Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 270 cal 150 grain OK for elk?

I've had a 270 Winchester Model 70 featherweight for over 25 years and have shot a pile of whitetail deer, hogs and coyotes that I couldn't see over. I've also taken 2 mule deer and 2 small bull moose with it. I also have a 7 MM mag but it isn't very reliable and doesn't shoot especially well. I have a 338 that I've taken lots of caribou with but my favorite rifle is my 270. I have a good 150 grain Hornady handload for it. What do you feel is the max range I can use this load?

I know this is going to cause a crap storm but I have always shot a .270 and have killed 10 bulls and 4 cows with it and I use 130gr sierra spitzer boattails.The farthest has been 330 yds,Iam a believer that if you can't close the distance to 300 yds you are not much of a hunter.

130g Nosler partitions from my .270 always seemed to kill elk pretty dead for me. I know many others who would say the same.

Were I starting from scratch, would it be my first choice as an elk-only rifle? No. But it kills elk dead, especially if you're confident with it. As always, shot placement and knowing your limits matters much, much more than choice of .277 vs. .308 (or bigger) caliber.

BTW, if you search a bit, you'll find pages and pages of debate on what will or won't work for elk. Or, it might just get repeated here in the days to come...

Dave

A friend that I have hunted with, off and on, for over 40 years still shoots a Remington 721 in .270. He has taken at least 18 bull elk that I know of--all but two with 150 grain Partitions. The other two were taken with 150 grain Sierra hollow points (before I insisted that he try the Partitions). I have never seen him shoot at a deer or an elk beyond 300 yards with this rifle, and most of his shots were this side of 150.

If you can place your shots accurately, either the 130 or 150 Partitions will do the job for you. Since it sounds like you have a great deal of confidence in your .270, I would suggest that you use it. I don't believe that you will be disappointed.

As an aside, I have been disappointed with the terminal performance of Hornady Interlocks on large elk in one of my 7mm Rem Mags, and have seen similar problems with the same bullet in at least one .270 Wby Mag. But I haven't had any recent experience and they may have solved the problems.

Put it in the correct place and it will work.

Question - What do you feel is the max range I can use this load?

My answer - I'd say try to get within 300 yards, but I'm sure the round will kill elk at 400 if you put the bullet tight behind the shoulder.

What's the range that you took this pile of other stuff at?? Where are you going to hunt? If you go into the black timber after elk, you could see a shot under a 100 yards. If you feel confident in the shot a 270 will put the lights out on an elk as well as a whitetail at 300 yards.

JohnDog

82, I too own a 338, but carry my old 270 for elk. I use 150gr Partitions, and I and a 5 X 6 bull know it will kill elk at 450 yards. And a cow at 430 yds. And others at lesser distance.

I would encourage you to seek out a "premium" bullet, IMHO it really ups the performance of a 270. If all I had was cup and core bullets, maybe I'd carry my 338 for elk. Maybe.

Why did I buy the 338? Barely used, it had a VX-III scope and it was too cheap. And I was dreaming of Alaska and big bears. I've never felt undergunned with a 270.

Regarding elk hunting I think "failures" of rifle bullets 25 caliber or larger are usually failure of the shooter, not the instrument.

one of the guys in our ELK camp (arthor) has frequently used a HORNADY 150 grain loaded over 55 grains of IMR 4831 and a 215 fed primer in his ruger #1 rifle
It kills ELK just fine and hes killed more than just a couple, Ive dressed out several hes shot, and if you do the bullet placement correctly the bullet will work fine.
it won,t knock them nearly instantly senceless in most cases but its 100% fatal.
he says he has rarely seen an ELK fail to run with a heart/lung shot but they seldom go more than 40-60 yards

Most hunters are limited more by their range than that of their rifles. The first question to ask is what is the maximum range you can put a bullet into an elk's lungs, from a field position such as using an aspen tree for a rest, after running after a bull?

I have shot over 20 elk with my 270 and I use 130 grain factory loads that are the cheapest. The longest shot I ever made was on a raghead 3 feet over the back on Decker Flats in 1985 the day before Thankgiving. Three shots 3 bullets into the ribs. Had to put him down before he went back into Yellowstone Park. I would never think that the 270 is not an elk gun. And if you do think it's not an elk gun then you have not hunted elk much.

Howdy.

It IS a bit odd how the poor old .270 Winchester has taken a ton of "not an elk rifle" abuse only after the belted mags of various bore sizes became so plentiful. Of course the .270 is an elk killer of high efficency. Many Joe Average shooters can shoot it well with minimal annual practice due to it's mild manners. It may not be as thumpin' as bigger bores, but it's got decent penetration with adequate expansion when coupled with even fairly mundane old fashioned bullets of 150 grains. The sheer number of elk killed cleanly in the US and Canada with a .270 and Remington CoreLokt bullets would probably be hard to comprehend if it was actually known. Partitions and other hi-tech projectiles only improve the potential terminal results. Shoot that .270 and be not dismayed.AW

I like the caliber; if it were me I'd use the best elk bullet I could and I don't think the Hornady is that bullet.

Not saying it won't work. Just that since it's April, and you handload, there's plenty of time to work up a load with a bullet that you KNOW is going to penetrate.

Just my opinion, and I'm no expert at elk killing.

-jeff

No doubt about it, the 270 kills elk.

But if you have killed lots of caribou with a 338 why wouldn't you use it on elk???

Elk are bigger than caribou and undoubtedly harder to kill.

Of course a 270 will work.

Been mostly packing a 270W and 150 grainers for almost 40 years. Out of 40 some elk with rilfe and bow, 25+ have been with the 270 and 150gr bullets. Most with Partitions, some with Sierras and others.

A premium bullet really helps the 270............

Lot's of bullets will generally work, but picking the right elk bullet is probably more important than picking an elk cartridge.




Casey

'course a lot die with the wrong bullet, too.

My elk guide in Colorado tells his clients to bring the largest caliber they can shoot accurately and without fear of recoil. He tells them to upgrade to a premium bullet. Many bring their .270's, 308's and 30-06's.

The 270 with 150 Partitions has been my elk rifle for 25 years; works just fine.

I'd really prefer the Partition (or TSX) over the Hornady, though.

MM

Sure a 270 with 150 Partitions will kill elk. So will a flat nosed 150 out of a 30-30. I've only taken 3 cows and a spike with the 270 with 150 Partitions and they all went down hard and fast. Course it's had to run very far with no heart.

For a dedicated elk rifle I'd recommend a bigger bore and heavier bullets, but what do I know?

Wayne

Why?