270 win bullet selection

[Calvin45]

High Velocity Throat Erosion

I want to start a thread to discuss throat erosion as it relates to velocity. There has always been the thinking that the higher the velocity of a gun the faster the barrel will wear out. I think this thought comes from comparing slower cartridges to faster cartridges. Like comparing a 300...

www.longrangehunting.com

This thread is worth reading.

My opinion is no. Velocity in of it self has little or no baring on barrel life.

Our drive band design has less contact in the barrel also resulting in less wear. My opinion,.

Replying to this again…Lord willing in a month or two I plan to pull the trigger on some hammers from George's Shooting Shack, specifically the 223 grain (I think) shock hammer in .358 cal. I do plan to treat them with HBN along with the bore of my BRNO .358 Norma Magnum and see how fast we can get them hustling. Between the hammer design, the hbn benefits, and the fact that this particular rifle has a 27.75" barrel I bet we can get them to move! At Nathan Foster's recommendation I'm gonna start with hodgdon superformance (also because it's a powder i actually have more
Than a pound of on hand and don't need to find more).

I'll be sure to send @GLTaylor my findings If this actually pans out and comes to pass, er shall see haha. Feel like something always comes up but that's life, again, Lord willing!

 

[Rflshootr]

High Velocity Throat Erosion

I want to start a thread to discuss throat erosion as it relates to velocity. There has always been the thinking that the higher the velocity of a gun the faster the barrel will wear out. I think this thought comes from comparing slower cartridges to faster cartridges. Like comparing a 300...

www.longrangehunting.com

This thread is worth reading.

My opinion is no. Velocity in of it self has little or no baring on barrel life.

Our drive band design has less contact in the barrel also resulting in less wear. My opinion,.

The bullet isn't what is wearing the barrel as much as it is the powder burning. Bullets will burnish a barrel. That is why the throat wears out before the rest of the barrel. It is the amount of powder burned per shot. Any given bore size will only last for a given amount of powder. The lighter bullets and hotter your load (increased velocity) decreases barrel life. As an example, with everything else being equal, a 308 Winchester will give much longer barrel life then a 300 Win Mag or a 300 Ultra Mag. So generally speaking, shooting lighter bullets faster, because we typically use more powder with the lighter bullets to get more velocity, the throat will erode faster, and barrel will last less shots. Another example is a 223 Rem vs a 22x6mm Rem. A 223 shooting 55 grain bullets will last in excess of 2000 rounds. A 22x6mm Rem shooting the same 55 grain bullets will be toast in 700-800 rounds. It's the price you pay for performance. Now, ask me how I know.

 

[Calvin45]

The bullet isn't what is wearing the barrel. It is the amount of powder burned per shot. Any given bore size will only last for a given amount of powder. The lighter bullets and hotter your load (increased velocity) decreases barrel life. As an example, with everything else being equal, a 308 Winchester will give much longer barrel life then a 300 Win Mag or a 300 Ultra Mag. So generally speaking, shooting lighter bullets faster, because we typically use more powder with the lighter bullets to get more velocity, the throat will erode faster, and barrel will last less shots. Another example is a 223 Rem vs a 22x6mm Rem. A 223 shooting 55 grain bullets will last in excess of 2000 rounds. A 22x6mm Rem shooting the same 55 grain bullets will be toast in 700-800 rounds. It's the price you pay for performance. Now, ask me how I know.

Yeah this was well discussed in that thread for sure. The most obvious thing for me is that if high bullet velocity was the problem
You'd see more wear at the muzzle where it's going fastest but that's not what we see!

I heard the heat and pressure of burning powder described once as a 60kpsi blowtorch and that helps clarify things real fast.

 

[Teri Anne]

Hello all I'm in process of working up and good load in my late grandfather 270 win that he gave to me and I'm wouldn't about what bullets to use this will be for deer from up close say 15 to 20 yards out to maybe 300 maybe more just depends. I have everything from 130 gr bullets to 150 gr bullets. What makes me hesitant about what bullets to use is in the past with any 270 I've used and people I know have used is for some reason behind shoulder shots result in no expansion and bullets go straight through and I've personally helped track more deer that had been shot with 270 and never found at anything 100 yards and in and this has been my experience more with 270 than any other cartridge. I would like to use 130 gr partition or hammer bullets of some type. What have yall had good luck with from up close to far in 270 with behind shoulder shots? Thanks

You are asking a lot. A bullet leaving the barrel of a 270 at over 3000 fps at 15 or 20 yards, pretty much will zip through a deer before it even knows it's there. Asking it to expand before exit is asking a bit much. The chances of even a 30-30 blowing through a deer at that range is excellent. It doesn't really matter what cartridge or what bullet is in the cartridge at such short range it's not going to be able to do much in the way of expansion. I have been shooting a variety of different cartridges, mostly those derived from the 30-06, the .243, .270. .308 as well as the 30-06. I stick to these cartridges simply because, despite the current ammo shortages they are still available pretty much everywhere due to their popularity and I have been pretty successful at reloading because components were available. Last year I was hunting with my .270 using Federal Premium 130 gr Nosler Partition ammo. I shot a buck at 110 yards and yes the bullet went in one side and came out the other. It hit the deer travelling around 2800 FPS, which is still darn fast. The bullet did do an entrance and exit the other side however the exit hole was the size of my fist. I don't have any idea how far the deer might have ran since it dropped in place and never moved, but if it had there would have been a good blood trail and probably not more than 50 to 100 yards.

