Bullet choices for 270

[Bret GRAVELINE Graveline]

I have used both on whitetail and some really big hogs and they perform flawlessly. Unfortunately, I have never been elk hunting.

FYI, 100 pound hog stops a bullet the passes thru a mature whitetail or mule deer, a 300 boar will stop a bullet the goes thru a bull elk, I'm talking 338 Winchester with 250 grain partitions and 225 yr Barnes x, at least the hogs in California do.

 

[Buster***]

imr 7828 sc 140 gr accubond or reloder 23 both your friend

 

[Highvoltage]

I too have a 700 270, I've shot a lot of the eldx. I tried rl 26 and was impressed with the velocity but the accuracy wasn't there so I used imr4350 and it came right in for me. A lot of guys over look that powder but it's been great in a few calibers for me. Recently I've switched to the 140 Sierra gamechanger. Again trying 26 with no luck. I switched to rl 16 and now it shoots 1 hole at 200 yds. Hands down the most accuracy I've ever squeezed out of any rifle. Best wishes.

btw this bullet is one of the more tougher cup and core designs.

 

[moosekiller99]

I've used many weights and styles of bullets for the past 40 or so years in my M-77 Ruger .270. Since the introduction of Reloader 26 I've more or less settled on the 150 grain nobler partition or the Berger 150 grain hunting VLD, both with 61.0 grains of 26 and Win primers. Both over 3010 fps and equally accurate with same POI at 100 yards. The VLD is for power lines and farm country and the Partition is for everything especially for thick UP woods and swamps. I like 2 holes.

 

[DropTyne]

I have had great success with 130 Accubonds with over a dozen mule deer, whitetails, and antelope since 2014. I have not shot elk with them, but would not hesitate to do so. I have loaded them with H4831 and Fed 215s.

If you are set on 140-150s, I would lean towards the 140 Accubond or 150 Partition with the same powder and primer as above Let the rifle have the final say.

Honestly, there are probably dozens of great .277 bullets that would work well for you.

Good luck.

 

[338weatherby]

I really like Nosler Partition or Accubond in 150gr over H4831SC or RL22. Both would be multi-purpose for deer or elk.

140 AB's with 56.3 gr RE22 has been good for me as well

 

[crkckr]

I use 2 bullets in Win. 270, the 130 Partition and the 150. The 130 seems to be a bit more accurate but the difference is slight. I use the 130 for critters like Coues whitetail and the 150 for muley's. I punched a wounded elk in the ribs at 200yds with a 150. It took out a rib going in and coming out but the wound was not what I would call significant. The bull died but it took 2 or 3 minutes... he wasn't going anywhere because the other hunter had "kneecapped" him and I didn't have another shot due the position of the other hunters after he fell over in a creek. Personally, I would never intentionally use a .270 on elk (I was hunting for muley's, having already taken my elk) because it just doesn't have the required punch... in my not so humble opinion. I'm not trying to open up a debate, I'm just saying. If you do use the .270, use the heaviest bullet going as fast as possible and one that has good, solid construction. I've seen too many elk wounded with cup 'n core bullets out of a .270. Personally, my elk rifle is a .338 WM with 210 or 250 Nosler Partitions. If I were buying today, it would be a .300 or .338 RUM.
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[g0cherr]

I decided to double check a few things with the rifle today at your advice. I should have already done these and was surprised to find a tight spot with the barrel on the forend where the wood and plastic cap come together. I thought I had cut enough of a relief there when I bedded it but I couldn't slide a paper down without hard resistance. That would line up with what CCAguns mentioned about the heat from the first 2 shots affecting #3. I removed more material and now have a free slide with the paper. Will be going out tomorrow and running some groups.

Well I made it to the range today to run a couple of test groups after finding the tight fore arm yesterday. Unfortunately I ended up with the same results. 2 shots touching and 1 shot 2" away from the others. It repeated on 2 different 3 shot groups. I allowed enough time between shots to allow the barrel to remain cool. I will be trying another bullet and thanks to all of you, I have a lot to sit down and choose from. Thanks for all the suggestions and personal experiences with your own 270 rifles.

 

[Philward]

You could try going the other way regarding barrel free floating. Bed it fully or put 3lb of up pressure on it to stabilize it.

 

[crkckr]

Philward is right, try going the other way. My Win M70 is a dead on shooter and has been from the day I aquired it. Not being one to leave well enough alone, I bedded the action and free floated the barrel. The next trip to range nearly broke my heart, the rifle had gone from a .5" Excaliber (anyone could kill with it!) to a factory 2"+ dog with the same ammo I'd developed for those .5" groups! Arrrgh! What have I done? What am I gonna do? Out of desperation, I added an aluminium shim under the forend, which I had hacked out free floating the barrel. Back to the range and it was back to shooting those .5" groups again (and still does, thankfully). Whew! I scared myself half to death with that one but I have to admit, I didn't learn from the lesson and still can't leave well enough alone! At least I haven't permanently hurt any more of my rifles... but I suppose there's still time! Ah well, I tinker on, but a bit more cautiously than before. At least now I try to not change more than one thing at a time, it's easier to fix that way!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[g0cherr]

Thanks for that info. It can't hurt to try it and find out the results. Could save me a lot of work.

 

[crkckr]

If you do shim the barrel, don't use anything that can absorbe moisture, like wood (unless well sealed) or (gasp!) paper (I've seen it before!). A single aluminum or brass sheet of the thickness needed works best. If I have to use multiple sheets of thin material I epoxy the layers together so nothing works loose or slips. The shim gets permanently epoxied to the forearm.

I like Nosler bullets but I've never been able to get the Accubonds or their Competition bullets to shoot for beans and I've tried several (270, 308, 338WM, 300 RUM) in different weights. I've had much better luck wifh the Sierra's. Could be seating depth, I usually go for as long as possible, mag permitting, and have had good luck with most bullets doing this. I'm just in the last 4 or 5 years started trying a few of the all copper bullets, so far some ok, some decent but none extraordinary. My budget is fairly limited so it's a slow process. I simply refuse to hunt big game with anything other than Nosler Partitions. They don't shoot in every rifle and my solution to that is to sell the rifle, which I've done 2 or 3 times! My Win M70 .270 likes the 130 & 150, my Rem 788 .308 likes the 168's and my .338WM likes the 210's & 250's. Even my 336 30-30 likes the 170's, so I pretty much have everything covered.

I also like trying different powders and have lots of different brands & types. I chrono everything and have never had much variation in lots except once with RL15. The new lot produced significantly less pressure/velocity but so far it's been the only one. If I use a lot of a certain type, I try to buy an 8lb. keg, like 4350, 748 and 296. The only variation I've seen in primers has been with custom guns, especially my .22 CHeetah. It prefers the WW over Federals.

They are all individuals and can be picky at times. Sometimes the only solution is to keep trying until you hit the combo it likes. I worked up a load for a buddies 270 but it simply refused to shoot the Partitions, preferring the Speer Trophy bonded 130's instead. They aren't a Partition but it's definitely not a bad bullet, either! Whatever works!
Cheers,
crkckr

 

[g0cherr]

Curious when you shimmed yours did you shim it near the end of the forearm or midway?

 

[crkckr]

Right at the very end, where the original hard point was. I don't have any idea how much pressure is on the barrel but it's not a lot. But without it, even being bedded, it just stopped shooting good groups! First rifle I ever free floated that got worse instead of better!
Cheers,
crkckr