# Which gun should I use for the future hunts?



## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Ok guys so being from Louisiana where your farthes shot is about 80 yards you didn't have to worry about which rifle to use. Now that I'm hunting in the good ol' west I want to become a marsmen!! I have a new reloading setup thanks to my Dad and I'm all set to start doing some serious shooting this summer. I'd like to know wich gun you guys would use for these hunts and what size bullet?

So here are the hunts I'm going to do this year and the guns I'm thinking of using.
I own an AR-15, .270 and a .240 Weatherby Mag.

I'm going to do a Wyoming Antelope hunt and I'm thinking I should use the .240 mag. for the flat shooting.

General rifle Elk and was thinking the .270 

General rifle deer, .240 mag.

I'm not sure which grain weight bullets to use, I'd think like an 80 grain for the Antelope in the .240 and maybe 160 grain for the Elk in the .270?

I shot my deer this past season with a 100 grain out of the .240 mag and it dropped him like a box of rocks!! 

Also I'm thinking for Elk I might need to get a bigger rifle, is a .270 big enough?
And 1 last question, what are the max ranges to put these animals down with these guns. 

Thanks guys!!


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

hoghunter011583 said:


> Ok guys so being from Louisiana where your farthes shot is about 80 yards you didn't have to worry about which rifle to use. Now that I'm hunting in the good ol' west I want to become a marsmen!! I have a new reloading setup thanks to my Dad and I'm all set to start doing some serious shooting this summer. I'd like to know wich gun you guys would use for these hunts and what size bullet?
> 
> So here are the hunts I'm going to do this year and the guns I'm thinking of using.
> I own an AR-15, .270 and a .240 Weatherby Mag.
> ...


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## bullsnot (Aug 10, 2010)

Hog I think you are on the right track.

My opinion would be use the 270 for elk. Use a heavy premium bullet. Keep your shots around 150 like Dustin said not just for the effective range of the rifle but also to ensure good shot placement.

For the rest use what ever you shoot the best. 100 gr out of your 204 would be fine for both deer and elk, then you don't have to resight the rifle. 160 gr pills out of your 270 would be deadly as well. Like I said what ever you shoot the best would be your best option.


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## Andymansavage (Sep 19, 2008)

I you are looking to become a "marsmen" the I would suggest some type of alien ray gun......if that was a typo  I would say get to know your .270 and shoot it until if feels like an extension of yourself then tote it on all your deer and elk hunts, work up loads for each.....


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

I shoot a 30-06 165 grain for Elk. My friend also uses the exact same and with a nicely placed round you will break both shoulders and drop your Elk within a resonable area to the shot. This year he shot his 4 point at almost 200yrds and the Elk was running. The Elk dropped less than 50yrds after the shot. I was going to go with a 308 but decided against it because where we hunt anything over 100yrds is rare and within 60yrds is average.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Find a good load in the 130-150 grain range for the 270 and use it for everything. I have had great results with the Barnes 130 TSX and H4831sc. The maximum range is whatever you can consistantly put all of your shots on a 6" paper plate from offhand.


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## longbow (Mar 31, 2009)

Loke said:


> Find a good load in the130-150 grain range for the 270 and use it for everything. I have had great results with the Barnes 130 TSX and H4831sc. The maximum range is whatever you can consistantly put all of your shots on a 6" paper plate from offhand.


Loke sumed it up in one simple, fell swoop.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Loke said:


> Find a good load in the 130-150 grain range for the 270 and use it for everything. I have had great results with the Barnes 130 TSX and H4831sc. The maximum range is whatever you can consistantly put all of your shots on a 6" paper plate from offhand.


Thanks!! I'll start with the load you suggest and see how it goes. As of now my offhand range is about 200 but I am going to really do a lot of shooting this summer!!

I guess I should stick to 1 gun since they are pretty close in power and both very flat shooting. I'll let my brother use me .240 and I'll get used to my .270.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

270 is one of the most versital rifles out there. I'm partial to the '06, but the 270 was the choice of famed hunter Jack O'Conner, who killed everything on four legs on this continent with it. Can't go wrong with the 270 for any hunting you'll do in Utah.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

GaryFish said:


> 270 is one of the most versital rifles out there. I'm partial to the '06, but the 270 was the choice of famed hunter Jack O'Conner, who killed everything on four legs on this continent with it. Can't go wrong with the 270 for any hunting you'll do in Utah.


That is good to know but I just worry about the range. I know it will kill an Elk inside of 150 yards but what about past that. I'm not looking to shoot them at 500 yards but I would like to be able to shoot up to about 300. Shot placement is for sure what it is all about and I"m anal about shot placement but with good shot placement what would you guys say the .270 could put down the above animals if you hit them perfect?


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## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

Hog the 270 uses the same case as the 06 just a smaller diameter. Look into reloading and develope your own loads or use one off of a cook book. You can get some power and distance from that 270. Using a quality bullet will help out a lot. 300 yards with the 270 is very attainable. I started reloading under a year ago and I have learned a lot about the rounds I reload.

