.270 Effective Range

[roninflag]

AZff- What size are your 5 shot groups at 500 yards??

[azffhunter]

AZff- What size are your 5 shot groups at 500 yards??

Haven't made it that far yet. I was shooting a gong at 560 yards at the range. I would say the gong is about 18" in diameter. Yesterday was the first day I sighted in with new Vortex scope. I spent the day shooting steel silhouette targets.my goal was to try out the iSnipe program and get close as far as sighting in. I like shooting silhouette because I can have several set up at different distances without having to go down range repeatedly to move target. Shooting paper is my next step. I did shoot paper at 200 yards and my groups were within 6 inches. I think most of that variation is my shooting technique. I'm definitely not ready to shoot an animal at 500 yards yet. Hopefully I will be able to get closer than 300 yards every time. Once I get to shoot paper I will post the results on here. Probably wont be for another week or so. Gotta work to pay for ammo...lol

[azffhunter]

this is my opinion and I love my 270..... have you considered a larger grain bullet for deer? different things need to be factored into that decision. for me i prefer 300 yd or less shots.

I believe i used 130 gr for pig and 150 gr for deer. there is very little to adjust in between.

i looked at different grains...my thought (inexperienced thought) was that much more than 130 grain would be overkill for Coues. My son dropped his Coues buck last year in its tracks at 250 yards with his .243 shooting a 95 grain Nosler tip. Seems like with everything else...ask 100 hunters get 100 different answers...lol. I love all the feedback on these forums just for that reason...outside perspective can be very helpful!

[hoghntr]

AZff- What size are your 5 shot groups at 500 yards??

Haven't made it that far yet. I was shooting a gong at 560 yards at the range. I would say the gong is about 18" in diameter. Yesterday was the first day I sighted in with new Vortex scope. I spent the day shooting steel silhouette targets.my goal was to try out the iSnipe program and get close as far as sighting in. I like shooting silhouette because I can have several set up at different distances without having to go down range repeatedly to move target. Shooting paper is my next step. I did shoot paper at 200 yards and my groups were within 6 inches. I think most of that variation is my shooting technique. I'm definitely not ready to shoot an animal at 500 yards yet. Hopefully I will be able to get closer than 300 yards every time. Once I get to shoot paper I will post the results on here. Probably wont be for another week or so. Gotta work to pay for ammo...lol

 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I have heard so many guys say they took a shot at long distance and not been willing to walk to make sure the animal was not wounded.. so thank you for saying you are not ready to shoot an animal at 500yards yet.. (: practice like many do not and you will be ready! i still wonder what kinda hunt a 1,000 yard shot actually provides anyways.. if not for National Security then why??? im sure somewhere in the definition of the word hunt it says to try and be within 400yards of your game. (; good luck and have fun with it!!!

[roninflag]

AZff- I have shot a lot at 500 yards in F-class competition. there is no better practice ; the 66 round matches are a Real education. for me, my 200 yard groups from a bench must be less than 2" and my 500 yard 5 shot groups must be less than 5" . granted a coues is bigger than 5" ( but way less than the 18" gong you spoke of) however you do not have a bench with you in the field.

[coues hunter]

Know these arent .270 bullets but still illustrates the difference in bullet construction. 2000-1500 fps are the minimum velocities where most bullets may fail to expand. Doesnt mean they cant kill still. Just probably wont be as quick.

[EBB]

My first Coues was in 36B 1982. The shot was from 400 yards or so and the bullet was Sierra Game Kings 130 grain. Had a solid rest and took my time, held on the top of his back and squeezed it off. Deer just stood there. Chambered another, fired with the same result. Chambered another, held just over the top and fired. No obvious reaction from the buck so I did it again. Finally he dropped. After climbing down into the canyon and back up I got to him. I could cover all 4 holes behind his shoulder with my hand, all in the vitals. I understand bullet construction has changed in the last 30 years but I went back home and pulled all of the 130 grains and reloaded them with 150's. Love my 270 but I won't ever think about longer ranges with any 130 grain again.

