Deer Hunting with the .270 WSM

The .270 Winchester Short Magnum, or .270 WSM, is one of the new short magnum cartridges that have exploded onto the scene in the last few years. The group of Winchester Short Magnums are based upon the .404 Jeffery that has been used as a relatively light kicking dangerous game load since the early 1900s. By necking down the .404 Jeffrey, Winchester created the .270 WSM, 7mm WSM, .300 WSM and .325 WSM. The result is a short and fat cartridge. While the cartridges will cycle through a short action receiver, the width of the case reduces the number of shells that a magazine can hold. While all of the Winchester Short Magnum cartridges are interesting and have their applications for hunting, the .270 WSM seems to be the one that has caught on the most. Competition at the .277 bore is limited to basically only the .270 Winchester and the .270 Weatherby Magnum. Couple the lack of competition with the performance of the .270 WSM and it is easy to see why the cartridge has become so popular.

Choosing the popular .270 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum as comparable rounds, here is a look at the numbers. These statistics are from Remington.com using their popular Core-Lokt bullets in 130 grain for the .270's and 140 grain in the 7mm Remington Magnum. At the muzzle the .270 Winchester Short Magnum produces 3285 feet per second and 3114 foot pounds of energy. The .270 Winchester produces 3060 feet per second and 2702 foot pounds of energy. The 7mm Remington Magnum produces 3175 feet per second and 3133 foot pounds of energy. At the muzzle the 7mm Remington Magnum and the .270 Winchester Short Magnum are virtually identical, with the .270 Winchester being a bit behind. Moving out to 300 yards, the .270 WSM is moving along at 2444 feet per second (just 14 feet per second behind the 7mm), 1724 foot pounds of energy (about 150 foot pounds less than the 7mm), and the .270 WSM actually shows a little less bullet drop than the 7mm Remington Magnum. Premium bullets with a better ballistic coefficient in the .270 Winchester Short Magnum further improves performance.

As the general rule is that 1000 foot pounds of energy is needed as a minimum for a deer hunting cartridge, the .270 WSM clearly meets and exceeds this goal. In fact the .270 WSM carries 1000 foot pounds of energy past 500 yards.

I have used the .270 WSM to take a few deer and was quiet pleased with its performance. While I can't say my .270 Winchester or a dozen or more cartridges could not have done as well, the .270 WSM is certainly an efficient round. Combine the great performance of the .270 WSM with a short action rifle and you have a great deer hunting gun.