270 Winchester Good/Bad???
Hello, just wanting to tell my experience this year and get your opinions. I was deer hunting using my 270 win with Winchester 130 soft points(designed for deer). I had a respectable size deer at 40yds quartering away, walking. I put the cross hairs right tight behind the shoulder and squeezed it off. The deer kicked its rear legs up real high and ran about 20yds and stopped. I figured heart shot, although that was not my intension. I was aiming at the bottom 1/3 of the chest, figuring at that close the gun would be a little high(1" high at 100). I racked another shell, or so I thought and the deer was standing broadside, head hanging down and out. The shoulder was covered by a tree, and the deer was about 60yds away. I put it on his neck, half way between his head and shoulder. I sqeezed it and nothing. I pulled the bolt back and no round went in. I tried again slowly and the bolt was not grabbing the next round from the clip. I pushed up on the clip and it grabbed a round(only complaint with my $300 savage). I put it in the same spot, as the deer hadnt moved. I touched it off and the deer ran down the hill(he was at the top of a hill that was maybe 8ft high). I waited all of about 30 seconds. I went over to where I thought I had first shot and couldnt find anything. I looked a bit and felt I knew where he was on top of that little hill and walked over there. Sure enough, blood. I looked down the hill and he was laying there and got up about the same time I saw him. He bolted around the next hill and I didnt move. There was some white hair there on the hill. I went back to camp and we waited till 1pm(shot him about 10am). We headed out and picked up the track right away. I had never shot a deer or anything for that matter with a rifle. My friend said thats not much blood he is leaving, but if that was a bow blood trail I would be happy. We tracked him for probably 100yds, but not in a straight line. We found 3 different chunks of what looked like leg bone. My friend said he felt it was the opposite front leg, but I felt it might be rear leg. The deer seemed to bleed out the entrance side. We ended up jumping him, but it was to thick for a follow up shot. We heard him just walk off and cough 3 times and my friend then said, you got lung. The way the deer was acting after my first shot, my friend said sounds like a gut shot, maybe liver. We waited 2hrs and took up the track again. Normally I would have waited till morning, but we were forced to leave that night. We tracked him another 300yds across an opening and when we entered the woods, he jumped up and ran. Again, no shot, pines. There was a steep thick ridge right there, so my friend told me he was going to run down about 200yds and try to push him back my way. He didnt have his gun, thought we were going to drag my deer back. He called me on the radio, he had the deer spotted. I got down there and he said its just inside the edge and cant climb the hill. We snuck in and he was not there. He managed to climb the hill. My friend said it was thick, but he could have got a shot on him. He still kicks himself and wont ever go out without his gun again. We found blood and tracked it to the top of the hill. This deer was not going far. We ended up jumping him at the top, again to thick. We stayed on him and he had only went 50yds maybe and jumped him again. It was to dark to go any farther. VERY reluctantly we went back to camp and had to leave. I dont want to go into details, but we had to leave no questions asked. I wasnt able to get back to there myself either. My question is, what do you think happened with the shot? Did the bullet zip thru like a pencil as my friend claimed the 270 is to fast? Did I hit the hind quarter bone and not get the penetration needed to take out the lungs? I feel if I had hit that shot with my bow, he would have been found dead inside of 150yds. Looking back, I think I gave him a trechea with my second shot, hence the white hair and the coughing. Should I sell this gun, or look at different types of ammo? Suggestions on the ammo would be great, if that is an option.
thanks,
Ken
thanks,
Ken
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The .270 is an awesome round for deer. I killed one at 25 yards with my dads a few years ago. I'm not sure but it may have been the same ammo too. Did you shoot the gun afterwards to see if it was sighted in? Maybe just buck fever and you plain wounded it. It wasn't the gun's fault, and with two shots, one had to have expanded. I'm guessing it was you. 
One thing i've learned is that my equipment is almost always more reliable than i am.
One thing i've learned is that my equipment is almost always more reliable than i am.
I didn't read all of that, but try the 140 grain Fusions. UNBELIEVABLE! I hit a few with 130 PSP, and didn't do much bleeding either. That said, I've shot a few with my 300 WM and 180 PSP and didn't have any bllod and they dropped within 150 yards?????? Shoulda dropped on the shot if you ask me. Sometimes I wish I could still use my slug gun in some locales just for this reason.
I myself have a .270 rem and have shot deer dead as a doornail with them and even gut shot one ending in about 100yrd track. Might sound like kinda obvois ? but was your scope on? other then that i cant think of anything else. i shot one at 15 yrds with it (self defense doe kill) shoot or be ran over type of thing and it tumbled so not sure
A 270 is more than adequate for Whitetail, close range or not its an excellent choice. In my experience, and I am by no means being critical of you, its probably a mistake that was made. More often than not, a person will fail before their equipment.
Last year I shot a nice size doe and 9pt buck with my .270. 1 shot each, neither went more than 50 yds on a death run and massive trauma to the boiler room. Both left good blood trails as well.
