Fall elk hunt with my 270

[wyogeargeek]

I have used my old Sako .270 Winchester for years shooting 130 Barnes tsx bullets. I have killed many elk with this set up, ranging from cows to 6 point bulls. My primary method of hunting has been shooting from a rock pile overlooking a small canyon and opposing hillside ranging in to 300 to 400 yard range. I have never needed more than one bullet per animal taken with this rig and have only recovered a petal from one of the bullets on a large bull. All others passed through with excellent exit wounds. Many antelope and deer have been taken with this setup as well. My load uses H4831 and runs a chronographed 3200 fps. out of the 24 inch barrel. I also shoot a 300 RUM on elk and have used a .338 Win. as well but have never felt under gunned with my 270. Finally, my old father in law killed more elk than I ever dreamed of taking using his old .270 Win. using Sierra and Hornady "old school" bullets never losing an animal that I heard of. To his grave he could never grasp why I "wasted my money" on those expensive Nosler partitions, then later the Barnes bullets. Maybe we over think this stuff now days . Just some thoughts from an old .270 fan.

 

[Battering Ram]

Set on using the old 270 this fall with a Barnes 129 lrx or 130 ttsx. Does anyone have any suggestions with these 2 projectiles with either reloder 16 or 26. Any and all experiences are welcomed. Please no " I'd never shoot an elk with a 270" comments. Thanks guys.
Btw shots on this property have traditionally ran in the 300-600 yd range.

My boys have Ruger rifles and use the 129LRX.When they get a shot from 500 ish and under it's a bad day for elk and a long day for me. One rifle is the American and it will shoot well with R-19 loaded with Barnes load Manuel recommendations. We settled on H4350 and about 3100 FPS. It's a sub MOA in that rifle. My other sons rifle is 77 and it does best with the hodgon hybrid. We didn't get as good of groups with the powders in this rifle as we did the American. We settled in at about 3080, but it's also Sub MOA.

I don't hesitate to let them take elk at those ranges. All our rounds have been through and through. I typically have them shoot bone just in case. I can post all the pictures here but it would take some time.

 

[Highvoltage]

Maybe we over think this stuff now days . Just some thoughts from an old .270 fan.

I couldn't agree more with this statement, it's just when you travel 1500 miles you want all the intangibles taken care of that you can. Lol. My hinting partner uses a 3006 with a 165 Sierra and has killed 3 bulls in 3 years inside 400 yds. Never needed a follow up shot.

 

[Kingsgr8]

I love the Barnes 140 gr TSX BT over a load of H4831. I have a 22" 1:10 but this is very accurate and has been my go to bullet for years. Anything from whitetail to elk & moose. Always 1 shot and usual DRT - with good shot placement. Hit s moose in the front shoulder. Knocked him over and required 2nd shot. When butchering my 1st shot caught the shoulder blade (quartering away from me) and bounced out and away. Not the bullet, gun or caliber just not the best shot.

 

[Deputy Sheriff]

Last fall I shot a 5 point bull with a 270 win 140 gr accubond. At approx 275 yrds , broadside lung shot. Lots of blood and pieces of lung and bone. Tracked him for 3 miles and lost his track and no blood trail. I shoot a huge bull 8x10 two years before with a 338 win mag 225 gr sst. He was broadside 250 yrds, dropped on the spot. Bullet did not exit, the reason I shot this one with the 270 I was deer hunting and the elk was a suprised luckily I had a elk tag. This year I am trying to decide on 300 wsm 190 gr or 338 win mag 225 gr. Either way it will not be the 270 win

 

[John Polk]

HV- I used R26 in a 22" .270 with 160NP for 2930fps. I bet that would work too, ha!

How many grains of powder?

 

[nicholasjohn]

I have used my old Sako .270 Winchester for years shooting 130 Barnes tsx bullets. I have killed many elk with this set up, ranging from cows to 6 point bulls. My primary method of hunting has been shooting from a rock pile overlooking a small canyon and opposing hillside ranging in to 300 to 400 yard range. I have never needed more than one bullet per animal taken with this rig and have only recovered a petal from one of the bullets on a large bull. All others passed through with excellent exit wounds. Many antelope and deer have been taken with this setup as well. My load uses H4831 and runs a chronographed 3200 fps. out of the 24 inch barrel. I also shoot a 300 RUM on elk and have used a .338 Win. as well but have never felt under gunned with my 270. Finally, my old father in law killed more elk than I ever dreamed of taking using his old .270 Win. using Sierra and Hornady "old school" bullets never losing an animal that I heard of. To his grave he could never grasp why I "wasted my money" on those expensive Nosler partitions, then later the Barnes bullets. Maybe we over think this stuff now days . Just some thoughts from an old .270 fan.

Just a quick comment on why we "waste our money ….." It's because we can. We're looking for a better mouse trap, even though the old ones work just fine. If all we had were regular cup & core bullets, we'd kill plenty of deer & elk. With partitions and monos, we also kill them just as dead. Look at the fun we had doing it.

 

[Deputy Sheriff]

My option on wasting money on guns, this is one of the few hobbies that your equipment can feed you or save your life. People get enjoyment from various sources . Passing on a rifle to a family member can create a legacy and foster a future in hunting and shooting for future generations. I have a dozen firearms that I have choose over the years for various reasons that give me great enjoyment . Hopefully my grandson will enjoy them some day and pass them on to his children . That it the reason I try to buy quality, not the cheapest rifle you can find. To each his own.

 

[JMW67]

Set on using the old 270 this fall with a Barnes 129 lrx or 130 ttsx. Does anyone have any suggestions with these 2 projectiles with either reloder 16 or 26. Any and all experiences are welcomed. Please no " I'd never shoot an elk with a 270" comments. Thanks guys.
Btw shots on this property have traditionally ran in the 300-600 yd range.

What I have found to work best in my 270 win. is 57.3 of rl-23 with the berger 150 and a br-2 primer it is running 3025 fps with a very low S.D. I am seated at the lands 24 inch tube tried magnum primers and groups opened up a little I do not think this is the best elk bullet for this caliber I would look at the hammer or barnes bullets for an animal of that size .The 270 is more than capable though under that 600 yard range

 

[Sod Farmer]

I shot a cow elk broadside at 250 yds last fall with my 270 win using Barnes 130g TTSX bullets. Muzzle velocity was 3035 fps. She went down at the shot. She sat there for over a half an hour with her head up but unable to get up. We were delayed in getting to her while we tried to navigate the terrain with a side X side to haul her out. The post mortem revealed that both lungs had silver dollar sized holes and the bullet clipped the bottom side of the spine, which was why she could not get up. The bullet exited and did everything it was designed to do. With that being said, I still had to dispatch the elk over a half an hour after she was shot and left with huge holes in both lungs. If I had not been lucky to clip the spine, I hate to think how far she could have gone in a half hour if she wasn't spined. I am still amazed that any animal could live that long with big holes in both lungs. Elk are Very Very tough! If I had it to do over, I think I would use a bullet that is designed to fragment that would do more internal damage. Next year it will be a Berger bullet, but I will make a point of keeping it off the shoulder to make sure it makes it to the vitals.

 

[RevJim]

60gr worked swell in my rifle, but that rifle had a long throat. ( It was a 1980 Mod 700 Classic) It may not make a difference, but just wanted you to know that I had them seated out a bit, so a tad more powder room.

 

[35 Whelen]

If you aren't stuck on the Barnes the Hammer Bullets are not as finicky about seating depth and generally give a little more velocity due to less engraving pressure. Steve will gladly share load data with you.
https://hammerbullets.com/product-tag/277-270/

I have never used Barnes bullets because of the meat damage I have heard from those that have used them. How is the Hammer bullets when it comes to meat damage?

 

[358 Guy]

Is the reloder 26 good for the 130 Barnes or 130 weights in general? I've had good luck pushing both 140/150 Sierra and 145 eldx.

You may want try REL-23 with the lighter bullets. I've hunted elk with the 130 gr TTSX using REL-23, and could achieve 3200 FPS with very good accuracy. An added plus with this powder is that's very temperature stable. I've shot elk using both the 130 gr TTSX, and the 150 gr. Nosler Partition. Performance on game was almost identical, both deep penetration and good wound channels.

 

[Wedgy]

I have never used Barnes bullets because of the meat damage I have heard from those that have used them. How is the Hammer bullets when it comes to meat damage?

Less meat loss from my experience