Effectiveness of the .270 Winchester

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Crash
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Effectiveness of the .270 Winchester

#1

Post by Crash »

Just finished reading a lengthy review of the effectiveness of different .270 Winchester loads. The author seems to believe that most commercial loads either punch all the way through a whitetail leaving a pencil-diameter hole if hit in the lungs or heart, or blow up on or shortly below the surface if the shoulder is hit. I've never shot a whitetail with a .270, but I find it kind of hard to believe that it's not an effective deer cartridge, considering that it's close to 100 years old and is one of the 10 best-selling cartridges in the U.S. My concern is that I will be hunting whitetails and Axis this season at distances from 50 to 200 yards and I don't want one running off and jumping onto the neighbor's property after it's been shot. The place we'll be hunting is long and narrow and a deer wouldn't have to run more than 50 - 100 yards to get onto a neighbor's property on one side or the other.

Opinions? Load recommendations?

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puma guy
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Re: Effectiveness of the .270 Winchester

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Post by puma guy »

I have always hunted whitetail deer with a .270. I shoot Federal Premium 150gr Sierra Game King Boat-tail soft points. First with a borrowed 721Remington and then with a Winchester Model 70. My shots are from 60 yards to 200 yards. I try to make heart shots and I have never lost a deer in 25 years of hunting. Most, 85% have dropped in their tracks. The farthest traveled about 80 yards. I had one run about 50 yards leaving a foot wide trail of blood from the point I hit him, over a fence and then over a brush pile where he crumpled. The bullet hit him in the shoulder taking out his heart and both lungs. I found his heart when I cleaned him and it was about the size of the tip of my index finger. That kill was proof they run on adrenaline alone and no bullet or caliber could have done a better job. The others that ran dropped within a few yards. If I hit bone like a shoulder the bullet is deformed heavily; if I hit a rib the exit wound is definitely not pencil sized and if I just hit meat the exit wound is at least doubled. The .270 is a very capable cartridge, but no matter what you choose bullet placement is key. I always wait 30 minutes before I approach a downed deer even if it dropped where I shot it. That is a hard and fast rule of our lease. BTW you might want to look up more information on the effectiveness of the .270 Winchester Google Jack O'Conner.
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jason812
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Re: Effectiveness of the .270 Winchester

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Post by jason812 »

.270 is a great deer round. Elk on down you should not have problem if you do your part

I can only remember one that was hit right and ran. I got to the stand way before sunrise and as it started to get light, I couldn't believe there were 2 doe about 20-25 yards from me. By the time I could shoot one, they were dead broadside to me. Hit her in the chest and to my amazement, she didn't fall down but ran. I heard the deer crash into the brush about 5 seconds later and knew she was down. The blood trail was massive and there was no exit hole. We recovered the bullet in a hind quarter. Chest cavity was liquid and luckily no guts were punctured. It was the craziest bullet path I have seen.

My dad quit using one because the damage to the opposite shoulder was too much for the little deer around here. They do not leave a pencil through and through hole, I can tell you that.
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Jago668
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Re: Effectiveness of the .270 Winchester

#4

Post by Jago668 »

That is what my grandfather hunted with for years. He never seemed to have any problems taking deer, or coyotes, with it.
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flechero
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Re: Effectiveness of the .270 Winchester

#5

Post by flechero »

The .270 win. is more than capable of anchoring a whitetailed deer on every shot. The only limitation is the guy behind the trigger. As long as you are a decent shot, don't forget to pack your camera. ;-)
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