EBB

[Scooter]

You don't sound rifle-ignorant. You at least have some load/ballistic data to go off of. Now, that being said- unless you have the equipment to verify that what your rifle/bullet combo will accomplish, take charts from a free iPhone app for what they are... a good place to start but NEVER a good place to base your decision off of. The .270 is a fantastic deer cartridge. It shoots "flat", hits about as hard as a 30-06, and can be carried in a featherlight rifle configuration. I would say, out-of-the-box, sighted in, with average factory ammo, and a good optic the .270 is a 400 yard rifle all day. Lots of Kudos for you getting lots of practice in- and I have no doubt from the language and concern evident in your post that you will make an ethical, informed decision when the time comes and you need to squeeze off that round at your target. Good luck!

"FREE"? I'll have you know I spent a whole $10.00 on that program. For that price the info better be 100% accurate!!! Just kidding...I was pretty skeptical myself. But yesterday I shot at various distances ranging from 200-600 yards and was pretty surprised at how accurate it was. Not perfect...but I would say far more accurate than just using the mil dots. Worth the $10 anyway...lol

 

My mistake... most folks just use the free ones. I strongly distrust pretty much any digital and paper references telling me what someone else's rifle did on a windless day at sea level with zero barometric pressure and so on and so on. The only references I use are my reloading manuals, actual 3 to 5-shot groups on paper targets, a laser rangefinder, and a journal to record it all. I was thinking about adding a wind meter- but I currently just use my phone to tell me roughly what the wind/barometer is doing. 6" at 200yds is a little shaky and I know if you are this enthusiastic about it you'll greatly improve on that in the weeks leading up to your hunt. REMEMBER: record the data from your practice sessions.

[Viper]

coues hunter - "Know these arent .270 bullets but still illustrates the difference in bullet construction. 2000-1500 fps are the minimum velocities where most bullets may fail to expand. Doesnt mean they cant kill still. Just probably wont be as quick".

 

coues hunter, I am interested in the chart you posted, but it is too small to read, even after saving. Can you post the link?

Thanks

[PRDATR]

Just a question while were on the subject. Who determined 1000 ft./lbs or whatever is what it takes to kill a deer sized game? Is that what it takes to cause a bullet to expand properly?

 

Archery hunters routinely take animals with 40-60 ft/lbs. I understand that the 2 devices kill differently and that more power is better.

 

Just a question.

 

It has kind of been the rule of thumb for deer to make a humane kill. 1000ft pounds at the greatest distance in yards. Depending what and where you are shooting there are guides who will bring it up. In most of Europe it is closer to 1500 ft pounds at 100 meters to be legal for big game and usually must be at least 120gr and 6.5mm.

[azffhunter]

Ok...paper results are in!

200 yard 2.5" group

300 yard 3" group

400 yard just outside 5.5" group

500 yard 8" group

 

All shooting from the prone position with rifle resting on my pack to simulate hunting conditions. Only shot 3 rounds per group using Federal 130 grain soft point. I was pretty happy with that, but still not confident enough to shoot at an animal at 500 yards. For now I think I'll stay under 400...leaning more towards 300 as possible (of course 100 yards would be pretty nice too!).

[roninflag]

AZff- if you can achieve that 8" @ 500 in the field, i would shoot . lot of times i am unable to get closer than 400-500 on coues.

[Bryan Burkhead14]

I have a remington model 700 bdl that my dad bought me when I was 16 and I love it. I have killed both mule deer and coues with it. I shoot it a lot and feel very comfortable shooting it at long distances. The .270 is a very flat shooting gun. The longest shot I have taken with it was at 524 yards on a 3x3 coues. The .270 is my favorite deer rifle.

[PRDATR]

With a solid rest (and some practice LOL) that 500 yard group should tighten up a bit but the rest are good to go.

[reganranch]

With a solid rest (and some practice LOL) that 500 yard group should tighten up a bit but the rest are good to go.

 

+1 if you shoot ballistic tips such as Accubonds, Sciroccos, TTSX, Win Xp3's, Bergers, anything really with a boat tail will tighten those groups up azffhunter.