Over the years; and there have been many years hunting, that a lot of hunters suffer from the, "Bigger is better," syndrome. Shooting a deer with a bullet designed for Elk, Moose or big bears is bound to result in poor expansion at any range. Tune the rifle, the cartridge as well as bullet to the game you are hunting and your success as well as bullet performance will shine.

Many years ago I was in a gun shop buying a new Winchester Model 70 in 30-06. While I was there another hunter came in and wanted to trade in his Remington 700 which coincidentally was chambered in 30-06 for a 458 Winchester Magnum. His story was that he shot at and hit a big buck and the deer ran and kept running despite being hit with the 30-06. His thoughts were that the 30-06 was not big enough for big deer and wanted something bigger that would put a big deer down. Need I say more?

Now let's talk about the big one that got away. If the bullet had hit the deer where it was supposed to, it would have penetrated the heart and lungs. No Deer, Elk, Moose or Bear is going to go very far with their heart and lungs with holes in them, which will happen regardless of the round fired if the shot is placed properly, even if the bullet does not expand at all. This is how people who insist on hunting deer with a .223 or 5.56 kill the deer. Its not due to massive shock, it's simply because the bullet destroyed the organs that keep the deer alive. Will a deer hit by a .223 drop in place, probably not. Will they run and die shortly after being hit in the bread basket? Most probably wont make it beyond 40 or 50 yards. Anyone that claims they hit the deer, or for that matter any other animal and it ran for miles simply did not hit it where it counted.

The moral of the story here is choose the rifle and the ammo to the game you are hunting and make sure you hit that animal where it counts.

 

[Calvin45]

You are asking a lot. A bullet leaving the barrel of a 270 at over 3000 fps at 15 or 20 yards, pretty much will zip through a deer before it even knows it's there. Asking it to expand before exit is asking a bit much. The chances of even a 30-30 blowing through a deer at that range is excellent. It doesn't really matter what cartridge or what bullet is in the cartridge at such short range it's not going to be able to do much in the way of expansion. I have been shooting a variety of different cartridges, mostly those derived from the 30-06, the .243, .270. .308 as well as the 30-06. I stick to these cartridges simply because, despite the current ammo shortages they are still available pretty much everywhere due to their popularity and I have been pretty successful at reloading because components were available. Last year I was hunting with my .270 using Federal Premium 130 gr Nosler Partition ammo. I shot a buck at 110 yards and yes the bullet went in one side and came out the other. It hit the deer travelling around 2800 FPS, which is still darn fast. The bullet did do an entrance and exit the other side however the exit hole was the size of my fist. I don't have any idea how far the deer might have ran since it dropped in place and never moved, but if it had there would have been a good blood trail and probably not more than 50 to 100 yards.

Over the years; and there have been many years hunting, that a lot of hunters suffer from the, "Bigger is better," syndrome. Shooting a deer with a bullet designed for Elk, Moose or big bears is bound to result in poor expansion at any range. Tune the rifle, the cartridge as well as bullet to the game you are hunting and your success as well as bullet performance will shine.

Many years ago I was in a gun shop buying a new Winchester Model 70 in 30-06. While I was there another hunter came in and wanted to trade in his Remington 700 which coincidentally was chambered in 30-06 for a 458 Winchester Magnum. His story was that he shot at and hit a big buck and the deer ran and kept running despite being hit with the 30-06. His thoughts were that the 30-06 was not big enough for big deer and wanted something bigger that would put a big deer down. Need I say more?

Now let's talk about the big one that got away. If the bullet had hit the deer where it was supposed to, it would have penetrated the heart and lungs. No Deer, Elk, Moose or Bear is going to go very far with their heart and lungs with holes in them, which will happen regardless of the round fired if the shot is placed properly, even if the bullet does not expand at all. This is how people who insist on hunting deer with a .223 or 5.56 kill the deer. Its not due to massive shock, it's simply because the bullet destroyed the organs that keep the deer alive. Will a deer hit by a .223 drop in place, probably not. Will they run and die shortly after being hit in the bread basket? Most probably wont make it beyond 40 or 50 yards. Anyone that claims they hit the deer, or for that matter any other animal and it ran for miles simply did not hit it where it counted.