I also shoot the 130 gr PSP.
I also shoot the 130 gr PSP.
Thanks for the replys, greatly appreciated. Yes the first thing I did when I got home was shoot it. I was pissed to find it dead on at 65yds using the side of a small tree as a rest. I was hoping the gun was off, that would have helped explain the situation. Im not saying I didnt screw up, just feel very confident that the shot angle was great for a bow shot, and probably for a shot gun. I wouldnt hesitate to take that shot with either of them, but the 270 has me thinking broadside only shots. I feel confident on the first shot I took. The second I know I was shook up thinking I just shot a nice buck. Add to that it failed to load, and I most likely got very nervous for the second shot. I just cant help but think the bullet didnt do its job. The second shot was my first shot ever at the neck area of a deer. I thought this will drop him in his tracks. I believe I hit the white patch, barely catching any real meat of the neck. Im sure if I had hit him in the spine/neck muscle, it would have dropped him.
Heres something else to think about. I shot 2 caribou with that same gun this year. I used the same bullets, thinking it must have been me. I had also heard that caribou were wimps. My first one was a paced off 2xx yds. I forget the exact distance already :sad: Anyway it was my longest shot to date, and I hit it perfect thru the lungs broadside. I watched thru the scope as what turned out to be a small one walked about 30yds bleeding out the mouth and spinning in circles. When I gutted it, a pencil hole in one side and out the other. These are wimpy animals and a small one to boot and I was less then impressed. The second one I took was a real big cow at 75yds. She was somewhat quartering away, and I purposely aimed high in the shoulder to avoid any tracking if possible. That shot dropped her in her tracks, but she was not dead by any means. We didnt want to run up and scare the others, so we sat patiently while my friend waited for a clear shot at one of the others. Mine expired probably 50 seconds later. Im not trying to say the gun is junk, but I think the ammo may be. I found some NPX or something by winchester in 150gr on their site, but $50 for 20, ouch!!!
Ken
Heres something else to think about. I shot 2 caribou with that same gun this year. I used the same bullets, thinking it must have been me. I had also heard that caribou were wimps. My first one was a paced off 2xx yds. I forget the exact distance already :sad: Anyway it was my longest shot to date, and I hit it perfect thru the lungs broadside. I watched thru the scope as what turned out to be a small one walked about 30yds bleeding out the mouth and spinning in circles. When I gutted it, a pencil hole in one side and out the other. These are wimpy animals and a small one to boot and I was less then impressed. The second one I took was a real big cow at 75yds. She was somewhat quartering away, and I purposely aimed high in the shoulder to avoid any tracking if possible. That shot dropped her in her tracks, but she was not dead by any means. We didnt want to run up and scare the others, so we sat patiently while my friend waited for a clear shot at one of the others. Mine expired probably 50 seconds later. Im not trying to say the gun is junk, but I think the ammo may be. I found some NPX or something by winchester in 150gr on their site, but $50 for 20, ouch!!!
Ken
I think the .270 would have an uncountable number of followers who say the it is the "perfect" cartridge and uncountable numbers of animals harvested.
People have opinions about every cartridge ever made to fit in a rifle that run the spectrum from "won't kill anything" to "It will kill anything you point it at...... right now".
I am guessing the first shot hit the deer low in the chest missing all vitals, with bone from the opposite side leg. I shot a deer like that once and my tracking experience was about exactly the same as yours. Second shot maybe to far out front in the neck (Both shots could leave white hair).
People have opinions about every cartridge ever made to fit in a rifle that run the spectrum from "won't kill anything" to "It will kill anything you point it at...... right now".
I am guessing the first shot hit the deer low in the chest missing all vitals, with bone from the opposite side leg. I shot a deer like that once and my tracking experience was about exactly the same as yours. Second shot maybe to far out front in the neck (Both shots could leave white hair).
I shot my first deer with a .270 four years ago and it was at about 40 or 50 yards with a similar quartering shot. I was shooting 150 grain Winchester ammo and the deer ran less than 50 yards. Since than i have shot one more deer with the gun and didnt have any trouble with that deer either. Maybe look into new ammo.
My honest opinion on this is that it was user error.I think that you made bad shots, It can happen to anyone.Just use your time in the woods wisely and make a nice clean shot.I got a buddy in the U.P. that used his .270 and the same ammo to take down a 370# bear shot it once right in the boiler room at about 75 yds and it ran like 110 yards.
Another mistake i think that you did was getting on that deer right away.:tsk: Ya shoulda gave the deer 20-30 minutes to lay up then aproach slowly incase it jumped up wich it did. But it was a experience that ya learn from.Good luck in the future
Another mistake i think that you did was getting on that deer right away.:tsk: Ya shoulda gave the deer 20-30 minutes to lay up then aproach slowly incase it jumped up wich it did. But it was a experience that ya learn from.Good luck in the future
Richard, when I shoot one with a bow, I always wait 1hr. When I shoot one with my shotgun, I see them go down and walk right over to them. This was my first rifle shot deer, and of course I figured with a rifle, end of story. I wasnt chasing the deer either, simply looking for sign of the hit. I was being quiet. I guess that was a mistake, looking back on it. However jumping him again also gave my friend and I all the reason we needed to go pack up camp as planned and wait awhile for this deer to die. After we jumped it again, we waited another 2hrs. It really bothers me we had to leave. Im guessing that deer died.
