Well buddy just bought a Savage Axis in 270 for his son and got some 150gr Win factory ammo which shoots OK. I'm looking to do some loads for the kid to practice with and I thought that perhaps 130gr bullets might be a tad less recoiling to practice with.
Any thoughts about bullet and powder combos I should try?
Thanks fellas. FS

teenagers start at 12 and end at 20. How old is the kid?

Tall lanky skinny 14 year old.

Speer 90s to practice with.

85 grain Barnes to hunt with.

I don't think it matters much if you use starting loads with 150's or 130's they well be fairly mild.

How experienced is this shooter? 22LR? 243? ??? The level of experience could have a bearing on where to go with loads. If good fundamentals are practiced, no 270 load should be terribly difficult...

We've hammered through this very topic many times and the usual respondants will tell you "any kid should be able to handle (whatever caliber here)". But some of us have a different viewpoint like me.
I just brought one kid up through his teenage years successfully shooting Deer Elk and Antelope and have another just beginning.
Once my oldest son was big enough to handle a full sized rifle(12-13) it still recoiled too much to be comfortable so we loaded his .284 Win with 130 grain Speer's going about 2700-2800 fps.
This took the edge off the recoil and killed Deer Elk and Antelope very well. Of course now he is 18 and will shoot any rifle you hand him .375's, 416's 458's.
I don't think he would be shooting this well if I made him shoot something he wasn't comfortable with early on.
If I were in your shoes I would load 130's or the next step down in weight (110's?) and load them at low to mid book speeds.
Have fun, teaching kids good shooting skills is very rewarding.

One thing I am sure that you already know, but is worth repeating- shooting an inaccurate load (meaning one that is less capable than the shooter) is more likely to cause frustration and issues with the kid's desire to continue to hunt and shoot.

My experience is that most guns have a load that they like, and some have a range that they like.

My most frustrating reloading experience was trying to make a "varmint" load for a .25-06 that only liked high velocity heavy bullet loads, and I never had any success.

If you can find a reduced recoil load that shoots acceptably in the young man's rifle, that's great. Some guns just don't like light bullets or light charges.

My experience has been that since the Barnes copper bullets are longer than the lead bullets of the same weight, they will allow you to drop a bullet weight class and they stay as accurate, but having said that some guns just won't shoot monometal bullets for diddly, and to top it off, the barnes offerings are not priced as plinking ammo, either.

So, my suggestion is that you find out how capable the kid is and his recoil tolerance, then work up as light a bullet load at as low a velocity as will group better than he can shoot at the range he will be practicing at.

Probably a lot of work for you, but the payoffs for him could be huge.

I started my son at 13 with affordable 130 flat base sierra bullets. I would load them with medium charges and let him shoot away. He never complained about recoil and certainly took to the .270 just fine. In fact he later on at only 14 and a half killed his first elk at close to 200 yards with that same .270. I think the .270 his ideal for male teens.

light loads with 150s and 4895 .. accuracy means more than most things

the savage guns are LIGHT and the 270 will bucks a bit to a kid.

make some mild mild loads, with 150 gr SST or and soft rn.. he can hunt with that, and work up to full house loads.

i was 6'4, 205 on my 14th birthday

quote:

Originally posted by Snellstrom:
We've hammered through this very topic many times and the usual respondants will tell you "any kid should be able to handle (whatever caliber here)". But some of us have a different viewpoint like me.
I just brought one kid up through his teenage years successfully shooting Deer Elk and Antelope and have another just beginning.
Once my oldest son was big enough to handle a full sized rifle(12-13) it still recoiled too much to be comfortable so we loaded his .284 Win with 130 grain Speer's going about 2700-2800 fps.
This took the edge off the recoil and killed Deer Elk and Antelope very well. Of course now he is 18 and will shoot any rifle you hand him .375's, 416's 458's.
I don't think he would be shooting this well if I made him shoot something he wasn't comfortable with early on.
If I were in your shoes I would load 130's or the next step down in weight (110's?) and load them at low to mid book speeds.
Have fun, teaching kids good shooting skills is very rewarding.

All of the rifles I shoot at the range are HB that Axis sporter kicked the chit out of me. FS

I have quite a bit of experience downloading the 270 Win.

I started both of my nephews, two sons, and my wife with downloaded 270's.

I have used Barnes 85gr TSX, Hornady 130gr and 140gr Interlocks for hunting loads. The loads have ranged from Hodgdon youth loads to minimum starting loads in the manuals. Velocity has ranged from 1900-2400fps.

Last fall my 10yo son shot his deer with a 85gr TSX that started at 1900 fps(Hodgdon Youth Load).

So depending on the teenager and recoil tolerance, I think a 130gr cup and core bullet loaded to with a starting powder charge would work fine. If trajectory is an issue, you could always go down to a 110gr bullet. Sierra makes a Pro Hunter, Nosler makes an Accubond and Barnes makes a TSX and TTSX.

