.270 Weatherby Magnum
Encyclopedia
The .270 Weatherby Magnum was the first belted magnum
based on the .300 H&H Magnum
to be developed by Roy Weatherby
. It has the characteristic double-radius shoulders and is necked down to accommodate the .277in bullets. Being a proprietary cartridge, the .270 Weatherby has no official SAAMI
maximum pressure limit. Weatherby factory ammunition is loaded to 71,000 PSI
. The first Weatherby cartridge to be used in Africa was the .270 Weatherby on a jackal
on June 8, 1948.
, the .270 Weatherby has about 200 ft/s faster performance with any particular bullet weight. This performance comes at the cost of more recoil
and barrel heat. In addition, a long barrel is necessary to take advantage of extra powder to gain maximum velocity. The cartridge is excellent at long-range hunting, but is not well suited to high-volume shooting such as varmint hunting.
For those handloading
their own cartridges
, this is an easy round to load. It does best with full-power loads and is not well-suited for reduced loads. Ed Weatherby, son of Roy Weatherby says that the .270 Weatherby is his favorite caliber
. As he puts it, there just isn't a better long-range deer
caliber. He goes on to mention that it is also quite effective for elk
, and pronghorn
.
Belted magnum
The term belted magnum refers to any caliber cartridge, generally rifles, using a shell casing with a pronounced "belt" around its base that continues 2-4mm past the extractor groove. This design originated with the British gunmaker Holland & Holland for the purpose of headspacing certain of...
based on the .300 H&H Magnum
.300 H&H Magnum
The .300 H&H Magnum Cartridge was introduced by the British company Holland & Holland as the Super-Thirty in June, 1925. The case was belted like the .375 H&H Magnum, and is based on the same case, as also is the .244 H&H Magnum. The belt is for headspace as the cases' shoulders have a narrow...
to be developed by Roy Weatherby
Roy Weatherby
Roy E. Weatherby was the founder and owner of Weatherby, Inc., an American rifle, shotgun and cartridge manufacturing company set up in 1945. Weatherby created an entire line of custom cartridges, and was one of the people responsible for the industry interest in high-speed cartridges...
. It has the characteristic double-radius shoulders and is necked down to accommodate the .277in bullets. Being a proprietary cartridge, the .270 Weatherby has no official SAAMI
Saami
Saami or SAAMI can stand for:*Sami people*Sami languages*Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute...
maximum pressure limit. Weatherby factory ammunition is loaded to 71,000 PSI
Pounds per square inch
The pound per square inch or, more accurately, pound-force per square inch is a unit of pressure or of stress based on avoirdupois units...
. The first Weatherby cartridge to be used in Africa was the .270 Weatherby on a jackal
Jackal
Although the word jackal has been historically used to refer to many small- to medium-sized species of the wolf genus of mammals, Canis, today it most properly and commonly refers to three species: the black-backed jackal and the side-striped jackal of sub-Saharan Africa, and the golden jackal of...
on June 8, 1948.
Performance
Given its higher pressure and larger case which holds more powder than the .270 Winchester.270 Winchester
The .270 Winchester was developed by Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1923 and unveiled in 1925 as a chambering for their bolt-action Model 54. The cartridge is based upon the .30-06 Springfield...
, the .270 Weatherby has about 200 ft/s faster performance with any particular bullet weight. This performance comes at the cost of more recoil
Recoil
Recoil is the backward momentum of a gun when it is discharged. In technical terms, the recoil caused by the gun exactly balances the forward momentum of the projectile and exhaust gasses, according to Newton's third law...
and barrel heat. In addition, a long barrel is necessary to take advantage of extra powder to gain maximum velocity. The cartridge is excellent at long-range hunting, but is not well suited to high-volume shooting such as varmint hunting.
For those handloading
Handloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
their own cartridges
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
, this is an easy round to load. It does best with full-power loads and is not well-suited for reduced loads. Ed Weatherby, son of Roy Weatherby says that the .270 Weatherby is his favorite caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
. As he puts it, there just isn't a better long-range deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
caliber. He goes on to mention that it is also quite effective for elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, and pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
.