.270 Which bullet?
 

I did it, after a few questions I went for the .270. I bought a new Tikka t3 in .270 today. It came down to a 25-06 or the 270. 25-06 was my choice but, being that these guns are hard to come by this year and the 270 was on the shelf, that is the way i went I wanted a gun this year! Now what grain for whitails? the salesman said definitly 130' s are the the best load, is this right? And what bullet works well short and medium distances. Out to 250 yds. Thanks

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

the 130, the 140, and the 150....draw them from a hat and go for it.

Most folks will pick the 130 for deer, but the folks that choose the others are not sucking anything in arrears.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

By far the most popular bullet for the .270 is the 130 grain. I chose to go with the 150 grain in my .270 for the higher ballistic coefficient that the Nosler 150 gr. Ballistic Tip offers. But the new Nosler Accubond bullet in .270 140 gr. has the same coefficient number as the 150 Ballistic Tip. But like Vapodog stated, you won' t go wrong with any of the weights of bullets he listed. I would probably go with something like the Nosler Partition bullet for the ranges you specified. Good luck!!:)

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I like heavy bullets, so I would go with a 150 gr., or even the 140 gr. Accubond sounds good. Good luck.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

With the 270 you can,t go wrong with whichever one shoots the best in your gun. For deer I like the 130 grain best.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I think I will try the 130' s try federal, remington and maybe Winchester. Now which bullet? I was told there is no need for premium ammo. Matter of fact the salesman said on deer sized game, the regular ammo (core-lokt, power point etc...) actually performs better than the partitions etc... on deer sized game. So if this is the case. Who makes a better bullet. Federal, Remington, or Winchester? I noticed that fed, and rem use a pointed design, win uses a round nose design. What does this do? thanks

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

The salesman you spoke with needs his head checked. While plain jane ammo will work, premium ammo is worth every penny. Think of it this way all the money you lay down on the gear, time off from work, etc you skimp for few bucks off on shells. Don' t leave the thing that can directly impact success to chance!!!

Finding the right shooting combo can be a tough task, I usually buy a box of each and let the gun do the talking. Extra ammo can be used up when hunting varmits or just practice sessions. Federal Premium & Hornady ammo have both yelled good accuracy & field results. Winchester Supremes a close 2nd. If money is a real concern Hornady offerings are marginally less than the other 3 usually in cost, but this does not mean the are any less superior. It boils down to what shoots the best for your applications and gives you the most confidence in your gun/abilities. Personally in my 270 I like using either Boattails or Ballistic tips when deer is on tap!

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

The salesman said that with nosler partitions, trophy bonded etc... That they are such beefy offerings they don' t expand properly on deer, designed for Elk, Moose. He did, however, mention that balistic tip type bullets are very good. I thought in premium ammo you also get more consitant powders as well. That in itself would be helpful when trying to find an accurate cartridge. I may buy a box of cheap for practice. But maybe will try the accu bond, balistics, or silver tips. Out of these is there a supieror other than listening to your gun?

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Partitions are an excellent deer bullet with the front providing plenty of expansion, with the plus of the base penetrating on through to give you an exit hole.

In my opinion it is the perfect deer bullet. It gives you that extra margin of insurance on any off angle hits which may require additional penetration.

Lot of people use Ballistic tips. They will kill the deer but in my experience ruin too much meat. I have seen it first hand on deer and antelope.

Another good deer bullet is the Sierra Gameking, they hold together surprisingly well on deer and are normally extremely accurate in most rifles.

For your best bet at finding accurate factory loaded ammo I recommend you try the Sierra Gamekings first, odds are they will shoot well in your rifle and do the job on your deer.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Forgot the grain part of the question.
130 through 150 will work great for you. I always compromised and shot the 140gr in my .270' s.

The .270 was a good choice. Hard to beat as a deer caliber.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I have tipped over a number of deer with my 270 and 130 gr Ballistic Tips. Other bullets I have found are accurate and work well on deer are Seirra Boattail in Federal Premium & Hornady Interlock spbt. I have used the Hornady SST-similar to a NBT, but in a 7 mag and they performed very nicely in the field and accuracy wise (another bullet to consider when chasing deer, I believe it is available in Hornady Custom Ammo in 130 grain offering only!)

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Well, I' ve used the standard Hi-Shok 130 grain on deer size game for the past 15 years. There have been absolutely zero issues with it' s performance on the range or on deer. I can shoot it with excellent accuracy out to 300 yards and it has performed flawlessly on deer from ranges of 20 yards to my longest shot of 270 yards. I have never lost a deer and they' ve never traveled farther than 60 yards. You can get them on sale for $10.00 a box at Bass Pro or Walmart on occasion. What a deal!!!

