270 bullet weight

[toothfangclaw]

So, what would be a good bullet weight to hunt deer and elk with for the 270 win? I have a friend that is going to let me use his reloading equipment, so now I just need to get the bullets. I have my gun sighted in for 130, but I am wondering if 150 or higher would be better? How do I choose the right weight?

[JackOfAllTrades]

Ballistically the 150 will prevail until it starts loosing velocity. The 130 flies flatter/faster and carries it'e energy a bit farther, and is nearly reveared as the perfect 270 bullet. But a 130gn bullet for tough Elk is a bit on the light side. So, for medium to smaller game go lighter than the 150, but for Elk and Bear the 150 should perform better in most instances. (I'm sure there are plenty of Elk taken with the 130 by experienced hunter/shootes though.)

-Steve

[Bob33]

A good 130 grain bullet will be more than adequate for anything up to and including elk.  People have been killing animals with 130 grains for many, many years and today's bullets are better than ever.  Find a good bullet that your guns likes and go hunting: 130, 140, or 150 will all work.

[bobcat]

There's really not a whole lot of difference in performance from 130 to 150 grains. The lighter bullet will, of course, start out faster but they also lose their velocity faster. So in the end, the trajectories are virtually the same. Sure the higher muzzle velocity of the 130 gives it slightly less drop out at 400 yards, but it's only a few inches less than the 150 grain bullet. The 150 grain bullet will do better in the wind drift category, but again, it's only a few inches difference at 400 yards.

So, it's not so much the weight of the bullet that matters. It's more the construction of the bullet and how well it will stay together, or if long range performance matters to you, then you'll want a bullet with the highest ballistic coefficient available. If you want to use a good bullet that will work well for both deer and elk, try a 130 grain Barnes. I also think the Nosler Accubond is worth a try, and with that bullet I would consider going with at least the 140 grain weight, if not the 150.

[boots]

Ttry a 130 grain Barnes.

I am shooting these out of my 270 for deer. If i were targeting elk I would consider going with a 150gr but im not sure it would be absolutely necessary

[bobcat]

Ttry a 130 grain Barnes.

I am shooting these out of my 270 for deer. If i were targeting elk I would consider going with a 150gr but im not sure it would be absolutely necessary

I think with the Barnes the 130 is plenty good for elk because they retain 90% of their weight. A bullet such as the Accubond will only retain about 2/3 of its weight, so that's why I would tend to go with a heavier weight with the Accubond. Besides the 150 grain Accubond has a really high ballistic coefficient so it may start out a little slower but it will still be a very flat shooter.

[Bob33]

There's really not a whole lot of difference in performance from 130 to 150 grains. The lighter bullet will, of course, start out faster but they also lose their velocity faster. So in the end, the trajectories are virtually the same.

That is true, but only if the ballistic coefficient of of the 150 grain is higher than the ballistic coefficient of a 130 grain bullet.

In general, heavier bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient than a lighter bullet of the same type.

However, if the ballistic coefficient of the 130 grain bullet is higher, it will start with a velocity advantage and gain a velocity advantage.

In the end, it makes little difference.  If hunters spent 1/100th of the time they spend talking about bullets on actual shooting practice, they'd be a lot more effective.  But what fun is that?

[bobcat]

There's really not a whole lot of difference in performance from 130 to 150 grains. The lighter bullet will, of course, start out faster but they also lose their velocity faster. So in the end, the trajectories are virtually the same.

That is true, but only if the ballistic coefficient of of the 150 grain is higher than the ballistic coefficient of a 130 grain bullet.

In general, heavier bullets have a higher ballistic coefficient than a lighter bullet of the same type.

However, if the ballistic coefficient of the 130 grain bullet is higher, it will start with a velocity advantage and gain a velocity advantage.

In the end, it makes little difference.  If hunters spent 1/100th of the time they spend talking about bullets on actual shooting practice, they'd be a lot more effective.  But what fun is that?

Yes, I was assuming the same bullet in differing weights. The heavier bullet always has a higher BC if that is the case. One thing I forgot to mention though is that the 130 does have another advantage in that it will recoil less than a 150.

[Bob33]

My favorite 270 bullets are the 130 grain Barnes TSX and the 140 grain Nosler Accubond.  If your guns like either one of them, you're all set.

[jeepasaurusrex]

We shoot 130gr Berger VLD pushed by 56gr of Hodgon 4831. Great accuracy and awesome knock down power.

[C-Money]

I have killed I think 7 deer with the 140gr Nosler accubond from a 270win. Great combo. I had a chance to kill an elk with this combo last year but let him walk.  I had just butchered a beef. I have all the confidence that the 140 accubond will work fine on elk.

[KimberRich]

We shoot 130gr Berger VLD pushed by 56gr of Hodgon 4831. Great accuracy and awesome knock down power.

Pretty close to what I shoot and it works great. 

130 Gr. Speer Grand Slam, 55 gr. of 4831.  Very accurate in my gun and has killed Deer, Elk, Goats, and many other things.. 

[C-Money]

I will need to check my book,  but I think I am loading 55gr of RL-19 with the 140 accubond. I worked up to this in the Nosler book.

[toothfangclaw]

Alright! looks like 130 it is! thanks gents! Now comes the fun of finding the bullets and etc.! I will check out all your recommendations too! Thanks!

[high country]

just pick one, any one that shoots well in your gun. the beauty of the 270win is all bullets made will perform well in its velocity window.....no need for fancy stuff, just plain ol' hot cor speers do amazingly well in this caliber. now were you to crank it up to wby speeds......

[jeepasaurusrex]

Dad and I load up 10 rounds of each powder load with a new bullet and shoot them through a Chrony. We test for FPS and accuracy. We found that by dropping a couple of grains, our FPS went down a touch but accuracy improved. Takes some testing to see what bullet and powder load your gun likes.

[GoldTip]

With a 270win I think just about all bullet weights work equally well. Back home in Montana the biggest bull I ever helped packout was killed with 130gr Core Lokt, in 270win.  One shot, one dead elk.  That guy sighted his gun in dead on at 25 yards and figured he was dead on hold to 300.  He had somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 dead elk over the years to prove it was effective, and this was 20 years ago. He'd never ran anything but 130gr core lokts through his gun.

[rgalanti21]

130 grain for deer, 150 for elk. anything bigger then elk you should get a larger caliber (.300 win mag or larger)

[high country]

The difference is 20 grains.most people can't tell the difference if they were holding both....yet many who have not used them effectively think the difference is comparable to a bb gun vs a tomahawk missile.

No finger pointing.....just saying

[h20hunter]

just pick one, any one that shoots well in your gun. the beauty of the 270win is all bullets made will perform well in its velocity window.....no need for fancy stuff, just plain ol' hot cor speers do amazingly well in this caliber. now were you to crank it up to wby speeds......

Big truth there. I personally shoot the 130 Barnes Triple Shock simply because it shoots that bullet well. If you gun likes a certain combination go with it.