If you still need a bit more power look into a 7mm or a 300 mag.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

It never ceases to amaze me that the rifle and ammunition manufactures can convince the shooting public that once they develop a new wonder magnum, that the old cartridge that has been killing all manner of game for the past 85 years will suddenly become ineffective since its muzzle velocity is an astounding 100 fps slower than their modern creation. Or maybe that extra 10 grains of bullet weight that the 7mm carries that the 270 doesn't, will somehow allow its bullets to penetrate an elk lengthwise where the minuscule 270s will simply bounce off. Your 270 Winchester will kill any animal just as dead at the same ranges as any other caliber that fires a bullet of similar sectional density, at similar velocity. With a good bullet, your rifle will be just as capable of killing an elk at 300 yards as any other suitable caliber. And the fact that recoil and muzzle blast are not as pronounced with it than with the larger cased rounds, you will be more likely to hit what you are shooting at. The fact that your ammunition will be cheaper to load, you will also get to shoot more, and more shooting makes a better shooter.


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## hoghunter011583 (Jul 21, 2008)

Thanks Loke!! I'm really glad to hear that because I love my .270 accurate is an understatment!!
I'll be doing some serious shooting this year for sure!!


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## Elkoholic8 (Jan 15, 2008)

I have killed a cow elk at 320 yards with a 140 grain factory load from Fusion ammo. 1 shot to the lungs and she was down. The bullet exited and left a nice bloody spray mark in the snow. I have also killed a bull at 40 yards, and one at 240 yards. I hit the leg bone on the 240 yards hot so that one required another round to kill him. One of the older guys I hut with has killed several elk with his .270. If you hit them where it counts, that caliber will do just fine!
As the other guys mentioned, the recoil is lighter and you will probably shoot that gun better than a 7mm or 300.


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## toymanator (Dec 29, 2010)

Loke said:


> It never ceases to amaze me that the rifle and ammunition manufactures can convince the shooting public that once they develop a new wonder magnum, that the old cartridge that has been killing all manner of game for the past 85 years will suddenly become ineffective since its muzzle velocity is an astounding 100 fps slower than their modern creation. Or maybe that extra 10 grains of bullet weight that the 7mm carries that the 270 doesn't, will somehow allow its bullets to penetrate an elk lengthwise where the minuscule 270s will simply bounce off. Your 270 Winchester will kill any animal just as dead at the same ranges as any other caliber that fires a bullet of similar sectional density, at similar velocity. With a good bullet, your rifle will be just as capable of killing an elk at 300 yards as any other suitable caliber. And the fact that recoil and muzzle blast are not as pronounced with it than with the larger cased rounds, you will be more likely to hit what you are shooting at. The fact that your ammunition will be cheaper to load, you will also get to shoot more, and more shooting makes a better shooter.


Very well said! When this debate comes up everyone always quotes Jack O Conner who hunted all over the world with a .270 winchester. If you want to understand the limits of your gun look into http://www.jack-oconnor.org/index.html He is quoted as saying the .270 will take down just about every big game animal you will hunt, with the exception of the grizzly bear. And even then he said the .270 would do the job but a bigger gun is probably a better choice. In fact the first grizz that he took was with a .270 although this wasn't planned, in his book he says something to the effect that it was the gun in his hands at the time, therefore he took the shot. He used the two pocket approach with one load in his right pocket and one load in his left depending on the shot he was going to take. I've found absolutely no difference in the effectiveness of 130-, 140-, and 150-grain bullets; the type and make of slug are a lot more important than the weight. I am a big fan of my .270 it was what I have been raised to hunt with, I would rather spend my money on more ammo than a different gun for each application. It is convenient that most of my family also hunts with a .270 so I get to try lots of different ammo. I have spent a lot of time with my .270 and am very confident in it's abilities, the rest of the time is spent focusing on my abilities.



Andymansavage said:


> I you are looking to become a "marsmen" the I would suggest some type of alien ray gun......if that was a typo I would say get to know your .270 and shoot it until if feels like an extension of yourself then tote it on all your deer and elk hunts, work up loads for each.....


I also agree with this, I spend a lot of time shooting my .22 (it is a lot cheaper to shoot a .22 than a .270) I work on my form, breathing, and all sorts of scenarios. I shoot off-hand, kneeling, on my shooting sticks etc. I also work up to where I try and find my target in my scope and accurately pull the trigger all in under 3 seconds. If I can effectively hit the kill zone (a dinner plate) in this time and at an adequate distance then I feel prepared for a hunt.


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## Kingfisher (Jul 25, 2008)

just a couple of offhand comments... i saw a young kid kill a huge bull 6X7 with a 243. he wasnt meaning to and he quickly reported it and got the ticket... and we helped the dwr haul it out... but a 120 grain bullet, 243 and a nicely placed shot took it right down. that said - good shootin will always be more important than the latest bullet or powder.

on good shootin - i too take a lot of practice with the 22's... but since i got a 17 hmr, that is really the ticket. you can still shoot pretty inexpensive but at distance - 1 to 2 hundred yards. my kid put 7 shots on a quarter with that little bugger at 100 yards. it is fun. 50 shots for about 13 bucks. only problem is - wind. with a bullet that small, any wind causes real drift... been off as much as 12 inches when it gets a bit blustery.


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## pheaz (Feb 11, 2011)

Pick that perfect load for your 270 and stick with it. The 270 in my OPINION is one the best calibers out there.


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