Author Topic: 130 gr 270 Winchester (Read 2378 times)

tjf76 · « **on:** November 07, 2009, 11:55:34 AM »

Have a friend who is going elk hunting with us in the AM and is bringing his 270 loaded with 130gr grand slam bullets. I told him maybe to light on elk. Can I get some help on this one.

To light or ok?

I know the 270 can kill elk as I have seen it done but with 130gr bullets?

Brithunter · « **Reply #1 on:** November 07, 2009, 12:30:08 PM »

It will depend on bullet placement(it always does) but the Grand Slam is a good bullet so it should hold together. O'conner took Elk with 130 grain .270 and the bullets back then were not as good as those now so

.

I agree that I personally would not be taking that combination after Elk. If I had to use my 270 then I would be loading a good 150 grain bullet but would prefer a larger diameter bullet.

fatercat · « **Reply #2 on:** November 07, 2009, 12:56:58 PM »

that load will kill elk all day long. i don't know why people think you need big magnums to kill elk. they used to kill them with bow and arrows. then flint locks. they went the way buffalo went years ago. those old guys, with little more than rocks, almost wiped them out.

Graybeard · « **Reply #3 on:** November 07, 2009, 12:59:07 PM »

On my one trip to CO for a mule deer hunt one of the only two elk shot by folks on that range while I was there was shot with a .270 and 130 grain Nolser BTs. He only had a couple with him as I recall and was able to anchor it long enough to rush back to the lodge for more to finish it. He was riding the ranch road when he spotted it and shot from the truck. Not my idea of hunting but it's what most of the guys on that ranch did that week we were there.

tjf76 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 07, 2009, 02:19:43 PM »

Thanks for the feeback. I will advise him as such.

Swampman · « **Reply #5 on:** November 07, 2009, 03:06:16 PM »

I wouldn't use a .270 on elk if I could help it. If I were going to, I'd use the heaviest Nosler Partition that would shoot accurately in the rifle.

Brithunter · « **Reply #6 on:** November 07, 2009, 09:16:43 PM »

OMG

The swampman and I agree for once

.

Not sure about the partition though as my one and only try with them failed to yeild any speakable accuracy

but that was my only try with them. Just don't see the need to pay that much for the quarry I normally hunt here especially when the cup and core bullets work fine on them

Graybeard · « **Reply #7 on:** November 08, 2009, 01:05:14 AM »

There are certainly better choices and I'd not buy one just for elk hunting but if it's the only rifle one has it will get the job done if the shooter puts the bullet in the right spot. Untold numbers of elk have been taken cleanly with it and will continue to do each year.

Personally I'd use a 150 grain Nosler PT or equivilent bullet not a 130 grain but more folks seem to use 130s with it than all other bullet weights combined. I've never used a 130 in my .270s and always stick with Hornady 140s or Nosler 150 PTs. Those are the only two bullets I've use on game with the .270 Win.

Brithunter · « **Reply #8 on:** November 08, 2009, 07:06:39 AM »

Hmmmm interesting GB as I brought a few boxes of the Sierra 140 grain bullets both SP and HP and recently found that the particularly fussy 270 I acquired the other year actually shoots them quite well. Before it was only the Federal Fusion 150's that it had grouped at all.

The only game I have shot with a 270 is so far a Muntjac Buck and was with one of the few remaining original 130 Grain Solid Base Nosler bullet but sadly I have only a couple of them left

.

mauser98us · « **Reply #9 on:** November 08, 2009, 07:13:51 AM »

While I would not choose the .270 as my first choice, all the elk I have taken have been under a hundred yards. This is due to luck I am sure,not skill. At that range with a Barnes 130 X or a conventional at 150 grain would do just fine. I think most folks can shoot a .270 rather well and this adds to the ease of the shot. I pretty much limit my self to 200 to 250 yards if I can gauge it accurately.

wyohandi · « **Reply #10 on:** November 08, 2009, 07:51:10 AM »

my daughter took her first elk with that exact combination 130gr speer grandslam
at about 2800FPS. No complaints from me,her or the elk.
Not sure why everyone needs a cannon for elk, seen lots of them taken with
everything from a 243 on up.

Graybeard · « **Reply #11 on:** November 08, 2009, 08:36:23 AM »

Long years ago even before we set up GBO I was posting over on the Coffee Shop and Hunt Info. There was a fellow who lived in NM and guided for mule deer and elk. His personal elk rifle was a .243 and he used 85 and 95 grain Nosler PTs. He was careful to wait for close range broadside shots but from what he said he never lost one with the little pipsqueak round.

Not long before I lost touch with him completely he found and bought a Browning lever rifle in .358 Winchester which then became his primary elk rifle. If you are really careful of shot placement and get close you can get by with a lot less than if you must shot across two canyons and hit them in the butt to be happy.