I've started 4 kids I have taken hunting out on 270s this past 2 seasons...

depending upon bullet weights desired, between 90 and 130, I got them started on IMRs old load manual for SR 4759, with 25 to 30 grains of SR 4759 and let them work up there tolerances..

then I have switched over to 4198 ( either will work just fine)... starting out at about 27 to 30 grains....then we work up to the IMR max of 35 grains of 4198....

each one has gone out on his first two hunting seasons, with the 30 grains of 4198 with bullet weights from 90 to 130....

two blacktails were downed with those loads...both actually with 90 grain Sierra HPs..

I have helped out a fair number of kids and new shooters, although I don't have much experience with reduced 270 loads, I can share some of the things that i do when working with young shooters and hunters. Much of this may be redundant, but I'll say it anyway.

Whenever I have a new shooter, I offer them my Past recoil pad to wear. The recoil pad helps displace the recoil across the entire shoulder, which helps with felt recoil even more than a squishy butt pad, MHO.

Additionally, I think for new shooters the proper eye relief on a scope is important, so is proper scope setup. Nothing will cause a kid to flinch like a scope ring across the forehead.

Proper bench shooting techniques and instruction is important also. Give the kid a rifle that's already sighted in and just let the kid shoot to verify. at any point if the kid gets tired of shooting, just have him stop. This takes out the potential of frustration if he can't get it on target in just a few shots.

Good luck and have fun.

Sierra 90g HPBTs using a light load of IMR 3031 for practice (around 3000 fps) will get him going on the right track. For deer and elk a 130g PSP corelockt at around 2800 fps using IMR 4360 would kick a lot less than any 150g load. Make sure the rifle fits him (LOP) if it's a little short add a slip on Limbsaver recoil pad, if it's a bit long it won't matter. Make sure you have a good recoil pad on it (Pachmayer decelerator). I started my kids out on 270s this way and they're both excellent shots and enjoy shooting.

quote:

Originally posted by Fasteel:
Tall lanky skinny 14 year old.

That describes me when I bought my first rifle a rem 700 in 270. I learned to reload a few years later and shot 130gr Nosler Ballistic Tips, with 60gr of H4831. I shot that rifle/load for many years for everything from coyotes to deer. The recoil is manageable (and I am a baby when it comes to recoil) and it seemed effective. All of my deer kills with that rifle/load have been one shot kills.

I still have that rifle but seldom shoot it now, thanks for taking me back.

There is a lot of good advice, Snell, CR, many others.

1. Accuracy is a must. Both for the shooter and for the supervisor to know what the shooter is doing.
2. 'lanky 14-old' can probably use standard length of pull.
3. With new technology, the 110TTSX provides good penetration for deer. I've used these for introducing my wife to a 270Win, but load them to 3400fps. Remember point #1, find the accuracy nodes before deciding.
4. Something down around 2800-3000 fps would be very mild. I'm looking at 2600fps for some grandkids. Hodgdon lists H4895, 36.2 grains, for 2600fps with a 110grain bullet.
5. For hunting, the load can be built up to a higher accuracy node according to the expected range. 2600fps is pretty good out to 250 yards. However, with a 2" 100-yard sight-in it drops -11" low and only has 958ftlbs at 300 yards.
6. The 110TTSX needs a little more velocity than 2600 if 300 yards is an option. There is often an accuracy node every 200-300 fps. For safety, these light and medium loads should use a powder like H4895 that is recommended by Hodgdon for this purpose. 41-45 grains of H4895 should land between 2800-3100fps.
7. An accuracy node around 2800-3000fps would work well for hunting up and beyond 300yards and 3200-3400fps gives flat as you want trajectory out to 400 yards.

Ya'll don't give the kids enough credit. They do all sorts of stupid stuff for "fun" and you think a bit of 270 Winchester recoil is going to bother them? I doubt it; it bothers you more than them. If you treat it like fun and don't give them the expectation that it will hurt, they'll treat it like fun as well.

My friend has a daughter that is a lot younger than 14 who shoots a 20 gauge shotgun for deer hunting and that recoils more than any 270 Winchester out there.

Then there was the time I was shooting a T/C Contender with my son who was probably 11 or 12 at the time. He was used to shooting that handgun with a 22 LR barrel on it but I just happened to have another stainless steel barrel in 30/30 Winchester. One day while shooting, I took the gun up to the house and changed the 22 LR barrel for the one in 30/30 Winchester. I brought the gun back and offered it to my son to shoot with the advice to hang on tight. He said, "Dad, this gun doesn't kick much." You should have seen the look on his face when he touched that round off.

Then there was the time my daughter, a bit younger than my son, shot a 12 gauge shotgun for the first time. She was in awe...

My kids still like guns by the way.

I have found the Hodgdon youth loads with H4895 to be extremely accurate in my 270's without adjusting the load at all. All have been easily sub 1.25" groups.

I did have to play around with the powder charge with my 22-250 and Hornady 55gr moly bullets.

My youngest is now 10 and should be able to easily handle starting loads, especially if I use the 85 or 110 TSX.

The fourteen year old should easily be able to handle those also, but everyone is an individual.

take 130grs if they shoot well from the .270 - mine works pretty fine and I have hunted medium sized boars with it - and there is still space to bigger game without doubt...

