270 bullet best for whitetailed deer

[3warbird]

I posted earlier on my experiences today with the 270 Ackley I have and running a 130nbt at 3308. They come apart and I had 1 deer that was not recovered from a 65 yard shot.

SO MY QUESTION IS....
What bullet do you guys suggest using on whitetailed deer in Va that is tough enough to stay together at 3300fps close distance, and still work their magic without pin holing them. My max distance ever around here is 770 yards and normally under 350 yards.
Looked at Hammers and accubond but concerned accubond won't open up on whitetail.

Going to stay with a 130 or 140 class bullet due to the 10 twist barrel.

 

[Andrew Massi]

140 accubond or 129 lrx
The avatar picture is an accubond from 270 wby that a mule deer stopped.
Nosler is releasing a 150 accubond as well.

 

[nimrod_gn]

130 grain Nosler partition or the 126 grain Hammer Hunter

 

[del2les]

I have used the 140AB in a standard 270 @ 3,000fps, and at 3-500 yards, they have never failed to expand on deer. Other old styles I have used for deer with good results are the Sierra and Speer 130BT @ 3,125 and the Hornady 140BT, but most of those were kills around 400 and under.

The old Sierra/Speer 130BT have hit deer @ 20-50yds, and they have always penetrated for me. Most of the time, they have exited on lung hits and left quarter to half dollar holes. I only had one Speer 130BT stop on a solid shoulder hit, but only after it made it into the hide on the opposing shoulder.

 

[Riflehunter1776]

I posted earlier on my experiences today with the 270 Ackley I have and running a 130nbt at 3308. They come apart and I had 1 deer that was not recovered from a 65 yard shot.

SO MY QUESTION IS....
What bullet do you guys suggest using on whitetailed deer in Va that is tough enough to stay together at 3300fps close distance, and still work their magic without pin holing them. My max distance ever around here is 770 yards and normally under 350 yards.
Looked at Hammers and accubond but concerned accubond won't open up on whitetail.

Going to stay with a 130 or 140 class bullet due to the 10 twist barrel.

yep, barnes or accubonds are the way to go. I've shot most of my biggest bucks with barnes 130's out of my 270 and they are reliable expanders. The BT will explode if it hits raspberry brush or twigs.

 

[entoptics]

Your requirements are a bit optimistic. I can think of no 0.277 bullet that will unquestionably hold together at 3300 fps, yet still reliably expand at 770 yds. IMO, with tough bullets, I'd keep impact velocities in the 2000 fps realm or higher.

I did some JBM math to get a rough idea of 770 yd velocity from your setup, using "tough" bullets capable of surviving close hits at 270 AI velocities. I just guessed the speeds based on your statement that you're getting 3300 with a 130 gr.

130 Nosler AB @ 3300 fps - 2000 fps @ ~600 yds, ~1720 fps @ 770 yds
140 Nosler AB @ 3175 fps - 2000 fps @ ~650 yds, ~1800 fps @ 770 yds
130 Barnes TTSX @ 3250 fps - 2000 fps @ ~540 yds, ~1575 fps @ 770
140 Barnes TSX @ 3150 fps - 2000 fps @ ~510 yds, ~1550 fps @ 770 yds

Frankly, I don't think there's a bullet that will do what you are hoping, as there's nothing "tough" in 0.277 with a good enough B.C. to carry 2000 fps further than about 650 yds.

Nosler hasn't released the B.C. for the new 150 gr Accubond, so that just might get you there, but I still doubt it, unless they've done some magic with the design (and I don't mean Nosler magic of quoting an extremely inflated B.C.).

 

[del2les]

https://www.swiftbullets.com/pages/bullets

Maybe worth a try in the .277? I use them in my 300's with good results.

 

[nimrod_gn]

1800 fps is considered by many to be a minimum acceptable impact velocity by any bullet for a clean kill, so yes you may be stretching it with your 770 yard requirement, but the Hammer Hunter bullets will give you terminal performance you won't have to worry about from muzzle (whatever the velocity) down to 1800 fps

 

[entoptics]

1800 fps is considered by many to be a minimum acceptable impact velocity by any bullet for a clean kill, so yes you may be stretching it with your 770 yard requirement, but the Hammer Hunter bullets will give you terminal performance you won't have to worry about from muzzle (whatever the velocity) down to 1800 fps

He's got a 1:10 twist, so according to their website, his only option is the 117 Hammer Hunter, which has a pretty low B.C. Even at a screaming 3500 fps, it's below 1800 by about 650 yds.

 

[del2les]

Strangely, we have often heard 1800-2000fps minimums for clean kills, but I have been handgun hunting for 40+ years, and many of my TC and other handgun calibers do not impact or sometimes even start with those minimums and kill very well. My two 10" 7mmTCU's have been great examples of this.
My 140NBT with 4895 load starts at 1,910fps, and I have used it on deer well beyond 150 yards

 

[entoptics]

Strangely, we have often heard 1800-2000fps minimums for clean kills, but I have been handgun hunting for 40+ years, and many of my TC and other handgun calibers do not impact or sometimes even start with those minimums and kill very well. My two 10" 7mmTCU's have been great examples of this.

Are you using "tough" bullets though? If the manufacturers thought they could get away with a lower minimum velocity for their recommendations, I'm certain they would.

 

[del2les]

Are you using "tough" bullets though? If the manufacturers thought they could get away with a lower minimum velocity for their recommendations, I'm certain they would.

Over the decades, I have used many "standard rifle" style bullets, and through testing, I do find some harder to expand than others at lower vels. Also, I find some that will reasonably expand well below the 1,800fps range. Depending on the bullet choice, I will place the shot on the shoulder or into the lung area.

 

[Elk Fire]

140 accubond.

 

[3warbird]

Your requirements are a bit optimistic. I can think of no 0.277 bullet that will unquestionably hold together at 3300 fps, yet still reliably expand at 770 yds. IMO, with tough bullets, I'd keep impact velocities in the 2000 fps realm or higher.

I did some JBM math to get a rough idea of 770 yd velocity from your setup, using "tough" bullets capable of surviving close hits at 270 AI velocities. I just guessed the speeds based on your statement that you're getting 3300 with a 130 gr.

130 Nosler AB @ 3300 fps - 2000 fps @ ~600 yds, ~1720 fps @ 770 yds
140 Nosler AB @ 3175 fps - 2000 fps @ ~650 yds, ~1800 fps @ 770 yds
130 Barnes TTSX @ 3250 fps - 2000 fps @ ~540 yds, ~1575 fps @ 770
140 Barnes TSX @ 3150 fps - 2000 fps @ ~510 yds, ~1550 fps @ 770 yds

Frankly, I don't think there's a bullet that will do what you are hoping, as there's nothing "tough" in 0.277 with a good enough B.C. to carry 2000 fps further than about 650 yds.

Nosler hasn't released the B.C. for the new 150 gr Accubond, so that just might get you there, but I still doubt it, unless they've done some magic with the design (and I don't mean Nosler magic of quoting an extremely inflated B.C.).

I have killed 2 recently at 620 and 768 with that load and setup, today like I said I lost one deer and attached is a picture of the second one at about 100 yards. Bullet never left the shoulder, bone pieces killed the deer.