Snipper 77, I once thought the .270 could take anything in North America! Well, I was young back then and reading a few books on hunting, brought wants and dreams or doing the things that Mr. Jack O'Conner did with his fine .270 caliber rifle. I honestly doubt that there are very few hunters, who did what Jack did in the way of harvesting big game animals with a .270 Winchester.
However, I found out on my very first elk hunt decades ago, that there is much more to elk hunting, than aiming your rifle and firing at the intended animal. It is very important to select the proper bullet for the game animal one is trying to harvest. I used a 130 grain bullet at that time, poor choice really but I was told it would do the job hands down. I came to find out, NOT so in my case.
Today there are many very fine bullets to choose from and bullet weights of 160 grain can be found in the Nosler Partition bullets. This does wonders for penetration on big game like elk. However, it dose not turn the .270 Whinny into a .300 Win mag understand!
If you keep your yardage down to under 250 yards, you will be far more apt to succeed in harvesting your elk. Also do NOT shoot an elk, especially a mature bull on the shoulder with a .270 Winchester, as it will more than likely not penetrate as needed and you will end up losing the animal. I have been told by several guides in the past couple of decades, that more elk are lost to shoulder shots with smaller caliber rifles (cheap bullets too) than any other reason, other than just poor shooting.
However, I found out on my very first elk hunt decades ago, that there is much more to elk hunting, than aiming your rifle and firing at the intended animal. It is very important to select the proper bullet for the game animal one is trying to harvest. I used a 130 grain bullet at that time, poor choice really but I was told it would do the job hands down. I came to find out, NOT so in my case.
Today there are many very fine bullets to choose from and bullet weights of 160 grain can be found in the Nosler Partition bullets. This does wonders for penetration on big game like elk. However, it dose not turn the .270 Whinny into a .300 Win mag understand!
If you keep your yardage down to under 250 yards, you will be far more apt to succeed in harvesting your elk. Also do NOT shoot an elk, especially a mature bull on the shoulder with a .270 Winchester, as it will more than likely not penetrate as needed and you will end up losing the animal. I have been told by several guides in the past couple of decades, that more elk are lost to shoulder shots with smaller caliber rifles (cheap bullets too) than any other reason, other than just poor shooting.
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