The .270 British (or .270 Enfield) is an experimental intermediate rifle cartridge that was developed by the British at the same time as the .280 British as a potential successor to the .303 British cartridge.[1] The rimless cartridge has a base diameter of 11.3 mm (like the Russian 7.62×39mm) and a case length of 46 mm.[2] The bullet is a standard .270/.277 caliber bullet with a light 100 gr weight with a muzzle velocity of 840 m/s (2,800 ft/s), similar in performance to the later 6.8mm Remington SPC. It was not good at long range, but its slender case had the potential to fire a heavier bullet at a relatively high velocity. It was optimized for shorter ranges, while the .280 favored long-range performance to try to meet U.S. requirements.
The cartridge was not adopted, the British initially focused development on the .270, then ultimately chose the NATO-standard 7.62×51mm cartridge.
References
- ^ Williams, Anthony G. (November 2014). "Assault Rifles and their Ammunition: History and Prospects". Military Guns & Ammunition. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2018.
- ^ ".270 Enfield". British Military Cartridges. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- Popenker, Maxim; Williams, Anthony G. (2005). Assault Rifle. Crowood. ISBN 978-1861267009.
