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.243 Win vs .270 Win: Maker-Page Loads and SAAMI Specs Side by Side

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

This page puts .243 Win and .270 Win side by side using only our own ammo guides, .243 Win ammo (26 loads) and .270 Win ammo (37 loads), plus the cartridge specs SAAMI publishes in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, its centerfire rifle standard. The guides copy bullet weights, velocities, energies and test barrels from maker product pages (checked Nov. 4, 2026). We don’t rate or rank cartridges, and we don’t subtract one maker’s velocity from another’s, because their test barrels differ.

How to read this page: every number is copied from a maker page or from SAAMI, and a test barrel length sits next to every velocity (or says the maker lists none). A dash (—) means the maker has no load in our tables for that cartridge. Fire only the cartridge your rifle’s maker says it is chambered for.

SAAMI specs side by side

These are the figures in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 (approved Feb. 10, 2025), as already recorded in the SAAMI sections of our .243 Win and .270 Win guides. Pressures are as SAAMI lists them.

Measure	.243 Win	.270 Win
SAAMI name	243 WINCHESTER [243 WIN]	270 WINCHESTER [270 WIN]
Drawing issued / revised	05/29/1979 / 04/05/2022	05/29/1979 / 05/04/2022
Maximum average pressure (transducer)	60,000 psi	65,000 psi
Crusher pressure	52,000 CUP	52,000 CUP
Cartridge overall length	2.540 in min to 2.710 in max	3.065 in min to 3.340 in max
Case length	2.045 in (−.020)	2.540 in (−.020)
Bullet diameter (as SAAMI prints it)	.243 in (−.003)	.278 in (−.003)
Bore / groove diameter	.237 in / .243 in	.270 in / .277 in
Twist and grooves	1 in 10, 6 grooves	1 in 10, 4 grooves
SAAMI reference velocity	Not in our .243 Win guide	Not yet verified (the PDF text does not clearly pair each weight with its velocity)
SAAMI velocity test barrel	24 in standard rifle test barrel (SAAMI’s general statement; not among its listed exceptions)	24.000 in (±.010) with 4 grooves and a 1:10.00 twist (SAAMI velocity and pressure test barrel)

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Each line groups one maker’s loads that share a test barrel, so a velocity is only ever shown with the barrel it was measured in. Ranges are bullet weight and muzzle velocity as the maker page prints them. Do not read across makers: their barrels and bullets differ. For how barrel length moves velocity, see our barrel length vs velocity data.

Maker	.243 Win loads in our table	.270 Win loads in our table
Federal	test barrel not listed: 11 loads, 75 to 100 gr, 2,960 to 3,425 fps	test barrel not listed: 13 loads, 130 to 150 gr, 2,830 to 3,060 fps
Remington	test barrel not listed: 6 loads, 75 to 100 gr, 2,960 to 3,375 fps	test barrel not listed: 9 loads, 100 to 150 gr, 2,850 to 3,320 fps
Hornady	24 in test barrel: 9 loads, 58 to 100 gr, 2,800 to 3,925 fps	24 in test barrel: 8 loads, 130 to 145 gr, 2,940 to 3,200 fps
Nosler	—	24 in test barrel: 7 loads, 130 to 150 gr, 2,800 to 3,075 fps

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

Where one maker sells the same product line in both cartridges, the loads are listed side by side exactly as the maker pages print them. We match lines by the maker’s own product-line name in our guide tables. Compare only within a row, and check the test barrel in each cell.

Maker line	.243 Win	.270 Win
Federal Barnes TSX	85 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 3,200 fps, 1,933 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P243K	130 gr Barnes Triple-Shock X Bullet (TSX), 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270L
Federal Berger Hybrid Hunter	95 gr Berger, 3,050 fps, 1,962 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P243BCH1	140 gr Berger Hybrid, 2,950 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270BCH1
Federal ELD-X	90 gr ELD-X, 3,150 fps, 1,983 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P243ELDX1	145 gr ELD-X, 2,890 fps, 2,689 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270ELDX1
Federal Fusion Rifle	95 gr Fusion Soft Point, 2,980 fps, 1,873 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F243FS1	130 gr Fusion Soft Point, 3,050 fps, 2,685 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F270FS1 150 gr Fusion Soft Point, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F270FS2
Federal Fusion Tipped Rifle	95 gr Fusion Tipped, 3,050 fps, 1,962 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F243TFS1	150 gr Fusion Tipped, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item F270TFS2
Federal Power-Shok Copper Rifle	85 gr Copper HP, 3,200 fps, 1,933 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 24385LFA	130 gr Copper HP, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 270130LFA
Federal Power-Shok Rifle	100 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 2,960 fps, 1,945 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 243B 80 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 3,330 fps, 1,970 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 243AS	130 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 270A 150 gr Jacketed Soft Point, 2,830 fps, 2,667 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 270B
Federal Trophy Copper	85 gr Trophy Copper, 3,200 fps, 1,933 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P243TC1	130 gr Trophy Copper, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item P270TC1
Remington Core-Lokt	100 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 2,960 fps, 1,945 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R27802	100 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 3,320 fps, 2,447 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 21325 130 gr Pointed Soft Point Core Lokt, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27808 150 gr Core-Lokt Soft Point, 2,850 fps, 2,705 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 27810
Remington Core-Lokt Copper	85 gr Copper HP, 3,200 fps, 1,933 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R27856	130 gr Copper HP, 2,965 fps, 2,537 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item R27855
Remington Core-Lokt Tipped	95 gr Core-Lokt Tipped, 3,140 fps, 2,080 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29015	130 gr Core-Lokt Tipped, 3,080 fps, 2,738 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29019
Remington Premier Scirocco	90 gr Swift Scirocco Bonded, 3,120 fps, 1,945 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29320	130 gr Swift Scirocco Bonded, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, test barrel not listed, item 29322
Hornady American Whitetail	100 gr InterLock® BTSP American Whitetail®, 2,960 fps, 1,945 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8047	130 gr InterLock® SP American Whitetail®, 3,060 fps, 2,703 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8053 140 gr InterLock® SP American Whitetail®, 2,940 fps, 2,687 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80534
Hornady American Whitetail Tipped	95 gr SST® American Whitetail® TIPPED, 2,960 fps, 1,848 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80461	130 gr SST® American Whitetail® TIPPED, 3,050 fps, 2,682 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80542
Hornady Outfitter	80 gr. CX® Outfitter®, 3,200 fps, 1,819 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 804574	130 gr. CX® Outfitter®, 3,000 fps, 2,597 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 805294
Hornady Precision Hunter	90 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 3,150 fps, 1,983 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80462	145 gr ELD-X® Precision Hunter®, 2,970 fps, 2,840 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80536
Hornady Superformance	95 gr SST® Superformance®, 3,185 fps, 2,140 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80463 58 gr V-MAX® Superformance®, 3,925 fps, 1,984 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 8343	130 gr. CX® Superformance®, 3,190 fps, 2,937 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80524 130 gr SST® Superformance®, 3,200 fps, 2,956 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80543 140 gr SST® Superformance®, 3,090 fps, 2,968 ft-lb, 24 in test barrel, item 80563

