I do a little reloading and I had a guy ask me about his 270. He said he is using a 130 grain bullet but in his thought process, the bullet is going too fast to have any expansion on the deer. So he was wondering if switching to 165 grain boat tail mould be a better bullet to use. I realize this is a fairly vague question and there are some missing variables, but any oppinions are welcome.

my dad shot the 130 and had the opposite thing happen no exit holes on deer so started loading 140gr ballistic tip he shot a 110 pound doe this year a high shoulder shot throwed away a hand fool of meat and worked really well hope this helps

Your friend is absolutely right. That's why bullets from magnums "zip right through doing hardly any damage." It's just like the party trick where you pull a tablecloth out from under dishes, plates, glasses, etc. If you do it fast enough, every thing stays in its place.

The reason is that if a bullet is going fast enough, it doesn't have any time to do any damage or expand. As a bullet approaches the speed of light, it probably won't do any damage at all.

hopefully you are not serious.

My guess is that your friend has never taken a deer with a 130 gr bullet from his 270. Just a guess.
I don't believe a heavier bullet will solve his problem(s).
Stick with the 130 grain for deer.... and I am sincere in my feelings (and experience) about this.

He is wrong in his thought process.

The 130 grain bullet is deadly on deer or elk or any other animal you care to shoot with a 270.

Your friend's "thought process" does not exist.
Bear in Fairbanks

With most big game bullets more velocity = more expansion.

Where does this "going too fast to expand" train of so-called thought come from? I would say it's among the dumbest things you can say when talking about guns, but I hear it all the time here.

Do they make a 165 grainer in .277?--maybe in some of the boutique bullets there are 170 grainer available. I think Winchester made a 170 grain in factory ammo, but if I remember right the price was kinda' breathtaking......The heaviest of the readily available bullets I'm aware of is the 160gr.

And no, no bullet goes too fast to evade expansion--most bullets start expanding as soon as they hit hair--or shortly thereafter.......

Indeed, it can be quite the opposite, lighter bullets can open up too much to acheive sufficient expansion. Just because a bullet goes in one side and out the other doesn't necessarily suggest lack of expansion, but rather good penetration.

If you buddy wants good expansion with very good penetration at hair burning range to waaay out there, try a Nosler Partition in 150gr, or 140gr, or 130gr.......


Casey

Kiddin'....right?

Doughboy: His thought process is not only all wet;it's saturated......seriously skewed.

Was my sarcasm too subtle?

It was little too subtle for me, but I like your explanation. Good one!

The myth of bullets "going too fast to expand" has been around a long time, as much as we like to think the Campfire is the origin of all thought on guns and hunting, both true and false.

One of my elk-hunting mentors told me over 30 years ago that the reason the .270 was such a bad elk cartridge was because the bullets went through an elk too fast to expand. Which is why he used the .30-06....

270 and a 130 grain bullet go together like peaches and cream

I'm thinking your friend is about two bricks shy of a load..I don't believe he has ever shot a deer, at least not with a .270.

I can't think of a better deer cartridge than the .270 or a better bullet for deer than the 130 gr...I have never seen a 130 gr. bullet fail to expand from a .270, I have seen some, or rare ocasions years ago, blow up because they were going too fast for a particular bullet.

I'm thinking your friend is about two bricks shy of a load..I don't believe he has ever shot a deer, at least not with a .270. I am always a bit suspecious when someone says my friend says!

I can't think of a better deer cartridge than the .270 or a better bullet for deer than the 130 gr...I have never seen a 130 gr. bullet fail to expand from a .270, I have seen some, or rare ocasions years ago, blow up because they were going too fast for a particular bullet.

Yeah...you were cleverly disguised.. ....surprised to hear it come from you cause I know you know better..caught me off guard..

130 gr. for deer in a 270 is THEE combination. Load him up some with some Nosler Partitions and he will be happy with the performance.

270

Ten years or so back I had some 130 CLs apparently "pencil" through on a whitetail. He fell over after the second shot but tried to get back up so tapped him a third time. That one, based on my sight picture, knocked out a fist sized hole on exit. Range was less than 75 yards.

Don't think it was velocity, think the bullets just didn't expand for whatever reason. Have shot deer and one antelope with a CL since and all showed usual exit holes...

You never know for sure what will happen when any bullet hits meat and bone.

i have killed between 150-200 whitetails with the 270 and i like 140grn bullets way better than the 130grn. for me they just seem to drop them faster. with 130's they were running off with very good blood trails and dieing. with most shots wth 140's they go down right there on the spot.

Grumulkin is indeed pulling your leg. Perhsps in an attempt to get people thinking?

Don't have to think it, he is!

Sounds to me like you're trying to be a good guy and help him out. Also betting you're somewhat new to loading. Bottom line, I'd steer clear of this project and that goes for someone newish to loading and someone who's been doing it for eons.

There will be no pleasing this fella and may lead down a road to more trouble than you need.

Give it some thought ok...?

Dober

Hey Dober, I must say you hit the nail right on the head! I try to avoid reloading for friends at all costs, for fear of what could happen. But also being somewhat new to the reloading, what better plac to ask for knowledge and oppinions. The other thing that scares me is the old proverb, "If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle 'em with bull$^&#" who here is doing what?

No doubt, I try to avoid it as well. Earlier on I was eager to please and eager to show what I could do with my Rockchucker. Not anymo, time is short, and for me it's just not worth the time.

