What is the farthest you would shoot a .270 at elk??

[drgonzales]

I have been shooting a .243 all of my life and looking to get a new rifle. I really like the .270 and am wondering what kind of knock down power it has on bigger animals like elk. The country we hunt in you either get them at 40 yds or 400yds and most of the time you only get 1 shot.

[DUG]

My BAR .270 Winchester has shot 10 elk since 1992. 5 bulls 5 cows. Longest shot was about 325 yds. Didn't go more than 100 yds. I would say with proper shot placement and the right bullet 400 yds.would be the most I would shoot at one. If you want a little more ooomph get the .270WSM.

[billrquimby]

My BAR .270 Winchester has shot 10 elk since 1992. 5 bulls 5 cows. Longest shot was about 325 yds. Didn't go more than 100 yds. I would say with proper shot placement and the right bullet 400 yds.would be the most I would shoot at one. If you want a little more ooomph get the .270WSM.

 

 

400 yards max with either .270 Win Mag or .270WSM. For more "oomph" at long distances try something that shoots heavier bullets.

 

Bill Q

[scout4u]

That all depends on the bullet and the terrain. I have taken elk out to 400yrds with my .270 but most of my shots have been 200-300 yrds.. If u shot out to 400yrds make sure u have GREAT placement or they will run 4ever (learned the hardway)

[DEERSLAM]

I agree with Bill and eyeguards, keep it under 400yds. Use a well consructed bullet and don't take marginal shots. Bullet placement is everything but at 400yds I would be reluctant to take a quartering towards me shot for example.

[az4life]

Whatever distance you decide is YOUR max, be sure that you have practiced and are confident with it.

 

Just cuz a few of us say we would take a shot at 250 and another few may say 500, it means nothing. Weather conditions, terrain, elevation and access to a suitable gun rest time of day, day of hunt, size of Bull, all will affect Your suitable maximum.

 

I know we have a few "Quigleys" on the board but I aint one of em. All things being perfect, my # would be 350-400 max but I would always try to get closer.

 

Jus My .02 worth

[drgonzales]

What about a .308 or 30-06??? I don't want a heavy rifle or one that is gonna knock the crap out of me every time I shoot. My dad has shot a Model 99 Winchester lever action .308 his whole life and I has shot a number of bulls with it.

[AzBuckCHaser1]

308 is a good elk round buddy of mine shot a bull last year ran about 40yrds

[DEERSLAM]

What about a .308 or 30-06??? I don't want a heavy rifle or one that is gonna knock the crap out of me every time I shoot. My dad has shot a Model 99 Winchester lever action .308 his whole life and I has shot a number of bulls with it.

 

 

Both are a better choice for elk.

[billrquimby]

A .270 with 130- or 150-grain bullets will kill any elk that walks at reasonable distances (and so will your .243).

 

However, if you must shoot one at distances past four football fields, I suggest something that shoots heavier bullets and yields greater energy than a .243 or .270, or even a .308 or .30-06.

 

Bullet weight is one factor in retaining sufficient energy (another is velocity) at long distances.

 

If you must bang away past 400 yards, get something like a .300 Win Mag, .300 Weatherby, .338 Win Mag, or even a .375 H&H. Just remember, bullets start slowing down and dropping as soon as they leave the muzzle. Study the ballistic charts for your caliber and shoot accordingly. A rangefinder would be of great help.

 

There's still the factor of wind deflection, and it's a big thing at 400 yards and beyond, even with heavy bullets.

 

Bill Quimby

[love2hunt]

What about a .308 or 30-06??? I don't want a heavy rifle or one that is gonna knock the crap out of me every time I shoot. My dad has shot a Model 99 Winchester lever action .308 his whole life and I has shot a number of bulls with it.

 

 

Look into the new 338 federal. New to me anyway. There was a short article in the last NRA American Hunter mag, they had good things to say about it. Specifically that it came close to 300 win mag trajectory without the magnum kick.

[az4life]

The Ballistics for the newer Light Magnum rounds are actually quite impressive. Look into one of these if you have to plan to shoot farther than 300.

[singleshot]

I also liked the stats on the new 338 federal. For an all around rifle the 30-06 is hard to beat especially if you handload. You can buy bullets from the 55 grain accelerator to 220 grain swift A frames. Another nice thing about the 30-06 is the millitary surplus ammo available at very reasonable prices. You wouldn't want to hunt elk with it but you could get familiar with your rifle quickly on a budget.

One more plug for the ought six, you can walk into any sporting goods store in america, and a lot of gas stations and convenience stores and pick up a box of shells. Right along with a package of Ho- Ho's and a tub of dilly's.

[More D]

Remember that our rifles will shoot BETTER than we do, accuracy wise. The practice and range time will tell you your max range for what ever caliber you chose north of .243. That said there a hand full of 400+ yard shooters and as Az4life said I aint one of them. An example of that is me two seasons ago. The practice and range time I spent the summer and time leading up the the Oct hunt had "graduated" me to the 400 yard max range for me, assuming conditions were right.

Now if I hunted today I would be hard pressed to shoot at a deer at the 200 yard mark. Why? I haven't practiced.

 

I working on that today. The range in 3 points is calling for me. The coyotes are hollering for me too!

 

 

 

 

Single shots reply is the reason why I went with the '06 over the 7 Rem mag.

 

 

 

[drgonzales]

Thanks for the responses. Nice hearing what everyone has to say. I have always archery hunted elk but never rifle.

 

One more vote for the .308, though. My dad shot this bull about 4 years ago what we thought was about 450 yards and all of us were pretty impressed with him and the rifle, not that it was unusual for my dad, he is a great shot. We spotted 8 bulls on a hillside on the Nov. hunt, my dad slid off the saddle of his mule, swung up and shot. The bull was dead before he hit the ground. Nice 6x6, about 340 inches, actually all of them were nice bulls. Last year he drew the same tag and we were glassing the same hillside but since then I had purchased a rangefinder. I took it out and was messing with it and I ranged exactly the point he was standing to where the bull was and it ranged at 612 yards. I thought my range finder was off or broken so I verified it with my cousins the next day and sure enough, well, his said 610. All those years who knows how far we've been shooting. My dad has killed about 5 bulls with that .308 and none of them closer than 300 yds and only 1 of them took about 10 steps before he fell over dead, the others dropped in their tracks.

 

Nice bulls, all of them 6x6's. He went back to camp and Me and my brother packed out all of them.

 

By the way my dad shoots through a $25 - 4 power tasco scope he bought from Yellow Front about 20 years ago. I have a nicer one on my BB gun. Pretty funny.