My wife & I will be hunting hogs in Texas & later on plainsgame in Africa w/these calibers...On both hunts we'd like to shoot some smaller (fox/coyote size) animals and have the hides tanned...In Texas, maybe have a javelina mounted...Can you suggest the least-damaging bullets in either or both of theses calibers? Thanks.

I have shot one coyote with a 270 Win using Hornady 130 SST's. I hit it in the neck while it was running and I could have fit a football thru the hole on the off side.

While I will shoot another one with my 270 in a heartbeat, in my experience it is not the bullet to use if you want to keep the hide. I know this is not what you asked but, I hope it helps.

95gr Barnes TTSX left a silver dollar size exit hole in a does neck at 150 yards. 270 Venture.

Thanks for the replies...I just visited Norma Bullets website, they carry both .270's in FMJ. Problem solved!

Good news gone bad...Norma carries solids in both calibers but seemingly does not import them in loaded bullets, and I don't reload. If anyone hears of ready-to-shoot solids in either caliber, please let me know. All likely leads have drawn a blank

Barnes makes 120 gr 270 solids. May be hard to find. Might be easier to use a 308 or 30-06 where FMJ ammo is easily found.

FMJ ammo may not be legal for hunting.

Woodleigh makes a 180 gr .277 heavily constructed softpoint that would probably act like a solid on small game.

quote:

Originally posted by joester:
Good news gone bad...Norma carries solids in both calibers but seemingly does not import them in loaded bullets, and I don't reload. If anyone hears of ready-to-shoot solids in either caliber, please let me know. All likely leads have drawn a blank

I would not recommend a FMJ as a hunting bullet. Good chance you would lose the hog, yote, or javi, in the Texas brush. I'd suggest a stout 150 gr slug, maybe even load it down a little, to minimize hide damage, but do enough damage internally to drop it without a long chase.

Ive shot coyotes and Javalina with solids, sometimes the tumble and do a lot of damage, and sometimes they make a lot of tracks and no blood trail..you just never know.

I would just use a 150 gr, Corelokt or whatever and load it down to about 2000 FPS..

As has been suggested, if you reload, lower the velocity and try to stay off heavy bone.

If you need to buy factory loaded, use a 130gr Barnes TSX, I've shot a fair number of coyotes with my 270Win loaded full speed with 130gr Barnes TSX, and a shot in the ribs usually leaves a small entrance and exit hole.

I have shot several coyotes with a 270 using nosler partitions. Exit hole about the size of a silver dollar. Critters were hit behind the shoulder. I wouldn't think it would be much of a chore for a taxidermist to fix.

joester,

TSX's might serve you purposes for everything you're hunting.

Mark

Any expanding bullet traveling at high velocity, other than something that totally explodes inside the animal, has the potential to leave a huge exit hole. High weight retention bullets like mono metals are likely a better option but the potential to blow monumental holes out the exit is real.

Barnes TSX is the lesser of the evils for the .270. I have shot dozens of yotes with my .270 and have found them to do the least damage of anything commercially loaded available today.

Make sure it's not the TTSX, or any other polymer tip bullet as it aids expansion and will make a hole in the off side big enough to walk through. Soft point loads are no better.

If you can be so lucky to find some old Winchester Fail Safe ammo that will do the best of everything you want. Broadside yotes they act almost like a solid and give tiny exit holes, Broadside pigs open them up to text book perfection and drain their oil the way they should.

How do I miss Fail Safes, let me count the ways… If the Combined Technologies Gods are listening please resurrect my beloved bullets.

When shooting smaller animals for mounting, I have had the best luck with bonded bullets, like the Trophy Bonded Bearclaw, Woodleigh, and I think the North Forks, and Swift A Frame. would be good as well.

The wife and I have shot bobcats coyotes and fox up close with the 308 and the older 165 Trophy Bonded Bearclaws with only an entrance hole and an exit hole, no damage to the hide.
This bullet also worked great on larger game like big pigs, black bear, heyena, zebra and wildbest.

I shot a bobcat once at under 30 yards with that bullet, no hide damage.

Barnes X bullets should work too. Basically any bullet that does not fragment.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
When shooting smaller animals for mounting, I have had the best luck with bonded bullets, like the Trophy Bonded Bearclaw, Woodleigh, and I think the North Forks, and Swift A Frame. would be good as well.

The wife and I have shot bobcats coyotes and fox up close with the 308 and the older 165 Trophy Bonded Bearclaws with only an entrance hole and an exit hole, no damage to the hide.
This bullet also worked great on larger game like big pigs, black bear, heyena, zebra and wildbest.

I shot a bobcat once at under 30 yards with that bullet, no hide damage.

Barnes X bullets should work too. Basically any bullet that does not fragment.

I've killed a few wolves and wolverine with 150gr partitions in my 308. Less damage than any other round I've used to date, excepting a 222 with 55horns @ 2500fps,,but there shots are limited to about 200 yds at most.

A prime reason to start reloading!
Heavier bullets seem to make less exits holes too.
George