.270 whitetail bullet shopping again, for the last time.

[brannon]

^^^ This! ^^^

But if you make good shot placement, you can't beat a Barnes in my opinion. That's all I've shot at whitetail with my 270 (albeit all inside 250yds) and I haven't had to trail any beyond 5 feet.

 

[Lenny Foffa]

Sorry to disagree on this point Gentlemen, I shot the 130 Grn Sierra GK for many years, and It was OK. perfectly fine for white tail and Mulies. Both in my 270 Win Super Grade ,and also my Mark V 270 Weatherby Mag. Then about 12 years ago I switched to 130 Grn Nolser Ballistic tips, in my Weatherby Ultralight in 270 Win, for Whitetail Deer. The results were spectacular. Super explosive at .270 Win velocities , causing massive lung and heart damage. It was also very accurate . I load 59.9 Grns. H 4831 SC in light Win Cases / Win LR Primers / 130 Grn Ballistic Tip for that Weatherby Ultralight, and 55.0 grns of IMR 4350 /same Primer/ Same Bullet , for my Buddies .270 Winchester Feather Weight. On his farm and at outfitters , we have both experienced so many one shot kills and little to no searching . I have no axe to grind here, I am just completely happy with the results of this bullet / with this load/ from this 24 inch barrel ,on Whitetail Deer at moderate ranges. This November I will try this Rifle/ Load combination on Kentucky deer at an Outfitter. I will share the results good or bad.

 

[dogz]

After reading all of these replies, it almost looks like every bullet on the planet is loved by some and despised by others. All of us have different shot placement preferences (shoulder, behind shoulder, headshot, neck), different rifles (grandpa's 30-30, 300 RUM, 308 win, and such), and hunt different critters at different ranges. Those who love Barnes probably shoot 3000-3100 fps. They expand just fine out to 500-600 yards if you do that. Those who don't like partitions and their little hand-grenade explosions probably shoot fast magnums. I'm not aware of ANY bullet that functions equally well for rib shots at 100 yards and at through-shoulder shots at 1000 yards. The velocity difference is enormous.

I tend to favor through-bone shoulder shots with bullets that expand but hold together enough to not blow the animal to pieces. TTSX and TSX have worked very well for me in that arena. When you start hunting elk with a .243, bullet choice and placement becomes much trickier. Use a .338 with 210 gr bullets for deer within 300 yards and just about anything strong enough to penetrate a little will do the trick.

Pick a decent bullet that shoots well in your gun and place the shot well. Most of the time things will work out perfectly from there. Bullet failures do happen, and a few bad experiences are unfortunately just part of hunting. My son shot a nice kudu bull broadside in an open field once. We found an entry wound in the left shoulder and two exit wounds, one on the right shoulder and one in the left ribs. Go figure.

I've long said that if you use a bullet long enough and take enough game with it then sooner or later it'll do something that makes you go hmm....

 

[FEENIX]

But if you make good shot placement, you can't beat a Barnes in my opinion. That's all I've shot at whitetail with my 270 (albeit all inside 250yds) and I haven't had to trail any beyond 5 feet.

Murphy NEVER discriminates and sometimes even with a well-placed shot, the game does NOT expire as the nut behind the trigger hopes for. A few years ago on an elk hunt, we harvested 3 bull elk. My 1st buddy shot his with a 7MM Mag with factory Berger 180 at ~300 yards and it dropped on the spot. My 2nd buddy was using a .300 WM with 180 Barnes TTSX at under 100 yards but it took 3 shots. Mine was with a .300 WM with 190 Berger VLD handload at 931 yards and the bull managed to run ~200 yards. All shot placement was good and bullet performed as advertised but the elk expired differently.

Below is a WT doe taken with my .270 AI with 175 Matrix VLD propelling at 2993 FPS at ~125 yards (by the tree line). No, it is NOT a gutshot. If you look closely, I blew the heart, while nearly field dressing it. On the 1st picture, you can tell where she was shot at but still managed a few steps despite the fatal shot.

