I am new to reloading and I am looking for advice on which bullets and what grain bullets are recommended for the 270 caliber. i am hunting deer and elk later this year with this gun. i have successfully taken many whitetail deer with this gun And i am hopeing to take an Elk with it this year. Any suggestions?

I'm certainly not an expert having only shot 5 elk. I've seen two others shot. Two of the five I have shot were with the 270 and Nosler Partition 150's. The other calibers I'll used or seen used are 7x57 with factory remington 175 rn, 7 rem mag with 160 NP, 300 weatherby with 180 np,338 win with 275 grain speer semi spitzer and the 375 with 270 Power Points.

With that little bit of experience I would say that I would not use a 270 again. If I did it would be with Win. Fail safes or other super premium bullets. With those bullets the 270 will work but be very careful about what angle you shoot from and place your bullets very carefully. Do not expect any kind of blood trail to help you find your elk. On the other hand bullet placement trumps calibre bullet weight and every thing else. You are better off with a 270 that you shoot well than anything bigger that causes you to flitch.

good luck on your hunt there is nother better than elk hunting.

es

Ole boy that used to hunt out of our camp used a .270. He used 150 Gr. bullets. Over the years Mr. Peterson brought a lot of meat into camp.

Premium bullets in the 270 are always a good idea. One need look no further than the 150/160 grain Nosler partition along with a stout charge of 4831 to be successful.

Partitions would be a fine choice, but to be honest I wouldn't sweat it too much. I've seen more elk shot with core-lokts than any other bullet. Making your shots is the most important.

With proper shot selection and a tough bullet the 270win will certainly take elk.However I prefer the more powerful cartridges as they provide more insurance on some shot angles.

gunz welcome to this forum, as you say your new to reloading i''d advise you to read as much as you can,join a shooting range ask questions too senior members, your proficient with that 270 great caliber, load preimum bullets only for elk,place your shots very important ,they can take quite a punch. barnes triple shocks shoot ausome, nosler partitions are very good , the bonded bullets by nosler hornady swift all very good,but they will not penatrate as deeply as the barnes or wincherter fail safe, conbined technaloiges nosler and winchester make some great bullets one example partition gold 150 grain 270 caliber,its a sleeper thats a keeper. again read ask questions joining this form excellent some bullet companies have toll free phone lines you can call in on , geting back too bullets weights 130 140 150 160s take your pick,yes people will tell you the 270 is too small so what in the hands of someone that can shot and place their bullet its not , i own several and can shoot pop cans at 625 yards praticeing, yes theres better elk calibers for sure but use what you have, your lucky to start reloadeing now when i started there were no phone call lines web sites etc etc etc. enjoy the reloading be safe triple check every thing you load ,regards jjmp

Welcome Gunz
You will have no problem taking elk with your .270.. The .270 is a marvalous cartridge and is very capable of taking elk. I see elk taken every year with them. Using 150-160gr bullets is the way to go. The Nosler 160gr Partition is the most popular elk bullet in my neck of the woods, but any well constructed bullet of 150-160grs will work. I would start out with some Reloader 22 and see what happens.

Now a thought about range..
Years ago some ol' gurus told me that for a bullet to perform properly on game like elk, the bullet needs to be traveling at LEAST 2000 fps at IMPACT.. And I believe this is good advice and most reps from bullet makers agree with this. ( This is the muzzle velocity of a 170gr 30/30 Win. out of a 20" carbine..) That means, whatever load you go out into the field with, the range that the velocity of the load drops down to 2000 fps.. that IS the maximum effective range of that load.. If you choose to use a round nose bullet, then that range will be shorter than a load with a spitzer design.

That is why having access to a chronograph is helpful.. At least you KNOW what you are starting out with. Then you can go the the ballistic tables of the bullet you are using and get a fairly close idea what velocity you can expect downrange, 300 350 400 yds etc..

Some may not agree with all that but it's something I've always lived by and never regreted it.. Good luck with that .270

quote:

Now a thought about range..
Years ago some ol' gurus told me that for a bullet to perform properly on game like elk, the bullet needs to be traveling at LEAST 2000 fps at IMPACT.. And I believe this is good advice and most reps from bullet makers agree with this. ( This is the muzzle velocity of a 170gr 30/30 Win. out of a 20" carbine..) That means, whatever load you go out into the field with, the range that the velocity of the load drops down to 2000 fps.. that IS the maximum effective range of that load..

If you really do believe that,the 270win shooting factory loads is only suitable for elk out to 200 yards or so.In fact the majority of factory 270win loads fall below 2000ft lbs of energy at less than 200 yards.

Stubblejumper, before you guys discuss this issue further, perhaps you should agree on the measurement you want to use as a determining factor.

RDub talks about bullet velocity being over 2000 fps for proper bullet expansion. A most sensible limiting factor.