Having said that, I have still considered trying out the 130 grain Hornady SST. They' re still reasonably priced at $18.00.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

drh1175
My 270 really likes the Winchester Supreme 130-grain Ballistic Silver tip ammo. The bullet is a Combined Technology, Nosler/Winchester ballistic tip bullet.
The salesman is right about the Nosler Partition, they are built more for larger game. The Nosler partition will work every time for deer but you really do not need them. A ballistic tip or remington core-lokt will work just fine.
Good luck,

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I stopped at the sportmans warehouse the other night to see what is avalible. And did a little more research. I found the Hornady customs in the interlock 130, is actually cheaper than the Federal Sierra' s by a couple bucks. I don' t belive I need to spend the money on Partitions for deer. So I am going to start out with the interlocks, federal sierra' s in 130, and 150 and will hopefully find a fit with one of the three. As far as Grain, I am not sure. I guess being I am trying 3 different ones the gun will do the talking. And from what I have heard about the new Tikka' s I shouldn' t have much trouble finding one. I hunt in woods with a bit of light brush, but pretty open. Along with the field edges and swamp. Not really sure if the 130 deflects much more than the 150? Thanks

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Mine likes 150 gr.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Forget about the ole wives tail about deflect on lighter bullets, all bullets if obstructed will deflect, so the point is moot!

You said it let your gun tell you what she likes to throw...but don' t be suprised if she throws more than one nicely:D. Just match your results with what you require. Personally I switched 130gr due to the need for a flat trajectory for some longer distance terrain and never went back to the 150' s. Everybody' s different.

Good Luck and have fun with your new toy!!!!

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Whitetail deer really are not very " big" big game. With a .270 Winchester using any bullet weight from 130 to 150 grain in a " Premium" bullet you will shoot completely through a Whitetail from any angle. When using bullets from 130 to 150 grain with " standard" bullets you will do the same thing " most" of the time. In a lifetime of whitetail hunting you will probably NOT completely shoot through your whitetails with that .270 less than a hand full of times total.

So find a load your rifle likes....and stick to it. (If you find yourself hunting heavy and or thicker skinned game then look particularly to the premium bullets or the heavier weight standard bullets.) When we lived in Alaska my wife frequently carried a .270 Winchester loaded with 160 grain Nosler Partitions or a .358 Winchester loaded with 250 grain Speer HotCor Bullets.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

As I posted earlier, I went out and sighted in a new scope this past weekend using the standard $9.95 per box 130 grain Federal Hi-Shok. I' m getting right at 1" groups at 100 yds. Is there really any good compeling reason you guys can come up with to try any other load, considering the accuracy? The only other load I' m thinking of trying is the Hornady 130 SST. I have never had a failure with the ' cheapie' loads, but I might have longer shots (up to 300 yards) this year. What do you think?

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Formula if you want a flatter trajectory, accurate and a little better expansion for those longer pokes I would strongly suggest trying the Hornady SST or any other Ballistic tips. All I use for deer now in 270 & 7 rem mag.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

If you really think a longer shot might be possible give the SST' s a try. If they don' t shoot as well as the cheaper Hi-Shoks you have lost very little other than a few bucks and some time, (if you call practice a waste of time or money?!?). I have never used the SST' s but I have been seriously thinking of trying them myself.

Let us know how it turns out! Good luck.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

By the way....before someone jumps on me.....I believe the Federal Hi-Shoks are completely adequate in that load to 300 yards on whitetails! (And 1" at a 100 yds. might well be hard to beat!) Good luck either way!

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Thanks for all comments!! I' m thinking of picking up a box of SST' s and heading to the range to give them a try. If they' re just as accurate, I may hunt with them. They do have slightly better ballistics: -4.5 @ 300 yds versus -6.8 @ 300 yds. Of course, I could just take the 130 Hi-Shok, sight it in 2.5 inches high @ 100 and get similar ballistics.

On the other hand, I' m quite confident as ' akbound' said that the Hi-Shok will work just fine and at a great price. I really do think there is a huge ' Premium' craze out there, and alot of hunters are getting duped into purchasing them when it' s not really necessary. But the Hornady' s are fairly reasonably priced compared to most others, so I' ll pick up a box and we' ll see what happens!!!

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I went out this last Saturday. First day with my new gun. I ended up shooting both the Federal Premium Sierra 130' s. And Hornady interlock 140' s out of my new .270 Tikka. To my surprise out of the box the hornady' s shot about .80" . I thought that was quite good for the first day with the gun. My gun however only shot about 1.25 to 1.5" groups with the federals. comparing to the hornady' s not that impressed. I am going to try the Federal Hi shoks next and then possibly the core lokts from Rem. What do you guys shoot out of these and what do you think?. Is there much of a difference between the 3? Which would I be happiest with on Deer At around 100 to 150 yeards max range? Are the interlocks better than the Hi shocks, and core locks or about the same? Thanks

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

DRH,
Unless you just want to spend more money and try more loads you could be done.
Shoot the Hornadys they will work fine for your needs.
.80 is excellent accuracy but certainly not a requirement for your application.

