Elk With 270 wsm, 130 GRAIN?

M

Major Dave (retired)

New member
Recently I bought a box of 130 grain Winchester Supreme Elite XP3 for my 270 WSM, intending to hunt cow elk with them, this fall.

They were "only" $47.98 for the box of 20, and I was glad to get them at that price, which was about $10.00 cheaper than I had seen them for.

But, when I got home with them, I noticed the statement on the back of the box that they were, "designed for massive knockdown on deer sized game".

Oooops!

I bought them while traveling in Mississippi, and read the disclaimer when I got back home to Texas - so no taking them back to the store for refund.

But, after reading about the construction of the bullet (complete with a cross section drawing of both before and after configuration) on the back of the box, I think they will do the job on cow elk.

Especially convincing, to me, was the illustration on the back of the box showing the details of "2-stage expansion" (TM). The claimed end result of said 2-stage expansion is a mushroom of copper "petals" (similair to a Barnes X-bullet), with an expanded diameter shank immediately behind the petals, with the presumption (on my part) of almost 100 % weight retention.

The only advantage I can think of that the 150 grain version would offer over the 130 grain version is a slightly slower opening of the "petals", and 20 grains more retained weight.

On the other hand, the 130 is about 150 fps faster muzzle velocity, which flattens the trajectory a little, beyond 300 yards (less than 300 yards, the trajectories are within an inch of each other).

So, what do you think guys/gals - do I need to go buy the 150 grainer, and use the 130's on deer (overkill!!)?
 
I always go for heavy grain for caliber when it comes to elk. I'd go with 150gr, or higher if they have a higher grain available. I'm not familiar with the XP3, but am familiar with nosler partitions and trophey bonded bear claws, which is what I use in my 30-06 for elk. If the 130gr box says for thin skinned animals or deer, I doubt that the 150gr will be labeled for elk. So I don't know.
 
The late, great, Jack O'Conner used his trusty .270 Winchester to hunt elk with 130 grain bullets and he claimed great success. According to Winchester ammo guide the bullet will work for both deer and elk. The XP3 is a controlled expanding bullet and should hold together well and penetrate well. I have no personal experience with the bullet and although if it we me I would opt for the 150 grain XP3 instead, but I would not feel undergunned with your load/caliber combo. I've made a couple of posts about bullets for my upcoming black bear hunt and to tell you the truth, it neither confirmed or changed my mind about what bullet to use. I was advised that I was overthinking it, you may be too.:)
 
I've used 130g Nosler Partitions on elk at 3000 + fps with great luck on elk, bulls and cows. Hit them behind the shoulder halfway up and they drop like stones.

:)

Chuck
 
The XP3 bullet is the replacement for the well-respected FailSafe bullet. I wouldn't hesitate to take elk with the 130 gr in a 270.
 
They will work of that I'm sure. I would stay away from the shoulders anyway and aim for the ribcage in the vitals. Less heavy bone the better when using light bullets. Plus you will ruin less meat and that is what you are hunting cow for anyway. I'd perfer a 150 grain bullet but plenty of large elk have fallen to a 130 grain bullet out of the old .270 Win so I don't see why the 130 will not work out of the .270 WSM.

BTW with the cost of a box of ammo for that .270 WSM I would look at investing in a hand loading set up. It will pay for itself fairly fast with cartridges costing you near $50 a box. Plus you can try a variety of bullets that are available out there without it costing you fortune.
 
...Jack O'Conner used his trusty .270 Winchester...
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I'm an O'Conner fan and have read a lot of his work, both when it first came out in the gun rags and then in his books. You can't compare him with modern hunters. He shot hundreds of rounds per week for most of his adult life, then practiced a little bit more for hunting season.

If a modern hunter wants to use a .270 for elk then they need to practice shooting until they can hit where they aim in sling-assisted sitting, kneeling and prone positions at realistic hunting ranges. That is going to take more than one 20 round box. Major Dave may be not your average modern hunter if he was an infantry major or spent a lot of time at the range, but even so there will be a difference, training with a military rifle and with a bolt action where you're shooting slow fire at a small set of moving elk lungs.
 
Anything WSM!

MajorDave,

For anything WSM or WSSM, you owe it to yourself to check out my OTHER favorite forum, wssmzone.com.I've managed to learn a lot there....those folks eat/sleep/breathe the details you're after.

