Montana, I have a Nikon lazer 800 range finder and on my 270 tikka t3 i have a Nikon buckmaster 4.5 x 14 x 40. I have been very happy with all three.I have a 6.5 x 284 built by Sams Custom Gun Works that shoots better but it weighs 19.5 lbs and i am getting too old to carry it. My Tikka is zeroed at 100 yds, shoots a three eights inch group on good days one inch on not so good days. It drops 2" at 200, 13" at300 and 27" at 400. I have shot every factory bullet made over the last two years and thank god it likes the Rem coreloc 130 gr soft pt best. I love the seirra match king bulletts so i tried the 135 gr sie match king with imr 4831 but did not have any luck.Thats why I started this thread and from what i have learned so far I think i will start with the 130 gr sie bt although from my experience with the 6.5 x 284 howa i may try the horn 130 gr A Max. Any thoughts anyone?
270 trajectory
- Thread starter deadend
- Start date
Help Support Long Range Hunting Forum
royinidaho
Well-Known Member
deadend,
Your rifle, scope and range finder are a good combination.
The drops at range seem a bit on the steep side.
Sierra match kings don't have the best of BCs.
Give the barrel a good cleaning removing all copper residue then try some RL-22, CCI-200 primers and 130 Nosler Ballistic Tips. Start the powder weights in the low 50s, sneak up maybe 0.5gr at a time. You may be getting near max by 56 or 57 grains.
If you have no pressure problems with 60gr of IMR 4831 you should be good to "maybe" 58 of RL-22. If so, and she's accurate, those bullet drops down range will drop significantly.
Be care on the pressures though.
PS: What's this Sir stuff.
Your rifle, scope and range finder are a good combination.
The drops at range seem a bit on the steep side.
Sierra match kings don't have the best of BCs.
Give the barrel a good cleaning removing all copper residue then try some RL-22, CCI-200 primers and 130 Nosler Ballistic Tips. Start the powder weights in the low 50s, sneak up maybe 0.5gr at a time. You may be getting near max by 56 or 57 grains.
If you have no pressure problems with 60gr of IMR 4831 you should be good to "maybe" 58 of RL-22. If so, and she's accurate, those bullet drops down range will drop significantly.
Be care on the pressures though.
PS: What's this Sir stuff.
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
If I was loading LR rounds for a 270 I would start with the higher BC bullets first and work down. Hornady's are advertising slightly higher BC's than the Noslers. So I would probably start with the 150 SST and Interbond, then move to the 140's and then try the 140 Accubond. By the time you find your pet load you shold need a new barrel, but you'll be having fun
I would aslo zero my 270 @ 200 yds and take the guess work out of shots inside 300, but that's just me.
I would aslo zero my 270 @ 200 yds and take the guess work out of shots inside 300, but that's just me.
Roy, I just got it lapped by sams custom gun works and my first three shots printed 3" high at 100 yds and a 3' group. I was sick. it shot better before. the next seven shots over about one hour started settling down and the last three were dead on in a 3/8" group I guess it took that many shots to foul it after lapping and thats with factory ammo. My rifle likes the chaepest cartridge made. lucky me, huh. the drops i posted were with rem 130 gr coreloc. thats what i hunted with last year. how I will take some of this info y'all shared and get back to handloading. again, thanks to all
remingtonman_25_06
Well-Known Member
Roy
Just curious as to why you would be careful with shooting at elk from 1100- 1200 but you wouldn't hesitate to shoot at a deer.
Deer are a lot smaller target, therefor have a lot less room for margin of error. Thats the way I see it anyways. So in all reality your max range for elk should be greater then that of a deer I would think.
I know elk require a little bit more energy to kill, but still there vitals are about 2x the size of deer.
I would have no problems shooting elk from 800- 1000 with my 7 RM or 338 EDGE, but I would be hesitant on deer past 800.
Not trying to start anything, just trying to understand your side of things.
Just curious as to why you would be careful with shooting at elk from 1100- 1200 but you wouldn't hesitate to shoot at a deer.
Deer are a lot smaller target, therefor have a lot less room for margin of error. Thats the way I see it anyways. So in all reality your max range for elk should be greater then that of a deer I would think.
I know elk require a little bit more energy to kill, but still there vitals are about 2x the size of deer.
I would have no problems shooting elk from 800- 1000 with my 7 RM or 338 EDGE, but I would be hesitant on deer past 800.
Not trying to start anything, just trying to understand your side of things.
MontanaRifleman
Well-Known Member
I'm not answering for Roy, I'll let him do that, but this is how I look at it.
One rule I've learned that I *try* to follow is that one should not exceed ones limitations. I see two sets of limitations in this question. The first is the external and terminal ballistics limitations of the cartridge and load. Will the bullet get there with enough juice to do the job as it was designed? The next limitation is that of *both* the rifle and shooter to being able to put the bullet in the right place.
In other words, I may have a 50 Cal cartridge that is able to crumble an elk or deer at 2K, but if my rifle does not hold the necessary accuracy or I cant shoot it and the cartridge to it's potential, that is the limitation. Which ever is least is the overall limitation. Sooo... if I have a cartridge that can put killing power to a deer @ 1200 yds, and I have demostrated to myself that I and my rifle can consistantly put the bullet in say, a 14" disk under "X" conditions, then I can kill the deer at 1200 yds, where an elk might be a lot tougher to kill with that particular cartridge.
