# Question



## IDfishinUT (Aug 8, 2008)

What is y'all opinion on using .270 90 gr Sierra HPs or 100 gr speer SP for coyotes? I am thinking of using them on coyotes.


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

I'm sure they would work, probably not have very good pelts when your done but should kill one pretty good.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

That should kill em real good! 
Mike-that is what you should use to guarantee no runners after hitting them. :mrgreen:


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

Nah I use my 243 when I really want to put them down! :mrgreen:


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

mikevanwilder said:


> Nah I use my 243 when I really want to put them down! :mrgreen:


Fine, but it is easier when you can throw the sling on and grab one half of the body in one hand and the other half in the other; a lot easier on your arms. :mrgreen:


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

True!


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## Al Hansen (Sep 7, 2007)

I had a cousin that shot the 90 grner's on P-dogs and hunted deer with the same rifle. He could really shoot that thing. Made an ugly mess of a P-dog. Major damage to a yote I'm sure. No run off's. :wink:


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

I think it is a VERY VERY POOR choice! The ballistic coefficient is so bad on these bullets that any shot taken in even a slight wind would be tough to make beyond a couple hundred yards. Use a good BTHP target bullet in the range of 130-150 grains for best results with a .270 Win.


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## 10yearquest (Oct 15, 2009)

The ballistic coeffiicient ona sierra 90 grain is .195. That is pretty bad. if you get into the 100 to 110grain bullets it comes up to .3-.370 the hornady Vmax in 110 grains would be a good chioce. Personally I have witnessed a coyote hit in the chest with a .270 140 grain bullet and it ran off. The bullets energy was wasted on the hill beyond. We caught up to it about 60 yards later and it was slammed to the ground by a 60 grain partition through its guts. the pelt was ruined. Check out the bullet makers web sites to find a bullet you like. I think that you must always no matter the caliber match the bullet to the game. 
A 22 cal varmint bullet does more damage to a rabbit than a 300 grain hornady xtp out of a muzzloader. The same varmint bullet could not begin to kill an elk.
Light game like a coyote needs a light, quick expanding bullet.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

BPturkeys said:


> I think it is a VERY VERY POOR choice! The ballistic coefficient is so bad on these bullets that any shot taken in even a slight wind would be tough to make beyond a couple hundred yards. Use a good BTHP target bullet in the range of 130-150 grains for best results with a .270 Win.


I take it you have never used a varmint bullet in a 270 Winchester. I have shot many thousands of them at everything from potguts to rockchucks. They are every bit as accurate in the wind as the 22 centerfires, and much more devastating when they hit. If it weren't for the heavier recoil they would be perfect in the prairie dog fields. 
By the way, the longest shot I ever made on a potgut was over 600 yards away. With the 60 grain Sierra hollowpoint, B.C. .182. The numbers don't mean much if you know how your rifle shoots.


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## reb8600 (Sep 8, 2007)

BPturkeys said:


> I think it is a VERY VERY POOR choice! The ballistic coefficient is so bad on these bullets that any shot taken in even a slight wind would be tough to make beyond a couple hundred yards. Use a good BTHP target bullet in the range of 130-150 grains for best results with a .270 Win.


Like Loke said. It is not that bad in the wind. Also he was asking about using it on coyotes. 99 % of the coyotes I kill are called into less than 100 yds and at leaset 75% of those are less than 50 yds. That bullet in the 270 will work. It will not be fur friendly though.


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Well, not much use arguing with a guy that shoots potguts at 6 hu...hu...hundred yards. Clearly, I am not in that league. 

I do think there will be a few genuine target shooters that might raise an eyebrow or two over Loke's statement that ballistic coeffiicient don't really mean much if ya know your rifle well enough.

Loke, I 've read many of your posts in the past and you always made sense, did you just eat to much turkey or something before you wrote this one?