What the sources say when you choose

These are points taken from the figures above, each with the page it rests on. They are not recommendations or scores.

If pressure rating is your question: SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure of 60,000 psi by transducer (plus 52,000 CUP by crusher) for .243 Win and 65,000 psi by transducer (plus 52,000 CUP by crusher) for .270 Win. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.
If bullet weight is your question: the .243 Win loads in our table run from 58 gr (Hornady Superformance 8343) to 100 gr (Federal Power-Shok Rifle 243B). The .270 Win loads run from 100 gr (Remington Core-Lokt 21325) to 150 gr (Federal Fusion Rifle F270FS2). Sources: those maker pages.
If you want to see the printed velocities: the slowest and fastest .243 Win muzzle velocities in our table are 2,800 fps, 24 in test barrel (Hornady Custom Lite 80466) and 3,925 fps, 24 in test barrel (Hornady Superformance 8343). For .270 Win they are 2,800 fps, 24 in test barrel (Nosler Trophy Grade Partition (RMEF) 61235) and 3,320 fps, test barrel not listed (Remington Core-Lokt 21325). These come from different barrels and bullets, so we show them side by side without subtracting.
If you are comparing against a box or a chronograph: SAAMI says all standard rifle test barrels are 24 in long, and neither cartridge is on its list of exceptions. Many maker pages list a different barrel or none, as the tables above show. A shorter barrel than the one a maker lists will likely give lower velocities than the box; see our barrel length vs velocity data. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4 and the maker pages linked above.
If chamber fit is your question: SAAMI publishes a separate cartridge drawing for each, with case length 2.045 in (−.020) for .243 Win and 2.540 in (−.020) for .270 Win, and cartridge overall length 2.540 in min to 2.710 in max and 3.065 in min to 3.340 in max. Check the cartridge named in your rifle’s manual or marked on its barrel. Source: ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Not yet verified

Winchester and SIG Sauer loads are not in either guide’s table (see the “Not yet verified” section of each guide).
SAAMI reference velocities are not recorded for .243 Win in our guide, and for .270 Win the PDF text does not clearly pair each weight with its velocity.
Some .270 Win rows come from Nosler’s store, which shows stock status rather than a maker availability badge; see that guide.
A dash in the range table means the maker has no load in that guide’s table, not that the maker sells none.
Prices, recoil, accuracy and hands-on results are not in our data, so this page says nothing about them.

See the full tables in our .243 Win ammo and .270 Win ammo, the barrel length vs velocity data, .243 Win barrel length vs velocity, .243 Win vs 6mm Creedmoor, .270 Win vs .308 Win, .30-06 vs .270 Win, the new ammo of 2026, all ammo releases and .25-06 vs .270 Win, all comparisons.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI maximum pressure for .243 Win and .270 Win?

SAAMI lists 60,000 psi (transducer) and 52,000 CUP (crusher) for .243 Win, and 65,000 psi (transducer) and 52,000 CUP (crusher) for .270 Win, in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

Which test barrel do the makers list?

It varies by maker and load. SAAMI says standard rifle test barrels are 24 in. Our tables show the barrel each maker page lists next to every velocity, and many pages list none.

Which is better, .243 Win or .270 Win?

We don't rate or rank cartridges. This page copies maker-page figures and SAAMI specs side by side, and it does not cover price, recoil or hands-on results.

Where do these numbers come from?

From our own ammo guides (.243 Win ammo and .270 Win ammo), which copy maker product pages, and from ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4.

SAAMI specs side by side

Load ranges by maker and test barrel

Same maker, same line, both cartridges

What the sources say when you choose

Not yet verified

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Sources

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