I was wondering how low and light can you go with a .270 to reduce recoil for a 12 year old? Will it even be worth trying? My daughter turns 12 next year, and I'm looking at buying her a .243 for her first deer rifle, but thought maybe I could download my .270 enough for her. Anyone done this?

These blacktail around here aren't very big. Just a thought.

Try googling "reduced .270 loads"... I saw the article a few years ago. Seems to me the man was using IMR 4895, and was getting mid-25s to ~2700 with acceptable accuracy for whitetails out to 200 yards.

Dan,

YES - you can down load a 270 Win by as much as 60% of the max loading.

This is the site http://www.hodgdon.com/,
then click the Data tab,
then reduced loads with H4895

Here's a good link to the data Ray pointed to.

http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/H48...%20Rifle%20Loads.pdf

I have been loading a 270 for a 12 year old this summer. I have 2 boxes of 90 grain Speer that was purchased long ago and 3 pounds of 3031 left over from a long forgotten project. Those bullets and 48 grains of that powder produce very low recoil and around 1 1/4 inch groups out of a Remington 700. Good to practice with.

Regards, Keith

I have shot half a dozen deer with Barnes 110 grain TTSXs at 3170. I have seen the bullet hit all of them the recoil is so light.

Dropping to the 80 grain TTSX would be even better and would still be well more than enough for deer. have seen more than 30 inches of penetration out of 65 grain TSXs in .243.

Dropping that 80 grain .270 TSX down to around 3000 FPS would produce very minimal recoil and still be a very superior deer killer. I'd try Varget for pushing them.

Stock fit is as important as the downloads.

As RaySendero suggested, use the Hodgdon 60% formula and you should be good to go. Never used it for the .270, but have in quite a few other applications. It works as advertised.

I used to load around 20 grs of IMR 4759 in a 270 for practice loads. These worked great for a friend who had a bad flinch. Kicked about like a 22. I did the same thing with a 243 for some really young girls, ages 5 and 7. They both killed deer last year with 95 gr Hornady SST bullets going about 1800 fps.

I am not sure if it is legal your way, but suppressors (silencers) turn any rifle into half the recoiler it once was.
They are almost the norm where I live and you can hardly believe what a difference they make to shooting pleasure.

I think it is a very helpful thing to do as too much recoil at an early age can put a young pre-teen off guns for life!

I see that the new Trail Boss powder can be used for reduced loads with even, they claim, jacketed bullets and I'd maybe look at their website.

What might be useful would be to mark the reduced load loadings with a permanent marker pen. In the case that you are going to use the same bullet in both reduced and your standard full-power loads.

It'd save your daughter a sore shoulder!

But FWIW I'd consider a 243 Winchester as with a 100 grain bullet is much used here in Great Britain for deer and it is mild enough for a twelve year old...I think.

Just get standard regular 100 grain loads and NOT Hornady's Light Magnum. They make a mess of a deer at close range.

Also....

Having her own rifle I think also allows you to go along with your 270 WCF just in case a quick follow-up shot is needed. Useful...just in case the first shot isn't as well placed as intended.

May I make one last suggestion? If you do by her a 243 Winchester try and get a secondhand stock that, for initial use, until she grows, you can have cut-down and a rubber recoil pad fitted.

That way, with a full-size stock as a spare you won't be worrying about sourcing a replacement full size stock in a few years time.

Don't Remington do an "option" with some of their 243 Winchester calibre rifles of just that? A "junior" stock and a "adult" stock sold both with the rifle?

That way, maybe, she can then have the joy of passing that same rifle, with the "junior" stock to your grandkids!

And it makes something nice to remember you by in, I hope, a long time distant.

I enjoy my late father's shot gun as, even though he's passed some twenty five years ago, when I take it out he is, in some way, still with me there.

Good advice all. Start her out with light bullets/ low velocity and fit stock as well as you can. After she is comfortable with the rifle you can gradually work up in bullet weight and velocity. You certainly don't need 3000fps inside of 200 yards. As you said blacktail are relatively small.
I stated Mrs Blacktailer with 110gr bullets at about 2200fps with her 308. She now shoots 165gr at full power from her little Kimber and has no complaints.

Awhile ago, I contacted the factory tech for Trail Boss powder to work up reduced loads for my 416 Rigby. Here's a link to my post which will tell you how to go about using this powder for reduced loads in rifles.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...4711043/m/7681077881

130 psp Speer acc2015 37.4gr. nny case 34 primer 7/18/13 Oal= 3.300", 2345 to 2426 fps., clean, 3 shot 1" grp. At 50 yds., primer a little flat great at 200 yds.

130 psp Speer I-4198 32.2gr. nny case 34 primer 7/18/13 Oal= 3.300", 2324 to 2376 fps., 3 shot 1/2" grp. At 50 yds. Again great at 200 yds.
Inspired by other threads that were similar and having done a lot of Blue dot loading in the past I worked up the above .270 loads and tested them at the range. Note that these loads approach 30-30 energy levels and the recoil was indeed mild.
I also tested a load using 2400 but it was sooty and too mild.
The rifle was a stock Stevens Mod. 200.
It so happens I have a Stevens .270 barrel With less than 30 rounds through it that I'd be willing to part with. roger

Dan,

For mild 270 Win. loads, try 42-43 gr. of IMR 4895 and a 110 gr. spitzer bullet for around 2700 fps. Very mild recoil with a trajectory like a 308 or 30-06 and very accurate.

The reduced velocity gives good penetration on game up to 150 lbs. I was able to kill two small 60-80 lb. pigs with one shot that penetrated both.

Geoff

I've loaded 150gr Hornady's in front of 34gr Somchem S335 (similar to IMR 3031 I guess) for a tad over 2000ft/s. Recoil not much more than 243. It's for my 5 1/2 year old son. Accuracy OK for up to 150m. AT that range more energy than 243. (Remember to fill your cases!!! for a reduced load can be filled at about 60-65% capacity)

Cheers
Johan