New .270 pet loads

lets take it RETRO!!!!

many on here have never heard of Jack O'Connor and the .270 WINCHESTER. yes, you read it correctly. Winchester, NOT, Creedmoor.

Any way, My first deer rifle was a Remington 700 BDL Circa 1969. I sent the barreled action to Brown Precision in 1985 and had my first "custom" rifle built around the old action..

My go to load forever was 59.5gr H4831 along with 90% of other .270 handloaders. So now, again, I have a new/old .270 and ready to load for it.

What's your "modern day" Pet Load for your .270 Win. I have 130gr bullets arriving today. Gun has 1-10 factory barrel.

I shot 130 grain bronze points and corelocks and 140 grain ballistic tips for factory ammo in mine. When I started handloading I never loaded any 130's. I have loaded 150 grain partitions, ballistic tips, x bullets, Hornady interlocks and some reduced load 110 grain sierra prohunters.

The reduced loads are with about 36 grains of h4895 and the 150 grain loads I believe are somewhere around 50 grains of h4350 if memory serves me.

As you know I have not loaed for the 270 in years, do not rememebr that loa either. I would try old familiar in the new rifle and see how it works

I run 140gr Berger VLD with 52.5gr H4831 running around 2750 I think in my Winchester mod 54.
It’s a light load but don’t want to push an 80 year old gun. Plus it shoots lights out

Thanks Teal28, you seating the VLDH magazine length?

Being an avid reader of Jack O'Connor and long time 270 Winchester user I will share my secret data with you Buzz..... Note most of this data is from Jack himself.
What your looking at is what Bruce Hodgdon gave out when you stopped by and bought powder that he sold in brown paper bags in the 50's. This particular data on mimeograph paper was published the year I was born.
I got this back in the 1980's along with two Old canisters of powder that has been discontinued over 40 years ago. I made the mistake of trying to keep the cans with powder in them and about 15 years ago one can literally was dissolved by the powder so I dumped the other can to save it since I have never seen another like it.

What a piece of history !!! Thank you so much for sharing DStroud !!!

Its funny, not much changes, Hogdons max load is STILL 60gr H4831.

I remember my Uncle (my shooting/hunting/reloading mentor) bought a "keg" of surplus 4831 in the late 60's. I remember him giving me 2 "ice cream" quart containers of it with tops taped on.

Ah, the Good Old Days !!!

Wait.. did you actually SHOOT this.. and LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT?? It’s a miracle you didn’t die on site and blow your toes off.

Looking at the O'Conner data, that stuff is HOT!!!!! You can't put 57 grains of IMR 4350 (H4350 didn't exist then) behind a 130 grain bullet in a 270 Win and not have pressure now. I know from experience the old load data is not the same as today's powder. Yes, it's called the same, but it's not the same. I have some older Sierra data manuals and their loads are VERY hot, and not safe with the older data. So, I would not recommend copying this data to use.

For the last 8 years I have been using 58 gr of H 4831 under a 130 gr interlock. also use mag primer.
Very good load for me in two rifles.

4676 what powder is or was this?

My quick Google fu shows it to be an old IMR 4676 powder. It's in the burn rate of 4895. The low powder charges paired with light bullet and decent velocity tell me it is a faster burning rifle powder. There's a lot of older discontinued rifle powders out there. I have a few of them.

When I shot .270 my pet load was- Win Lr primer, 57. gr IMR 4831, 130 sierra game king.

I don't recall what brass, back then it was likely Rem or Win.
Don't know what todays data says about it.

I favor IMR 4350 with 130 grain bullets in my 270s. My Dad, rest his soul, liked 4831. I still have a box with a load data label he put together some 50 years ago; a little warm compared to more recent data:

Don't remember off the top of my head what the OAL is but ya its right at mag length. Gun has a deep throat so I had to go long.

Old School.

Since about 1980, my 270 load has been 59 gr of H4831 or H4831sc behind a Nosler 130 gr SBBT or BT. I don’t need a new load.

130gr Sierra btsp with 53.0gr IMR-4350.

My .270 is my go-to hunting rifle. I bought it because it was a great deal, took it to the range and shot a 1/2" group with Remington 130gr Core-loct. Ive stuck with using cheap Remington in it since. I have had other much more expensive rifles that wont do that with handloads or expensive factory ammo. Love my .270.

I had one other .270 that was incredibly accurate. It was a Marlin XL series bolt action that I bought from Academy for under $300. It could shoot a 3/4" group with cheap Federal 130gr. I sold it and regretted it after going through a couple rifles that struggled for a 1" group. The .270 caliber chose me.

Great nostalgia guys !!!

Clearly I am not hip with you reloaders and custom ammo boys. I couldn't imagine why someone needed a .270 round to put down a sick house cat.

all set just waiting in my bullets to get here, range report coming'

Kmon1, Kevin, the dies worked great!!!!

Scott inspired me.

Gotta minimize meat damage.

.270 was my first deer rifle and my first rifle to reload for in the '70's.

I had only one load back then, a 130 grain Nosler Partition.

Looking back, I enjoy my current modern rifles, scopes, and loads, but that M70 .270 with a fixed 4x and a 130 Partition still works fine.

This was my first reloading manual.

