little barrel help

[aznative]

Hello everyone
In AZ we got a combo tag where you can take both Mule deer or Coues whitetail, I have hunted mule deer for years but I dont think I have ever shot 1 over 350 yards at the most. I have done just fine with my 270 win. I am thinking of a new barrel of 24 inches with a 1and 8 twist instead of the 1 and 10 that it has now.I have been researching hunting Coues deer and it seems they are taking them with longer shots in the 600 to 700 yard range
thanks in advance for any help

 

[BoomFlop]

You didn't ask a question, so I'm not sure what help you are seeking?

Do you handload your own ammunition? If not, there would be no point of the fast twist as all 270 Win factory ammo won't take advantage of the fast twist.

What distance are you comfortable making a shot at? The difference between 350 and 700 is pretty drastic.

Steve

 

[aznative]

I dont reload ,but I have a friend that does,my thought was with the faster barrel and 2 inches longer than the factory barrel ,might give me a little more advantage with the hand loads

 

[Idaho Lefty]

Try the 1-8.3 Twist, Brux, .270 Barrel IF, wanting to use 165 -170 grain Bullets and,.. YES,. @ 24 - 25 inches !
Might also look at, the Very accurate, 130 gr. HVLD's or, 140 gr. Classic Hunter, BERGERS in, a 1-10 Twist at, 3,000 + FPS ( Plenty for, Deer ).
I have shot, 5 inch Groups at, 700 Yards with, the 140's out of my .270 WSM, WHEN,.. NOT too, Windy !
Bullet and Rifle, Accuracy and your Wind Reading skills, "Trump" everything else when, shooting at, those longer, Ranges especially at, the smaller Deer sized Game.

 

[azsugarbear]

Making shots at 600-700 yds. is a serious step up. Your current rig has the ability to reliably take deer at that range with 130-140 grain bullets. I am assuming your current accuracy is acceptable. The first requirement to hitting at 600-700 yards is not a heavy-for-caliber bullet (read faster twist barrel), but rather a quality scope that will dial up to that range and then return to its original zero with 100% repeatability. Additionally, you will need a reliable range finder with some kind of ballistics calculator to provide you with your dialing solution. Get these two things and your current 270 Win will kill deer at that range. Then you can start worrying about more speed (read magnum cartridges) and faster twist barrels.

If you are going with a new custom barrel in order to get a faster twist, it will run you about $700-$800 dollars. If you are going that route, then why stick with the 270 Win? For the same amount of money, you could buy a new Tikka in a magnum cartridge such as 270 WSM, 7mm Mag, 300 WSM or 300 WM. Any of those would give you a better LR advantage through faster speed. Plus, future barrel swaps are easy and prefit barrels are less expensive than going through a gunsmith. And they even come in faster twists.

 

[Teri Anne]

I am not even going to get into the discussion of which bullet is better or trying to shoot a deer size animal out to 700 yards. Everyone has their favorite bullets and as long as they work for them and makes them happy then no sense discussing which is best simply because until you shoot that bullet out of your rifle how it will perform accuracy wise is one of the great unknowns of the universe. As far as the longer barrel being an advantage as long as you are not trying to haul it through heavy brush it will maybe give you a few more feet per second out of a given round but it will definitely give you the advantage of powder burning longer in the barrel increasing the velocity slightly before the bullet leaves on it's journey to the target. When un-burned powder leaves the barrel all it does is leave a big old muzzle flash coming out of the barrel. Muzzle flash does nothing to improve anything except give away your position. Ideally you want all or most of the powder to burn in the confines of the barrel. Try shooting your rifle just before sunset when the outdoor light is waning, or better yet have your buddy shoot it while you stand safely off to the side and see how much of a flash there is when the rifle discharges. If there is a large flame that comes out of the end of the barrel it's time to rethink your load, either less powder or something faster burning. Good luck and good hunting.

 

[memtb]

A .277"…..that is pretty "little"!

A 1 in 8" would give you the opportunity to take advantage of some of the newer heavy, high bc bullets…..as well as the heavier monos! memtb

 

[lancetkenyon]

AZ native here too.

Compared to mulies, Coues are TINY.
If you are really set on another .270Win, the 140-150 is actually plenty for 700 yard Coues hunting. And a 1:10" is enough to spin them. Unless you are looking for a reason to rebarrel. Then, I would go 1:8", and plan to run the 165 NABLR, 170 Elite (my choice), or 175 Sierra TMK.

If you don't hunt elk with your rifle, I would suggest a caliber swap. Since you don't handload though, it is hard to make that suggestion. But, if you are willing to buy new custom dies, with a Standard bolt face, I would look at the 6.5 Sherman. You won't get headstamped brass, so don't plan to take it to Mexico. But put a 1:7.5" twist 6.5mm barrel on, run a 140 (at 3200fps+) to 156 (3050fps+), and watch the magic happen. I have a buddy who pushes a 140 Elite at 3300+ in his 26".