The interlock is as good or better a deer bullet than the other bullets in your group you have mentioned.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I' ve always had good success with the 130gr Nosler BT.

I would just like to remind anyone that plans on shooting at 300yds to go to a range a practice alot. Practice shooting at 300yds not 100. Regardless of what load you shoot, relying on published bullet trajectories not a good idea. Shooting deer at long range is not as simple as some believe. A 1" group at 100yds does not automatically translate into a 3" group at 300yds.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Excellent advise from Popeye and I agree 100%.

drh, I can understand you wanting to try different bullets and the new gun!!!;) However I agree under 1" groups with factory mo is very good and the interlock will work good for whitetails up close and longer range (I would certainly consider it over the others, especially how well it shot for you). I will say it once more if you are looking for an accurate bullet in all my rifles the SST or Ballistic tips out preform all others, however only marginally in some cases. It is up to you, what ever you feel best about is generally the best choice.

Good luck and I can see your well on your way to having a barrel of fun with the new 270.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Thanks all,

I kinda figured the interlocks were great bullets. I picked up 2 more boxes to try, I guess mostly cause it is a new gun I have wanted to try for sometime. I will be done soon. I am going broke with the 5 boxes I have bought so far. I am going to try the power shock from Federal, and then a box of power points from Win just for s... and giggles. I was very impressed with the hornady however. And this was my first day of shooting with this gun let alone all year. I am sure I wasn' t the steadiest yet either. I had a few groups that had 2 of the holes in eachother. I am very impressed with hornady so far and will probably end with those. Thanks again. Shooting the new .270 has been fun so far! Such a great caliber. only wish I would have dumped that 30-06 sooner

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Popeye,

Your right about practice. To shoot the longer ranges you need to practice them to see how you' re weapon and ammo choice does at those ranges.

On the other hand, I have shot many deer in the 200-300 yard range sucessfully, and I practice very little at those ranges. The key for me is a steady rest and an awareness of the conditions (i.e. I don' t want heavy crosswinds). I do believe that ballistics are sufficient in estimating the accuracy at longer ranges, provided these conditions are met. And I have proven that is the case in actual practice, although there' s a human error that magnifies itself at longer ranges. Still, if I shoot 1" groups at 100 yards, my groups at 300 yards will be 4" -5" in actual practice and online with the ballistics(5" -7" drop), more than adequate for shooting whitetail.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

I see a lot of positive comments on the ballistic tip from Nosler...and yes at one time I too was a big fan of this bullet. It' s one accurate and devastating projectile.

However I had an experience that totally changed my mind about this style of bullet. I shot a deer and it run about 50 yards and piled up. I took a very long time to find the deer because there was no trail to follow....there was no exit hole and this is by design per a letter I received from Nosler. The bullet is designed to shed 80% of it' s weight in the trauma channel and I' ve never had one shoot thru a deer.

Today I want an exit hole. I' ve moved up to a 150 grain bullet with the hopes of achieving this. I have shot no deer yet with the 150s so I can' t say if I' ve been successful yet.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

Practice and find what it shoots best and stick with them. I think you can get better than 1" groups though. I shoot 1/2" at 100yds. with my Savage .270 using Sierra Gamekings BTSP 130gr., the 150gr. shot 1" groups. The Gameking lays them over on the spot, holds together well and is very devastating, not a meat ruiner but devastating nonetheless.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

My dad and I both have shot 130 gr. Sierra boatail bullets for a long time they worked very well and we never had any problems. One year we switched to hornady ballistic tips. They worked well also, but they tore the deer up way too much. One younger deer my dad shot tore completely in half when we were skinning it. The sierra' s hold together well and has helped me shoot a 168 6/8" non-typical whitail at 280 yards.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

From my own experience, I really liked the Remington CoreLokt and Federal Premium (pre-Ballistic Tip days). They shot .75" out of the Browning I had and were very good at taking down the deer. I shot some SST' s thru my 300 Win Mag and they were EXPLOSIVE! Destroyed alot of meat on a deer shot at 150 yards, and just about decapitated a coyote at 154 yards. I won' t shoot those again. I had made up some handloads using the Nosler BT and they were superbly accurate, .5" at 100 yards. But I never got to shoot a deer with them before selling that rifle. (yes, I' m still kicking myself). The SST' s performance is causing me to shy away from them and the ballistic tips in favor of Partitions and some others.


Very good advise on practicing at 300 yards if you' re gonna shoot that far. One thing that wasn' t mentioned (maybe I missed it) is the wind at that range can play havic with light weight bullets. In my experience, at 300 yards, the 130 grain bullets drifted 3" in only a 10 mph crosswind. So practice those shots.

RE: .270 Which bullet?
 

The Hornady interlock bullet is an excellant round for deer and I have taken several with the 140 grain boattail.This year I' m going to try the SST also in 140 gr. It is also offered in 130 and 150 gr weights as well.The new Inter-bond looks to be even better yet but has not hit the shelves around here yet.