Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Who has used the 270 Win. for plainsgame?

I've decided to take my 270 Win. in tandem with my 375 H&H for the next safari, which will likely include buffalo and lion. My 375 is a safari veteran, and I already have the loads worked out for it. My real question concerns the 270.

Who has actually used the 270 Win. on safari, and what bullets did you use?

Thanks!

AD

Allen: in 1969-70, my ucncle hunted Mozambique and Angola and I was fortunate to accompany him as an observer in Moz. Back then, "full bags" meant exactly that and I can't believe what the trophy fees were back then! Anyhow, he took two rifles, a pre-64 Mod 70 in 270 (with 130gr Silvertips!) and a Mod 70 post 64 in 458 and factory ammo. He used the 270 on just about everything, including lion! Yep, lion. I know, I was there.

So with that as a "gauge" and given today's premium bullets, I'd certainly consider it for most plains game, but my personal preference is for a 300 at a minimum and again in my opinion, I like a 375 for eland or one of the 33s. Remeber my experience with eland where I shot him on the "wrong side" I think 375 saved my a$$ in that instance, a44 being the operative word! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> . So while I don't have any "personal" experience with the 270 on anything, I saw it work! jorge

Jorge, thanks!

I've wrung-out the 300 and the 338 enough for the time being, and I'm ready to have fun with my old favorite all-around cartridge, the 270 Win., which I haven't shot anything with for a few years. I've also been grinding my teeth over the prospect of shooting a buffalo with the 375 H&H, and since I haven't used my Three-Six-Bits in Africa for several years, it's time to give it another safari!

Someone's bound to fetch a rope over this comment, but I've never found eland to be all that hard to kill. Stick a good bulet in the lungs and they tend to bite the dust muy pronto.........

AD

My problem was I shot him in the butt instead of the lungs with my first shot, mistaking the shoulder! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> so, I needed the 375 to pull my chesnuts out of the fire! jorge

Allen,

On my very first safari, which took place in Zimbabwe, I took two rifles. I used a Heym 470 double for buffalo, and my old David Miller 270 for everything else. The biggest animal that I shot with it on that trip was a kudu, although I've used the same rifle on moose. For bullets, I used 130 grain Bitterroot bullets pushed along by 59.5 grains of H-4831. Your 270 will do just fine for you. I wouldn't hesitate to take mine again.

By the way, that pre-64 action I got from you is well on its way to becoming a lovely 9.3x62 custom rifle. I'll send you a photo when it is finished, or, if you're going to SCI this coming year, I think it will be there and you can see it.

Tom

Turp,

9.3 X 62 on a pre-64? The stuff dreams are made of. I must see photos!

Hatari,

Will do when it is finished.

Tom

Allen,

My friend used a .270 win. with 140gr. Trophy Bonded-High Energy on mixed bag last year. He took Kudu, Impala, Black Wildebeast, Gemsbok, Springbok and Blesbok and warthog. He hunted somewhere in RSA. Only one complication with the Widebeast that required two follow-up shots and some tracking. He was very happy with the performance, but said if going back that he would use an over .30 cal. for insurance. Most dropped at the spot but little blood for tracking had they travelled far.

I thought that you vastly preferred the .416 Rem on buffalo to the 375 H&H ? Which bullet will you use and do you feel that the 375 H&H is on the right side of the margin for buff?

BR

BTW, I read Boddington's book Rifles for Africa. He praises the .270 but did not find it as versatile as larger calibers and mentioned that it meets the minimum standard for a general purpose African Light rifle, though he would not hesitate to use it.

AD
Used the .270 with 130 gr BBC and NP (62 gr of original H4831) at various times for things from leopard to zebra to kudu to gemsbok. No problems. One and done. I should say some of those were neck shots, I thought I was going to have to use it on a buff with BBC one time, but things worked out. I was willing if he was. Probably it all worked out for the best. Well, there was this puku. Bang flop but he just would not give up the ghost although he was going nowhere. The PH used his knife. Always felt bad about that. He was a noble critter and deserved better, but I don't think it was the .270s fault - or mine either. Just one of those things. If you shoot enough, some of them are bound to be unpleasant.

There's a thread topic - most unsettling kills. Think I'll skip it, though I could contribute a couple or so.

t

Allen,

I had a .270 Win built on a single shot Musgrave "Lyttleton" action (developed for Bisley Target shooting) onto a premium barrel with a match trigger. This was done as a quest to create the "perfect" Springbuck rifle, accurate enough for use in the Karoo and other long range shooting (open plains)enviroments. I guess I could have opted for another calibre but happened to take a fancy to the 270 after seeing its use in the field with other hunters.

