1894mk2
If I see that bull with my 270 loaded with 130gr TSX. i just going to aim at the off side shoulder and his ass will be on the ground.
Dr B

As my buddy/outfitter friend in Tucson says: "Don't let anyone tell you a 270 won't kill an elk. I guide ~ 10 hunters for elk per year and many bring a 270 or some kind of mag. Never lost an animal."

I have seen scores of elk killed here in CO with a .270. It is a great elk cartridge. It's easy to shoot and highly effective. With todays superior bullets it has only become better. I've shot a .300 Jarrett myself for the past 10 years now, and have often felt that for the average distance I shoot elk at, it is unnessarily powerful. (Now that I have shot the barrel out of it, it is being rebored to become a .358 STA, for AK) If you decide not to take that rifle out, I'll lovingly introduce it to elk for you and return it with all the care I would give an elderly family member. Another "friend of Jack's"

Again, I appreciate all your comments. Jack would be proud of you all.

1894mk2: Obviously you have heard about the kind of luck I usually have! I've seen it happen to me before.

If a guy cant kill an elk with a 270 and regualr Remchester ammo he has got BIG problems that extend well beond a brass case stuffed with some lead and copper.

Never shot an elk with a 270 (or anything else for that matter)but I will! 140 gr failsafes will be the load weatherby mark v fibermark stainless will be the gun.

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
When you take your 270 this season be prepared to see the largest bull elk you've ever seen (including photos) at 300yards facing slightly away from you.

At this point the words often uttered 'I'm happy to pass on less than perfect shot angles' take on a different significance.

Uhhh....actually broadside slightly facing away
is one of my prefered angles...

(Caveat: I'm a whitetail killer)
My preference if to aim for the OFFSIDE shoulder
and if I get a good angle on the offside shoulder the animal might not be DRT,
but it'll definatly be dripping blood from the tailgate of my pickup before long...

quote:

Originally posted by Dr B:
1894mk2
If I see that bull with my 270 loaded with 130gr TSX. i just going to aim at the off side shoulder and his ass will be on the ground.
Dr B

Seems I'm not the only one that thinks so...

personally I wouldn't use a 270Win on an Elk, but that's mostly because I don't own a 270Win...

I do however own a 7mmMag...

which I regard as a 270win with an extra 100+yards of effective range. (I load nothing heavier than 140's in the 7mm, because if I want to shoot 160gr or heavier bullets I'll use a 30cal)

a 140gr TSX out of a 7mmMag will probably shoot through anything short of a recordbook bull moose, but If I get the chance to kill a record Moose recovering the bullet might be "nice"...

Though I'd probably leave my 7mm home if I had a moose tag... I do have a perfectly good 338Mag
that has yet to kill anything

AllanD

With 3 6X6's under your belt, I doubt you will be overly tempted to take a bad shot with your .270.

I have hunted elk on public land for a couple of years when I lived in CO and never killed one. I would take more gun personally.

A 270 with premium ammo will kill elk, but I prefer to be a bit on the heavy side of things.


Have a good hunt.

I dropped a 650 cow elk in Montana with a handloaded 30/06, shooting a 165 grain Ballistic Tip, with a measley MV of 2250 fps... a broadside shot at 175 yds, with the cow at a dead run... she was 11 yrs old... bullet destroyed both lungs and the upper half of the liver... she made it 50 or 60 yds before collapsing....

So a 270 will definitely do the job... I have a real soft spot for the 160 grain Nosler Partition in the 270... a semi round nose with a sectional density of .301... with an MV of 2900 plus fps.... I give up nothing to a 7 Mag, which many think represents "more gun"......

I'd even feel plenty well equiped with a 270 and a 140 grain Ballistic Tip at an MV of 2700 fps... on any elk out to 300 yds or better....
I don't need extra testosterone to help me with shot placement.....

good luck.. and have fun...
cheers
seafire

Think I am gonna stick with the 300....if I screw up a shot, I can't say "Well, there is always next week". Next week I am back in GA.

1894mk2's words spooked me because I have exactly that kind of luck. Need all the insurance I can get. Mabye I will take the 270 along in case the 300 gets jinxed.

This one has been beaten to death!

With a well placed shot lot's of centerfires would work. But like any hunting, not everything is always perfect. I personally favor a .338WM and use 250gr Woodlieghs. There is never any doubt! Nate

I have a 270 for Antelope hunting. A 7mm RemMag for Mule deer.
For Elk I'd use either a 338 WinMag or a 348 or 375 H&H depending on country hunted and distance of game. Had to settle for just one gun on Elk it would be the 338. Oh, and I use a 243 on Coyotes and a 44 Mag on jackrabbits. If I knew I could get within spitting distance (30 yds or less) then a 270 might work. I've hunted coyotes with a 270 also.

BigNate, their's never any meat left either!

Why not shoot a Elk with a 270!