But as the bullet weight goes straight into recoil - I would take the lighter bullest - as well as I don´t see any need for heavy bullets out of a .270 Win - except You want to use this gun for heavier game, but then a bigger caliber is even better!!

My Dad bought me a new Model 70 270 on my 13th birthday in 1957. I had been shooting my Mod 94 30-30 for a couple years and had some time in with my Dad's 270 and 30-06. I was a small kid at that age but I thought the 270 with 130 gr bullets was a pussycat. Still do and I've started all three of my sons with 270s when they were 12-13. They kinda like 'em too. My Grandson is 15 and handles the 270 and 06 and a 12 gauge like a grownup.

My eldest son turned 14 last year so was old enough to apply for a firearms certificate which he did.

We bought him a very used Sako 75 in 270win.
He had no centrefire exprience due to the fact over here children cannot shoot a rifle unless they hold a certificate. He is quite short and skinny but we do have the advantage of being able to use a suppressor this is a great advantage as the above rifle has only a 19" barrel.

I started him off with a load of 44gr IMR4895 and 130gr speer soft points.

We got hold of some 130gr Nosler Ballistic Tips and did some loading last weekend and the results are below.



The load was 130gr Nos BT, 46.0gr IMR4895, OAL (Stoney Point Comparitor) 2.695"

Heck, I've got so much .270 ammo already loaded, both of my kids will have to shoot a .270!

I'll second the comment that a .270's perceived (yes, perceived) recoil can be more than a 20 ga. My nephew - a kid not so much smaller than me - thought 20 ga. dove loads kicked harder than full house 140 gr. @ 3000 fps! Go figure?!

Anyway, he seemed to enjoy shooting that day, and did remarkably well: two shots @ 125 yards, each of which was within 1" of dead center. And this was just off a sandbag thrown over the hood of the truck!

As others have noted, make sure the kid has good ear & eye protection, a nice recoil pad or shoulder pad, a little instruction on cheek weld & trigger pull, then let the kid have fun & shoot as much (or as little!) as the kid wants.

Ahhh, the joy of childhood!

friar

quote:

Ahhh, the joy of childhood!

That ended fast when my kids turned 18 and I made them start paying for there own ammo.

My scrawny 140lb teenager's favorite rifle to shoot was my 375H&H with standard loads. Every kid is different, but a 270 doesn't seem like a hard kicker to me if the rifle fits.

130g Rem PSP Corelokts (you can buy them in bulk from Midway) for deer, bear, elk loaded with H4831 and Sierra 90g HPBTs with IMR 3031 for varmints and plinking. Both are pretty cheap to load, don't kick much at all and really do the job. When he's older upgrade to a 150g Partition for elk and bear but my youngest son got this cow elk running at 150 yards last year with factory 130g CoreLokts (I was ill at the time and couldn't reload for him). First shot put her down.



6 months later we went hog hunting together and he got this hog with his 270 at 12 feet shooting 150g Partitions.



I love the 270 caliber ...

The .270 is not a kids gun.....but if you insist..... HEARING PROTECTION is a must.

Handload 90-110 grain bullets at starting velocities and practice a lot....

Start shooting at 50 yards and move out when the shooting is good.....

The .270 can be punishing to a kid that's not used to the noise and recoil.

The 270 I gave my son when he was 16 was bought by me in 1968. A Rem 700 BDL with a 3x9 Redfield tracker scope on it since been upgraded. It has a Pachmayer Decelerator pad on it and a trigger job by Norm Thompson. It's felt recoil with the pad with 130g bullets was definitely less with my 700 BDL in 243 that didn't have a recoil pad. Remington makes reduced factory loads for the 270 if you're not a handloader that would be absolutely great for deer as well

http://www.sportsmansguide.com...20-rds.aspx?a=359293

The .270 with a 150 gr,bullet pushed by 33 gr. of IMR 4198 at 2400 fps. duplicates the muzzle energy of the factory 30-30 ammo. It will be more effective than the 30-30 down range (like 250yards plus) for deer and have manageable recoil.
The 130 grain bullet with the same powder charge would serve just as well but with a tad less recoil.
Later as recoil becomes less of an issue fully loaded ammo can be used with a rifle which you're already comfortable and proficient. Personally I think a reduced loaded .270 for youth is a great idea. roger

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
The .270 with a 150 gr,bullet pushed by 33 gr. of IMR 4198 at 2400 fps. duplicates the muzzle energy of the factory 30-30 ammo. It will be more effective than the 30-30 down range (like 250yards plus) for deer and have manageable recoil.
The 130 grain bullet with the same powder charge would serve just as well but with a tad less recoil.
Later as recoil becomes less of an issue fully loaded ammo can be used with a rifle which you're already comfortable and proficient. Personally I think a reduced loaded .270 for youth is a great idea. roger

For those of us without the Draconian Firearms Laws you suffer in the US there is the option of fitting a suppressor to a kids 270 no need for reduced loads or ear defenders