Siskiyou · « **Reply #12 on:** November 08, 2009, 08:51:29 AM »

I am a very long time fan and owner of rifles in 270 Winchester. The .270 Winchester would not be my first choice for elk unless I was limited to it. Having said that a game warden friend has consistently taken elk with 130-grain Nosler Partition bullets. When it comes to conventional cup and core bullets in the 270 I prefer 140 and 150 grain bullets for deer because they offered better penetration.

I have no experience with the Grand Slam in 270 Winchester. I do have some Grand Slam bullets for my 7MM Remington Magnum.

Many years ago I told my wife I needed a new rifle because I felt the 270 Winchester did not offer what I wanted in an elk rifle.(Any excuse for a new rifle will do!) At the time I was looking for a 300 Winchester Magnum, but I settled for a 7MM Remington Magnum because it was on sale. That was thirty years ago, and there has been a major evolution in bullet development for the 270 Winchester, including the Gran Slam. Having shot a lot of deer with the .270 I would go for a heavier bullet.

If I was limited to the .270 Winchester for elk I would go for the 150-grain Grand Slam, Nosler Partition, a bonded bullet, or the 130-grain Barnes TTSX. Then I would happily take my 270 elk hunting.

Swampman · « **Reply #13 on:** November 08, 2009, 08:53:19 AM »

No cannon needed. The .30-06 or .45-70 are plenty. I'd even consider my .30-30. I'd rather not use my .270 on anything larger than deer.

tjf76 · « **Reply #14 on:** November 08, 2009, 02:38:32 PM »

Thanks for all the info. I have been doing some reading up on the 270 and it seems to be quite the elk killer with both 130, 140 and 150gr bullets.

jro45 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 09, 2009, 03:10:28 AM »

With my 270 Win Mag I shoot to 600yds so I have no dought that it can shoot that far.
I shoot the 130 bullet that far.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #16 on:** November 09, 2009, 03:14:50 PM »

When we talk of guys shooting elk with the 243 or similar calibers, we have to remember they have lots of opportunity that the visiting hunter will not have. I a friend that is a guide, and shot many elk with a .. 243 well over 100, but most of them were shot in heavy snow from his bed room window. Another guy here in the valley shot a .243, but he had to be closer that 120 yards before he would shoot. He shot for the ear.. In the early days, most elk were in heavy timber here, now they are all over the plains, so longer shots are available. As for the indians shooting stuff with bows and arrows, no one took in to account the numbers of game that was crippled and lost ...I did hunt one fall with a predator control man for the fed. govt. He told me he had used a .25-06 for a time, but got tired of tracking elk and bought a .300.... A rancher told me the same tale... Personally, I never found elk hard to kill, but always shot a 7mm or larger..When guys go for elk for 5, 8, 10 or 15 days, they may have a few chances, or only one. If they are intent on bagging an elk with out a cripple, it would seem to me the biggest gun with the best bullet they can handle would be fitting. It is nice to sit by the fire a say I would or would not do such and such, but after 10 hard days hunting and a huge bull gives an opportunity, most will try. We owe it to the game to have a suitable rifle and load....

nomosendero · « **Reply #17 on:** November 09, 2009, 04:31:14 PM »

Quote from: Wyo. Coyote Hunter on November 09, 2009, 03:14:50 PM

When we talk of guys shooting elk with the 243 or similar calibers, we have to remember they have lots of opportunity that the visiting hunter will not have. I a friend that is a guide, and shot many elk with a .. 243 well over 100, but most of them were shot in heavy snow from his bed room window. Another guy here in the valley shot a .243, but he had to be closer that 120 yards before he would shoot. He shot for the ear.. In the early days, most elk were in heavy timber here, now they are all over the plains, so longer shots are available. As for the indians shooting stuff with bows and arrows, no one took in to account the numbers of game that was crippled and lost ...I did hunt one fall with a predator control man for the fed. govt. He told me he had used a .25-06 for a time, but got tired of tracking elk and bought a .300.... A rancher told me the same tale... Personally, I never found elk hard to kill, but always shot a 7mm or larger..When guys go for elk for 5, 8, 10 or 15 days, they may have a few chances, or only one. If they are intent on bagging an elk with out a cripple, it would seem to me the biggest gun with the best bullet they can handle would be fitting. It is nice to sit by the fire a say I would or would not do such and such, but after 10 hard days hunting and a huge bull gives an opportunity, most will try. We owe it to the game to have a suitable rifle and load....

Well said!!

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #18 on:** November 09, 2009, 04:37:33 PM »

:-\Thank you....

rickt300 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 09, 2009, 04:48:45 PM »

I used an old 270 on a Mauser action to take several elk using 150 gr. Hornady Interloks and several more with the 150 gr. Speer bullet. Last time I went I used a 150 gr. Partition. My take is that it is more limited than the 30-06 but it can get the job done.

