.270 or 7.62 x 39

[Poygan]

Seeking input...I have a Browning bolt action in .270 and can't remember the last time I shot it. I'm thinking it might be interesting to get a mold or two and try cast in it. I don't recall a lot of discussion on cast for .270. Any thoughts or suggestions in general and in particular which molds have worked for you?

Plan B. I cast for the SKS and am thinking of another rifle in that caliber, either bolt or break open.
Again, appreciate any thoughts or preferences that you have. I won't be hunting with either caliber and will be paper punching at 200 yards at the most (range limitation).

[fourarmed]

I have two .270 molds, the Lyman 280473 spitzer and the SAECO bore rider. The SAECO has worked well in rifles and my silhouette pistol, though I have to Beagle it a thou for the pistol. The spitzer shoots OK in the pistol if I keep it at around 1200 fps. That seems to be the general consensus for all those spitzers. They don't do well at high velocity. I have not tried Beagling it. I might do that the next time I cast it.

[ktw]

The only in production and readily available molds for the 270 are the RCBS 27-150-sp and the SAECO #270.

I have about a half dozen 270 molds; the RCBS and some out of print Lyman designs, but not the SAECO. In my experience the RCBS 27-150-SP has been the best performer. It is a good bore riding fit in my rifles and has shot well for me up into the 2000 fps range.

-ktw

[.30/30 Guy]

I have both the RCBS 270-150-SP and the Saeco #270. Have been shooting them in a .270 Max. At 50 yards they have the same point of impact and same group size.

[Poygan]

Thanks for the inputs on the .270. Now, any thoughts on the 7.62 x 39 rifles?

[felix]

That's a hard one, Poygan. Come back with what you have in mind and how much you WILL shoot it. Woods plinker, BR mainly type, off-hand sillywet type, etc. ... felix

[NHlever]

I played some with a CZ 7.62 x 39 for a while, and then it moved on to my son. I had very good luck with treating it like a modern 32-20 using the Lyman 3118, and 311316 cast boolits over modest charges of Unique........ 7-8 grains if I remember right. I also had good luck with the Lee 150 FP. Neck length is an issue with the longer boolits, but it can still be a lot of fun. Mine was deadly with the lighter boolits, and the newer CZ magazines fed them like corn through a goose. I have toyed with the idea of getting another one for myself since the gun is so light, and so much fun to work with. I wouldn't hesitate to use it on short range deer hunting either with the bullets designed for the 30-30. It will shoot the 150 gr. jacketed bullets surprisingly well. The big advantage I see for this round is the fun factor, and the large variety of molds, and components for it. I have two .270 discontinued Lyman molds, but I have never shot cast boolits in that caliber......... never owned a .270 either for some strange reason.

[JIMinPHX]

The 7.62 x 39 round is a good one for in-close work. If you're planning on shooting at stuff inside 100-150 yards, it's a real good choice. Some other guys go further than that with it, but I don't. That cartridge is pretty thrifty with the powder since the case capacity is on the small side. This cartridge will push a boolit as fast as you would want to push cast & do it with less powder than one of the monster capacity cases, like a .270. If you are going to shoot a lot & you want to make your powder last, than the short little Russian is a good choice. Boolit type choice for the 7.62 x 39 is somewhat limited, but the Harris design boolit molds that abound, give boolits that work well for most uses. You're not going to get the terminal ballistics of a HP or big meplat shooting out of an SKS, because it will not feed those types of noses, but if you go to a bolt gun or a single shot, then you can flatten or HP your boolits as needed.

If you are looking to hunt & shoot at things a little further out, then I would go with the .270.

[Lloyd Smale]

I dont like the 270. Its a personal matter and comes from the fact that every idiot that wants people to think he knows what hes doing buys a 270. Personaly id take a 280 hands down over a 270 especially if i wanted to shoot cast. As to the 762x39. Ive got an bushmaster ar15 chambered in it and just picked up a ruger bolt. Ive been loading and shooting it for a few weeks and have come to the conclusion that i finally have found a gun that is as much fun to shoot as a 22 hornet that is capable of being a great hunting rifle and is probably a better bet for cast shooting then the hornet. Its one of those guns that i have to ask myself why the hell did i wait so long to buy one.

[fourarmed]

To each his own, Lloyd, but there is a reason that so many people own .270 rifles in hunting country. The "idiots" that I denigrate are the ones who think .007" of bullet diameter makes a damn bit of difference in anything.

[NHlever]

While it is nice to have opinions, and we all have them it is not so nice to take it out on other folks. Many calibers will do the same job, and often it boils down to personal preference, or past experience. Often those who speak too loudly about one caliber have not used the other ones under discussion. Too, hunting country is different things to different folks. I have never used either the .270, or the .280, but do have some exeperience with the 7x57. For me, bullet construction, or boolit mold availability makes a difference. My hunting ranges are short, and most .270 bullets are constructed to perform at higher velocities than seem desireable at 50 yards though I have shot exactly one deer at 200 yards in 48 years of hunting. The point that the difference between a 6mm, and a .257, or 257, and 6.5 mm, or .277, and .284 doesn't mean much is well taken, but so is the issue of bullet construction, and weight availability. Please don't be too harsh until you understand the other guys needs, and experience. We are here to have fun, and to learn.

