Anyone using the .270 WSM for varmints?

Just using your deer load might be your best guess. A couple of points in favor of a faster lighter bullet are that you can pinch down your midrange trajectory a bit on shorter ranges and perhaps avoid shooting over a few. Another is that those frangible varmint bullets are apt to blow up when hitting the ground, minimizing ricochets. Sure you still have to know whats beyond your target, but there's some piece of mind if the bullet isn't going anywhere past first contact.
 
I hope you mean coyotes and not smaller varmint lol. It's even way too much for coyotes in my opinion. Your gonna blow a huge hole in the pelt. If you don't care then ya go nuts. Anything smaller they're may be no animal left to find after you shoot it lol
 
Are you wanting to save pelts? If so I don't think it is possible with the 270wsm. They are small bodied thin skinned animals, think like a milk jug at 150-200 yards it blows it up. There small bodies can't handle all that force hitting them. I have shot many coyotes at different ranges with my 300wsm with different types of bullets and never once did I have one worth skinning out. But it will DRT them. Just my opinion.
Cheers
Muckwa
 
Dogleg said:
Just using your deer load might be your best guess. A couple of points in favor of a faster lighter bullet are that you can pinch down your midrange trajectory a bit on shorter ranges and perhaps avoid shooting over a few. Another is that those frangible varmint bullets are apt to blow up when hitting the ground, minimizing ricochets. Sure you still have to know whats beyond your target, but there's some piece of mind if the bullet isn't going anywhere past first contact.
Click to expand...

That's a good point, Dogleg.

Last year my hunting buddies and I spooked a pack of coyotes while rabbit hunting (or rather they spooked us when they began to howl). This was near a bison farm and we were reminded not to hit any of the bison when we were given permission to hunt by the owner.

I had my lever with me in case we saw any yotes so definitely would have to make sure of my background before shooting.
 
Chago said:
I hope you mean coyotes and not smaller varmint lol. It's even way too much for coyotes in my opinion. Your gonna blow a huge hole in the pelt. If you don't care then ya go nuts. Anything smaller they're may be no animal left to find after you shoot it lol
Click to expand...

muckwa said:
Are you wanting to save pelts? If so I don't think it is possible with the 270wsm. They are small bodied thin skinned animals, think like a milk jug at 150-200 yards it blows it up. There small bodies can't handle all that force hitting them. I have shot many coyotes at different ranges with my 300wsm with different types of bullets and never once did I have one worth skinning out. But it will DRT them. Just my opinion.
Cheers
Muckwa
Click to expand...

My intention is threefold:

1. I want to keep hunting.

2. Cull the predators so deer have a better chance of surviving the MB winter.

3. Since i don't have a varmint rifle right now (and can't afford to buy another rifle for a while), bring my .270 WSM with its longer range scope into play; which has been relegated to safe queen status.

I had hoped to save the pelts but I'm starting to think that this is probably not possible unless I do head shots or get lucky.

Thanks,
 
Last edited:
I don't know how true this is but was told coyote pelts are fetching $70 for excellent ones.

But I'm coming around to the notion that it doesn't matter what bullet/load combo I use - the .270 WSM is going to have too much force to leave a nice pelt for skinning.
 
fugawi said:
... the .270 WSM is going to have too much force to leave a nice pelt for skinning.
Click to expand...

Buy a box of 130 IB's and shoot them below the mid-point in the lungs and you will be fine... then post pics to illustrate what I am talking about.
 
Coyotes are not big animals. A 130 gr 277 bullet will certainly kill one any proven deer load will work. The 110 vmax is a great bullet but with coyotes being small there's a good chance to blow a large hole out the other side. If you avoid the shoulders a more controlled expansion bullet maybe better on the hide most times.
Just make sure it's a safe shot
 
fugawi said:
Anyone have any proven reloading data? I have .277 110 gr V Max and 115 gr Match King projectiles.
Click to expand...

Neither of those will be pelt friendly. Try a Barnes TSX. I've shot quite a few coyotes and wolves with a 100 gr out of my 257 and they often do little damage, especially on frontal entry when the bullet travels through the internals and exits out the ass. If you hit the spine or a leg bone on a broadside shot (like Dogleg's picture), there aren't many calibers out there that won't damage a coyote pelt, other than maybe a 17 HMR and the like.
 
Here's another .270 Bee/ 130 grain TSX picture. You'll note that its a frontal and although its not a great shot of the exit you can see enough to tell that its split wide open. We were calling bears that day and this guy came in first about the same time I was losing patience. "First" as in the bear did come, and got a frontal TSX of its own.:d That's what you call a Saskatchewan double.;)




 
With coyote, it seems to be very dependent on where you hit them. I've blown huge holes with 223 FMJ and had a 300 WM pencil through. In any case, the 270 WSM won't be overly pelt friendly regardless of where you hit them, but if your objective is to kill, it makes a fine round. Fur prices on coyote have dropped considerably anyhow.

This one was shot with a 257 Wby and 85 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips doing 3800+ fps. I was actually amazed at how little damage that round did in this instance, but I know full well that the next one could be torn in half too.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom