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.

Hey buddy if thats the way you feel thats fine. Most of the time i agree with you. Obviously you didnt read my post very well, the hogs are a NUISANCE we arent hog hunting we are hog shooting. I actually said those words. I dont mind an opposing viewpoint or intelligent debate as long as its founded on accurate information.

Stay in Pelosi land we have enough wounders here without anymore californicators. Where and I how I hunt, even seeing an Elk at 500 yards is rare indeed and I doubt you could carry your 15 pound tactical wannabe POS through the black timber and blowdowns where our Elk live.
Nothing sadder than watching some flatlander show up with his 3000 zing-boom magnum carrying a 8-32x56 scope and watching him miss Elk after Elk at 50-100 yards (where most are killed).
A 30-06 with a 4X scope and a 165-180gr HUNTING bullet will kill any Elk a RESPONSIBLE HUNTER will encounter. EOS

Why are you posting in the "Long Range" section?

Actually my zing boom magnum is an old 700 ADL in .270 win with a prestine oil dipped walnut stock and a nikon 3-9x40 on top. Not to sure how thats a sniper wannabe gun. I live in the thickest nastiest swamps florida has to offer. As to the missing part id put my 700 up against any other out of the box rifle out there. Id even let them pick the ammo for me to shoot, as long as it says .270 win ol faithful will sling it down there.

................Here we go again with more of Oldman`s "hunting policeman" type of blithering and blathering! He seems to have that trend. Oldman1942 Hunting Police INC???????.....LOL!!!!

However what he won`t tell you, is that he posted a pic of a 300+ yard shot on an animal on another thread,,,which apparently he forgot all about. Another member found that pic, posted it and in the process caught Oldman in some hyprocrisy. You`re not exactly consistent there `Oldman with telling the rest of us how to hunt......LOL!!!!!

I wonder if oldman1942 knows how the term "Sniper" was coined?

............I think that YOU and Ms Pelosi would make for an excellent match.

She and her liberal ilk and Constitutional illiterates, wish to be the policemen and policewomen of society, WHILE YOU wish to be a distinguished "hunting policeman" defining for the rest of us at what ranges we can kill our game and of course what bullet we should use too.

Like I have stated before and will now do again there Oldman. Anytime you wish to take me up on my offer, you just let me know!

In the meantime, you just keep making a joke and an azz of yourself!!!!

Every forum needs a blowhard, the sad part of it is some of em are actually knowledgeable people just prone to delusional behavior.

...Oldman is definetly,,,,"a major piece of work!"

I ran into one like em on the hni forum, somebody mentioned em here he actually is a smart guy just prone to azzholishness

Have fun with the VLDs.

I believe everybody but the hogs are gonna have fun with the VLDs

Any of you "experts" actually served as a range officer on"sight in day"? Had, you, you would observe that, as I said not 1 in 100 should be shooting at long range.
As for me, the only thing I ever shot beyond 400 yards were 100s of woodchucks back in my "ute".
Being able to make the shot off a bench or bipod at a paper target is FAR different than dealing with real world field conditions and animals who actually (gasp) might not stand still broadside for your ranging, knob twiddling and so on. Very few place (none) I have every hunted have wind flags every 50 yards either.

So you do whatever you want. You have to live with the lost animals, I don't. If you are a hunter, there is not a living deer, elk or antelope that cannot be approached within 400 yards.
If they could not, bowhunters would never kill anything. EOS

The "brat pack" calling me names, hurling childish insults and generally acting like "the last picked at dodgeball", don't change the facts. Sorry.

Oldballs, you sure are a piece of work..."flatlanders" coming from a NY transplant..LMAO

What have you killed, 1 elk? "Where our elk live" [bleep], whatever oldballs..what you know about elk you learned from field &stream..And why TF are you on the LR forum anyway?

Go ahead and tell me about grizz and wolves, just to make yourself look like a bigger dipshit. (if thats even possible)

Well, yes I have as a matter of fact. But that has no bearing on the OP's question, his question was on the adequacy of the cartridge, not how many hunters should or should not be shooting long-range.



Should I go back and get the photo of you and your pronghorn shot at, what was it, 387 yards, in the ass? Are you that magical "1-in-100 guy" who is fine taking an ass-shot at 387 yards with a caliber illegal for big game in your state?

The old "impose my limitations" on others approach

WOW! You are out to 400 yards now, without even practicing good grief.

He has to use 400 yards as his outer limit, what with the photo of the ass-shot pronghorn at 357, 387, whatever it was.

Laffin!

As someone earlier in this thread alluded to for a particular bullet, find out the minimum recommended impact velocity for the bullet you are considering to determine the maximum effective range with an external ballistics software package that will give you down-range velocities for a given data set (ballistic coefficient, muzzle velocity, altitude, etc.). Some cup-and-core bullets need at least 1900-2000 feet per second velocity at impact to expand reliably, while other bullets need more impact velocity and some require less velocity. Some people think it is a good idea to add a little bit of cushion (safety factor of say 100 fps) to what the bullet manufacturer says is the minimum impact velocity, and I wouldn't disagree with that practice.

If you want to push the envelope, you'll want to measure your muzzle velocity with a chronograph and verify your bullet's ballistic coefficient by shooting at various distances and comparing the drop at the various distances to what is predicted by the external ballistics software for the input parameters (including an accurate measurement of the distance between the center of your bore and the center of your scope).

There are a number of bullets for the .270 that will expand out to a distance of 400-500 yards with typical .270 muzzle velocities, but I suspect the number of bullets from a .270 that will expand reliably past 600 yards is probably pretty small. The Berger VLD is one I would be looking at, as others have mentioned.

blah, blah, blah....the brat pack just won't STFU.

and you will? please tell me when.


Still waiting on papers...... Laffin

Oldman1942, take me off ignore so you can read this then put me back on please!!!

What were the distance of your Road killed antelope??


ddj

..................Ok guys!!!! Oldman1942 is now our official,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,"HUNTING COP"...................

Hey clown!! Or should it be,,,MR POLICEMAN! The distances from which we shoot our game from, is to be left to "OUR" judgement and "NOT" to yours!!!! BTW! Regardless of my shooting distances, I have never lost an animal.

And as usual Oldman, you always veer off track!! Kill shot distances on game, have nothing to do with serving or not serving as a range officer. An absolutely wonderful,,,,"NOT",,,,comparison there!!!

And when it comes to you, I`ll be happy to be a member of the "brat pack!"

Take care,,,,,,,,,,,,Mr. Deputy Dog!!!!!!!!...............

Yep, I'd be willing to bet the old "keyboard commando" wouldn't be willing to tell any of the "brat pack" to STFU to their faces either.

Thanks RR this is more or less wahat i planned on doing. I just wanted some other opinions and some personal experience. As of right now Im gonna order some bullets made for longer range expansion and start my testing.

I am wondering if oldman1942 is kin to the disappeared hunter1960?