I'm impressed she's killed 20 bulls since 2007. That's great! But no, the 130 grain 277 cal SST won't penetrate a bull elks shoulders worth a dang. Not at 500 yds. It just doesn't have the horsepower of the Creed. The Creed and the 143 eld x is on a whole different level for killing elk dead at super long ranges; and every 6.5 shooter and their proclivities are well-known and often-lamented tales of elk hunting lore. I love the 270. I shoot a 270 to this day. And I've killed a lot (> 100) of big game animals over the past 25 years as did my grandfather before that. I've got a pretty good idea what will work and what won't. Some day I might try the magic of Creed and that 143 but for now I'll stick to my 270.
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270 Win for Elk using 130 SST/130 Accubond/130NP
- Thread starter moose727
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Hand Skills
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine shot a bull elk in the scapula a few years back. The bullet penetrated about 8" of shoulder but experienced core jacket separation. The jacket was found on the ribs, and the bullet didn't make it into the vitals.
We only know this because he followed up with another shot through the lungs. Had he not, the result would have likely been a lost and wounded elk.
What might suprise some; the bullet was a .338 230gr ELDX. The impact velocity was ~2500fps...
Everyone needs to make the decision for themselves, but I don't know ANY experienced elk guides who advocate shooting shoulders with small bores. Good way to wound an elk.
Yeah, you're playing with fire when you shoot big animals with big bones with rapidly expanding bullets like a SST or ELD-X. At least the ELD-X can have a sectional density of .290 or greater and is long and slippery. An SST has a SD of like .241 or something awfully low. That's a coyote bullet or small deer. Recipe for disaster. I'm sure it can be done on occasion but its not for me. So much has to do with bullet construction and the tip, how fast it expands etc...Good advice to the OP is to not take the risk. He has better options.
we were not with a guide we were on a no public access private ranch owned by relatives of my wife here in montana ,i don't do guided hunts .(we don't need a nanny or a baby sitter ) we kill plenty of biggame on our on own
been killing critters for 40 yrs never needed a second shot never lost a big game animal, and I've killed elk from 30 yards to 600+, never needed a magnum never needed a 30 cal to get it done,
The the 280 ai & the 6.5 cm (both 24 inch barrels 1/8 twist ) have killed them just as dead just as fast with out the kick ,noise recoil and at times with an impact velocity i know wasn't hitting with 1500 ft pounds ,it was close to 1300-1350 still resulted in a dead critter (and no we didn't have to trail it a long ways about 45 yards ) and they died just as quick as if they were hit with 2000 ft pnds
your correct everyone needs ro make THEIR OWN decisions, seems to me if you have a guide telling you where to shoot an animal and what caliber to use YOUR NOT Making your own decisions somebody else is making it for you , no thanks ill pass on the guide ty) my wife & choose to i shoot what we want how we want at what ever distance we CHOOSE , no one tells us what where when how or what to use ,especially a glorified baby sitter called a guide .
you have a great day
Had the same thing happen on a whitetail 7RM 162 eldx
birddog 68
Well-Known Member
After reading this it's understandable that you don't need a so called nanny. If we all had a private ranch that we could hunt then I doubt most would need a "nanny". I have limited vacation and live 1400 miles from elk hunting so it's not very easy to just take a ride to scout an area. I find it ignorant for you to put everyone that uses a guide in a category when you are hunting a private ranch and probably the same ranch for 40 years.
Starboard277
Well-Known Member
Killed about 10 elk and one oryx with a 270 and they all died. The problem I have had with thin jacketed bullets is the loss of meat from blood shot. If a person is not getting quick kills with the 270 it isn't the killing power of the bullet diameter that is the problem. Been using the 140gn AB at 2915fps and pretty happy with the performance and accuracy. Killed a bull in October at 150 yds and the shot when through both scapula's and two ribs. Exit hole was about 1.5 inches.
CrickBottom
Well-Known Member
With 150gr AB's and RL26, you can pretty much replicate 7 mag performance, and with a bullet that won't fail you.
wyrshunter1
Active Member
This is true. Not so much on elk but on deer. I don't think a deer I've ever shot with my Winchester Model .270 with Hornady Spitzers, Nosler Ballistic Tips, or Speer Boattails has every taken so much as a step. I mean its instant. However, I've also not lost less than half a shoulder with a shot through the lungs...lol.
I have shot a number of elk with the gun and same loads too and only had to track one that I hit at a bad angle and broke her hip. Luckily her leg was broke and she was going downhill. Maybe a bigger harder penetrating slug would have prevented that, maybe not.
There is one upside I think though. I was hunting in the Wind Rivers a few years ago with a guy from Alaska who was using a 7mm Remington Ultra Mag with a 200+ grain bullet. He shot a bull that dropped like a rock, got up, ran straight uphill and out of the country. It wasn't gut shot from the blood and based on where he was holding we think he shot a bit high and it went in that pretty substantial area in an elk between the vitals and the backbone and punched straight through. I have often thought that wouldn't have happened with my .270 because of the explosion inside. Not saying it beats the ultramag in most cases but in that one I wonder. In any event, when I've done my part its never failed me.
That said I bought some Hornady VLDXs in 145s and found some of that new Staball powder at Sportman's. With some old Winchester Primers I chronoed that at 3050 in a Remington 700 ADL .270 I picked up used with the .22 inch barrel and at 3100 fps in my old Winchester Model 70 in the 24 inch barrel without pressure. Both of them ring the bell at 500 off the bench every time.
That bullet at least ballistically is superior to the 150 and I have to think that will be a pretty good elk round. I don't know how the bullet will perform yet compared to the 130s explosions.
I also picked up a 6.5 PRC and some 156 Berger extreme hunters. The BC on those is insane and Retumbo pushed them at just under 3000 in my tests without pressure. The gun is a cheap Mauser 18 that shot .5 inch groups with the Hornady 147 matches before I found some hunting bullets to try. I haven't dialed that load in yet, just ran it through the chrono. If the bullet performs you can't tell me that combo won't be as good as traditional .30s and sevens, maybe excluding the Weatherby, Nosler, and Ultramag varieties if you like to burn lots of powder and your eardrums with the brakes. And it barely kicks.
Staying with the 30-06 Family, I have a Macgowan 25-06 AI Barrel with a 1:7 barrel coming that I am going to mate with a 110 Savage action. I already ordered in some Berger 133 extreme hunters. I posted expected numbers on that in the best Elk caliber thread. Obviously, its too early to tell as the bullet is brand new and my expected velocities and accuracy will have to be met but I think it may beat out the .300 Win Mag for overall elk purposes at least at any distance beyond 300. I know there are various opinions on the VLD performance and the extreme hunter is just supposedly a thinner jacketed rendition but it sure looks rock solid as an elk gun on paper. But then again I come from a family who shot most of their elk traditionally with 25-06s and 25-06 AIs with 100 grain spitzers.