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

Not too much turkey. I just used to shoot a lot. I knew where my rifle shot at all sorts of ranges, and at live targets. There is an old saying, beware of the one gun man. Back then I only had one rifle. A Remington 700 ADL chambered for the 270 Winchester. I shot it at everything. My favorite load for varmints was the Hornady 110 grain hollowpoint loaded to around 3600 fps. I didn't have a chronograph back then, or a fancy range finder. Then I got my 243, and with 60 grain Sierra it shot about the same as my 270. The potgut was shot up on the Skyline Drive across a large basin. My rifle was sighted to hit 3" high at 100 yards. I held about two feet high on the first shot, and the bullet impacted about 3 feet low. So I held about three feet higher and hit next to it with the second shot. The third shot hit it. Do the math. With a 3700 fps muzzle velocity, and sighted to hit 3" high at 100 yards, the trajectory suggests that the range was substantially further than 600 yards.
You might check with some of the BPCR shooters just how accurate that a slow shooting chunk of lead can be at extended ranges. They shoot round nose bullets with BCs of less than .300 at around 1200 fps, and still manage to hit their targets. I used to shoot milk jugs with boring regularity out to 300 yards with a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum. If you know the trajectory of your load, the BC numbers don't matter. The consistency of your loads do.


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## James (Oct 7, 2007)

> The numbers don't mean much if you know how your rifle shoots.





> If you know the trajectory of your load, the BC numbers don't matter. The consistency of your loads do.


I agree Loke. The key is to shoot enough to know your rifle and where it will be at the different ranges. Fortunately we have online trajectory calculators to help us with that problem. I have known guys who taped a cheat sheet to their rifle to jog their memory.

To get back to your original question, sorry, I have never used anything smaller than 130 grains in my 270. My best guess is that those lighter bullets would be disastrous to a coyote.


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

The computer generated trajectory charts are a great help, but are not a substitute for actual shooting. They are calculated using a "standard" value for barometric pressures, temperatures, humidity, and altitude. This is why in shooting tournaments, participants are given a number (sometimes unlimited) of sighting shots. Then they can calculate the BC of their loads for those conditions and adjust their sights accordingly. Us regular hunters don't do that. We just assume that MR. PC (or Mac) knows all, and use those numbers from our ballistics program as gospel and wonder why we miss. Must be a bad scope or the barrel is fried. All good excuses.
I have not shot a coyote with a 110 grain 270 bullet, but knowing how they vaporize rock chucks and jack rabbits, I imagine they would be quite devestating. If you're not concerned about the pelt they would do a fantastic job.


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

I use my 25.06 for EVERYTHING, I have killed deer with it using both 100gr, and 117gr bullets, killed a pronghorn using 120gr bullets, and killed multiple coyotes and other varmints using 87gr bullets.(usually)

I cannot tell you how ANY grain or type of bullet will act out of a .270 as that is not one of my calibers. But I can tell you that if you hit a coyote in the face with a .257 caliber, 100gr Ballistic tip at 500 yards, it aparently cuts them in half lengthwise. Judging by the visual I got after firing anyway. It looked like somebody used a samurai sword to remove the top half from the bottom half. Didn't cross the 3 valleys that happened to be between us at the time to verify the visual, but it DESTROYED it, no question.

On the other hand, depending on what 87gr bullet I used, I either blew the dog nearly in half, or made a cute little .25 inch hole in it. Even among varmint bullets, results will vary, so you will need to find out what kind of bullets will give what kind of damage out of YOUR gun.

I have been told that the best bullet to use to eliminate pelt damage is a solid, as it will NOT expand and therefore won't blow anything up. This doesn't guarantee an instant kill though, and the tracking job might be onerous.


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## IDfishinUT (Aug 8, 2008)

Could any of you suggest a good powder to start with?


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

Which caliber?
I use H4350 (primary) and h4831 in my 25.06 for loads from 87gr varmint rounds to 120gr big game loads.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

IDfishinUT said:


> Could any of you suggest a good powder to start with?


I love H4831SC in that size cases (.25-06/270/30-06)

-DallanC


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

H4831. H4350 works with the lighter bullets as well.


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