RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

Kodiak, that's great news! Experienced guide and a closer range will remedy lots of things! Since he's likely to be closer to the AND he is thinking about BJ's .270-160gr partition recipe, things sound like they are looking favorable. Non-bench rest practicing will still be key though.

Regarding the 12 gauge with slugs one hurdle to consider is some states have caliber and energy restrictions for high power rifle season, so don't forget to check the regs in the state he's headed to. Otherwise have him run it by the outfitter. Good job!
EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

BJ,
I was more tring to talk him into buying a 30-06, or 280. Maybe at the most a 7mm mag. He's got one I think that is his brother's and he shot it a few times and said he liked it. I have always been a fan of the 30-06's versitility. I think for elk he wants something more exotic than the 06, I think he would like the 280 more in the long run.

"Hey ya'll, watch this"

[Deleted]
 

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RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

Meat will keep you alive, horns only make you "horny".

BJ

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

Speaking of that, what the heck is a beaver jack anyway?


&quot;Trappers get more beaver.&quot;<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

Something you use to lift a beaver off the ground with.

Edited by - Turd Fergusen on 12/13/2002 15:39:10

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

270Win is light for elk - might work but it is light. Big jobs work better with big tools and elk are a big job! Kind of like changing a semi-truck tire with a 1/2&quot; drive socket set. It might work, but the whole affair will go much better and more reliably with 3/4&quot; drive set of tools.

An under equipped mechanic who only has a 1/2&quot; drive set (like a hunter who only has a 270) might argue, brag even, that 1/2&quot; drive is all you need if you are any good. Whereas someone who is well equipped and experienced and has both 1/2 and 3/4&quot; won't even listen to the nonsense - he knows which is better regardless what one can &quot;get by&quot; with and reaches for the big tools for the big job.

.30-'06 minimum, 338's better, more is okay if you can handle it. Don't talk about recoil, if you can handle a 12ga. pump with 2oz turkey or waterfowl loads in it, then these calibers are NO problem. I see high school kids shooting waterfowl with those loads all the time, therefore anyone tough enough to hunt elk should have no problem. Elk are NOT deer, the demands are NOT the same, 3 times the body weight and twice as hard to kill.

Edited by - Eagle338 on 12/25/2002 22:08:41

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

Eagle338,
Welcome to the board. I agree that the 270 is light for elk.
This is kind of an old topic by now and alot of time has passed since the time I posted the question, I think I should fill everyone in on what happened.

Jim (my buddy) has only hunted deer. He never shot more than he had to. He was very stingey about ammo, and is a good shot. He only had a 270, and wanted to hunt elk. Got in contact with the first outfitter he saw and then realized he had no idea how to hunt elk. Bad outfitter, and light gun means we need a new plan. So we got a new outfitter and he finaly got a new gun. He mainly hunts deer and will be going on maybe one elk trip a year, so we decided on a 7mag. He got a remington 700 bdl in 7mag with a bushnell scope and he shoots it quite a bit. At least once a week. He has even taken up running to stay in shape. He'll be an elk hunter before long.

As for me, I sold my '06 and I'm looking to buy a new one with a wood stock. And I'm still tring to figure out what the heck a beaver jack is. It may be some sort of &quot;flapjack&quot; made with beaver meat? Breakfast of champions?

&quot;Hey ya'll, watch this&quot;

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

For the sake of the generic topic in this thread (i.e. whether the .270 is an &quot;elk whacker&quot;), here are my own two cents.

No doubt, many elk have been killed with this caliber every year since the 1920's. No doubt, also, that a lot of guys never found it lacking for this purpose. After all, the .270 is also one of the most popular numbers for African plains game ~ which are a notoriously tough bunch of critters.

Having said all this, I would never take a .270 out for elk, because there are other cartridges that would give me a lot more confidence for the job.

The main parameters I use to match up a caliber with game are 1) penetration and 2) shootability. Although I know that a good, controlled-expansion 150-grainer from a .270 may have good penetration, I tend to prefer bullets with a sectional density of .300 or higher. That's just me ~ sectional density is my thing.

I live back east, and to me an elk hunt is a big deal ~ a highly-coveted, expensive proposition that I'm lucky if I can embark upon every other year. Last thing I want, is to have to pass up a difficult shot (like the proverbial raking shot) on a potential trophy because I have a light bullet. No way. Not if there are so many other calibers and bullets that are equally shootable and can give me more confidence ~ i.e. penetration and frontal area.

For my money, I'd rather take a 30-06 loaded with 200-grainers or a non-magnum 7mm (of any persuasion) loaded with 175's. Even Murphy himself would be unable to make me pass up a shot from any angle if armed with either one of these. Range? I am religious about not taking shots beyond 250 yards, so it doesn't really matter how &quot;flat&quot; a cartridge shoots.

I have a heavyish .375 H&H that I consider pretty much ideal for elk. Loaded with 300-gr Winchester Fail Safe (pushed at about 2550 f/s) it has never let me down. It's accurate, shootable (in spite of the large caliber) and it gives me confidence.

If you like the various 7mm Magnums and .300 Magnums (or the splendid .338 Win), I can't think of any MUCH better choices. However, not everyone can shoot them well ~ I for one find their recoil and pyrotechnics somewhat unpleasant, so I tend to stay clear of them (recoil from a .375 is a lot slower, although deeper).

A great elk number is the .35 Whelen and also the .338-06, similar in performance to my &quot;beloved&quot; .333 Nitro and not as hard-kicking as the .338 Win Mag. I don't own rifles for either of these two calibers, but I would not hesitate to take them out for elk if I did.

Great topic!

Tom

RE: is the 270 a elk whacker?
 

Eagle, Im one of those elk hunters that only has a 270 and it works great. Your little statement saying that if your tough enough to hunt elk youll have no problem using a magnum is about one of the dumbmest things ive heard. Its not nonsense that i shoot a 270. Its nonsense that you think everyone in the world should shoot a magnum for elk, gun makers love you boys. look what its come down to, 270 use to be a great gun but now when my kids get big, everybody will be saying the 300 win mag is to small, you need to be shooting that new 50cal bmg, those magnum rifles are to light for elk. as far as the 7mag goes, its got a little more energy over my 270 and most of the guys i see shooting 7mags are using 140-160 grain bulletts, so I feel there isnt really that much advantage a 7mag has over a 270 and if your recoil shy you have no advantage over a 270 when shooting a magnum.
My .02 cents.

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