The moral of the story here is choose the rifle and the ammo to the game you are hunting and make sure you hit that animal where it counts.

I'm confused. Are you suggesting that bullets going faster (close range) expand LESS? Ill simply say that's certainly never been my experience (and a few posts up I mention a 4050 fps 300 win mag load…I've taken a deer at fairly close range with that…suffice
To say it did not just zip through . Is this like that "dwell time" theory I've heard about?

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Hello all I'm in process of working up and good load in my late grandfather 270 win that he gave to me and I'm wouldn't about what bullets to use this will be for deer from up close say 15 to 20 yards out to maybe 300 maybe more just depends. I have everything from 130 gr bullets to 150 gr bullets. What makes me hesitant about what bullets to use is in the past with any 270 I've used and people I know have used is for some reason behind shoulder shots result in no expansion and bullets go straight through and I've personally helped track more deer that had been shot with 270 and never found at anything 100 yards and in and this has been my experience more with 270 than any other cartridge. I would like to use 130 gr partition or hammer bullets of some type. What have yall had good luck with from up close to far in 270 with behind shoulder shots? Thanks

Sam hope all is well with you and your family. You have many good responses. The 270 Win is a great hunting cartridge.
if I remember correctly Craig Boddington stated that the .270 Win was his favorite cartridge.
We don't have experience with solids, but you can't go wrong with 130gr, 140 gr AB or 130 gr, 150 gr SGK. We switched to a .270 wsm maybe 15+ years ago and have good results with both the ABs and SGK.
Good luck
Len and Jill

 

[Rflshootr]

A few 270 related questions related to bullet selection-
Does barrel life in general decrease with these higher velocities (say, above 3K)? I understand that increased heat and pressure causes faster erosion.
Also, what is the expected barrel life of an average 270 rifle such as Rem, Tikka, Browning, etc. shooting standard factory copper/lead ammo?
Do mono bullets such as Barnes, Hammer, or Hornady decrease barrel life vs. cup and core bullets?

To answer your question more directly.....if you are using a higher powder charge with monos over cup and core, then yes.

 

[Rflshootr]

You are asking a lot. A bullet leaving the barrel of a 270 at over 3000 fps at 15 or 20 yards, pretty much will zip through a deer before it even knows it's there. Asking it to expand before exit is asking a bit much. The chances of even a 30-30 blowing through a deer at that range is excellent. It doesn't really matter what cartridge or what bullet is in the cartridge at such short range it's not going to be able to do much in the way of expansion. I have been shooting a variety of different cartridges, mostly those derived from the 30-06, the .243, .270. .308 as well as the 30-06. I stick to these cartridges simply because, despite the current ammo shortages they are still available pretty much everywhere due to their popularity and I have been pretty successful at reloading because components were available. Last year I was hunting with my .270 using Federal Premium 130 gr Nosler Partition ammo. I shot a buck at 110 yards and yes the bullet went in one side and came out the other. It hit the deer travelling around 2800 FPS, which is still darn fast. The bullet did do an entrance and exit the other side however the exit hole was the size of my fist. I don't have any idea how far the deer might have ran since it dropped in place and never moved, but if it had there would have been a good blood trail and probably not more than 50 to 100 yards.

Over the years; and there have been many years hunting, that a lot of hunters suffer from the, "Bigger is better," syndrome. Shooting a deer with a bullet designed for Elk, Moose or big bears is bound to result in poor expansion at any range. Tune the rifle, the cartridge as well as bullet to the game you are hunting and your success as well as bullet performance will shine.

Many years ago I was in a gun shop buying a new Winchester Model 70 in 30-06. While I was there another hunter came in and wanted to trade in his Remington 700 which coincidentally was chambered in 30-06 for a 458 Winchester Magnum. His story was that he shot at and hit a big buck and the deer ran and kept running despite being hit with the 30-06. His thoughts were that the 30-06 was not big enough for big deer and wanted something bigger that would put a big deer down. Need I say more?

Now let's talk about the big one that got away. If the bullet had hit the deer where it was supposed to, it would have penetrated the heart and lungs. No Deer, Elk, Moose or Bear is going to go very far with their heart and lungs with holes in them, which will happen regardless of the round fired if the shot is placed properly, even if the bullet does not expand at all. This is how people who insist on hunting deer with a .223 or 5.56 kill the deer. Its not due to massive shock, it's simply because the bullet destroyed the organs that keep the deer alive. Will a deer hit by a .223 drop in place, probably not. Will they run and die shortly after being hit in the bread basket? Most probably wont make it beyond 40 or 50 yards. Anyone that claims they hit the deer, or for that matter any other animal and it ran for miles simply did not hit it where it counted.

