a lot of energy to blow through and damage the vitals. This year was very unique in that we had 3 whitetails shot almost in the identical spot. Each was off center through the chest and exit behind the opposite front shoulder. In all 3 cases, the deer never moved beyond 15 yrds.
Buck #1 – Shot 270 WIN/130gr Barnes TSX at about 100 yrds. Lungs were nearly cut in half, arotic was cut, and obvious signs of bruising to the upper parts of the heart. Blood was immediate at the location of impact and huge where it dropped 10 yrds later.
Buck #2 – Shot 270 WSM 140gr Barnes TSX just under 200 yrds. Looked like a cannon ball hit him on impact and he fell about 5 yrds from impact. Hit left off center of chest and exist out opposite shoulder. No lungs left – all stringy mush. Artery was blown off of heart and the entire heart was black and blue (but never a direct hit). Everything inside the upper cavity looked like it was hit, though you could see the distinct bullet path.
Doe – Shot 270 WSM 140gr Barnes TSX just over 350 yrds. Identical damage as buck #2
Now, compared to the last couple deer I shot a few years ago with Hornady superperformance and Remington Pt.
*Shot buck through lungs broadside – deer ran 200yrds with minimal blood trail.
* Shot buck dead center mass of chest. Deer looked like an accordion as he rolled over backwards. Got up and ran. Took 3 hours to track and find him, only to have to shoot him again. Bullet hit center mass chest and followed the external side of the rib cage and exited out his rear end.
Buck – shot broadside standing in my food plot. Bullet went behind shoulder and out of chest. Hit lungs, but absolutely no other damage inside. Deer ran well over 200 yrds with minimal blood trail.
As for the thought of a 270WSM being too large for whitetail?????? Not in my opinion. Call me morbid, but I want to see an impact and an animal fall DEAD. I intend to kill whatever I am shooting at. I want mass damage to vitals and for it all to over with immediately. I’ve been finding that the combination of more power and the Barnes bullets I am doing so much more damage to the vitals and a LOT less damage to the shoulder meat. I’ve been able to recover more meat around the impact zone than ever before.
Well, I’ve learned something. I always thought/been told that the 270 was on the lighter side for deer. How does the 270 stack up against a 30.06 or 7mm?
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What would you guys consider to be a good brush gun? I’ve considered picking up a new rifle and have debated between a 7mm mag and the old reliable 30/06. My dad and brother shoot 180 gr Core Lokts and they literally shoot thru any brush they need to.
What many consider a brush gun is more a selection of bullet type and the power behind it. No matter what, when a bullet that is designed to mushroom comes in contact with any material at 3000 fps, it is going to expand. Now it is a matter of how much it will fragment, deflect, and all that great stuff.
I’ve sent more .270 WIN through raspberry brush, saplings, and other crap and still killed a lot of deer. Still wish i could have had a picture of the bullet path from the 2nd largest buck I ever shot. 270win and you could see the line through all the 1″-2″saplings that the bullet passed through. One of those moments where you wonder how the heck the bullet could have even gotten the first 30 yrds..
For anyone hunting in heavy cover to semi-open fields, 270, 30-06,7mm all are fine choices. Its really a matter of over-all performance you want, and at what distances. In the case of my 270wsm, it was purchased as a 500-600 yrd rifle. Will i shoot many deer in WI at that range? NO. Most of my whitetail shots are 150 to 350 yrds. But i also go to WY & CO frequently enough that I wanted something a bit heavier than my 270WIN(s) 
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Well, I’ve learned something. I always thought/been told that the 270 was on the lighter side for deer. How does the 270 stack up against a 30.06 or 7mm?
Give me a moment to find the pick & add it. Bedded cow elk at 370is yrds. Bullet passed through and imbedded in the hoof. Cow stood up, walked 20-30 yrds and fell over. If a 270WIN can do that to an elk, I could never imagine it being too light for a whitetail. BTW, I sold my only 30-06 about 25 years ago and bought my 3rd 270WIN for my wife (girlfriend at the time) to use…. 
Wow, thanks Randy. What do you see as the 30.06 weaknesses? In my woods, a 100 yard shot is considered very long, most shots are 0-60.
Growing up in flatland. The .270 was a very popular caliber. The most common statement was it shot flatter than the .06. I’ve never studied the ballistics. Like it’s often mentioned, the .06 has probably killed more animals on this planet than any other modern day caliber.
As long as we are talking these calibers. A question I couldn’t find an easy answer for. How many different 7MM calibers are there. I know of the 7MM Mag, 7MM RUM. Is there such a thing as a straight 7MM or 7MM WIN?