I've been hunting with a Interarms 270 for well over 28 years, I have complete faith in it, have taken everthing from a Prairre Dog to a 2000 pound Eland! By the way, the Eland was a "One Shot - One Kill"

I have no intention of ever using a different calibur for most of my hunting, anywhere in the world.

Dangerous Game - - I'll use my Remington 416. Except for the Leopard, I did take it with the .270 - 150 gr - Hy-Shok Federal.

quote:

Originally posted by AI22-250:
BigNate, their's never any meat left either!

From the severe beating we're giving this? Or do you meen to imply that the .338 is destroying a huge portion of meat?

I've seen far less bloodshot meat around a .338 hole than the much faster, smaller ones.

An elk can be killed with careful shot placement by about anything. Using a minimal performing round is less than ideal IMO. The 270W isn't so small it's rediculous, but it isn't as effective as a bigger bullet when the bullets don't hit the expected spot. I'd feel just as confident using my .25-06 on elk as I would a .270W. Mostly because I know I shoot my .25-06 very well, and I am not familiar with the .270W enough. I've not been as impressed by it in the field, so I don't make a habit of recommending something I'm not impressed by. When it comes to Elk, I think a bigger hole is better. More of the "Cold air in, Warm blood out" action, in a shorter amount of time. Nate

Firstly, congratulations on fibnding a very nice rifle, that will take care of 95% of the hunting situations you will encounter.
I too like to go reto once in a while and take out one of my vintage 270's to enjoy the hunt.

bullets I have found that work well are any of the Sub premiums hornady Interlock Included up through the TSX and Nosler Partition. I can see no better way to enjoy the hunt than collecting a nice bull with a great rifle/Caliber combo.
I would mount a fixed 6x Leopold and practice.

My own retro 270 is this Mid 60's browning Safari in 270, It made for a dead elk at 425 yards with 130 gr Grand Slams

Some may remeber the late PH George Hoffman who used to post here on AR. He'd used the 270 on over fifty elk and thought anyone that believed the 270 was marginal on elk was a twit.

270,that's a varmint caliber

quote:

and thought anyone that believed the 270 was marginal on elk was a twit.

Shootaway, nuff said...

shootaway -- Then elk are varmints........

And I suppose a 460 Weatherby is for PD's

If this is for nostalgia sake, why not use a bullet similar to what would have been available when Jack hunted ... 130-150 Partition, 150 Interlock or Speer Hotcor etc.? These bullets will work fine since you are putting a premium on bullet placement ... just like Jack ...

I think there are plenty of bullets more than capable of doing the job. The 130gr. partition is almost always my choice as it always seems to shoot well with the first few loads I try. My latest .270, a pre-64, likes 160gr partitions, the first and only .270 that liked them so that's the load for that gun.

I have no problem using my 270 on elk, but I will be taking my 300 Weatherby this October to New Mexico instead.

the answer is --bullet placement and distance equals dead game. NO a 270 is not a 400 yard elk killer.

Seems to me that if you look closely at the posts here, that that the only place in the world that a 270 won't take an elk is in an internet chat forum. Most of the people that have shot elk have no problems with a 270, yet people who have never hunted them seem to think they are plated with M1A2 Chobum.

I've hunted with JoeDJr. He knows his ballistics and rifles as well as anyone on the planet...his mentor is the best that's ever lived. I'll take his word for it on this one. Thanks.

Their seems to be a lot of discussion about the smallest caliber that you can use on an animal. How about the largest calliber that you should use on an animal. Blood shot meat, damage to the cape or mount, etc. Does anyone have a few comments or is a 460 Weatherby ok for cottontail, coyotes, whitetail, etc?

Typically, I've found that larger bore dia. destroy less meat than hyper vel. small bores. The .375h&h is used often in Africa forshooting smaller 20-30# antelope because it does less damage to the meat/hide, the bullet just punches a hole w/o expanding much. It always comes down to the bullet doesn't it.

I too have seen a much larger bloodshot area around holes made by higher velocity, smaller caliber rounds than bigger & slower ones. If I could drive a 250gr bullet just as fast as I can drive a 100gr bullet I imagine the area of damage would be worse for the bigger bullet. It's larger frontal diameter combined with the same velocity would cause a larger hyrdaulic expansion area.

I don't hunt bunnies with the .338WM when I want to have something left to eat, unless I take head shots. In that case it wouldn't matter.

Slow down a .257" bullet a little bit, and you'll find it's still quite effective at shorter distances and has less damage than that same weight bullet going much faster.( .250 Savage vs .25-06)

I favor more gun for elk because when it's time to shoot, and he's thinking it's time to bust out of there from his dark hiding hole, I want to poke a decent size hole through to the other side. I've seen much less than that type of performance from the .270W witnessed first hand. I know many people use as small as a .243W for elk, but I also know that many elk walk off wounded and are not followed because the hunter didn't find blood. The fat under the skin can seal off the smaller hole much easier than it could when there are bigger holes on both sides.