Dumredneck, my friend felt I did what your suggesting, sorta. He feels I got some gut, hence the reason this deer kept laying down and not going far. He said when a deer is hit like that, that is the actions they display.
Im going to look into new ammo, as that can make a big difference. I took out 3 animals this year, and was not impressed at all. I guess all the hype about dropping em dead in thier tracks with hi powered rifles was a bit misleading in my mind. I guess with the wrong bullet, theres little room for error.
Maybe I should just put it in the cabinet for coyotes and get the M/L back out.
Ken
Dumredneck, my friend felt I did what your suggesting, sorta. He feels I got some gut, hence the reason this deer kept laying down and not going far. He said when a deer is hit like that, that is the actions they display.
Im going to look into new ammo, as that can make a big difference. I took out 3 animals this year, and was not impressed at all. I guess all the hype about dropping em dead in thier tracks with hi powered rifles was a bit misleading in my mind. I guess with the wrong bullet, theres little room for error.
Maybe I should just put it in the cabinet for coyotes and get the M/L back out.
Ken
Ken,
It sounds like you made a common error in holdover or holdunder.
If your bullet hits high at 100 yards, or even dead-nuts, it will impact low at lesser ranges. Think about it, if the target was right at the end of the muzzle, your bore would be below your line of sight as the scope is mounted well above the bore. Thus, if you aimed your crosshairs right at this super close target, you'd be holding under it.
When in doubt, shoot for the center of the ribs.
Oh, and the 270 is without question a fine deer round. Many would argue that it's perfect for deer.
It sounds like you made a common error in holdover or holdunder.
If your bullet hits high at 100 yards, or even dead-nuts, it will impact low at lesser ranges. Think about it, if the target was right at the end of the muzzle, your bore would be below your line of sight as the scope is mounted well above the bore. Thus, if you aimed your crosshairs right at this super close target, you'd be holding under it.
When in doubt, shoot for the center of the ribs.
Oh, and the 270 is without question a fine deer round. Many would argue that it's perfect for deer.
Oh, by the way, I do believe that some bullets are just too tough for deer. They'll kill them, but may not expand ideally and could leave a weak blood trail and allow the deer to run off to places where tracking is less than ideal.
I have yet to find a better deer-only bullet than a Nosler Ballistic Tip or Partition.
I have yet to find a better deer-only bullet than a Nosler Ballistic Tip or Partition.
My father has shot several deer with my .270 using 150 grain ammo...No complaints...
The two caribou instances sound fine. Not much heavy tissue to slow down a bullet in the lungs so the shot on the bull sounds normal. The cow just took a little bit longer to die.
You didn't recover the buck so there is no way to know the exact shot placement. I think it's safe to say you didn't get the heart or lungs because it would've died much soon than the time-frame indicated in your account. Is it possible that the first shot was a little wide of the heart/lung area and you got only shoulder muscle?
You are using one of the most popular calibers and good ammo. I wouldn't change a thing. A little more practice never hurt anybody and maybe look up some whitetail anatomy charts to be certain of where you want to aim.
You didn't recover the buck so there is no way to know the exact shot placement. I think it's safe to say you didn't get the heart or lungs because it would've died much soon than the time-frame indicated in your account. Is it possible that the first shot was a little wide of the heart/lung area and you got only shoulder muscle?
You are using one of the most popular calibers and good ammo. I wouldn't change a thing. A little more practice never hurt anybody and maybe look up some whitetail anatomy charts to be certain of where you want to aim.
One thing to do is use a better bullet. Any place you hit a whitetail with Ballistic silvertip will leave exit wound and drop them. 130gr psp at such short distance just not ideal .
A lot of people would disagree with both points.
jimmy johans said:
I've used a .270 w/ 130's for years and never lost a deer yet. (Knock on wood). Sorry to sound judgemental, but I think your shot placement was off. Try and concentrate on making your first shot count cause most likely it will be the best shot opportunity you will get.
Rem PSP 130s and havent had one go more than 30 yards. The boattails are great for long range, but with 90% or more of deer killed under 100 yards the PSP flatbase 130s do the job perfectly.
I would say that the only problem with the rifle is that it did not pick up the round when you worked the bolt. The .270 is a round- I have one and shoot 130 grain hornday Spire points. Most of the time when you come off recoil it is hoofs a kicking....
But- if you want to part with that rifle- perhaps I can make some room for it at my housene_eye: .
But- if you want to part with that rifle- perhaps I can make some room for it at my house
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