the 270 for elk?

[c.latrans]

As we seem to be in the theoretical here, Kachok has it right. Any good 180 out of that .30-06 is elk medicine. Look at it this way. I live where I can buy an elk tag over the counter every year, some years we can also apply for an extra cow tag or two. We have 5 weeks to hunt them and have access to places that not everybody in the world gets to hunt. That being said, I have no qualms about having a .270 in my hands as I can afford to be a little choosy at times. If I were saving for a big trip out west to shoot my first elk, and had a .30-06, I would use it. But if all I had was a .270, I would not feel under gunned in most cases.....but I would use premium 150 grain bullets. My daughter, though, has a model 70 that will under no circumstances shoot 150 grain bullets. She shoots her elk with 130 grain partitions, and if she hits nothing but ribs, we usually don't find the bullet. At the same time, I had to finish one cow for her that she punched through the shoulders. I am sure the elk would have laid down and died....after she ran to the bottom of the coulee....but a quick coup de grace saved HOURS of packing.

 

[brnmw]

The .270 Win. has proven itself to be an Elk stopper time and time again.. as with any caliber... good shot placement= no problem.

 

[41 Mag]

Your .270 is plenty to bring down an elk, and more, provided you do your part. Use some common sense and choose a decent bullet and or weight for your hunt and put your shot through the boiler works and you will be hauling meat home.

Nothing spectacular about the elk we have nowadays verses the ones they had 100yrs ago, other than the hype surrounding some of the "YOU MUST USE THIS" caliber and/or bullet that have been brought out since then.

Like you said,

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?

You already know what limitations are being a bowhunter, so you know how to WAIT for the shot you WANT, and not take something you know in your mind isn't, or that shouldn't be taken, simply for the sake of shooting something your going to have to track down and or loose.

Choose the most accurate bullet for your rifle learn to shoot it well and go use it properly, and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Ankeny]

I like big calibers, but most people who claim that a 270 is too small for elk, have never shot one with any caliber.

Could be true on the Internet, but when these topics come up in Wyoming with guides, outfitters, and game wardens, I think the experience level is about as good as it gets. I shot three elk this year, a nice branch antlered bull and two cows. One cow and the bull were taken with a 6.5-284, the other cow with a 7mm-08. But like others are saying, some of us live out here and we can be picky about our shots. Heck, all three of the elk I shot were within 45 minutes of my house. FWIW, I am using the smaller bore cartridges simply because I am a bit older and my shoulder is toast.

Is a .270 big enough for an elk. Yeah, if everything goes right. Still, there are plenty of choices that will give you better terminal performance. Look at it this way, if you knew you were going to run into a 400 class bull at say 300 yards, slightly quartering away, on the brink of dropping into the canyon from Hades, which rifle would you choose from the following? Would you take a .243, .270, 30-06, or a .300 Win Mag? ? I am guessing most would take the rifle with the best performance that they still shoot well.

If all I had is a .270, I wouldn't run out and buy a new rifle just to go elk hunting. But I sure wouldn't buy a .270 as an elk rifle if I could shoot a larger caliber just as well.

FWIW, I have shot several elk with a Hoyt bow set at 55 pounds. Comparing archery equipment with rifle hunting isn't something I care to get into other than to say being prepared and geared up to kill a big bull at 400 yards isn't the same as taking the same critter at 20 yards with a sharp stick.

 

[txcookie]

Well I thank everyone for their advice and thoughts. I have a TC Encore with a 30.06 on it. It shoots good but I have a brand new CDL in 270 that shoots better than any rifle I have ever handled. With my 270. in Elmer Fudds hands Bugs Bunny never would have had a show. I figure I could be good from 300 or less with premium bullets. I honestly think it would be fine out too 400 after reading countless other threads from other sites.When I do go elk hunting I will carry both rifles with the 270 as back up and the TC slinging 180 grain rounds.

 

[35 Whelen]

Well I thank everyone for their advice and thoughts. I have a TC Encore with a 30.06 on it. It shoots good but I have a brand new CDL in 270 that shoots better than any rifle I have ever handled. With my 270. in Elmer Fudds hands Bugs Bunny never would have had a show. I figure I could be good from 300 or less with premium bullets. I honestly think it would be fine out too 400 after reading countless other threads from other sites.When I do go elk hunting I will carry both rifles with the 270 as back up and the TC slinging 180 grain rounds.

You've had lots of good advice here and I believe either rifle will work fine. However, your last post tells me that you have a VERY high level of confidence in the .270 which almost always leads to a person shooting better with the rifle in question. That confidence and a premium bullet will far outperform a "better" caliber.

35W

 

[Ankeny]

That confidence and a premium bullet will far outperform a "better" caliber.

I agree.