Does that make sense?
royinidaho
Well-Known Member
roy
just curious as to why you would be careful with shooting at elk from 1100- 1200 but you wouldn't hesitate to shoot at a deer. this would be with my 270 am and 170 class wc bullets. With the 195s i wouldn't hesitate if they would shoot in my rifle. With the extra weight and energy i'd have confidence in making a clean kill. By clean kill i mean if the elk is in a clearing, he drops in the clearing, and doesn't meander off into the dark timber for who knows how far. With the 170 bullet the preferable shot would be through the vitals and "hopefully" break down the off side shoulder. I would be hesitant to try for both shoulders and would feel pressured to make a high shoulder shot as a last resort.
deer are a lot smaller target, therefor have a lot less room for margin of error. Thats the way i see it anyways. So in all reality your max range for elk should be greater then that of a deer i would think. hitting the target vitals isn't the problem making a clean quick kill is. Additionally i feel that the 170 class bullet is a deer bullet for me in my rifle at some pretty good distances, if i coult get the deer to stand by those rocks that i've bee practicing on all summer
i know elk require a little bit more energy to kill, but still there vitals are about 2x the size of deer. again, placing a bullet in the vitals isn't the problem. However, the clean quick kill is. Even if hit in the vitals an elk can go some distance. That's the reason for "shoot till its down" thinking of some hunters. Where i hunt in idaho, if an animal goes sometimes even short distances its in another drainage.
i would have no problems shooting elk from 800- 1000 with my 7 rm or 338 edge, but i would be hesitant on deer past 800. what i hear you saying is that your concern is being confident of hitting the vitals. If i remember correctly your a young buck with legs yea long and the body to keep 'em humpin' over the hills. I on the other hand, am more than 2x your age (read silver haired old fart), 5'10" 205 lbs with a pretty shot inseam. I'm in good health except for about 5 things. I'm into fair chase and walk the miles but the post kill activities, even with a deer can be exasperating.
With my 338 rum shooting the 300 smk as you most probably do with the edge, i have no fear of reaching out and touching an elk out to 950. The resaon for that limitation is that is as far as the mil dot scope will allow hold overs and i don't trust its clicks.
not trying to start anything, just trying to understand your side of things. i under stand that you are not trying to start something and i wanted explain where i was coming from. In reality i can shoot at a muley farther than i can an elk unless its a cow as the deer is no more of a target than a rock. However, let a bull get in scope at a reasonable shooting distance and i get so durn'd excited i can't even spit straight.
123456
yes Sir Grit there is. I am lucky enough to have a world class gun smith not 2 miles from my hunt club. His name is David Sams and I told him i wanted a 500 yd deer rifle. He built me a 6.5 x 284, tested it , worked up the right load, loaded me 200 rounds and i preceded to get to know my rifle. I did load some more with his specs and it shot great. it is alot of fun to shoot because it is so heavy but thats the same reason I cannot carry it to the places I want to hunt anymore. I even had to put a limb saver on my 270 tikka, guess im a wussie. Anyway thats the story.
remingtonman_25_06
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your explanation Roy.
I understand your side of things now.
I know what you mean about the difference in shooting deer and elk to. I've shot quite a few deer and dont get near as shakey or excited as I once did. However, stick a bear or elk in front of me and things can get exciting real quick, lol.
I still feel that if your using enough cartridge and the bullet has enough to get the job done that the overall max distance should still be greater on an elk versus a deer though simply because of there size. I just know from my shooting and experience, I have a lot better chance hitting a 20" vital size elk at 1000 yards then I do hitting a 12" vital size on deer at 1000 yards.
We'll see how I do this year. I finally drew my big bull tag for a great unit up here in Oregon. It only took me 11 years to draw the dam thing, ben puttin in since I was old enough to hunt big game in Oregon, (12) and am 23 now. There is some nice 350-375 bulls that we see up there every year hunting spikes, but we rarely have a big bull tag. To top it off, most them big boys know where there safe. They dont come out of the timber all that much and when they do, there usually at least 800 yards away. Sooo, am glad we got that 338 EDGE built last year. Am gonna start practicing out to at least 1K so hopefully when Mr big presents himself, I'll be ready. I dont even plan on getting another big bull tag in Oregon, so I gotta make the best of my 9 day hunt. Will hold out for a wallhanger the first 5-6 days, then its anything with horns. I'm not gonna eat a tag I waited 11 years for, thats for sure!! The wife and I are plannin to move to Missoula, MT next summer anyways so hopefully better hunting is in the near future.
I understand your side of things now.
I know what you mean about the difference in shooting deer and elk to. I've shot quite a few deer and dont get near as shakey or excited as I once did. However, stick a bear or elk in front of me and things can get exciting real quick, lol.
I still feel that if your using enough cartridge and the bullet has enough to get the job done that the overall max distance should still be greater on an elk versus a deer though simply because of there size. I just know from my shooting and experience, I have a lot better chance hitting a 20" vital size elk at 1000 yards then I do hitting a 12" vital size on deer at 1000 yards.
We'll see how I do this year. I finally drew my big bull tag for a great unit up here in Oregon. It only took me 11 years to draw the dam thing, ben puttin in since I was old enough to hunt big game in Oregon, (12) and am 23 now. There is some nice 350-375 bulls that we see up there every year hunting spikes, but we rarely have a big bull tag. To top it off, most them big boys know where there safe. They dont come out of the timber all that much and when they do, there usually at least 800 yards away. Sooo, am glad we got that 338 EDGE built last year. Am gonna start practicing out to at least 1K so hopefully when Mr big presents himself, I'll be ready. I dont even plan on getting another big bull tag in Oregon, so I gotta make the best of my 9 day hunt. Will hold out for a wallhanger the first 5-6 days, then its anything with horns. I'm not gonna eat a tag I waited 11 years for, thats for sure!! The wife and I are plannin to move to Missoula, MT next summer anyways so hopefully better hunting is in the near future.