Notice I said a bigger hole is my preference. I still reserve the right to use whatever I need to at the time. And I have. It come down to knowing what limitations you'll put yourself under. Some people don't and they'll empty a rifle at a running animal on the next ridge over. Then not bother to walk over there to check for sign.

I put the stalk on a bull two years ago while carrying my .25-06, and passed up what shot I could have taken because I wasn't sure it was enough gun. I regretted not hunting deer with "to much" gun that day!

To each thier own, I just don't recommend things I don't believe in. Same goes for pickups! Nate

I've killed 2 N.M. 6x6 bulls (314 and 327) and my wife killed her 340, 6x5 with a .270 Win. All 3 were shot with 130 gr Barnes X bullets. All 3 were one shot kills.My other 6 bulls were taken with a .300 Win.Go for it! Bwana dogo

Holy S**t!! What is the arguements about!! Here in Canada we shoot moose, elk, black bear and God forbid bison!! All done with a 270!! When premium bullets are used (usually Nosler Partitions). They may not all be one shot kills. However dead is dead! The longest tracking to recover a moose I have ever partaken, was a misplaced shot, by my brother USING A 375 H&H!! The 270 kicks like a pussy, ergo good bullet placement! If you're looking for an excuse for a larger caliber, then just buy it and tell us about it later. If you are unsure of the capabilities of a 270, don't worry. Just remeber good bullets and placement!

I guess my problem isn't so much caliber size as recoil. I'm a very large person, 6'3" and more than 300#'s. However, in my younger day's, 6'1" and 175#'s I was scope bit by a rifle that didn't fit well, I was sighting it in for a friend. Shoulder was sore and forehead bled. It's was a 300 Weatherby. I should have known better. Fact was the fellow that owned it was my best friend, he flinched badly with the weapon. His only answer was that it was the most powerful .30cal ever and that's what he wanted.... To be honest I loaded his rounds down to 30'06 velocities and the flinching stopped, he was able to hit what he aimed at and he was able to kill those animals without a problem. He never knew the difference in nearly 30yrs.

To get back to the point, I have alway loved the 270win. It has been accurate, adequate in power for muley's and elk. I've taken mule deer at distances that most people wouldn't even think about trying. Enough said about distance. Recoil has been very mild, along with a 3.5# trigger pull and a 3.5x10AO Leupy, the Remington 700 has around 2500rnds thru it. Last year, is the last time I sighted it in, the rifle still shot a .47" group. With the confidence I have in it, I had occasion to use much bigger, that doesn't mean I don't own them.......

I hunt with a guy that has taken 27 or 28 bulls with his Sako .270 using 150 gr. Nosler's. I have taken 4 with a .280 with 150 gr. Nosler's as well.
Depends on where you hit them.

quote:

Originally posted by fredj338:
It always comes down to the bullet doesn't it.

And its velocity.

And it's construction, and shot placement, and the ability of the person behind the trigger and the amount of money (nowadays) that the hunter has to spend to have the opertunity to hunt. So as far as I'm concerned, there are many, many factors that come into play.....
And that's all I have to say about that.

I've hunted elk with a 270 and have had no problems. I used Federal Premium ammo with 150 grain Nosler Partitions. Last elk was at 250 yards broad side, left an exit wound about the size of a silver dollar and took both lungs. My elk slid about 10 feet down the hill after being shot.

quote:

If you use the 270 just be carefull of bullet placement and do not take any questionable shots.

No questionable shot should be taken regardless of caliber. We owe it to the animals we hunt to be ethical.

quote:

Originally posted by 1894mk2:
When you take your 270 this season be prepared to see the largest bull elk you've ever seen (including photos) at 300yards facing slightly away from you.

At this point the words often uttered 'I'm happy to pass on less than perfect shot angles' take on a different significance.

With a good rest and complete familiarity with the rifle, I would not hesitate a second to take that shot. I don't own a .270 and never will just because I'm not a fan but it is certainly up to killing elk and does so hundreds if not thousands of times every season.
Hank if you want to use a .270 then by all means use it. Just be competent with it and you will miss nothing but the recoil of your 30 magnums. Jim

Well you boys sure did give the ole 270 a real good pep talk, a right fine sales pitch, and JOC woulda been proud of you.

However, it appears that with Hank having packed a 300 RUM for his previous elk hunting, that a 270 just doesn't quite carry the same salt.

Hank, I think you are not likely to be disappointed by your choice. Now, go slap the crap out of some elk this fall!

Yes and if you use that Caliber, your shoulder will never forgive you.......

For the life of me, I cannot find any complaints about recoil from the original poster who has used the 300 RUM to harvest his earlier elk.

Given the original poster appears not to have a problem with 300 RUM recoil; your apparent personal preference for light recoil is really a bit non-relevant.