Bullet question - 270 Win.

CyaN1de

CyaN1de

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So the past few years I have been using 130gr Gameking Spitzer Boattails in my 270.

I got my first 2 deer last year and another today with these bullets.

The small Mulie buck from last year had no bloodshot meat at all, but the Whitey Doe that I got last year had a tremendous amount as did the Whitey Doe taken today.

Shot placement was perfect on today's doe, taking out the Heart and one lung (heart came in out 2 large pieces along with several smaller chunks), hit a rib on the way out and punched a hole in her right shoulder but there was no exit hole in her hide and I have not found a bullet or bullet fragments as of yet.

You can see shot entrance here:
IMG_20131014_111322.jpg


IMG_20131014_111312.jpg


In comparison, last years Mule with almost exact same shot placement:
IMG_20121021_095023.jpg


I could see the one shoulder getting bloodshot but I have lost about 1/4 of the left shoulder (not touched at all by the bullet), 1/2 of the neck area on the exit side and 2/3 of the shoulder the bullet exited out of, not to mention the large amount of meat over the upper part of the ribs. I know bullets can do funny things once inside the animal but boy did this one do some damage.

My question is (you were wondering if/when it was coming) would using a heavier bullet, a different bullet design or combination of the 2 reduce the amount or possible chance of so much bloodshot.....I really hate throwing that much meat away if I don't have to, just seems a waste to me and if I can minimize damage I most certainly would like to.
 
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Hmm, 140gr Accubond might do alright too.

I like the shot placement but its obviously something your not happy about either, I hope this doesn't sound silly but why not aim for High neck or Head shots if your all about the meat? Especially if your shooting from closer ranges or from a Sit an wait position/ blind/ stand.

Or if you reload, Are you able to load up some 150gr with LOW velocities to suit the range your shooting them at... customising the load?

love my .270 and have shot some Big deer with it and bloody 130gr Soft Point SuperXs... Not by choice but that's what ammo I had on hand whilst hunting smaller deer.
My usual load is Winchesters Supreme CT Accubonds with 140gr an going fairly quick.
130s are great for killing the smaller deer like your whiteys an muley does but maybe not so much for meat recovery.

Good luck but nice shootin tex

WL
 
A tougher/heavier/slower bullet would likely give you a slightly cleaner carcass depending on where you hit it. The trade-off there is that kills will be slightly to much slower. A TSX is about as good a meat saver bullet as any, if you don't mind following things around a bit.
 
I cannot speak for your hunters over there but here in South Africa you will have exactly the same problems with bloodshots with a .270. I love my .270 and use 130gr and 150gr. The 150g premuim bullets helps alot keeping bloodshots to a minimum, but keep in mind this is an 'distance rifle'...

Impala in the bush below 100yards gets the bloodshots...Springbuck over 250yards plus doesn't....
 
jaydog said:
The distance they all were shot at would be helpful- I'm wondering if you are hitting at too high a velocity.
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Last year:
Buck - 200m
Doe - 275m

This year:
Doe - 70-90yds (didn't have time to pull out the range finder on this one :D)

With 51gr of RL17 they chrony at 2975-3000fps.
 
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Sounds like typical 130g 270 performance to me also sounds like typical Sierra bullet performance. I personally like it as that is what the 270 was meant to do and has always done. If you don't like it you could go to the opposite end of the spectrum and switch to a 150g expanding solid like the GMX or TSX and give your 270 30-30 type wound channels on game, a very popular thing to do now days. Still no guarantee on meat loss if you hit bone.
 
WhelanLad said:
Hmm, 140gr Accubond might do alright too.

I like the shot placement but its obviously something your not happy about either, I hope this doesn't sound silly but why not aim for High neck or Head shots if your all about the meat? Especially if your shooting from closer ranges or from a Sit an wait position/ blind/ stand.

Or if you reload, Are you able to load up some 150gr with LOW velocities to suit the range your shooting them at... customising the load?


Good luck but nice shootin tex

WL
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Not too keen on trying to make head/neck shots, not that I am not capable of doing so, just too much can go wrong and I would hate to leave a jawless deer running around starving to death. Heart/lung is my preference, and if I have to live with bloodshot meat to ensure the kill then so be it.

