What Caliber for 600yd Whitetail? (New rifle Build)

[FEENIX]

I'm more confused now

This is why I never ask what rifle to build or buy. You already know how to get ahold of me. Do not hesitate to contact me. Again, good luck with your project.

Ed

 

[FEENIX]

I have a Ruger 77 in .270 Ackley Improved, 26 inch Lilja 1:10 twist barrel. I'm getting 3100fps with 150 gr ABLRs. I can get more (3300fps) but the rifle likes 3100fps. We shoot 300 yards easily and would not hesitate to take a 600 yard shot on a deer. As for the .270 AI, I read in Ackley's book hat he does not recommend the .270 Improved because his thoughts were that the cartridge was already overbore. With the latest of powders, I find his opinion to be obsolete. If you want to shoot a bit further, build the .270 AI with a 1:8 twist barrel and then you can shoot the heavier/high BC bullets. You did post that you wanted a 24 inch barrel, I believe that to get the most horsepower out of the .270 a 26 inch barrel is the way to go. I have hunted with this rifle, the 26 inch barrel never was an issue. The cartridge is easy to fireform, brass is always available, and developing loads is quite easy. If you are interested in this cartridge you might try PMing "FEENIX" on this forum. He is the one who got me interested in it and he has helped me along when I did the build. This rifle was built specifically to hunt whitetail deer, I am happy with the 1:10 twist barrel and the 150gr ABLRs. The attachment is a photo of an old target that was shot at 300 yards, the other two photos are comparing the .270 Winchester to the .270AI. The barrel on the rifle has been contoured to the same dimensions as the factory specs, so two shots seems to be the answer. With more than two shots the group opens up a bit due to the thin barrel.

I am glad you are having fun with your rig.

 

[CBH Australia]

This is why I never ask what rifle to build or buy. You already know how to get ahold of me. Do not hesitate to contact me. Again, good luck with your project.

Ed

But it gets a whole conversation going. Works on other shooting forums too.
You get a whole we array of answers and then it goes off track and then someone says a 6.5creedmoor can do all you need and more leaving everything else in its wake. That's when the fun begins.

 

[FEENIX]

But it gets a whole conversation going. Works on other shooting forums too.
You get a whole we array of answers and then it goes off track and then someone says a 6.5creedmoor can do all you need and more leaving everything else in its wake. That's when the fun begins.

I know it will NOT be my last, so I build them quietly and share them when done. I will be sharing my latest build soon.

 

[FEENIX]

IMO, anyone shooting deer at 600+ is simply demonstrating that he doesn't know how to hunt.

You are entitled to that opinion.

 

[memtb]

I know it will NOT be my last, so I build them quietly and share them when done. I will be sharing my latest build soon.

I'm proud of ya man…..bold enough to be who ya are and step out of the closet! memtb

 

[FEENIX]

Let's get back on track gents!!

Agreed!

 

[manitou]

.280 Rem: The perfect deer cartridge.
Load to .270 pressures and still a pussycat to shoot.
Oh, and you can hammer elk to 600 yds with it also.

 

[Wyo37]

6mm creedmoor

 

[dennisinaz]

I have some AI's. I have some limited life barrels. So I fire form with the perfected AI rounds powder levels. They chrono within the ES.

I have a 7STW wildcat. So baby 7mm's have never interested me. I'm a lifetime 270 win person and the 270 AI was a natural improvement. .277 we lacking in VLD bullets until Wildcat and Matrix bullets came along. I've perfected the 169.5 and 175 grain bullets.

One thing that I have learned from hunting is that High sectional density bullets just punch holes in critters. 270's with 150 - 190 gr just leave the deer standing and you wonder if you somehow missed and then in what seems like an eternity they fall over. tiny hole in and out on your classic broadside heart and lung shots. So on my deer hunting days I use 129,130, 135, 140 grain out of my .277 caliber rifles. I have 26 and 29 inch .277 to get the most velocity out of the slowest powders and still have good case life. Often the most accurate rounds are below max loads. My advice is to use at least 26 inch barrels

One of my farvorite .277 with good BC is the Barnes.

You advocate against rounds that leave the deer standing and eventually fall over yet your favorite is Barnes...
Makes no sense at all. That's exactly the preformance I've seen out of X, TSX and TTSX bullets. They kill slow unless you hit the central nervous system. I've done culling in Africa where i saw same rifle shoot same animals in same spot. TSX shot hartebeests and warthogs ran quite a ways before tipping over. The ones shot with Nosler partitions never went more than 2-3 steps. I quit using the copper bullets and stuck with success.

To the OP, if you want to do an AI the 270 is a good candidate. Otherwise your 7-08 is good too

 

[Dirtrax]

Lapua has put out a memo stating that a large number of their offerings in Brass are canceled immediately, and there will be a very limited number of offerings to continue. Check Lapua's web site for the correct information.

Lapua is gearing up for war production, and many nations are providing ammo to Ukraine.

Consider Alpha brass or ADG. Made in AMERICA and darn good stuff.

 

[budlight]

You advocate against rounds that leave the deer standing and eventually fall over yet your favorite is Barnes...
Makes no sense at all. That's exactly the preformance I've seen out of X, TSX and TTSX bullets. They kill slow unless you hit the central nervous system. I've done culling in Africa where i saw same rifle shoot same animals in same spot. TSX shot hartebeests and warthogs ran quite a ways before tipping over. The ones shot with Nosler partitions never went more than 2-3 steps. I quit using the copper bullets and stuck with success.

To the OP, if you want to do an AI the 270 is a good candidate. Otherwise your 7-08 is good too

I guess that I wasn't clear. I've had poor performance with the highest sectional density heavy for the caliber bullets. They seem to pass through with very little damage or expansion. They don't impart any energy. The Pigs and mule deer run off and die. Where lighter for the caliber X bullets leave massive exit wounds and DRT. As to Africa my friends and I used the 405 grain barnes X with great success on all plains game. With over 2 inch exit wounds. Using the 150 and 168 gr, TSX out of 308 magnums was lots of DRT. At a Safari international event the Barnes booth was really promoting the 450 grain .458's. So I bought a few hundred to load up and sadly the economy really fell apart in 2008 and it was the end.

Bullet design is a big thing Sierra Game kings out of my 270's had a few run offs. I'm a fan of the 270 AI.

 

[Chad Erickson]

To help with your choice of a big game rifle out to 600 yds, here is a kill zone comparison chart. Just add one or two of your favorites into the two blank spaces. It prints on 8.5x14. It started as an exercise to see what cartridge, if any, could be used for close-range elk in an AR-15 platform and grew from there. Of the rounds studied, except for the belted magnums, only the 30-06 with a 24" barrel and a 180 grain BTSP would qualify as a 600 yard elk gun. If you wanted to study for deer sized game, use 1000 ft/lbs of energy instead of the 1300 ft/lbs in this study.

I just finished the same study & chart, but for deer. It is attached.

 

[hankle]

I just finished the same study & chart, but for deer. It is attached.

Very cool! Thanks for the leg work.