the 270 for elk?

[txcookie]

I have been reading on this lately and have discovered this to be a rather touchy topic. While some say its just not enough , other simply swear by it and claim the 270 as an Ideal cartridge. It certainly has the numbers to back it up with both 130, or 150 grain bullets as it shoots fast and hits hard.

I recently got a rem CDL in 270 and it shoots 130 cor lokts so well that my confidence with this rifle is higher than any other. No elk hunts planned but its nice to study upon this.

Let me know your opinions on this and better yet experience

 

[fdashes]

good bullet and good bullet placement=good dead elk. Tell people the 270 is the perfect caliber often enough and it will eventually become fact.

 

[browningguy]

I think the .270 is just fine, although if I was going on an elk hunt I would prefer a 140 gr. high quality bullet, just in case the angle of the shot wasn't perfect.

 

[fdashes]

I don't think the 270 is just fine but I do think it's ok. I also don't think a 140 grain bullet will make up for an imperfect 130 grain shot. Just my opinion and I do know and understand what you are saying

 

[The_Armed_Therapist]

The .270 will easily do the trick, plain and simple.

Someone recently posted on here (I think it was on here...) a video of a woman taking an elk at 600 yard or so with a .243. It was pretty much down and out when it got hit. Use a .270 within decent ranges, and the elk doesn't stand a chance.

 

[climbnjump]

I think the .270 is just fine, although if I was going on an elk hunt I would prefer a 140 gr. high quality bullet, just in case the angle of the shot wasn't perfect.

I agree and have used both 140 gr AccuBond and 140 gr Barnes TSX on elk.

 

[Fremmer]

A lot of people successfully use the 140-150 grain rounds on elk every year.

 

[txcookie]

I am a recovering bowholic and when shooting at big game can only see from an archers perspective. IF my pse set at 60 pounds can drive a XX75 arrow thru an elks vitals at 45-50 yards then my 270 should be able to drive a 130 grain corlokt home out to 400 right??? this yr I tooK 2 hogs and a deer with the new 270. All pass thrus all shots were inbetween 90 to 120 yards. hogs were 150ish and 100ish. The 270 seemed everybit as devistating as my 30.06.

 

[Kachok]

In the 270 caliber I would opt for a bonded or partitiond bullet, prefrably in 140gr-160gr. Accubonds, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, or Partitions would be my first choice. It is hard to go too heavy a bullet on elk class game.

 

[c.latrans]

Literally TONS of elk meat have come home in the back of my pick up that were laid low by various measly .270's, including some very big bodied bulls. I shot my first elk at age 12 with a .270, and many more fell to it until I grew up and started buying my own toys. My son shot a .270 growing up, my daughter and wife still do. Pop them through the lungs with a 150 grain Nosler partition and start figuring out how to get the truck as close as you can!

 

[gspn]

It's plenty. I have an old friend who has hunted elk his whole life...he's a former member of the Wyoming game and fish commission no less...a lifelong accomplished hunter...he used a .257 Roberts on every one of them and never lost one.

Having said that...know your gun, know yourself, and take shots you know you can make.

 

[natman]

I would prefer a bit more bullet weight and frontal area, so I wouldn't pick a 270 as an elk rifle, but if that's what I had I'd load some 150 grain premium bullets and go hunting.

 

[Captcurt]

Horse Feathers.

I like big calibers, but most people who claim that a 270 is too small for elk, have never shot one with any caliber. With the proper bullet and bullet placement a 270 will work fine.

 

[Lupinus]

There are also people who think you can't shoot a deer with anything less than a 300wsm too.

Deer and elk are not armor plated, you just have to poke a sufficient hole in the right spot. .270 is perfectly capable. .243...capable but defiantly stretching it.

 

[WYOMan]

.270 for elk? Why not?? You can use more, but you don't NEED to.

 

[avs11054]

I've heard that as a rule of thumb, 1200 ft/lbs of energy is the minimum needed to kill and elk. The right .270 bullets provide that energy at 400 yards. The only gun my dad ever used to hunt elk was a 270. He took numerous elk with it. This coming fall will most likely be the first time I've elk hunted in 10 years. I planned on using his .270, but recently bought a .308, so I will be using that instead.

 

[txcookie]

I see alot of talk on the right bullet. My rifle clovers 130 grain core lokts. If I limit myself to broadside shots shouldnt that work just fine? I avoid bones even on hogs and whitetails so shooting for lungs is nothing new for me.