And yes, this is a very good place to come to ask for thoughts, advice etc. Most will be good, but like your proverb there are more than a few that have way more book knowledge than actual experience. Challenge is to sort thru which is which...

Best of luck to ya!

Dober

Did I miss something?? I don't load for a .270 but I thought the 150 was the top end for it???

160 Nosler Partition is the heaviest from the mainstream makers that I know of. Might be some foreign or boutique makers that do heavier and I think Barnes used to make an orginal that was even heavier than that.

Barnes used to make a 180 round-nose and Speer made a 170 round-nose, but both disappeared a while back. Neigther one worked as well as the 160 Partition for those who, for whatever reason, want a heavier .270 bullet.

A 130 grain pill does just fine on mule deer and elk for my wife. Put it where it's supposed to go, and he'd do about the same shooting lug nuts or 165 grain boat tails. Don't know where you're located, but a 165 steals a good bit of the flat shooting performance that 270's are known for. I'd stay in the 130-140 range.

Who's making the 165's for a .270 that you guys are talking about?

Dober

Can you get anything besides a 130 for the 270. They are cornbread and iced tea. Good chit.

yup.....dead wrong! The 130 grain bullet in the .270 Win is almost perfect for deer!

To be honest when the guy first asked about switching he just threw out a size. The closest I could find in a boat tail was 150. But it does sound like there is a few other options.

Your friend needs to read a few books. Expansion depends on jacket thickness and velocity and on whether or not you hit bone. Heavier bullets often have thicker jackets and travel slower so they expand even less. They are made for deep penetration on bigger animals like moose. It will always be a compromise between expansion and penetration.
He needs to practice more with his 130's!
whelennut

I have been useing a Pre-64 M70 in 270 Win. for over 45 years shooting nothing but 130 gr. bullets. The only animal I ever had run after being hit was a Blackbuck. I did finally recover him. In 1972 I loaded up some 270s with Win. cases, 130 gr. Hornadys with 60 grs. of H4831 and went to Ontario for a Black Bear hunt. I was in a boat fishing off shore when I saw a very large bear on the shore edge feeding. We stopped the boat and I took the shot from about 85 yards. When the bullet hit, the bear jumped straight up in the air, did a flip and landed in the lake. When I got to him he was dead in the water. 130 gr. 270s will kill most anything if you hit them right.

hey guys,... I have a question.. I bought my first .270... a remington 700 ADL, and spent about a week test firing different types of ammo through it to test what it seemed to like. It seems to have a preference for winchester 150 grain power points. It is so accurate with the factory loads, it's almost boring,.... but that's a good thing. At 100 yards, off the bench, it holds 3 shot groups at less than a half inch. Does anybody have any information on replicating the factory load for winchester 150 grain power points? If so, can you help me out? thanks.

I have no specific information on the factory load. I use 57 grs. of H4831SC with 150 gr. bullets. This has shot extremely well for me in more than one 270. As good as your rifle is shooting, it should work well for you. Good Luck and Merry Christmas.

Steve

Doesn't Winchester claim to use 780 in their factory 270 loading?

My accurate/hunting load for my .270 Win. is a 150 gr. Partition and 57 grs. of Rldr-22. This combo gives me about 2930 fps.
I would advise that you chrono the factory loads and work handloads up to that velocity. I'd use the Sierra 150 gr. bullet or, maybe, the Hornady. I hope the group you mention is continually repaetable and not a one time fluke. One time groups like that happen all the time. Hope this helps some.
Later, Bear

No 780 was developed for the WSMs as it mimics 4831 and takes less space. Sure it would work in a 270 WCF but a 130 TTX backed by a max load of H4350 will kill anything I've met.

W780 works real good in my R-1 270 WSM, suprisingly best group to date has been with 130 Speer Grand Slams, never touted as a tack driver.

[quote=oldman1942]No 780 was developed for the WSMs as it mimics 4831 and takes less space. Sure it would work in a 270 WCF but a 130 TTX backed by a max load of H4350 will kill anything I've met.



W780 works real good in my R-1 270 WSM, suprisingly best group to date has been with 130 Speer Grand Slams, never touted as a tack driver.

Hodgdon press release:

December 3, 2007
Hodgdon Releases Two New Powders: Hybrid 100V and Supreme 780
Filed under: News, Reloading � Tags: Hodgdon Reloading Gun Powder Accuracy � Editor @ 2 pm

Starting in spring 2008, Hodgdon Powder Co. will start shipping two new powders suitable for target and hunting calibers. Hybrid 100V is designed to combine the even burn qualities of an extruded (stick) powder, with much smoother metering in a powder measure, due to its advanced kernel design. Supreme 780 is the identical ball powder loaded in Winchester�s factory Supreme� ammunition including 243 Win, 270 Win, and 300 Win Magnum.

no mention of the 270 WSM??

Thanks kup, I used to have a memory, but seem to need a little help with the details just lately.

I've been shooting 270's for 40 years, handloading for them 35 years--whenever I got three shot groups inside a 1/2 inch, it was usually by accident..........


Casey

Interesting apart from the fact that if you did that today(shot from a motor boat) you would be breaking the law. Can't remember whether that rule was in place in 1972. In those years we did our hunting from canoes from where it is legal to shoot (provided it doesn't have a motor attached.)

Jim