 

[Sweden]

Tikka T3 chambered in 270 Win shooting 150gr Partitions is my preferred hunting rifle. I have literally hundreds of rifles to choose from, numerous calibers. Often times I bring along a stick that I haven't used in years, but the Tikka is always around the camp. I've yet to recover a bullet.

I harvested a BIG cow this year with one shot from said Tikka. She was quartering away at ~225 Yards. The exit wound was roughly softball sized, I'll see if I can find a picture.

My furthest shot on an Elk was just under 500 yards, clipped the heart and both lungs. That 5x5 bull crumpled where he stood from the 270.

One of my hunting 'mentors' shoots 130gr Partitions in his 270. 56 Elk harvested, and he has yet to recover a bullet.

Know your limits, only take shots you can make and have fun.

 

[wyohome]

When I do go elk hunting I will carry both rifles

I have never been on an elk hunt and wished that I was carrying any more than I needed.

 

[mbt2001]

.270 is fine...

 

[rkmitchell]

Was hunting in South Africa using air rifles.....friend took a kudu

....that is an elk-sized animal with a .457 air rifle shooting a 510 grain slug of lead.

Way less power than your .270, but the kudu still fell over dead.

I really like the .270, and consider it one of the best all-around calibers for the average shooter to own. It will do nearly everything.....

Randy

 

[txcookie]

SO I just discovered sectional density...

I was surprised to see that the 270 has such an excellent sectional density! Basically the 270 with a 130 grain bullet has a simular SD to a 30-06 with a 150 grain bullet. With a 150 grain bullet your getting simular results to a 180 grain 30.06 bullet.

Would this translate to simular penetration?

 

[35 Whelen]

SO I just discovered sectional density...

I was surprised to see that the 270 has such an excellent sectional density! Basically the 270 with a 130 grain bullet has a simular SD to a 30-06 with a 150 grain bullet. With a 150 grain bullet your getting simular results to a 180 grain 30.06 bullet.

Would this translate to simular penetration?

With similarly constructed bullets, yes. As bullets increase in weight and diameter however, things can change because a heavier bullet that posesses a sectional density same as a lighter, but similarly constructed bullet, will tend to penetrate more deeply due to its greater momentum.

Sectional density used to be a fairly cut and dried thing until the advent of premium bullet specifically the Barnes TSX. My father and I have killed a few bull elk with the .35 caliber, 225 gr. TSX and while it has a relatively low sectional density (.251), it possesses incredible penetrating abilities due to its tough construction and small frontal area after expansion.

35W

 

[Jim Watson]

Yes, IF the bullets were of similar construction and if the smaller .277 did not bend or break.
But that is a big IF. There are so many brands, styles, and types of construction in hunting bullets these days that you cannot generalize.

 

[Slamfire]

I talked to a guy who regularly hunted elk with a 308. To him bullet construction was very important. He had shot an elk which the bullets blew up under the hide on the near side. After that he got bullets with a stronger construction, penetrated, and he was happy.

You find a good bullet in 270 Win I don't see any reason why it would not work well.

 

[oneounceload]

When I lived on the Western Slope, in a town called Rifle, the old timers typically used .243, .270, & 30-06 for deer and elk and had been for decades

 

[Ankeny]

Yup, lots of old timers around here using .270 and '06 for elk. Don't know too many old timers that consider a .243 much of an elk gun unless it's in the hands of a woman or a kid that can't handle something bigger.

 

[Kachok]

243 would REALLY be pushing it IMHO, mind you a bullet through the vitals kills without a doubt, but when you are talking such small holes that killing might not be as quick as you would like, I would take my 270 over any 243 caliber and my 30-06 over even my magnum 270. Proper bullet construction is critical, my 165gr Serria Game King handloads that I brag on all the time while ideal for whitetail would be strained to get adequate penetration on elk class game on anything less then an ideal shot, while the TSXs that are such a penetration overkill on these deer would be right at home on a raking shot through thick bodied game or breaking heavy bone. Remember it is all one big compromise, you have to give up something in shock trauma/wound width to get deeper penetration, so the perfect deer bullet would be marginal at best on a 500lbs animal.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

im not a big 270 fan but id be the first to say theres a whole herd of elk up in heaven that were put there by good old cup and core 130 grain 270s!

 

[Pilot]

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.

^^^^^^This says it all.

 

[Sav .250]

If you stay around long enough, guys say they have killed them with a sling shot, 22 short, Air rifle, 25 cal pistol, 458 cal and the list goes on. If they haven`t done so, they always have a friend,cousin or 99 year old gran-dad who has.
All that being said, the 270 cal will do just fine. As some have noted"shot placement" is critical.
Practice. Then practice some more. You`ll be good to go.

 

[Ankeny]

I had to finish one cow for her that she punched through the shoulders.

I just noticed this comment. Thought I would mention in some states (like Wyoming) "finishing off" an animal for another hunter is a huge no-no. Be sure to check your regulations.