You talk about bullet energy, measured in ft lbs. I don't know to what extent this is a sensible limiting factor, but in any event, it was not what RDub was talking about.

Btw, if you start a 150 grs Nosler Partition at 2850 fps, it will still be moving at just over 2000 fps at 450 yds. So that would probably be the limit if you accept RDub's argument.

- mike

Not an elk expert, but I have a fair amount of experience on rifles for big game. 270 is marginally OK, shot well and within its limitations. Your challenge will be to find those limitations for yourself. That way you can enjoy the hunting experience with confidence, and not make a mistake with the animal. It's a long, lonesome feeling to be trailing your wounded animal, especially something as fine as an elk.

Heavy, premium bullets will help a great deal, as will limiting your range. Be willing to pass up a shot that isn't right for your selected rifle or your own capabilities. And the body angle of the shot will also be a big factor. That 270 will not penetrate like a 300 or 338.

That being said, the 270 can be a great choice if you have the discipline to make it work. Good luck and good hunting !!

What bullet did you use in that gun for your deer? It might be a good pick for elk too.

IF a .270 was all I had, I would load it w/ a good 150gr premium @ go elk hunting. Your 150gr NP or NF or BC, etc. will kill deer just as well.

You shoot your .270 well, so take it elk hunting. Just don't use a 150-grain Speer GS bullet. I shot a bull with one in 1997 and it came completely apart. If I ever get another chance at an elk and am carrying my .270, it will be loaded with either Swift A-Frames or Nosler 160-grain Partitions...

I prefer much larger than a .270, but if its all you have it should do well within its limts. I took a cow at 200 yards with 130 XLC. If I were to load for elk again I would go for the 140 TSX and limit myself to 300 yards. (Assuming practice and ability at that range--I usually tell my students that they should not shoot any further than they can hit a paper plate)

Here is the recovered 130 TSX from my .270...



Good luck!
IV

Well, noobie, I suggest that one use 150-grain or 160-grain premium bullets, like the Nosler Partitions, for shooting elk. Many an elk has bitten the dust from a 130-grain .270 bullet, but I prefer a little more penetration such as you get from a slightly heavier bullet.......

Vandal, that "TSX" looks suspiciously like an XLC..... Dutch.

Vandal actually mentioned it was an XLC further up in the text - probably just got confused with all the "TLAs" towards the end...
- mike

Well It would seem my delima is solved. I have just bought a Browning a bolt in 300 win mag. I know my 270 will do the trick, It has proven to be a reliable gun with great whitetail deer results, But I was concerned about making a longer shot with it while hunting elk. I am concered with the amount of energy it will have after a 400 yard shot. I think the 300 win mag will be much better suited and give me a little peace of mind. Thanks for all the suggestions

I shot my cow elk this past season (Dec.20) with my Tikka T3 LS 270WSM shooting factory Winchester Supreme Accubonds in 140grains. Dropped like a sack of hammers. My fatherinlaw used the same rifle a month earlier for his elk also. Distance for mine was about 200m, and my fatherinlaw's was about 150m. His shot was a complete pass thru - double lungs. Small entrance wound b/w the ribs, and a huge exit smashing the ribs on the other side.

I personally prefer my 300WM with 180gr. bullets for the elk, but after seeing the performance of the 270WSM with 140gr Accubonds this past season and the 2004 season, all I can say is WOW! The T3 rifle in 270WSM is nice and light.

Gunz, I think you'll be very happy with the 300 and the A-Bolt. Shot a wildebeest and a kudu with my A-Bolt last May with the .270 Winchester140 grain Triple SHock, and it did very well. I'm not prejudiced against the 270 by any stretch. For what it's worth, my elk experience has been with a 338, 340 Wby., 375 Wby., and 50 cal blackpowder. However, have loaded for my brother a very successful 7x57 160 grain Fail Safe, which worked well at 200 yds. plus.

My point is that I have seen the 7x57 NOT penetrate both sides on a heart/lung, though it did the job quite well. Just had to keep an eye on the bull, track about 100 yds. and there it was. I've also seen the 375, 340 and 338 go through both sides - much better (and shorter) blood trail.

Now here may be the surprise - the 375 (270 grain bullets) on a flanking shot did NOT go all the way through at 240 measured yards. Entered in front of left hip, lodged in right shoulder.

Moral: I don't even try shots over 300 yards, whether a 270 or 375 - too easy to lose the animal. I simply try and move a bit closer, which is almost always possible. And when it's not, well - that's hunting!

Good luck with your 300 !!

I would use 140-150 premium bullets. In fact that what I have used and seen used by others.

The 270 will kill elk no doubt about it, but the 300 WM is better as long as you can shoot it.

I started using a 338-06 about 4 years ago and have been extremely happy with it's performance on elk.

Yes, that was a typo--obviously an XLC....

IV