Sydney man shot in the bum

Sydney's gangsters often shoot people in the legs - the kneecapping method being the preferred way to freak out their rivals in the city's ongoing drug and turf wars.

But on Tuesday night a 27-year-old man took a bullet to the bum.

Police were called to Foy Street in the inner-west suburb of Balmain about 8pm (AEST) after reports of the shooting.

They scoured the area and found the 27-year-old with a bullet wound on his buttocks.

He was taken to hospital in a stable condition and is expected to live.

Police say two people are believed to have sped away in a Mazda stolen from the scene, with the registration BJP64A.

The full circumstances of the shooting - the latest in a very long line across the city (although most have occurred in the west and southwest, not the inner-west) - remain unclear.

It's being investigated by Strike Force Talon - the operation set up to combat street gun crime.

Inspector Michael Dykes was due to make a plea for help and witnesses late on Tuesday night.