Group,
I just read the May, 2002 article in Guns and Ammo by Wayne van Zwoll which discussed the .270 cartridges -- original and short magnum as well as Weatherby and others. The tables used by van Zwoll re: .270 Winchester ballistics -- and his anecdotes re: bullets are very enlightening.
He had tables to show just how close a .270 Win' Hornady Light Magnum with 130 gr' SST bullet came to the 130 gr' Silvbertip .270 WSM velocities.....only 60 fps' less! The Federal High Energy 140 gr' Bear Claw was only 25 fps slower than the 140 gr' Fail Safe in the .270 WSM. So much for replacing a .270 Handi' with a new Winchester for $400. Sure the Handi' has only a 22" barrel, but handloads can help with that in bullets up to 130 gr's. The 'enhanced' loads with heavier bullets would seem to be harder to duplicate with acceptable pressures. But with what Wayne said about the .270, who needs many of the heavier bullets?
Wayne told how he'd witnessed elk killed by 130 gr' bullets in the .270. A 130 gr' Nosler Partition hit a bull on the run and made it somesault, he reported. "A client once put a 130-grain Hornady through the ribs of a huge six-point bull. That bull reared up, then topped backward and never twitched," said van Zwoll.
I got long-winded, but couldn't help thinking about the recent post where one of the guys was looking for some .270 loads. My reaction after reading the article is that they aren't hard to find, and the available calibers in the Handi' rifle really are good enough for some pretty tough animals. I think NEF is doing a fine job with their chamberings.
SS'
