.270 130gr or 150gr or both - Advice please!

**Tweety** · 01-02-2011, 16:35

Originally Posted by dave schenck

Hey tweety - I have a 270 and a 243 - now what?
I believe the 270 was made for 130gr bullets and you need nothing else! I have dropped plenty Kudu, Gemsbuck, BWB, Hartebeest and smaller stuff with the 270 and many of the bullets have run right through (and I am using std 130gr bullets). But - it is horses for courses and if you gun does the 150gr as well as the 130gr then it makes sense to shoot the heavier bullet. (Of course the 100gr premium in a 243 does the same job - just thought I would throw it in there!!!)

Hi Dave,

I would dig a 243. In fact, I would dig one of everything, except a 220 swift.

The argument about premium bullets making caliber categories more vague and allowing more versatility holds true. (I have seen a 243 go through both shoulders of a Kudu Bull but the entire forequarter was thrown away)

But I get a feeling in my water that most guys dont do that. Most guys would want to load PMP or Hornady stuff. Thats where bigger is better. because a 300 grainer broken in half is still 150 grains a piece. A bit like the 45 caliber not shrinking as per Frank H.

But hey, its there meat they are wasting and throwing away.

**Webster** · 01-02-2011, 17:35

Hickers - if I told what I really use then I would be shot down again. But what the hell! I shoot 135gr Sierra Match Kings for hunting and they work well every time! I am not prepared to answer a barrage of comments now concerning the SMKs so I will not take any bait. I load the 135gr SMK behind 52,5gr S365 with CCI BR primers and the bullets are moly coated and seated to touch the lands. They are very accurate, hit bl@@dy hard and drop game like lightning. I also have a load of 50,5gr S365 with Sierra 130gr Prohunters and if possible those are even more accurate than the match kings and recently I shot 5 Blesbuck with them and they simply folded - bangflops! I have recently been given a few hundred Hornadys, Speers, Rhinos and Nosler Partitions which I am sure I will have to use up one day! I have a friend who shoots a lot and has only one rifle - a 270 with a vari X III Leupold and he ONLY shoots 130gr PMP Pro Amms and nothing walks away!
Hope this helps.
Dave

**Zipp** · 01-02-2011, 18:55

Hickers
I Think you have the best of both worlds. If the only difference is 1.5" Vertical wit no windage difference, why re-zero?
My Musgrave 270 shoots 160 gr Nosler partitions (reloads) to point of aim at 100m and shoots 130gr Hornady reloads 10mm below point of aim at 200m. I have shot Eland with the Noslers, at less than 100m, and not thrown away a cup of meat. Every year I hunt in the Karoo for springbuck and in the bushveld for most other things. I last changed the scope settings (zero) 18 years ago. I Have other rifles, but often grab the 270 when the chips are down. After having shot it for 29 years, I know that any fault is driver error, and I shoot it better than the rest. Print a cheat sheet of the trajectories, after having verified them in the field and stick them to the side of the stock with clear tape or keep a copy in your pocket and learn to really know what the required holdover looks like at the longer distances . Problem solved.
Zipp

**Hickers** · 02-02-2011, 08:56

Thanks for all the advice guys.

So a decision was made. The 130gr Federal Power Shok will be primary hunting ammo for my 270. PMP 150gr Pro Amm shoot to the same point of impact as the Federal 130gr Power Shocks at 100m. So I will just have to determine see where they hit at 200 and 300m if they hit 1.5" high at 100m...then it should be good back-up or "just-in-case" ammo...will keep a couple of them in my knapsack when I set off for the kill.

**Webster** · 02-02-2011, 09:23

Hickers - another thought. If you are shooting close by (100m stuff) then the 1,5 inch difference is irrelevant when taking large game like Kudu and Gemsbuck shooting behind the shoulder so perhaps keep a few 150gr cartridges for the bushveld/closer hunting and use the 130gr for the further stuff. The 150gr will also be going a bit slower than the 130gr and will cause less meat damage. You will find that the more you use the 130gr stuff you will abandon the 150gr

**Hickers** · 02-02-2011, 09:31

I hear you Dave!

**Umshwati Boy** · 09-02-2011, 11:30

Why not try a 140gr and get the best of both...

**Hickers** · 09-02-2011, 13:26

I do not reload as yet and have not seen 140grs in factory offerings around...but I suppose something to consider...

**Karoobush** · 17-02-2011, 20:16

I also use my .270 in the Karoo for springbuck, blesbuck, gemsbuck and kudu. That said, I believe the 270 to be marginal for kudu and gemsbuck.
I did use 150 gr Partitions but have since moved to Nosler 140 gr Accubonds that I reckon are close to ideal for my purposes.

**Willie Barnard** · 17-02-2011, 20:48

I dont know is it just me, but I have the impression that every rifle (actio-barrel-calibre combination) prefers a specific bullet weight. My .270 prefers 150gr. At the ProAmm grouping shoots, the best I could do with 150 gr was a 9,7 mm three-shot group. With the 130gr, my best was a 40 mm group and sometimes much bigger.
Now at 300 metres, a 10 mm group becomes 30 mm, making a brain shot still possible.
A 40 mm group becomes 120 mm, potentially changing that brainshot to a jawshot- CATASTROPHY!
I would say, determine which bullet weight groups best, write the trajectory somewhere, and measure your distances with a range finder.
If you are so lucky that your rifle groups with different bullet weights, then you are in the enviable position that you can start comparing the terminal ballistics of the different bullet weights.
In .270, I have used both bullet weights offered by ProAmm on wildebeest and impala at bushveld distances. Mostly heart /lung shots. I could not see the difference in terminal ballistic performance. Both performed well.
Willie barnard