I hate to say this....you could leave the .270 as is, and buy a 6.5CM. Or a .260 Rem. Run a 130 @ 2900 or a 140 @ 2750, and 700 is easily doable. My daughter just shot her pronghorn yesterday at 771 yards with a 6.5SLR (similar to a .260 Rem) w a 130 OTM @ 2920 from a 22" barrel. Trust me, those 130 OTMs are bad medicine on Coues/pronghorn/mule deer sized animals. Hers has taken pronghorn at 260, 331, 381, 391, and 771, and Mule deer at 454, 532, and 637.

 

[JAYgs8163]

Most of the time you can move into position and reduce that range down a few hundred yards. Just because you see them at 600-700 yards doesn't mean you need to shoot them at that distance. Sometimes yes, most of the time no! Your 270 will do everything you need it to. Longest Coues shot for us is 691with a 308 and 168 AMax. I agree with Lance, the amount you'd spend putting a new barrel on your rig will probably cost more than a decent new rifle. Unless you're going custom! I've seen some nice used 6.5 rigs for sale here in the classifieds lately. Creedmoors, 6.5-284 Norma, etc….

 

[sable tireur]

I have been researching hunting Coues deer and it seems they are taking them with longer shots in the 600 to 700 yard range
thanks in advance for any help

Not too hard to spot but most hunters accept the longer shots rather than trying to hunt closer. This is still hunting not just shooting.

I'm not a shooter of anything .270 but I did build a .270 WSM which I use on rare occasions. So stick with what you know or step up/down to another cartridge with the best designed bullet for the task.

I hunt Coues deer in southern AZ using a .240 Weatherby Mag. Not really a magnum more like a 6mm-06 with a belt. I can cover the 600 yard range but not much further. Trying to get closer is always the best method.

Always study the terrain in the Unit where you will be hunting. There is some variety but it can be more difficult hunting than you might be used to. Pre-season scouting can provide a necessary library of the terrain and prepare you for getting in shape if you still have time.

Good binoculars and a spotting scope are a great idea although you can skip the spotting scope. A good, light tripod can be especially useful for stability. You will be scanning more than walking sometimes..

Here is a decent article with pictures of the terrain:

https://www.gohunt.com/content/skills/glassing/how-to-pick-apart-the-arizona-terrain-for-deer

There are a couple of dozen possible cartridges which will accomplish what you want. Besides my .240 WBY, I will taking the 6.5 Weatherby RPM as my backup rifle.

Enjoy your project. It will be an exciting process of discovery!

 

[mnoland30]

Sabletireur, I believe that picture is of mule deer. Coues deer don't show much white on the butt unless their tails are up, and their legs are usually the same color as their body. That is why they're called gray ghosts. That deer in the front would be a record book Coues.

Coues deer tend to hang out in the thick stuff. Shooting across a canyon is definitely easier that trying to sneak up on them. They'll wait until you are on the other side of the juniper tree to jump, and by the time you're around the tree, they be behind another tree and running. On a cold morning, they'll be out in the sun.

I find the Air Force or Marine digital camo is the best for that open country. I've even used the chocolat chip pattern. If you're wearing dark woods camo, you'll stand out like you were wearing black. The cotton canvas pants will help with the catclaws and ocotillo. The modern (expensive) camo doesn't like those thorns, and doesn't stop them from penetrating.

When I moved to AZ, no one told me that the mulies hang out in the low country, and the Coues deer are up higher. I had a muley tag and kept seeing whitetails. A .243 or 6.5 would be ideal for Coues or mulies. I killed 8 or so with my .270, but never at long range. Back then I thought 200 yards was long range. Coues are small. I saw one at 200 yards and thought it was way further (before I had a rangefinder), so I shot over its back. If it is windy, look for bucks just below the top of the hill on the lee side.

One more thing. The best way to walk through shin daggers is to step right in the middle. I finally put soccer shin guards inside my socks to keep from picking the festering points out of my shins for a week after the hunt. Good luck.

 

[Slick8]

Lots and lots of options here including continuing to shoot your 270 as is.

I'm never one to discourage someone from adding a custom barrel to a rifle but will warn you that it's addictive.

I'd recommend a fast twist 280AI or sherman. Imo it gets the most from a standard cartridge. It can be loaded from 140-180 grains and will perform very well with a 24 inch barrel. That makes a great long range deer / elk round. You can do most of that with a 270 but you have a much better bullet selection with the 7mm.

 

[FEENIX]

What distance are you comfortable making a shot at? The difference between 350 and 700 is pretty drastic.

Steve

This! And it does not happen overnight.

 

[sable tireur]

Sabletireur, I believe that picture is of mule deer. Coues deer don't show much white on the butt unless their tails are up, and their legs are usually the same color as their body. That is why they're called gray ghosts. That deer in the front would be a record book Coues.

Thank you for your kind observation. The photo is from the article I provided a link for about terrain. I didn't want to borrow all of the illustrations so I posted the link instead. Had you used the link you would have understood the reasoning. And yes, I'm well aware of the term 'gray ghost'. And yes again, my first Coues deer was across a canyon. It made for a long day but the weather was nice.

Have a great day!