Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting .270 win maximum effective range

I know im about to hear it about how the .270 win is trumped by alot of long distance rounds but Id like to know what yall feel is its maximum effective range on game. Ive shot hogs with my ADL loaded with hornady interlock 140gr at 400 and a hair over and smoked em. We have some shot possibilities that are farther and ive been practicing to 500 yrds. Im gonna try a new bullet more designed for longer range. What do yall think?

Effective to as far away as you can accurately place the bullet. The disadvantage to the 270 as a long range caliber is the lack of high BC bullets. Although the distances that you mentioned is not long range. I know people that have taken game out to 800 yards or so. This doesn't not mean that a higher BC bullet is is a beter killier it just means that it would be a better wind bucker

I understand the BC idea, Im looking at some berger VLDs we have a couple of sod farms and a ranch where we can shoot out to probably 700 or 750 and I was curious about the terminal effects of the .270 that far out. Im confident it will kill anything i need it to out to 500.

And beyound...........

The 270 is a very capable long range cartridge.

It really depends on your bullet choice and what the characteristics are of that bullet are after impact at extended ranges. Based on actual field experience, opinions and debate as to which bullet based on what you wish to do will always vary.

If you are smokin hogs successfully at a hair over 400 yards with the Hornady Interlock as you say, then I see no reason why the same bullet cannot be used at 500 yards or more.

However, IF you are looking for a greater devastating wound channel with more of a DRT affect with less tracking a greater percentage of the time, then you may want to consider using the Berger "HUNTING" VLD in your 270.

I started using the 30 cal VLDs several months ago. I`m fed up with tracking game, especially hogs. So far, 16 hogs and one bull elk with the VLD. All one shot kills with astonishing DRT affects. 3 of the 16 hogs shot with the 168 gr hunting VLD, ran no further than 10 yards after impact. The elk staggered about 2 to 4 yards after impacted with a 190 gr VLD at 328 yards (through the right shoulder bone) and then collapsed.

The "hunting" VLDs are well proven big game DRT performers, even out to extended ranges "WELL" beyond 500 yards on bull elk.

Thanks big squeeze, im gonna load some VLD's and see what theyll do for me, they say you have to load them long and you wont be able to use your magazine is this true?

...At first, yes! But now NO! Not true!.....If you go to the Berger site, it will explain that in fact you can do VLD reloads using a COAL slightly less than your magazine`s length and still get very good accuracy.

The best accuracy for your 270 will depend on what bullet jump your rifle prefers. You simply start by loading at the maximum allowable COAL your magazine will allow. Test fire those for accuracy. Repeat again but with a COAL of 10/1000 less and test fire. Repeat again and one more time in 10/1000ths increments. Somewhere within that 30 or 40/1000ths range, you`ll find your rifle`s best sweet spot for bullet jump.

Some may reco a 20/1000ths increment, but I preferred the 10/1000ths increment.

The Berger site is very informative and their staff is also very helpful by phone. You can also see the video on the hunting VLDs there too.

Vs conventional bullets, the Berger VLDs simply kill in a different way. Complete bullet pass throughs (the BIBLE and only way for some so to speak) is not neccessary. The vitals which need to be shocked, disrupted or devastated, are located in the animal`s center. After 3" to 4" of initial penetration (even thru thick bone where a minimum of 1800 fps at impact is required), the VLD does its devastating, explosive and extremely effective work!!!

Check an "external" ballistics table like the one on the Hornady site. Type in the VLD bullet weight and the BC of your VLD choice, rifle zero, est muzzle velocities etc. See how far downrange you can still retain 1800 fps. For your 270 at extended ranges, the 150 VLD would imo be the best choice.

Which means that one has to pay attention to shot angles with a limited penetration bullet

Im gonna try em out. We are killing the hogs more than hunting them anyway. Before the interlocks i was shooting them with v-maxs. Shooting the hogs and yotes is our way of "paying our dues" to the farmers/ranchers for hunting deer and turkeys on their places. How do the bergers perform at closer ranges?

........................True! And that depends on the game! On elk, a "properly" placed shot at a 20 to a 30 degree angle quartering to or away using a VLD will work fine. I`ve seen it done! Perpendicular broadside shots is certainly the preference. If you were to look at a computer imaging on an elk from the top and do some angling shot measurements to the vitals, a 20 degree, a 30 degree and even a 35 degree angled shot into the vitals can easily be done when the shot is well placed.

.............At closer ranges, the VLDs are great. My 168s which are loaded from 2900 to 2950 fps MV (can get more), were no problem on big hogs at ranges from 85 yards out to 247 yards.

It is thought and/or perceived by a few, that the VLDs simply explode on impact and don`t penetrate much on tough hogs when fired at the closer ranges! Oh yeah?............Think again!

Good deal im excited to try em. My buddies are shooting 300 wsm's and .308s and they rag on my .270 as if it is no good past 400 yrds, id sure like to change that opinion.

..............Your buddy boys are completely ignorant on certain things.

If you watch the Berger VLD video on the berger site, you`ll see that even at the extended ranges well beyond 400 yards, a VLD bullet will do much more internal vitals damage than conventional bullets with wider diameters. That would also include a slower moving VLD impacting at 800 to 900 yards out.

In other words, I`ll wager heavily if I could on your 270 using a 150 VLD (against their conventional 30 cal bullets), to drop the game much more effectively (DRT) and with far more internal vitals damage.

When your buds ask you what bullet you`re using. Just shut-up and smile. It`ll be hard, but try not to spill the beans to far ahead of time.

Hell ill tell em im shooting matchkings

The one with the .308 is shooting my handloads, nosler ballistic tip and the other is shooting nosler partitions both 165gr

At least 1500 yards...heck yotes have to eat too

Do you honestly have experience shooting that range with any caliber? Or is that sarcasm?

...................Sarcasm no doubt.....LOL!...Mr. Oldman1942 and I go back a while on past threads when it comes to the VLDs.

He is a confirmed VLD hater, who has no field experience using them. He believes that the VLDs are somehow un-ethical, and/or their performances are not to be believed and does not approve of their style of killing game.

Nothing wrong the conventional bullets with less internal damage and complete pass throughs.

It just so happens that I made Oldman1942 a sizeable offer/wager a few weeks back, which he has obviously declined. I`d use a 30 caliber VLD and velocity of my choice from my 300 WSM on a future elk hunt (both of us would go on the same hunt), where I`d kill an elk with only one shot at a lazer ranged distance of 500 yards or less, AND the elk would have to collapse within 20 yards from the original impact point.

If the VLDs are so un-capable on elk as he seems to think or believe, then he certainly would have taken me up on my offer to win a pretty good chunk of change. Even with all his skepticisms and usual blathering, I guess he didn`t feel confident enough as a 100% cinch or shoe-in to win!!

But no matter! Regardless of the VLD detractors like Oldman1942, it`s the end results which really matters.
Can`t argue with a track record of success, although Oldman will certainly try!

Load up the VLDs and go hog hunting.

Im a proponent of trying things for myself anyway. The v-maxs i shoot kill in a similar fashion and let me tell you they are devastating to the vitals of any game with the proper shot. Im shooting 110 gr at about 3400 though. The vlds are definitely my next reloading project.

You bet it's sarcasm. There isn't 1 hunter in 100 who has any business shooting past 300 yards. If you wanna be a sniper, join the USMC, hunting is about getting as close as you can to insure a sure humane kill, not feeding a "sniper wannabe" ego.