Kooty, do you have some time to read?? 
.284 or 7mm
7-30 Waters
7mm-08
7mm Mauser
280 remington = 7mm Express rem
7mm Rem magnum
7mm Weatherby Magnum
7WSM
7mm Rem Short action Ul;tra mag
7mm STW (shooting Times Westerner)
7mm Rem Ultra Mag
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Wow, thanks Randy. What do you see as the 30.06 weaknesses? In my woods, a 100 yard shot is considered very long, most shots are 0-60.
Please, I’m not knocking the ’06. Lord knows I’ve killed a heck of a lot of animals with it and its a great caliber. For ME, the 270WIN was just a better chose. After hunting the swamps in northern WI for a number of years, we moved our hunts to southwest WI where realistically, I have opportunities to well over 500 yrd if I wanted to push it that far. I also have family out west in Colorado, and WY/CO is something we look at frequently.
BUT, when I looked at the ballistics and compared the applications, I was doing the equalvilant of the 30-06 150 gr with a 270WIN 130 gr bullet. I got more fps and the internal damage was equal in my opinion. Then factor in the drop and clearly the 270 was more versatile for me.
Hopefully these show clearly. I ran a comparison on the 270 WSM (red) 270 WIN (tan) and 30-06 (purple) through the winchester ballistics to compare. Keep in mind, you have to shoot a 150gr in the ’06 to compare to the 130’s in the 270’s
Holy Crap! After reading the damage at approximately 200yds with the .270WSM, I think I’ll just keep that for going west and get back to using something lighter. I have the .308 but I also once had a .270win…. and still have ammo for that caliber so maybe I still have a little something to consider but if that’s the level of damage at 200yds, that’s just too much for my liking and I’m really inclined to lighten up my choice.
Brian…. check out http://www.ableammo.com for 7mmWSM ammo prices. They look significantly lower than what I’m used to seeing at Gander.
Stillakid, just asking. Why would you not want that kind of damage to the vitals? Surprisingly I have very little loss to the flesh with the Barnes bullets.
How would you guys compare the 270 to the 7mm? how about the 270 versus 30.06.
I guess I never would be opposed to “too much” damage to vitals unless it was destroying a lot of meat. A friend of my son hunted with us this year and of course he needed the biggest, baddass gun in the woods so he bought a 300 win mag. The first doe he shot was a clean broadside thru and thru high lung shot with almost no meat loss. The next doe he shot quartering away and absolutely destroyed the opposite shoulder.
Bullet selection is going to determine the meat loss. Bullets that blow up ruin the most
I think I partially misread your post and then in turn, misled you.
When you mentioned damage to the entire upper cavitiy, I interpreted that to have some impact on the meat too, but that’s not what you said. While I do like to eat heart and/or liver too, I won’t risk losing a deer to get it. I go for a killing shot and if it’s close enough to be the neck, I’ll do it. Otherwise, I want that deer to drop immediately too.
Part of my thinking in my reply was the fact that I’m shooting with SP Core-Lokts. I know with an SP there’s going to be some fragmenting and if we switched from .06 to .308 decades ago to reduce fragmenting and meat damage, it seemed to me that I should shy away from the .270WSM as well….. simply because of what I’m using. I think I’ll suffer meat damage when I really don’t have to.
I still love the gun! I’m just saving the “good stuff” for when I get to (someday) go west. If that doesn’t come together within a few years, I’ll switch over and consider putting it back in the whitetail stand.
I can’t say that I’ve ever documented a bullet’s performance after killing a deer but I know I have had no issues getting the job done with my .308 and unless I had to put a shoulder in the line of fire, I haven’t lost meat from fragmentation.
Yes, I could shoot something else but I’m too stingy to “waste” ammo. If I’ve laid money down for it, I want to get something done with it. Not sure what I’ll do with the Core-Lokt SP 130’s for the .270WSM at this point but knowing they shoot so well out of the rifle, I really hate to change it until I’m actually doing something different.
Yes….. I’m that kind of weird!
Randy,
Did you say this gun also shot an elk this fall? If so, what round and how did it perform?
Stillakid2 – not weirds at all. Fully understand what your saying. I have a habit of hitting both front shoulders on a broadside shot. For years my dad would get on my case because I wasted both front shoulders on my deer.
Kooty, it was shot in the neck at about 200 yrds. blew a couple vertebra up and bullet exited. Very typical neck shot.
Same Barnes 140 gr TSX
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