So the question is does the 270 wsm offer enough to justify everything costing more? I reload and the dies are more the brass and even the gun cost more does it justify it? or should I go with the 7mm?

IMO its not worth it at all to switch over to the 270WSM, ballisticly speaking they are almost the same gun the 270 has a few feet here and there and a few lbs better energy but nothing to write home about compared to the 7mm and plus you get much bigger bullet selection with the 7mm



Cody

I do not own either I am looking to buy one.

Basically speaking, neither one will give you any benefit you can't get from a standard .270. Its true that both the .270 and 7mm WSMs have more kinetic energy and a somewhat flatter trajectory, but unless you regularly shoot things past 300 yards you won't see any performance difference. So IMHO the answer to your question is no, the extra cost isn't justified by any performance gains that will actually be beneficial to you. That's certainly no reason not to buy one (or both if you can afford it) though I'd personally own one in every caliber if I had the money to do it!

Other chamberings can give you the same or better performance without as much added cost. What do you have in mind for this gun? Will it be an elk rifle? Multi-game rifle? Target/bench rest gun?

It will be for Elk and Deer. I shoot my 204 for target practice.

For an elk/deer rifle the 7mm WSM would be a little better than the .270 WSM, but I don't see that chambering surviving much longer. It's hard to find ammo, hard to find rifles, and very expensive. The .270WSM doesn't really give all that much more performance than the standard .270, so I'd look at something a little bigger. You can't go wrong with the good ol' .30-06, but both the .300 Win Mag and .300 WSM would be better choices for elk. You might also consider the 7mm Rem Mag. It's got plenty of power and is relatively inexpensive to buy ammo or reload for. For a combo big game rifle it would be a very good choice.

Wes was rght about the 7mm WSM being the better choice. It is the best of both worlds! I have one and LOVE it. I shot an antelope with it in '06 at 404yds and dropped it in it's tracks. The bullet selection is better then the 270 and the performance is better than the 7mag and it's in a short action, that means a quicker bolt throw, and a shorter and lighter rifle. If it was just for elk I would say to go with the 325wsm but for a deer and elk gun the 7wsm just ROCKS! And if you reload the ammo isn't really any more expensive to load than most other calibers. Good luck!

I have both a 270 wsm and 7 mm wsm. The reason I got the 7 mm is 1) wide range of bullet selection and 2)because I can safley load the same wt bullet and shoot a little faster and flatter, at 500-600 yards it makes a big difference, and yes, both have ample impact energy to put an elk down at that distance. The nice thing about the wsm's - the brass is the same for all. As long as you have dies and they make brass for 270 wsm and 300 wsm, you'll always have brass for a 7 mm wsm. It is true, however, that the 7mm doesn't have a significant advantage over the 270 wsm.

Reasons for the manufacture of the WSM's, as mentioned before, is a short action, less wt., and a quicker bolt throw. But, they also have less recoil - the powder burns are more efficient. The 300 WSM actually outperforms the 300 win mag and has less recoil.

It is also true that a 270 win can be loaded to equal performance of the 270 wsm...just hotter loads that bump the maximum range whereas the 270 wsm aren't as hot - therefore you can actually get more velocity and downrange energy out of the wsm. Otherwise, from an affordability standpoint, stay with a reg 270 win. and load it hot.

As far as your 2 choices go pick what you like best. If you reload then you will never have a problem with finding ammo. As far as bullet selection there are more options in 7mm but lets face it you still have a few dozen different bullets to choose from in the .270 range so no big and considering the growing popularity of the standard 270 winchester there is more coming. As far as loading hot goes be careful to hot and things go bad real fast. also it is more wear on your barrel and shorter life for your brass.

If a wsm is just your gotta have it choice I would personally go with the 300 wsm impressive performance all around and definitly the widest selection of bullets hands down. However I have to go with wmramse on this one why not a good ole 30-06.

And please before anyone starts in about how you NEED a magnum cartridge to put down an elk try to remember folks were dropping these guys with muskets and black powder rounds way before we came along and they still do.

And the eskimos kill caribou with .22 magnums.

Seriousley?

7mm preferred here

Something I just found out the 270 wsm cartridge was designed by an individual other than Winchester. Well it seems winchester purchase the patent and there is now an issue. The individual now wants alot more for the rights and alot of manufacture are dropping the 270 wsm from their line up. Has anyone else heard this?

go with the 7mm. its a better gun and when u need to find the ammo u can find it faster than the 270 wsm that is not a very esay round to find when u need to go get some.

I wouldn't take this as gospel, but gun writer David Petzel seems to think that the 7mm WSM is on its way out. Too many other WSM offerings, too expensive, and too hard to find. He actually spoke pretty well of the .270 WSM, though he's not a big fan of it either.

As for the lawsuit, here's the scoop on it...

http://www.chuckhawks.com/column18_death_short_magnums.htm

I don't think it will kill any of the WSMs that are doing well, but gun manufacturers will probably pare down their WSM offerings. That might be enough to kill the 7mm, but who knows. Way too early to tell.

Personaly I'd go with the 7mm , I have a Savage 7mm and love it. Have ahuntin pard that reloads for us , we shoot a 120 grain SP Serria bullet ,not bad recoil and does the job well. this is shootin whitetails for larger game would naturally use more ump. Remember its shot placement first!

JC
I have both rifles one is a winchester model 70 and the other is a bdl model 700 remington! I only bought the 270wsm because I was without the 7mm on a hunt and they didn't have a 7mm so the 270wsm was the next best thing! They are both good weapons and depending on the hunt or game I am hunting I choose the rifle that fits the hunt! One is mounted in a synthetic stock [great for Alaska] and the other is in wood! The brass is expensive for the 270 and I think the price will go down evetually, but for now it's really about what you feel its worth too you! The 7mm is a very versitile round and can be reloaded in a wide range of weights and grains, from small game to the largest! It comes down to what you are willing to pay to play!

Dump both and go with 7mm Mag or 300 win. mag, both can be found at any hardware store if you forget your ammo for some reason. Both have been around for ever. If you are not shooting over 300 yards, the good old 270 and 30-06 are great guns. My dad always said "KISS". Keep it simple stupid!

I own a 270win and a 7mm rem mag I reload both. Sure the 7mm will reach out farther than the 270 win. It is a matter of what reload to use. With todays bullets and powders there are a variety to choose from. I reload my 270win using IMR 4350 @ 43.5gr with a large rifle magnum primer and a Seirra 140gr game king boattail hollow point. This load shoots very well out of my Weatherby bolt. Although I have only shot Whitetail deer with the gun, it has dropped them where they stood.

My 7mm I use Hodgdon 4831 @ 67.5 gr with largerifle magnum primer and 168 gr Seirra matchpoint boattail hollow points and Berger 168 gr as well. the berger shoot a tighter group and retain more energy @ longer yardages. Again I have only used this load in a Ruger #1 single shot. Both loads shoot very well.

I have shot woodchucks with the 270win out to 600yds, but you need a very solid rest
My farthest deer was @ 550yd on a power line here in Maine. He never knew what hit him.

Not sure if this helps. Good luck with whatever you purchase.

I've been shooting the 7mm Weatherby Mag for almost 10 years, and love it. It shoots flat and hits very hard.