ammo for whitetail?

Yeah,they work good,.270s are a little hard on deer anyway,but if that's what you are hunting with they'll work fine.
Shoot them in the head or neck and save a little meat

IMO Federal makes some of the best hunting ammo in the world. They have a boat tail bullet for the 270 that would be perfect for your use.

I'm just getting started again after years of staying home and have been wondering something along the same lines:

I'll be in W Virginia, shots under 150 yards, using my dad's old Remington 7400 in .270. I've got Remington Core-Lokt 130 gr spitzers and 150 gr round nose on hand and I've been thinking of using the 150's... or not?

Next year, I think I'll see if I can find a smokin good deal on a Marlin 336 in .35 Rem, but for now the .270 will do.

Shots out to 300 yards, I'd stick with the 130 grain bullets. A little flatter trajectory than the 150s, takes a lot of guesswork out.

For under 150 yards, the 150 grains will work fine. I find the 130 grain a better choice in the .270 for whitetail.

I suggest that everyone get some trigger time and see how the different loads shoot and to verify your zero. Going hunting without trying your rifle shows poor hunting ethics. You owe it to the animal to make humane kills.


NCsmitty

Save yourself alot of money and go with Remington or Winchester factory ammo. The Remington core-lokt or Winchester Super-X is more than enough bullet for a whitetail at half the price of the federal premium. The Federal is excellent, but not needed in your situation.

I don't think you need anything particularly special as far as ammo goes. I use Remington 150 gr Core Lokt SP. I have for years and they work just fine for me. If I were looking at 300 yd shots, I'd probably lean toward the 130 gr bullets as long as they shoot okay in your rifle. I seldom shoot that rifle except a bit before deer season to check the scope. It has always been right on for the last 20 years with the same ammo.

I will say that I have pretty much parked rifles for whitetail hunting in favor of a scoped revolver. I hunt in the woods and 75 yd shots are long shots. If I'm fortunate enough to have the opportunity to shoot, the shots are often under 30 yds. Don't need a rifle for that.

I have great results with Winchester Power Points, I shoot it in 300wsm, 270, and 243. They will all shoot 3 shots inside a penny at 100 yards.

Yeah, they work good,.270s are a little hard on deer anyway, but if that's what you are hunting with they'll work fine.

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A 270 is a little "hard" on deer. You need to read some of the Overkill threads. A 270 is perfect for deer.

Shoot them in the head or neck and save a little meat

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Haha save a little meat? You act like a 270 is a 378 Weatherby. No offense, but if the guy hasn't been hunting for a while I wouldn't recommend going for a head or neck shot. Slightly above and inside the shoulder blade would be more practical.

As for the cartridge... IMO Federal Premium with Barnes Triple Shock 130gr. The Barnes penetrate deep and hold together very well.

Because the remington core-lockt is the name everyone remembers on grandpa's ammo, they get the mistaken idea that the newest super bullet du jour is the only way to go. Quite the contrary, the core-lockt bullet is very under-rated, and is probably the best value in price/performance you'll find, and the round nose is an especially exceptional bullet.

Winchester Power Points, Remington Core-lokts or Federal Power Shock in 130 grain are all fine choices for deer. The 270 is an excellent choice.

The Remington, Winchester and Federal common brands are fine and will easily get the job done on deer. I found that in my Winchester M70 Featherweight the Hornady 140 grn BTSP to be exceptionally accurate and that's why I use it. I've also found the same Hornady BTSP to be the most accurate load in my Remington Model 700 Mountain Rifle 7X57mm Mauser. So consider giving Hornady a try as I've found it to be very good ammo.

Shoot them in the head or neck and save a little meat

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Hope you're kidding...

I've shot lots of deer in the head and neck. They don't go anywhere and the vitals aren't all bloodied up during field-dressing. It doesn't waste any meat. If you can make the shot, then it's a win-win situation.

I've been using Federal 140gr Nosler Accubond (Vital Shock) for the past 2 years and it's worked really well for me.

I also agree that .270 is just about the perfect caliber for whitetail.

The Nosler partitions are great for larger game. They're really not needed for animals the size of whitetails. And they cost more. It's been said already, but the stock Remington, Winchester, or Federal ammo will do just fine, and you can get any of them in .270 for around $20 a box. The Federal Premium partitions will run you over $40.

Most deer are not difficult to put down, provided you hit them in a good area with a decent bullet.

Bullet needs to expand and hold together given the caliber and conditions you hunt with. If your shots are < 50 yards vs shots around 250 yards. Too many people take a premium bullet, load it hot and shoot a deer at 30 yards and complain the bullet went through and didn't expand. Or they take a non premium bullet, load it hot and complain it didn't hold together and penetrate. Reliable bullet expansion for your conditions is key.

Hornady also makes some very good ammo in .270

The Remington core-lokt or Winchester Super-X is more than enough bullet for a whitetail at half the price of the federal premium. The Federal is excellent, but not needed in your situation.

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I'll second that -- I use the Nosler PJ on elk, but for deer, you're throwing your money away.

Welcome back to deer hunting. I like the 150's better with the .270, but that is ME. Good luck this fall.

Just out of curiosity, what sort of problems did you have with the Winchester Power Points?

FWIW, I've had excellent results with plain 'ol Remington CoreLokts, but not in .270. Hornady's offerings are excellent and reasonably priced as well.

My brother-in-law shot a small doe in the head at about 30 yards with a .270WSM with ballistic tips, and then he asked me to help him process it. I would much rather look at bloody vitals than a mostly blown-off head. I have shot a couple of deer in the neck when the shot presented itself, and they dropped in their tracks and without the mess.

I have two .270's for my deer guns. One is a M700 BDL and the other an ADL. I've shot all kinds of stuff through them over the years. I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter much at all for whitetail, as long as your gun likes what you're shooting. That is the beginning and end of the decision for me, whether my gun shoots them well or not.

I'm partial to the cheap Federal Power Shoks in 130 gr. these days as my ADL absolutely loves this round.

My BDL really likes the Hornady Light Magnum 140gr, but a little more costly and more recoil, and I can't tell the difference in how dead the deer is. So, I stuff it with the Power Shoks now too, with only a slight loss of accuracy.

I think the premium bullet craze is really unnecessary for whitetails. For larger muleys or elk, sure, I would want some really higher quality bullets. But there's no need to buy a $40 box of .270 shells that won't do anything more than a $18 box of Core Lokts from Wal-Mart will. YMMV