WyoStillhunter · « **Reply #20 on:** November 09, 2009, 06:23:30 PM »

Theory and experience are interesting but the pilgrim in question was going hunting on Nov. 8. So the question came up on the eve of the hunting trip -- a little late to be buying or borrowing another rifle.

I wouldn't hesitate to take a .270 Win. with 130 grain bullet if it was my rifle and I had confidence in my marksmanship with it. That said, the lightest I have used on elk was 140 gr. from .280 Rem. and/or 160 gr. from 6.5X55. Both got the job done and a .270 would have done just as well in either situation. For that matter the elk I have taken with '06, .444 Marlin, and .35 Whelen would have all gone down to a .270 given the same shots.

I hope we get a follow-up story about how the hunt turned out.

Graybeard · « **Reply #21 on:** November 10, 2009, 01:53:37 AM »

Quote

I a friend that is a guide, and shot many elk with a .. 243 well over 100, but most of them were shot in heavy snow from his bed room window.

Sounds to me like you have a friend who is illegally poaching elk. I'm not aware of any state that allows more than one per season perhaps rarely a second non antlered one with proper permit. If they were shot from his window that implies all in the same state. Most guides don't really have time to do a lot of state hopping to do their own hunting as they are busy during open seasons taking others hunting. How can he have legally taken that many elk?

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #22 on:** November 10, 2009, 07:16:30 AM »

Graybeard, I have no doubt these were not with in the law, but poaching in the old days was pretty common... Especially, when roads were blocked with snow, and travel difficult.. I am not infavor of the pratice, but merely telling what I have been told by others...Right now it is quite easy to get two elk permits in this state, but at the time mentioned, it was not available...

Graybeard · « **Reply #23 on:** November 10, 2009, 11:58:25 AM »

So long as he was eating them personally and not just shooting for trophy I have no problems with it personally. Just commenting that I didn't think it legally possible to kill that many in a normal life time.

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #24 on:** November 10, 2009, 01:21:02 PM »

Yes unless one is a paid writer to hope from one hunt to the next.... But I am sure these elk were eaten either by, himself and his family, or others... He is not a destructive person.. I would suppose he has not shot and elk in 15 years, porbably many of these were taken when the family was large and growing, only a guess..As you say in those times it was probably not possible to kill that many legal elk....History is interesting if not always legal..............

while99 · « **Reply #25 on:** November 13, 2009, 04:02:04 PM »

A friend of mine is a pre-64 Model 70 nut and a .270 Winchester nut. He says that over the years he has experimented with about 20 different handloads in a .270 but keeps coming back to the same one: 55 grains of IMR 4350 and the 130 grain Nosler partition bullet. He uses it on everything from antelope to elk and has never had a problem with it.

tjf76 · « **Reply #26 on:** November 14, 2009, 03:50:42 AM »

My friend shot a cow elk yesterday with the 130 gr Gland Slam and said was a 1 shot clean kill. He said was about 250yrds. I think I will still stick to my 3006 with 180 gr Grand Slams but thats just me.

Brithunter · « **Reply #27 on:** November 14, 2009, 04:33:25 AM »

Please tell you friend congrats on the Elk

JASmith · « **Reply #28 on:** November 14, 2009, 03:14:39 PM »

Congratulations to your friend on the Elk!

I'm with you on the choice of '06 with 180 gr for Elk.

For your friend's hunt next year, however, suggest that he consider going with a 140 or 150 gr bullet with construction similar to or better than the Grand Slam. You'll get some advantage from this move.

First, you'll have a load that satisfies Hornady's H. I. T. S. (http://www.hornady.com/hits/calculator/) criterion for Elk sized game with bullets of standard construction. Second, the modern bullet construction will give you better margin if things don't work out as well for your shot placement and you have to go through a lot of bone or need deeper than usual penetration from an quartering shot.

Going with the change now will give your friend a good opportunity to try more than one brand at the range and to become comfortable shooting his chosen load.

Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #29 on:** November 14, 2009, 07:13:53 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on November 07, 2009, 03:06:16 PM

I wouldn't use a .270 on elk if I could help it. If I were going to, I'd use the heaviest Nosler Partition that would shoot accurately in the rifle.

Last week I was elk hunting and met a young lady of 12 from Michigan. She scored a 6x6 bull, a cow and a 4x4 buck mule deer. All with a .25-06 and 117g Hornady bullets. The bull took two shots, but it isn't clear the second one was necessary.

I wouldn't hesitate to shoot elk with a .270 and a good 130g bullet, and the 7mm Grand Slams worked well for me for 20 years.

My .257 Roberts' elk load uses a 120g A-Frame.