# what is the difference between a .270 WSM and a .270 WIN ?



## rattletot (Feb 19, 2009)

I am going to buy a new Thompson Center Venture and looking at their website today I see the Venture comes in 2 more calibers a .270 WSM and a 300 WSM can someone tell me what WSM is? and what is the difference between a WIN and a WSM?
thanks


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## Jacob Huffman (Sep 13, 2004)

WSM = Winchester Short Magnum


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## rattletot (Feb 19, 2009)

Thank you!!


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## rattletot (Feb 19, 2009)

what caliber would a 300 WSM be compared too?? would the .270 WSM be a good Whitetail caliber?? I was leaning at getting TC's new 30 cal. a bullet from Hornady with 25 % less powder than a 30.06 resulting in 15% or more less recoil!


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## kozal01 (Oct 11, 2010)

TC offers the venture in the .270 WIN also in case you didnt know. i just got that gun a couple weeks ago in that caliber.


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## tgafish (Jan 19, 2001)

rattletot said:


> what caliber would a 300 WSM be compared too?? would the .270 WSM be a good Whitetail caliber?? I was leaning at getting TC's new 30 cal. a bullet from Hornady with 25 % less powder than a 30.06 resulting in 15% or more less recoil!


270WSM would be overkill for whitetail under 300 yards. 270 win would be a better choice. WSM ammo is expensive and sometimes hard to find. I own the 270WSM. Have taken Whitetail, Muleys, Black bear, and Elk with it.

300 WSM is comparable to 300 win mag with supposedly less recoil. Never shot one so I don't know.

Advantage of WSM's is shorter action allowing for more compact lighter rifles.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

rattletot said:


> what caliber would a 300 WSM be compared too?? would the .270 WSM be a good Whitetail caliber?? I was leaning at getting TC's new 30 cal. a bullet from Hornady with 25 % less powder than a 30.06 resulting in 15% or more less recoil!


I know nothing about the TC .30 but it may be a difficult cartridge to purchase locally. An excellent, all around caliber would be the 30-06. Ammo is available virtually anywhere. And there are many choices of bullet weights available.


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## DIYsportsman (Dec 21, 2010)

wsm is more expensive and i believe will hold less in the mag, i would stick to the reg 270 or .25-06 is even better, nice flat shooter


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## hunt-n-fool (Oct 10, 2006)

rattletot said:


> I am going to buy a new Thompson Center Venture and looking at their website today I see the Venture comes in 2 more calibers a .270 WSM and a 300 WSM can someone tell me what WSM is? and what is the difference between a WIN and a WSM?
> thanks


the difference is about $20/box :lol:

the wsm comes in a short action, the 270 win will be in a long action.


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## sourdough44 (Mar 2, 2008)

I wouldn't go to oddball unless you reload your own ammo. Like why get a 30 TC when you can get a 308, etc..


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

Just buy a .308


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Nah..he's better off with the 270 Win....


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## Swamp Monster (Jan 11, 2002)

The difference between the 270 Win and the 270WSM? About 250 feet per second in favor of the WSM. Both are tremendous cartridges.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Even less in same length barrels. Seems the biggest gain is with the 150+ grn bullets. I'd get either if I liked the rifle I was holding at the time.


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## Rasher (Oct 14, 2004)

sourdough44 said:


> I wouldn't go to oddball unless you reload your own ammo. Like why get a 30 TC when you can get a 308, etc..


 
These "oddball" cartridges come and go all the time, they are shorter but they are also fatter, and to get the performance of the "regular" similar round they use FAST burnning powders which incresses C.U.P. pressures, these "ROUNDS" will also be more expensive and much harder to find. So if you "forget" or lose your ammo and are in a rural or remote setting you just might be SOL (I had people in my hunting party do this very thing). IMHO stick with the popular calibers at least youll be able to find/buy ammo. And if you want a short action there isnt a better choice than a .308 even more so if you are a hand loader, no other caliber has as many bullet options as the 30 caliber.


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## GrtWhtHntr (Dec 2, 2003)

Excellent choice in a rifle. I bought one this summer and love it. I would also recommend staying away from the wsm's unless you reload. Ammo for them isn't cheap.


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## M1Garand (Apr 12, 2006)

Rasher said:


> These "oddball" cartridges come and go all the time, they are shorter but they are also fatter, and to get the performance of the "regular" similar round they use FAST burnning powders which incresses C.U.P. pressures, these "ROUNDS" will also be more expensive and much harder to find. So if you "forget" or lose your ammo and are in a rural or remote setting you just might be SOL (I had people in my hunting party do this very thing). IMHO stick with the popular calibers at least youll be able to find/buy ammo. And if you want a short action there isnt a better choice than a .308 even more so if you are a hand loader, no other caliber has as many bullet options as the 30 caliber.


The WSM does not use any faster burning powder than the Win, it just has a larger capacity and uses more. While I can get within certain fps of it in same lenght barrels, in the end, it will win the velocity race simply due to larger case capacity. And ammo is more expensive, just compare ammo with the same bullet in both. And ammo availability can be a concern, my cousin found that out a few years ago, luckily he was shooting an '06.


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## 8iowa (Jan 28, 2008)

I have been a handloader since the late 60's and have taken five elk with the .270 diameter. Four elk fell to the standard .270 Winchester and one to the .270 Weatherby. All were my handloads.

The .270 WSM was designed from a shortened and necked down .404 Jeffery case (British) with the intent to keep the overall length at 2.8 inches so that the cartridge could be accomodated in the short actions typical of the .308 Winchester class of cartridges.

While the .270 WSM case approaches the capacity of the .270 Weatherby, it's performance falls short of the Weatherby for a couple of reasons. First, the .270 WSM's performance decreases as you load heavier bullets like the 150 grain spitzers or the 160 grain Nosler Partition. In order to keep the OAL within 2.8 inches these longer bullets must be seated deeper in the case, which reduces powder capacity. Next, it's been known for years that the higher capacity .270 Weatherby needs to have a 26" barrel in order to develop the full velocity potential of this cartridge. Presently the .270 WSM's are offered in rifles with 22" and 23" barrels, which gives a lot of muzzle blast & noise, and a greatly lessened advantage over the standard .270 Winchester.

Both the Winchester and the Weatherby versions are standard 30-06 length cartridges designed for long length actions accomodating the 3.34" OAL cartridges. So, what does the short action gain for us? About a two ounce reduction in weight and possibly a rifle one inch shorter (but not in every case).

For a "carry around" rifle with a 22" barrel and weighing less than seven pounds, the .270 Winchester has a proven record that will not likely be eclipsed by the WSM. For longer range shooting in wide open spaces, for mule deer and antelope the .270 Weatherby will have superior performance over the WSM and the nine pound weight and 26" barrel will make shooting much more comfortable.

It's hard to argue that the WSM has filled any "gap".


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