The rifle / caliber combo works a treat and I have taken hundreds of Springbuck with it, as well as bunch of Blesbuck and Gemsbuck. I have used 130gr bullets, then 140gr and have settled on Barnes X 150grs.

I have extreme confidence with this rifle - all shots are silpped in behind the shoulders in the lung area (or simply passed up) it's a quick killer and pleasant to shoot.

I must add that I won't personally use it in Bushveld conditions i.e. sub 100yds as I feel it's too fast and creates to much bloodshot meat when venison hunting for my own consumption. For trophy hunting this is clearly a non-issue.

In short, it will do the job on all plains game up to and including Kudu as long as robust / premium bullets (150gr) are used on the heavier stuff and the hunter is selective ito taking the shot so as to avoid heavy bones on the bigger built animals (Eland / Sable etc.) You will already know this from your previous safaris in Africa.

My experience with Eland are different to some posted here .. have spent a good few hours on two seperate occasions on Eland Bulls wounded (1 with a 375 and 1 with a 3006)

Take your 270 Winnie and stick to Barnes TSX etc type of bullets and you will be pleasantly suprised.

Tom, I'll look forward to seeing your 9.3X62, it sounds like a real beauty. I'm glad you've been able to put that action to good use!

I would think that your 130 gr. Bitterroot loads worked very well on whatever you shot with them. I've been meaning to ask you, how many animals have you taken with your David Miller 270 thus far? How many rounds do you put through that rifle? I'm more fascinated with fine-quality, veteran hunting rifles that have been hunted with a lot than I am any other kind of of rifle.........

AD

I have used the 7x57 with 160 NP at 2800 fps, the .270 should be identical. It worked fine on gemsbuck, kudu, and the smaller antelope, although my son made a bad shot on a running hartebeest which required some tracking and another running shot with a .375.

Allen,

The combination of the Miller 270, 130 grain BBC bullets, and H-4831 powder, has worked very well for me for some twenty-one years or thereabouts. I think I bought the rifle from David in 1985. I know that I got it just before leaving for Alaska on a combined moose - caribou hunt. Naturally, I had to take it with me. The first animal I took with it was a book caribou, followed a couple days later by a pretty good Alaska/Yukon moose. Since then, I've had that rifle with me on most of my hunts.

I don't keep detailed records, and frankly, have no idea how many animals I've taken with it. I would make an educated guess of somewhere between 75 and 100 head, on three continents.

Likewise, I don't know precisely how many rounds I've put through it. I'd guess between 2500 and 3000 rounds. It is enough that I must start considering a re-barrel job on it. Throat erosion is beginning to take its toll on accuracy, and about the best I can get with it these days, is 1.5" three-shot groups. In 1985, it was a solid .5" performer.

I'm hesitant to rebarrel it for a few reasons. One, even though duplication can be very accurate, it would still require some "tweaking" with the inletting. Secondly, it would be a slightly different rifle that my old companion on so many hunts. Finally, 1.50" groups are perfectly fine for my hunting (or anyone else's for that matter).

I've toyed with putting it out to pasture and using other rifles for my remaining hunting years, but the rifle and I have too much history together. I'll still use it a few times each year.

As I commented earlier, take your 270 and 375 H&H and you'll have a great safari. I can't imagine a much better combination.

Tom

Tom,
Could the barrel be set back far enough that the chamber could be recut & clean up the errosion? Hate to see an old friend put out to pasture or even semi retired.

WyoJoe,

Most likely could set the barrel back a couple threads and clean up the chamber a bit. However, doing so would really screw up the inletting in the stock. I suspect I'll end up just leaving it be and using it as is. The old horse don't give me the accuracy that it once did, but then, this old horse can't shoot with the precision that I once could either. Both of us can still do well enough though.

Tom

Tom, I think I'd be wanting to leave that rifle alone. The old barrel has seen a lot of hunting, and realistically, it's still got a lot of practical hunting accuracy left in it if you reserve it for hunts, rather than the range.......

AD

Allen, having been raised on Jack O I've always thought the 270/375 combo would be ideal for a classic two rifle battery to travel the world. I doubt you can go wrong with the pair!

Brad, I've carried the ambition of hunting with a 270/375 combo in Africa since I was a young man who thought he'd never make it to Africa. From a practical standpoint, it should be a very fine set of cartridges to run with. Most African game is mule deer size or smaller anyway, and the 375's sufficient for the big stuff.

Have you been elk hunting yet this season?

I'm headed out for Oregon's 2nd bull season in a few days......

AD

Allen, only twice as work has me shackled... the condition's, if anything, are "too good"! I cut a bull track opening morning and followed only to have another hunter jump in on it ahead of me. Oh well. Snow is quite deep for this early... up high as much as two feet. Sub zero temps the last two days here in the valley.

Good luck on the OR bull!

Allen,

Agreed.

Tom