My first was Lyman 45th which was first out in 1970 I believe. Mine has lost its cover page that has the publish dates etc.
I have not seen a earlier Lyman but they started as The Ideal reloading manuals until Lyman bought out Ideal
Reloading Tool company in the early 30’ s or 40’s and that’s why they start with like No 42 as they just picked up where Ideal left off numeral wise.
Also Jeffbird check and see if your Manual was the first printing of the Number One which was March 1976 as the folks at Nosler mentioned to me there were two printings of the Number One.

very cool guys, i would love to buy you lunch and talk shop someday!!!

Interesting info DS, and love your photo! That is fantastic. Here is a picture I just took. This was my only manual to go with my RCBS kit, although I seem to remember some pamphlets or booklets that I used for shotgun loading, which was my primary shooting interest back then.



Kind of fun looking at the list of cartridges from back then compared to so many now.



Some interesting subjects from the table of contents including discussion of ballistic coefficients.



Here is the page for .270 Win, note the dominance of IMR powders. Your great photo brings back memory of buying powder in cardboard tubes. IMR powders were in the fancy painted cans. We bought shotgun powder, Red Dot, Green Dot, and Blue Dot in very large cardboard drums. I wish I had saved some.



This thread makes me want to pull out my .270, my first deer rifle, but there are no good ideas the night before a match. Ok, d*#@! you Buzz for messing with my mind the day before opening day. lol! The .270 will need to come out and go hunting this season sometime. Great thread Buzz, it brings back fond memories. Thank you.

Brownells is slow shipping, my bullets wont be here till next week. So, My back up tomorrow will be American Whitetail factory 130's

You trumped my Nosler #2.

Guess I have a few more mile on me, but still looking forward to tomorrow morning.

DStroud's photo is fantastic. Really brings back lots of memories. One of the IMR cans has $3.70 on it. I seem to remember paying $2/pound for "4831" that came in a cardboard tube.

Great discussion and photos.

I agree DStroud picture is awesome. I missed his post originally. I'm looking forward to opening day as well. I'm taking my buddy since childhood with me. I don't see much deer on my property but there is a ton of hog signs. I didn't set up a trail cam this year because I want it to just enjoy the experience. Whatever I see, I see. I don't want to obsess over a buck I may never see.

I wish I still had the PO ackley reloading book that I had for years. Some real interesting notes in it

Kevin,

copies are available on abebooks starting at $12.


https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?kn=p.o.+ackley&sts=t

I might have to get one of those Jeff but still wish I had the one from the first printing. Some of the loads ha little notes like sticky bolt, then the next one up blown primer then split case or case head separation

Also his ensight into some cartridges was interesting, he seemed not to like the ones as much that blowing out the case and his 40 degree shoulder would not make much difference. But the notes from his action strength tests and blowing up rifles with over pressure charges is an interesting read

130gr Sierra gamekings and 130gr SST's made it yesterday. I have 20 cases filled with 58.0 H4831sc to start out with.

RL-22 waiting patiently for its turn.....

Looking forward to range report. I'm currently working on a 270 load. I am trying IMR 4064 but my first 5 rounds grouped so poorly I'm checking my scope and mount. I may have to back off on my charge, 48.1 gr. Of imr 4064. Since then all the published data I've read shows a max load of 47 gr. My load didn't show any signs of pressure though.

Buzz,

starting with the bullet 0.010" off of contact with the lands, start at 56.0 moving up in 0.3 grain increments, trying 3 shots at each level.

Depending on seating depth, the loads will start to compress around 58 - 59 grains. Stop when the load starts to compress. If results are suboptimal, try H4350 next. For a lead hunting bullet, the 130 Partition is still a great choice.

Write the powder and charge weight on the case with a Sharpie so everything stays organized and to avoid mixups or mistakes.

20 shots all at the same charge weight is just a wild shot in the dark and wasting time and components.

Good luck.

Dang Buzz,

you had the retro bug bite me. lol!

Had to balance the photo with some LR bullets.

I shoot 55.0 grains of IMR4350 behind a 130 grain Sierra Game King. Of course all rifles are different, reduce 10% and work your way up, yada, yada, yada.

The Sierra manual shows 54.9 grains as max and a velocity of 3100 fps but 55.0 grains in my rifle chrono'ed at 2990 fps.

BTW, I was reading the history of the .270 and the original published load from Winchester was a 130 grain bullet at 3160 fps from a 24 inch barrel which is truly amazing. But there were complaints about that load being too destructive on meat so Winchester reduced the load to below 3000 fps. Notice O'Connor's load of 57.0 grains of IMR4350 produced 3130 fps, basically duplicating the original factory load.

Has anybody been able to get any thing like 3160 fps from their .270s with 130 grain bullets? That's pretty much magnum territory.

I’m still shooting the load I worked up for the Sako 270 in the 80’s. 59 gr of H-4831, CCI BR primers and Norma brass. My only modernization was going to H4831sc and 130 gr Nosler BTs from 130 gr Nosler SBBT. I wonder just how many deer I killed with that rifle over the years.

I feel somewhat guilty that I now mostly hunt with the 260.

Everything I ever read from O'conner, he loaded H4831, and his load was much too hot for most rifles. The most accurate load I ever tried, was 60 gr of Hodgson 450, cci mag primers and nosler 130 gr solid base bullets. But both are discontinued. It was just a tad over 3000 fps.

4831 that O’Connor used was surplus military and todays is made in Australia so two different animals.... Yea I too used the H450 but H4350 worked better so I didn’t miss 450 once it was gone.... it too was a Surplus powder that once it was gone they didn’t replicate.