Customizing for short or long range is really not an option as you may be walking bush (short distance) and come into or chase deer into a large cutblock (possible long distance). In a chasing case I would not want to have to try and reload the magazine to suit the condition.

Wondering if a 140gr would be a good middle ground bullet, would be slower and heavier than the 130 obviously but still quicker than a 150gr bullet.


Thanks to all for your input, I will look at doing some load development with a heavier, partition/bonded type bullet in the near future. If /when the time comes I will update the post with any info on whether or not a heavier bullet helped with saving meat.
 
IMO, blood shot is part of the bleeding and repair process. Blood enters the gaps and sinews of the folds between muscel masses while the heart still bleads and the animal still moves. You will get blood shot like bleeds from broadheads for example bleading back into such spaces. Kill the animal instantly with a heart shot and you may reduce bleed back. Consider that bruising does not happen when the animal is dead, only when alive.

IMO, place your shot 3" back from the leg crease and your blood shot potential will reduce. Hit shoulder and all bets are off. Blow a larger hole on the entry and/or exit and bleed back will increase. So by this thinking a slower, heavier, less explosive bullet may help. There are trade offs but at such distances you indicate the bullets you are using are designed and working perfectly IMO.

Spend the bucks on premium bullets if you wish but the ol game kings or spire points will continue to serve you well on a nice broadside shot like those shown here. Send the bullet a bit back from crease and report in. But I would learn some deboning skills if you are seeking more recovery of meat before the butcher carves out blood shot.
Elky...
 
Higher velocity impact = more blood shot meat regardless of bullet but high weight retention bullets like most bonded bullets and mono metals will lessen the amount of meat damage. Blood shot meat is caused primarily by the fluid in the tissue being displaced by the bullet moving through muscle. It's also known as a temporary wound channel. The temporary wound channel is wider at higher velocities. Additional damage can be caused by fragmenting bullets. Fragments can migrate up to 18" away from the primary wound channel.
 
sheephunter said:
Higher velocity impact = more blood shot meat regardless of bullet but high weight retention bullets like most bonded bullets and mono metals will lessen the amount of meat damage. Blood shot meat is caused primarily by the fluid in the tissue being displaced by the bullet moving through muscle. It's also known as a temporary wound channel. The temporary wound channel is wider at higher velocities. Additional damage can be caused by fragmenting bullets. Fragments can migrate up to 18" away from the primary wound channel.
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Right. It goes hand-in-hand with hydrostatic shock. You can't have one without the other. I prefer this over the alternative, though. With hydrostatic shock, the animal is literally put into a coma briefly while it is dying. All nervous-system function basically ceases. The result: humane kill.

That's worth a couple pounds of meat, to me.

note: hydrostatic shock is not "guaranteed" by the high velocities, but it is much more likely
 
If you want to stay with the 130 grain, try the Speer Hotcores. You can also load the 150 grain Hotcore and it should solve your problem for you. Not really that much difference in trajectory between them. At the moment, I am shooting the 140 grain Hornady boat tail out of the Weatherby.If it is a close shot, the exit wound is massive. As soon as they are gone, I will be loading the 150 grain Hotcore. A tougher bullet will solve your woes.
 
I have quite a bit of experience with the .270 and its ilk. 130gr TSX or TTSX at 3000-3100fps would be the thing your looking for. I've used game kings, Prohunters, interlocks, partitions, bearclaws, power points,
Corelokts, ballistic tips, old Barnes X, TSX and Fusions in the .270 WCF and the TSX, Fusion and Interlocks are my favorites in that order.
 
I love sierra bullets, but I prefer the pro hunters over the game kings. They are a flat base bullet, a little tougher than the game kings. I also try to keep velocities a little lower than 270 speeds for soft points. Most of my loads in most of my cartridges top out around 2850 fps. At higher speeds you may want to consider a bonded bullet. I've been paying with the speer deep curl in my 308 with good accuracy, I'll be trying them on whitetail this year.
 
130gr Gameking Spitzer Boattail is all I ever use in my .270. I tried other bullets like the Nosler Partition and Solid Base, Hornady Interlok, but always went back to the Sierra.
 
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