 

[Canhunter35]

Not sure if you will find the perfect bullet but I'd try a heavier ballistic tip, slow it down, add some weight and it'll crater a whitetail.
Game die in different ways for different reasons but different bullets like different shot placement for optimal effects

 

[connatter]

Go with Berger bullets, I have used all of them and like the Berger best. Everything from Pronghorn to Elk

 

[DJ Fergus]

140gr or 150gr SST, it just kills fast when placed through the lungs or through the shoulder, up close and at longer ranges. With a good dose of RL23 or H4831sc and done.

You'll get full penetration with vitals turned to jello, and who doesn't like jello.

The SST bullet is tougher than most frangible bullets like the Ballistic Tips and other non bonded cup and core bullets. It holds together pretty well even at impact velocities above 2,900 fps. It also dumps more energy in the animal than bonded bullets.

Hope this helps and stay safe

I can attest to all you said being legit. 15O sst is a straight up lightning fast killer, reliable, accurate and cheap. My son shot a buck a couple of years ago at about 25 yards with a 150 sst from a 270 wsm at around 3150 fps muzzle velocity. Shot him through the heart/ lung area. Complete pass through and about a quarter sized exit hole. Lots of blood. He said the buck just instantly fell and was dead where it was standing. It's an outstanding bullet for up close out to around 400-500 yards. I've saw my son shoot two 200lb bucks with a 7mm 162 sst both were dead on their feet. They just hit the ground and never even twitched a bit. He shot a small coyote @ 307 yards with the 162 sst and again it just hit the ground and didn't even twitch. Nathan Foster of terminal ballistics research is a profound beleiver in the sst line of bullets.

 

[bigngreen]

No kidding, which rifles were rifled as such? I'd always thought 10 twist was the standard.

I've seen it in Tikka and Sako, Savage for quite some time then they fixed that then came with the WSM and back to 1-11 till enough of us lite them up and got it 1-10. I have a Husqvarna right now at a 1-12 and my buddy shoots a 1-11 in another similar gun don't remember of the top of my head the make. Especially in older rifles you'll find the 11 and 12 twists.

 

[Swamphunter]

No fancy bullet needed to kill a whitetail, hell Remington corelokt has probably killed more deer than anything but ya gotta hit them where you're supposed to.

 

[Lee Goodwin]

Nosler partition in 150 grain for the 270 works real well for me...and accubonds are quite worth trying. I buy factory seconds and they perform well. The blemishes seem cosmetic only.

 

[Stgraves260]

Ok, so many years ago when I first started handloading I started off with the Nosler ballistic tip. I shot my nice buck with it perfectly broadside at 110 yards and the bullet completely exploded, it literally just made it to the vitals and that's it, the BT in my book was a varmint round, never shot another one since. I am told they made some changes to them but with all the nice bullets out there I won't give them another chance. Next up, for many years I shot the Nosler Partition. I loved the killing of that round, however I never could get it to shoot accurately out of my rifle, somewhere around 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards no matter what I tried. Next up, Speer Grand Slam. Shot many deer with great success, better accuracy, however I'm not of fan of the soft blunt lead nose that gets damaged and my hunting spots have changed over the years and I am reaching out to longer distances. Next up, the Barnes triple shock, unbelievable accuracy, honest 1 inch groups at 200 yards off a bench. Shot around 4 nice bucks with them, lost one. I will no longer shoot a solid copper. The picture perfect mushrooms in gel are all cute and all, but they don't kill deer the way the others do, some will argue but that's just the facts. I have hit deer perfectly with the Barnes and got little to no blood, deer have run off almost like they were not even hit, only to see them tip over 50-100 yards later. So, no more Barnes, and here I am now, looking again. I have thoughts on trying these options. Federal Trophy bonded tip, Hornady INTERBOND, not interlock, Nosler Accubond, and maybe even the Swift Scirocco 2. Again, this would be in the .270 Winchester round, in WI deer at ranges of 0-450 yards. I only want to do this one last time, enlighten me, give me advice, give me horror stories, tell me what to do..