Yes, the ammo you have will work.

....and Yes, you're gonna want to handload for it.The short fat cases are habit-forming!

If you're into MAX velocity, there's not a lot to be gained over the factory ammo, but there's a wide range of .270 bullets available.

Tell 'em Gnarly sent you!

----Gnarly
 
MeekAndMild

The OP asked about the ability of this combination to kill cow elk. Like many have said, "it's not what you hit em with, it's where you hit em". My expectation would be that he would make an ethical shot with the distance and location of the shot on the animal. :DHey, If I ever get the chance to hunt those magnificent animals MY weapon will be my Ruger 77 300WinMag with 200 grain Nosler Partitions.
 
Sportdog, I just couldn't see you comparing Jack O'Conner with the modern hunter. Back in Jack's day a person could reload .270 Win for about a dollar a box. At $47.98 for a box the learning curve would be too steep.

My personal pick if I ever get to go elk hunting will be the .35 Whelen shooting 225 grains at 2700 fps. :D
 
Before folks found out they wouldn't work, a lot of them killed elks with 30-30s, and no one told the elk either ...

Chuck
 
I've seen more Elk drop (in person) with .270 Winchester and 130 grain bullets, than any other bullet weight or caliber.

If you place the shot correctly; the bullet should do fine.

If you can't place the shot correctly; don't worry about the bullet. Find another hobby.
 
270 wsm

i shot a buck in canada 60 yards 270 wsm 140gr accbound odd shell i hit this buck in the shoulder it keep running i shot 2 more times thinking i miss the hole was the sizes of a cd going in coming out smaller than a dime odd no blood trail
 
If you use a 270 on elk with 130g bullets you should (in my opinion) only use premium bullets (nosler partitions, swift A-Frames and the like) not accubond, scirrocos, etc. If you happen to hit a shoulder bone instead of behind it, the partitions and A-Frames will break it and still penetrate through the vitals. You shouldn't need a blood trail with a good shot and a good bullet. The elk should drop within 10 yards.

My two cents,

Chuck
 
Cartridges

The ammunition you have may not be the optimum cartridge, but it should still fill the bill.

I enjoy reading the different posts about cartridges. On another forum a lot of shooters are touting the fact about a 243 or a 25-06 as being an acceptable elk cartridge. Your cartridge selection is far superior to their choice. Then the next thread says the 338 Winchester Magnum is minimum for elk. Your cartridge choice falls short in that comparison?? So who is right?? Tom.
 
Only one real concern I can think of

I like some of the other posters have no doubt that it will penetrate deep enough and produce a lethal wound.

I've personally seen elk killed with less potent cartridges, however more than likely after a behind the shoulder hit, the animal will run some distance. How far or even if at all I can't say, but in todays crowded elk hunting grounds, there is always the possibility, that if it goes very far someone else may claim your elk.

So while the power of a .338 Win or .375 H&H may not be necessary to kill an elk, they do have far greater anchoring ability.

Just thinking about it now, I think I'd like to try the .416 Wea with a hand or factory loaded 350 gr. Barnes TSX you could shoot out to 350 or 400 yards with it and the wound channel would be devastating. You could kill every thing in the world deer up to elephant with that cartridge/bullet combo and heart lung shots.:cool:
 
Well I gave my youngest son my tried and true 270 this year (my oldest son got his grandfathers which is a twin to my 270(both grandpa and my oldest son are left handed)). So this year I will hunt elk, deer and black bear with my new 375 H&H.

CZ_upgrade1.jpg


Next year it will be bored out to 470 Capstick and will still be my only rifle.

http://www.shooter.co.za/470capstickdmc.html

Now if someone tells me next year my 470 is too light for elk ...

:)


Chuck
 
Next year it will be bored out to 470 Capstick and will still be my only rifle.
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I looked at the link you provided, are you going to use the 400 grain Speer?

I see that Barnes has a 500 grain TSX but it is .474 diameter instead of .475.

This is making my shoulder hurt just writing about it.:)
 
No I plan to use the 500g Swift A-Frame (.475 caliber) as my only soft point. 500 GS Custom flat nose solids for followup and if I ever get to hunt elephant.

:)

Chuck
 
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