Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Using 270 for Elk

That's just no good! All but one shot missed the target.

Believe me, it's a lot bigger stretch for Two Left Footed, Can't See Outta One Eye, Blind in the Other, Deaf in Both Ears, Daydreaming Me, to kill an elk than it is to think a 270 would kill one!

I know. I was shooting all around it like horse shoes and hand grenades .. I was really reluctant to show that pic, but the op was wanting some loads. Generally the rifle shoots right around 1 moa for 5 shots. Like someone else said, elk are big critters. That's a good thing


Here are a couple groups from my '57 fwt. The groups are circled. The lower one is with 53 grains of IMR 4350 and it is 5 shots. The upper group I changed my POA to the top of the red dot. 9 of those shots went into less than 1 inch (barely) and the last shot went way high to open the 10 shot group up to 1.401"... ..:


Here is the rifle:


A little more info on that load:


My other 270 shoots this load alright as well (almost 1 moa 5 shot groups):




I also tried the H4831 in the XTR fwt, but I haven't found the right load for it yet:
[img]http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x401/chiefbsa/IMG_0864_zpseb5ebed8.jpg[/img]

Not an excellent shooter, but I think it shows some promise. These 270's have been fun to work with. I was just in the shop looking at some 150gr. grand slams that should work pretty good on elk as well so maybe next time I'll try to work on some loads with that bullet and see if the 2 rifles like them...

Killed a cow with 130 NP and a couple bulls with 150 SBs. Worked just fine, but my 284 with 160 NPs is a real thumper.
Tim

Going back to a couple of studies that were done in Europe on thousands of moose kills, there was no significant difference in how far a moose travelled after being shot with everything from a 6.5x55 to a 375 H&H. THAT is how much good it does to nit-pick cartridges.
A couple of kills with any one cartridge do not prove much. I have seen whitetails shot with a 223 drop so fast that you could see four legs in the air as the rifle recoiled, and seen other deer shot with good placement by a 300 Winchester Magnum and 200 grain bullets require a finishing shot.
Remember, all those cartridge write-ups in the loading manuals that proclaim each and every cartridge to recoil less and kill better than similar cartridges, while exhibiting unbelievable accuracy, might be stretching the truth a little, because it is impossible for dozens of cartridges to all be superior to each other.

You go with the data that is available and throw in a little common sense where needed.

I have used .270, 7 RM, 7 Ultra, 300 WM, and .338 WM on elk. They all work and I was never been dissatisfied with the results. I load my own and choose Trophy Bonded, Nosler, or Bergers. However, I notice that many Wyoming locals simply buy whatever .270 Win ammo is on sale at Walmart and kill their elk just as dead as mine.

Wyoming locals buy 30-06... .270 bounces off elk.

I remember the 1st year of elk hunting for me back in 87. I showed up in camp with my .270. Boy did all the guys give me guff. Heard every thing from "how many times do ya have to pump up that BB gun", to "rabbits better watch out, a .270 is in camp." Not too many years later, and a few dead elk, all the talk went away. Doubters were believers.
All but one elk that I shot with the .270 were with 150 NP's, and shot one cow with a 140 gr. fail safe. Worked well.
These days, I shoot'em with a stick and string. But if I ever decide to go back rifle hunting, I wouldn't have to 2nd guess using a .270.

I've not taken an elk but I have taken a very large red deer stag and bison with a 270 shooting 150 bullets. No problems taking either animal.

Given that a 270 will push a 150 faster than a 30-06 will push a 180, and given that the SD of the 150 is a skosh higher than that of the 180, it should hit harder and penetrate deeper, or at least as much. I expect it would take a forensic examiner to note the difference between the two. 30 cal bullets are prettier though. The elk even think so.

30 cal bullets look ugly next to a 7mm bullet

That's because 7mm bullets make .30 caliber bullets look fat.

Bullet Dysmorphic Disorder?

I'm kinda late to the party.

I bought a .270Win in a Montana here earlier this year and its going to be my primary rifle this fall for deer and elk. While my elk experience doesn't add up to a whole lot, I did manage to kill one last year with a .30-06 and saw no reason why a .270 wouldn't do as well.

I put a Meopta scope from Doug on it and started working with RL-22. I had a whole pile of 150NP from SPS on hand and went to work. I just couldn't get the groups to shrink with the RL22 but man did I get velocity with it. I never found the top end pressure wise and that was a bit scary to me as well.

So with the help of the Campfire search tool, I started using some 7828SSC. I found that 55gr of it behind a 150 would give me groups in the 1" range. I bumped it up to 57 and am seeing larger groups, more in the 1.5 to 1.75" range. (I am no gee whiz with a rifle. I think all of my rifles are better shooters than I am.) But I have no pressure signs and my Pro Chrono tells me that they're leaving the barrel at about 2975, give or take.

As an aside, while I was working with the Meopta, I found some old Remington Bronze Points in 130. Factory loads, at least 20 years old, probably 25. I fired one of them and experienced a pressure event like i've not seen before. I was able to get the extractor off the rim, case still stuck in the chamber, primer fell out, used cleaning rod to tap it out. Wow. A real attention getter.

If you can, try H4831. Very accurate in my 270.

Also, I'm amazed this thread just keeps chugging along.

Used a 270 for a long time.........150 NPT, or Barnes 140TSX at a chrono'ed 2900 FPS.

Works on moose as well, to say nothing of deer.

MM

I've had good luck with R-19 as well, with both 130s and 140s. If you can get a 150 to 2800, you've got a flat-shooting and powerful game-getter.

I rarely find the very top when I load, and I prefer accuracy to velocity. Top pressure puts more wear-and-tear on brass, gun, and shooter.

BKinSD, you shot some old Remington factory ammo that was over-pressure? I had some green box Rems with 130 Bronze points in the 80's. They shot the least accurately of any factory ammo I ran through that 270. It was moderate in pressure, by the way.

I was surprised at how easily the 7828 moved the 150NP to what I think is high velocity. The RL-22 loads shot extremely stiff with excessive recoil in the higher ranges before I broke off that experiment. I am not experiencing that at all with the 7828 and am really glad I tried it. The RL-22 is working great in my .264 however I did buy a pound of RL-33 to try and I have some retumbo on hand to try as well.

The Bronze Point flat scared me. That got my full attention. I pulled the rest of them and threw out bullets and powder. I got started with them back in the 80's when the local hardware store had nothing else one November. I shot them for several years, they never did me wrong. I just moved on to other offerings. I assume it was a fluke but I'm taking no more chances with them.

It is all my dad uses with the old 130 gr Core-Lokt.