This doe was shot by my girlfriend at 62 yards 260 Rem 140 Grain Berger Bullets.

 

[LVJ76]

I can attest to all you said being legit. 15O sst is a straight up lightning fast killer, reliable, accurate and cheap. My son shot a buck a couple of years ago at about 25 yards with a 150 sst from a 270 wsm at around 3150 fps muzzle velocity. Shot him through the heart/ lung area. Complete pass through and about a quarter sized exit hole. Lots of blood. He said the buck just instantly fell and was dead where it was standing. It's an outstanding bullet for up close out to around 400-500 yards. I've saw my son shoot two 200lb bucks with a 7mm 162 sst both were dead on their feet. They just hit the ground and never even twitched a bit. He shot a small coyote @ 307 yards with the 162 sst and again it just hit the ground and didn't even twitch. Nathan Foster of terminal ballistics research is a profound beleiver in the sst line of bullets.

The SST is the one bullet that when well placed it will cause hydrostatic shock every time, its what we call DRT. And yes, Nathan Foster is a big fan of the SST.

I have developed loads for forbswveral bullets in my 7mm-08 and 7mm Rem mag, and I always end up loading some SST's, and I have not been disappointed.

 

[hoffbill]

140gr or 150gr SST, it just kills fast when placed through the lungs or through the shoulder, up close and at longer ranges. With a good dose of RL23 or H4831sc and done.

You'll get full penetration with vitals turned to jello, and who doesn't like jello.

The SST bullet is tougher than most frangible bullets like the Ballistic Tips and other non bonded cup and core bullets. It holds together pretty well even at impact velocities above 2,900 fps. It also dumps more energy in the animal than bonded bullets.

Hope this helps and stay safe

I have had very good results with SST also. Like the 130gr if you want best accuracy from a 1:10 twist barrel. 130gr was the optimal weight for the 270 although most will get acceptable accuracy with 140-150 gr bullets.

 

[Stgraves260]

Ok, so many years ago when I first started handloading I started off with the Nosler ballistic tip. I shot my nice buck with it perfectly broadside at 110 yards and the bullet completely exploded, it literally just made it to the vitals and that's it, the BT in my book was a varmint round, never shot another one since. I am told they made some changes to them but with all the nice bullets out there I won't give them another chance. Next up, for many years I shot the Nosler Partition. I loved the killing of that round, however I never could get it to shoot accurately out of my rifle, somewhere around 2-3 inch groups at 100 yards no matter what I tried. Next up, Speer Grand Slam. Shot many deer with great success, better accuracy, however I'm not of fan of the soft blunt lead nose that gets damaged and my hunting spots have changed over the years and I am reaching out to longer distances. Next up, the Barnes triple shock, unbelievable accuracy, honest 1 inch groups at 200 yards off a bench. Shot around 4 nice bucks with them, lost one. I will no longer shoot a solid copper. The picture perfect mushrooms in gel are all cute and all, but they don't kill deer the way the others do, some will argue but that's just the facts. I have hit deer perfectly with the Barnes and got little to no blood, deer have run off almost like they were not even hit, only to see them tip over 50-100 yards later. So, no more Barnes, and here I am now, looking again. I have thoughts on trying these options. Federal Trophy bonded tip, Hornady INTERBOND, not interlock, Nosler Accubond, and maybe even the Swift Scirocco 2. Again, this would be in the .270 Winchester round, in WI deer at ranges of 0-450 yards. I only want to do this one last time, enlighten me, give me advice, give me horror stories, tell me what to do..

This buck was shot at 705 yards same 260 Remington 140 grain Berger Bullets