270 question

R

ryroru

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Hey gunnutz, kind of a weird question because I may be trying to fix something that isn't broken but... We had a really successful hunt this past weekend in which I dropped my first moose right on the spot with my 270 (yay!!!) a little high as it broke the spine and I had to put it down(not so yay) then lent the rifle to my sister who also dropped one with a very nice lung shot (yay again). But here's the question, I recovered both the bullets just under the hide on the far side meaning no exit wound, and being that there was no blood on the ground from these 2 I feel like they would've been very hard to track had they gone more than 15'. I'm using 130gr nosler ballistic tip bullets and wondering if I'm right in assuming I should move up to a 150gr bullet when hunting larger stuff like moose and elk and what bullets you who are wiser than me would suggest.

Thanks
 
9.3mauser said:
Get rid of the ballistic tips and use partitions.
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That's the solution. You're using the wrong bullet. There are more animals wounded or lost because of bad bullet choice than from bad cartridge choice. There are other bullets that will work too, but the Partition is one that has been around for many years. I would also move to heavy for caliber bullets in the .270 if I planned to use it on moose or elk.
 
rral22 said:
That's the solution. You're using the wrong bullet. There are more animals wounded or lost because of bad bullet choice than from bad cartridge choice. There are other bullets that will work too, but the Partition is one that has been around for many years. I would also move to heavy for caliber bullets in the .270 if I planned to use it on moose or elk.
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Ok cool I'll find some in the off season here and get a load made up as well as switch to 150gr
 
150 Accubonds would be a better choice in the .270... and I say that as a big fan of the Partition.
 
I understand the need of blood to track an animal, but, if the bullet stopped inside, that means it expended all of it's energy inside the target and did not go tearing through without doing much damage. If you hit it in the right spot and the bullet does not go through the animal, it will not go so far that you need to track it. The bullet expanded and used it's energy where it was supposed to. No tracking required. If it ran off, you did not hit it in the right spot.
 
Ballistic Tips are bombs. Bullet weight at 130gr is fine just use premium bullets Scirroco 2 ,Partitions,Barnes X etc.........57gr IMR4831/Fed or Win brass /mag primer. My son used 150gr Partitions on a bull moose last year and he still needed 3 rounds to lay down.54gr IMR 4831/150 gr Classic expansion 40 " penetration.Harold
 
hoytcanon said:
The Partition does come in 150 grain, but the higher BC's of the Accubond takes fuller advantage of the .270 cartridge and the Accubond is a solid bullet too.
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I do like the idea of a solid bullet I may have to pick up both and see if my rifle greatly favours one or the other
 
ryroru said:
They did work very well, but both were good shots. I'm horrible for thinking of bad what if scenarios
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A moose shot in the ass or in the jaw with a Partition or other "tough" bullet will probably be lost. A bullet that took out a moose spine and still made it out to the hide on the far side is far from a failure.

New production Ballistic Tips are not as frangible as some would have you believe. They have a fairly thick tapered jacket and do hold up as well as most cup & core bullets on the market.

Are their better bullets for moose? Damn right there are but in truth if you can wait for a proper presentation they will work as you proved with your 2 dead animals.
 
For comparison I saw 2 cow moose shot broadside through the liver at 75 yds from a 30-06 using 165 gr Speer hotcor bullets and a third moose shot broadside through the heart at 100 yds from a 30-06 using a 178 gr Hornady ELD-X bullet.

All 3 bullets were found under the hide on the far side.
 
I prefer the bullet to exit as exit holes usually leak more blood than entrance ones if tracking is required. I’ve shot two moose with a .270 and used Barnes X Bullets for both. One was moving away at an angle and the the X plowed through quite a bit of spline before exiting. No tracking required there and it proved to me that those solid bullets are tough! My favourite bullet for any big game hunting though is the Partition and the 150 weight in a .270 is legendary. I have no doubt the accubond is great too but I have no personal experience with it. I don’t used the .270 much these days but a good .270 loaded with 150 grain partitions is rarely far from being an ideal choice unless the critter wants to eat you.
 
If looking for a moose specific bullet in your .270, Penetration and bullet integrity are important. I would start with the Barnes TSX or TTSX in 130 grain, or TSX in 140 or 150. Other bullets worth considering for deep penetration on large critters are the Nosler 150 Partition and Accubond, Norma 150 Oryx, Swift A frame 150, Speer Grand Slam 150's and a few others. Ultimate accuracy and high speed/flat trajectory is nearly irrelevant when hunting moose, using a bullet that penetrates deeply even when hitting the humerus bone is much more important. Don't necessarily expect an exit wound with any .270 bullet however, they just aren't enough bullet to always get through. The shot you made would be tough on any bullet. I shot a bull elk a couple years ago with a .375H&H with Nosler 260 grain partition. Range about 130 yds. Hit in the same place as your moose, bullet went just about as far in. Found it on the far side, just under the hide.
 
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