The moral of the story here is choose the rifle and the ammo to the game you are hunting and make sure you hit that animal where it counts.

So did you wind up with a used model 700 or a new model 70?

 

[Fl cracker]

I am a heretic. I like the 150gr stuff in my 270. If you want an exit wound, Swift or Nosler will do you right. If you are a believer in all energy expended in the cavity, Hornady has some options like SST or the Nosler BT.

I agree 100 percent i shoot 150 partitions or swift a frame myself

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

Sam hope all is well with you and your family. You have many good responses. The 270 Win is a great hunting cartridge.
if I remember correctly Craig Boddington stated that the .270 Win was his favorite cartridge.
We don't have experience with solids, but you can't go wrong with 130gr, 140 gr AB or 130 gr, 150 gr SGK. We switched to a .270 wsm maybe 15+ years ago and have good results with both the ABs and SGK.
Good luck
Len and Jill

Thank you and hope all is well with you and your family as well

 

[SamuelBerryhill308]

I see alot of people using nolsler Accubonds I would like to try some of thoses and some 130 gr ballistic tips as well but I've not been able to find any in along time

 

[RockyMtnMT]

You are asking a lot. A bullet leaving the barrel of a 270 at over 3000 fps at 15 or 20 yards, pretty much will zip through a deer before it even knows it's there. Asking it to expand before exit is asking a bit much. The chances of even a 30-30 blowing through a deer at that range is excellent. It doesn't really matter what cartridge or what bullet is in the cartridge at such short range it's not going to be able to do much in the way of expansion. I have been shooting a variety of different cartridges, mostly those derived from the 30-06, the .243, .270. .308 as well as the 30-06. I stick to these cartridges simply because, despite the current ammo shortages they are still available pretty much everywhere due to their popularity and I have been pretty successful at reloading because components were available. Last year I was hunting with my .270 using Federal Premium 130 gr Nosler Partition ammo. I shot a buck at 110 yards and yes the bullet went in one side and came out the other. It hit the deer travelling around 2800 FPS, which is still darn fast. The bullet did do an entrance and exit the other side however the exit hole was the size of my fist. I don't have any idea how far the deer might have ran since it dropped in place and never moved, but if it had there would have been a good blood trail and probably not more than 50 to 100 yards.

Over the years; and there have been many years hunting, that a lot of hunters suffer from the, "Bigger is better," syndrome. Shooting a deer with a bullet designed for Elk, Moose or big bears is bound to result in poor expansion at any range. Tune the rifle, the cartridge as well as bullet to the game you are hunting and your success as well as bullet performance will shine.

Many years ago I was in a gun shop buying a new Winchester Model 70 in 30-06. While I was there another hunter came in and wanted to trade in his Remington 700 which coincidentally was chambered in 30-06 for a 458 Winchester Magnum. His story was that he shot at and hit a big buck and the deer ran and kept running despite being hit with the 30-06. His thoughts were that the 30-06 was not big enough for big deer and wanted something bigger that would put a big deer down. Need I say more?

Now let's talk about the big one that got away. If the bullet had hit the deer where it was supposed to, it would have penetrated the heart and lungs. No Deer, Elk, Moose or Bear is going to go very far with their heart and lungs with holes in them, which will happen regardless of the round fired if the shot is placed properly, even if the bullet does not expand at all. This is how people who insist on hunting deer with a .223 or 5.56 kill the deer. Its not due to massive shock, it's simply because the bullet destroyed the organs that keep the deer alive. Will a deer hit by a .223 drop in place, probably not. Will they run and die shortly after being hit in the bread basket? Most probably wont make it beyond 40 or 50 yards. Anyone that claims they hit the deer, or for that matter any other animal and it ran for miles simply did not hit it where it counted.

The moral of the story here is choose the rifle and the ammo to the game you are hunting and make sure you hit that animal where it counts.

No bullet expands more rapidly at lower velocity than it does at higher velocity. Diff bullets will expand diff at diff velocities. If a particular bullet takes 6" to expand at high velocity it will take more inches of penetration at lower velocity to expand, if it does at all.

 

[jmaars]

My old pet 270 load that never failed was hornady 140 gr BTSP #2735 W/55.7 gr 4831 doing 2900 fps. Best I ever had. would load it again if I was shooting my old 270 today.

 

[Calvin45]

Man I'm wondering if I have one of those mythical "fast barrels" in my savage 111 package gun from when I was 14 haha. It's only a 22 inch barrel and I keep seeing people posting pet loads that do not break 3000 fps. I've never struggled to get plain cup and core 140s to 3100 or 130s to 3200, no pressure issues. It does an honest .75-1.5 inches with anything I feed it as well. Not elr accurate but general purpose hunting accurate by a lot, which is how I use this rifle.