 

[Fremmer]

If the manufacturer says to use for elk, then go for it.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

the 7mm (7x57) 7mm-08, .308, .257 Roberts are plenty enough...there is just so much a fad trend for magnums and wsms cause "hunters" read too much and watch too many "hunting shows". the 30-06 will do it all, but todays "hunters" are just real gullible.

 

[c.latrans]

Respectfully, you are planning for the perfect situation, which rarely happens (to me, anyway) when actually elk hunting. You are shooting a very good bullet, and I have no doubt that a broadside shot to the vitals would result in a very dead elk in short order. Consider, though, that you have spent a bunch of money to set up this shot......350 yards quartering away.....or looking back over his shoulder at you in the timber at 75 yards giving you the opening to slip a bullet in ahead of the hip, but behind the ribs. You have the accuracy and trajectory to pull these shots off easily. But, when the bullet arrives, it may have to penetrate a very big paunch, full of pounds and pounds of wet, heavy, partially digested veggies before it even gets to the lungs.....and in this situation, you are likely to hit only one lung. This might end in a very different result. I have killed them with many calibers, including a .243 shooting 100 grain Nosler partitions. Yeah, I am partial to this bullet. In fact, I shoot it almost exclusively in the .300 Win. mag I have used to shoot elk for the last 20 years. I know from experience that I can shoot a bull quartering away as described and have plenty of energy left to lodge in the brisket or blow through. Couple that with the fact that you don't NEED extreme accuracy when hunting elk as they have a great big vital area to shoot at. IMHO, if I were in your situation, I would experiment a little and try to find a load shooting a premium 150 grain bullet that your rifle likes. Money well spent, in my view. Plus, its fun! Good luck, either way!

 

[blindhari]

I have been known to use a 45-70 on elk out to 80yds and a 308 out to 180 yds with success. That being said I have seen my brother in law use a bow at 20 yds and a 270 out to 400yds on elk. He has used an old Remington 700 for years. He has some offbrand scope (3 X 9 variable). He uses this gun on everything including vamint and just does not miss. After a 19 year wait he was drawn for buffalo, you only get one tag in your lifetime here in AZ, and I had pneumonia. Sent our son a ticket to go on this hunt and this is what we were told by him. Into a moving herd of 13 my brother in law took a kneeling position at just under 100yds and fired three times very quickly. Followed herd into Kaibab wilderness area and found downed bison 600 yds in. Rolled bison onto a tarp and started dragging to road. at 8am. Got bison out at 7 pm with snow still falling and started butchering. Our son said there were three entry points within a handspan, all heart shots. No through penetration they found all three corelokts.
Bow, 308, 45-70, .270 they all work, some just do it further away.

blindhari

 

[sixgunner455]

.270? Hah. Try telling people you're going to use a .243, and see what happens. Talk about touchy!

.270 is easily enough elk medicine.

 

[txcookie]

ok so to avoid paying alot of money on ammo would you guys recomend bonded ammo?

fusion, W power bonded, remington core lokt ultra have good prices and with the xtra wt retention I would figure they would be plenty for an elk.

I dont know why I am spending so much time looking into this when I dont plan to chase elk for yrs and even then I do have a 30.06 which would do just fine with any 180 grain bullet....

 

[35 Whelen]

I've heard that as a rule of thumb, 1200 ft/lbs of energy is the minimum needed to kill and elk. The right .270 bullets provide that energy at 400 yards. The only gun my dad ever used to hunt elk was a 270. He took numerous elk with it. This coming fall will most likely be the first time I've elk hunted in 10 years. I planned on using his .270, but recently bought a .308, so I will be using that instead.

Energy doesn't kill anything. Vital organs destroyed by projectiles does.

To that end, it's really very simple; select a bullet that will penetrate well and shoot them through the lungs. Any elk with holes in both lungs WILL die shortly.

I'm not an expert, but I've killed four bulls; one with a 7 x 57 and three with a 35 Whelen. They're very large animals and as such, I prefer a bullet that penetrates more deeply (i.e.- TSX) rather than one that offers a large frontal area (Accubond, etc.)

35W

 

[Kachok]

ok so to avoid paying alot of money on ammo would you guys recomend bonded ammo?

fusion, W power bonded, remington core lokt ultra have good prices and with the xtra wt retention I would figure they would be plenty for an elk.

I dont know why I am spending so much time looking into this when I dont plan to chase elk for yrs and even then I do have a 30.06 which would do just fine with any 180 grain bullet....

While the 270 is enough gun for elk within reasonable ranges if you have a good 06 that would be a no brainer. On a budget regular ol core-lokts in heavy weights work like a charm especially the 180 grainer.