[Lloyd Smale]

not saying the 280 is going to kill anything the 270 wont but it gives you the flexiblity of loading heavier bullets. There are alot more bullets in 7mm made then it 270 but granted theres good 270 bullets too. There are also alot more molds avialable in 7mm then 270. The same thing can be said and even more for the 06. I cant think of one advantage the 270 has over the 280 other then it can be found chambered in alot more differnt guns.

[Poygan]

Felix,
I don't hunt anymore. I don't go in the woods because I'd either get lost or forget why I went there in the first place, and I don't do any type of competitive shooting. In truth, I want a new rifle to play with, entirely with cast boolits. Since I already have a .270, I thought that might be something to experiment with for a while.

[NHlever]

I was lucky perhaps 9 years ago, or so, and bought a whole box of old molds, mostly single cavity for $35. In that box were a couple of .270 molds for boolits around 120 grains if I remember correctly. I did cast a few boolits just to see how they worked, but have since melted them into ones I can use. If you can't find anything for your .270, let me know. I know one of them is the Lyman #280468, and the other I think is the Lyman 280473. I still think the 7.62 x 39 would be a lot of fun for you, and perhaps less frustrating.

[jhrosier]

Poygan,
The Yugo SKSs used to be pretty inexpensive. I haven't kept up on the current prices however.
One of the reasons that I mentioned the Yugo is that they have a gas cutoff that allows the gun to be used as a straight pull bolt action.
I think that the 7.62x39 should make a good plinking rifle and will not use up too much lead or powder. If you load it down and load it manually you shouldn't need to chase your brass all over creation either.
BTW, the 7.62x39 is very close in performance to the 30-30 but I'm thinking that the shorter case might make it a bit easier to find light cast boolit loads. It might be interesting to see what kind of result you could get witha sub sonic load with the 314299 boolit.

Jack

[ktw]

I cant think of one advantage the 270 has over the 280 other then it can be found chambered in alot more differnt guns.

It has a longer neck. ;-)

I never bought the "7mm (or 30-06) has a lot more bullets available" argument. I don't need a wide variety of bullets, the vast majority of which I am never going to get around to trying. I only need one or two good bullets and the 277 caliber has plenty of those.

-ktw

[felix]

If you want to have a little fun, what would you think about a switch barrel operation? We could look around for a used PPC action which would have a bolt face commensurate for both your 7.62 AND 357 mag/max. We could find a 30BR take-off barrel (14 twist) and a standard 35 (16 twist). Both cartridges will produce the standard boolit redline of 2400 fps with the lighter boolits to diminish recoil at the bench. Shootin' match should cost a little more than a new CZ. Just how dead set are you on this bolt size? ... felix

[Poygan]

Jack,
I have a SKS Norinco which is OK but it hammers the brass unless I remove the gas piston and use it as a straight pull. I was thinking more like a bolt action.

Felix,
Sorry, you lost me on your post...unless you were thinking of modifying my .270. Its a Browning Safari so I wouldn't be inclined to do that....

[Mk42gunner]

If you want to have a little fun, what would you think about a switch barrel operation? We could look around for a used PPC action which would have a bolt face commensurate for both your 7.62 AND 357 mag/max. We could find a 30BR take-off barrel (14 twist) and a standard 35 (16 twist). Both cartridges will produce the standard boolit redline of 2400 fps with the lighter boolits to diminish recoil at the bench. Shootin' match should cost a little more than a new CZ. Just how dead set are you on this bolt size? ... felix

Neat idea Felix,

I have thought of rebarreling my Mini-Mauser to 6mmPPC, but hadn't really thought about a switch barrel. I also did not realize how close the rim dimensions are on these cartridges.

Oh well, its only money.



Robert

[felix]

Poygan, new gun from the pawn shop is the intent. Like Robert's, with a "modified" bolt face. Modifying a good gun like your Browning would be asinine. ... felix

[Four Fingers of Death]

If you don't use the 270 anymore and want to try cast, you might be better off selling the 270( they sell pretty quick as a rule) and buying a rifle that was a bit more cast friendly. Something like an ought 6 or a 308. I was talking to a lady who is a gun shop owner with her husband and she had two boxes of 200 Remington 130Gn CoreLokts on the counter. She said she was waiting for this old guy to pick them up. He had been buying 2 boxes every year of so since way before they bought the shop. He uses a Winchester Model 70 and is on his third one. They were 130Gns. She tried to sell him different weights, but he has been using 130grainers exclusively for decades and shoots everything from foxes to Sambar (Elk size) deer without complaint. Can't argue with those results I suppose.

[MT Gianni]

I bought a NEF Handi-Rifle in 7.62x39 and enjoy it. It is dead on accurate with cast up to 100 yards and fun to shoot. The biggest knock on them was a failure to fire military ammo but for cast with Rem or Win brass it is fun. I shoot a 152 gr 311466 over 4895.

[Poygan]

I'm going the .270 route first. Got a RCBS 150 grain on ebay and some gas checks from a gent on this board. Sent some boolits along with a soft lead driven down the barrel to Buckshot to make a sizing die. Next I either have to empty out some loaded rounds or maybe someone here has around 50 once fired same headstamp brass for sale.