Bet that mouse thought a bomb had just dropped if it had any time to think. Guess I can relate to your choice of targets. I shot a chipmunk who was stealing bird food from a house shaped feeder. It was like wild wild west...took careful aim at about 50 ft with a Crossman pump pistol, pulled the trigger and instant drop, never wiggled a paw. What ticked me off is I had spent bucks buying him peanuts all summer. He had 5 holes in the ground with reserves yet still he thought he had to dig into the bird feeder. Anyway, like you said, then I grew up.

Hey Elvis, Gotta admit, after reading your replies and by the way, thanks for all that data, redoing some research on the net, I almost started warming back up to this 270 and then I remembered....(hope your memory is better than mine but gotta admit, it makes me laugh sometimes - no sense in crying about it)....I didn't buy this rifle in Tucson, I bought a Ruger M77 7mag with a laminated stock while out there. When I move to Virginia, I started sitting back and wondered where my army was or why did I have so many when I only like deer, elk (is best in my opinion) and wild pig. After a 2 year research on calibers & associated info that goes along with each, I decided the 7mag was totally wrong for this area. I found a guy out in Montana on Gunbroker who was selling guns, contacted him and told him I think I want a 270 for this area to replace this unfired 7mag. Turns out he had one new & unfired which is this Hawkeye, so we traded even up. That was before I acquired the 6.5 and B4 I had the 7x57 built. Between those two mausers and re-uniting with the 338, I totally forgot about the 270 & the reasoning behind wanting it. Now I have darn near done a 360. It's sitting on the top tier of my desk wrapped in a soft towel like they display jewelry on in a store with thoughts of which scope do I want to mount. Even went to Midway & bought a Wheeler scope mounting system, their levels and a Tipton cleaning station to lock it in while mounting the scope....AND feel pretty good about that. Life can be crazy sometimes.....or what, you said a 270 styled prayer to put me back in the saddle? Besides, what would I do about the empty hole in the gun rack...I do have a pool stick that needs a spot...........NAH!

mate look at it like this...maybe
treat the .270 as a work horse beat it up or take it out on the crappy days everyone should have a rifle they arent afraid to use n abuse
I have not said it is better than the 7x57..far from it
If you look back I said they are very similar always have been always will be.
some one will correct me if Im wrong but the reason for .277 not .284 was the same reason why ANY cartridge at that time wasnt in favour...bad memories of being on the receiving end during wartime conflict. I believe the brits .284 something orother is a 7x57mm just with different name.
the Brits etc were in the process of replacing the old .303 with a flatter shooting round in a mauser type rifle P14 enfield in.270 when war broke out again and it was easier/cheaper/made sense to stick with what they were already set up for. had things waited a few more years it would/could well have been the main calibre used for the next big conflict.

Yea, I remember reading some of the history regarding cartridges being re-named as xxx when they originated in Germany. You got that right about being on the receiving end. As far as beating things up, that's no problem. I had to run a couple of rifles through a partially frozen horse trough one night after returning from the fields. It got to 21 degrees, had snowed & rained 1/2 the afternoon. I good wash / wipe down followed by a oil coating had them ready for the next morning. I do hope that's the last time that happens though.

On a 2nd thought, now that the lot has been reduced to what it is, what's left of what I had, I would be willing to use but not abuse. You'll never find me playin in the mud with my 4-wheeler as opposed to my bro who feels things were built to be "used". Funny memberance, he saw a piece of machinery I have for the company in my then basement, a jointer, asked me if I ever use it. Well, every product that leaves this facility has to be milled for smooth edges. The table saw I use, my grandfather bought. It is a 1956 Craftsman he bought back in 65 to finish the retirement home he architecturally designed for himself and granny. I inherited that estate after taking care of my grandmother for some 20 years. Somehow over the years, I learned to appreciate now antique furniture, grandfather clocks from the 1800's and many other artifacts from generations prior to my grandparents. Okay...babbling maybe but also learned to take care of things. Especially guns that now carry a high price tag...higher than what I paid for new so that seemingly puts me ahead of the system with a deeper appreciation. Guess I'm caught up in a time capsul sort-of.

another sawdust maker that appreciates old tools and furniture and the like , cool ..

finding an old Oliver jointer would be very cool

I collect old hand planes and restore them , nothing spendy , just a hobby

older Millers Falls 14 and a very old looking Baileys 22 among the mix

Thanks for the reminder Groovy. Years back I bought a plane from a antique market...huge thing about a good 18 " long, easily usable by hand with minimal effort due to its weight & length. Apparently someone liked it as much as I did as it disappeared during the move from out west to the east coast. Damn sure did enjoy using it once upon a time & do miss it. Frickin thieves.

I do appreciate old tools. Was offered a crazy sum for the saw my grandfather bought / turned it down only because it worked very well for my production cutting of mats that helped launched my business. Still have the catalogue somewhere with that saw on the front page...something like $79.00 at the time. Mentioning old furniture, theres pieces here that belonged to my grandparent and their parents as they passed over to here from Germany. The grandfather clock is a Ithaca circa 1865. Keeps better time than my cell phone does from the internet...most of the time...sometimes he's feeling a bit lazy but that's understandable. Good furniture is timeless. Never cared for antiques till I started taking care of granny. Found myself cleaning the marbletop dressers once a year with a toothbrush to preserve the detail. That's what gave me a unique appreciation for the wood stocks on some of my rifles. I just can't take them out on a cloudy day anymore.

Thanks for the thumbs up regarding appreciation though. Made my day.
John