.270 Win Handloads for Moose?

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Picher

New member
I'm a sub-permittee for a friend and need to back him up. Without resorting to borrowing my son's (my previous) .30-06, I'm thinking of using some already-owned (but never-tried) heavy bullets in my .270 Win.

These are my bullets:

140 Grain Barnes "X" bullet
140 Hornady BTSP Interlock
150 Speer Grand Slam
150 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip
130 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tip (These are my deer bullets, probably too lightly jacketed for Moose.)

I'm leaning toward the 140 grain Barnes as the best combination of trajectory, penetration, and tissue damage. For shots under 200 yards, the Speer Grand Slam may also be a good choice.

The bullets were bought at bargain prices and I probably wouldn't use them for anything else but moose. Assume that any rounds would be carefully placed in a moose's neck or lungs.

Okay, which of the above bullets do you think would be the best to use?

Picher
 
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boltgun71

New member
My pick would be the 150gr Speer Grand Slam. It has great strong construction that is proven to hold-up well on tough game and is the heaviest of your choices.
 
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sneaky pete

New member
Why Not ???

Old Sneaky here: Over in Scandinavia hunters have been using 6.5X55 Swed to hunt moose for eaons with great success. Just remember--Shot placement, Shot placement, Shot placement. THANX--SNEAKY
 
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Mal H

Staff
I would go with the two you've already semi-chosen - the Barnes X or the Speer GS. Both will do the job assuming you've chosen the right powder and charge.
 
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P-990

New member
Sounds like a job for the 140gr Barnes X-bullet to me!

Oh, before anybody else says it:

YOU NEED A BIGGER GUN!!! THE .270 IS INADEQUATE FOR MOOSE!!! ONLY AN XYZ SUPRAMAGNUM WILL SUFFICE!!!

:rolleyes:

There, that's better. Continue with the discussion as normal. ;)

Edited: The above large text is meant purely for comedic content and is not an actual suggestion to the OP. The .270 is fine.
 
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crowbeaner

New member
You don't have the standard by which all others are judged listed so I will humbly suggest the Nosler Partition 150 gr. There! I said it!
 
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stevelyn

New member
Stay away from the Ballistic Tips. They are too fragile for meese sized critters.
Any of the rest will work well.
 
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USMCG_HMX1

New member
I'd have to go with the Speer or the Barnes "X" as well, and as Sneaky said, you'll definately need shot placement (x3) in order to be a good backup.

Last July I went camping in central Idaho and we had a cow enter our camp in the middle of the night. The damned thing sounded like Sasquatch came to town, and we had her figured out to be close to 900 pounds. If you're hunting for bulls, you can expect that to be even bigger and if you have a poor shot placement you can expect a bull to run quite a distance. Sometimes in these instances, it's best to bring your running shoes along.



Kris
 
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Picher

New member
Thanks for the input so far. I've shot several deer with well-placed shots from my .22-250, killed deer out to 400 yards with the .270, and woodchucks offhand beyond 200. Shot placement shouldn't be an issue and I don't get "buck fever".

In Maine, people have been killing moose with .30-30s and smaller cartridges for years. They're not usually hard to kill, if shots are placed in the vitals.

The .270 Win is adequate for the task, with the right bullet. The Grand Slam and Barnes bullets should be quick killers, but I don't plan to stop shooting until the critter is down and dead.

The area we plan to hunt is rich with animals and we won't pick one that is too far from the road, or in a location where it can quickly run into the woods, (if we can help it).

I still need to do more load research and testing, but heavy loads of IMR 4831 and Reloder 22 look pretty good right now.

Picher
 
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Ratsrepus

New member
Barnes X.

Your 270 will work fine if you place your shot properly. My dad has taken three moose with his old 270. Load up and don't give it a second thought.
 
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Martyn4802

New member
Although I have never used either of them, I'd opt for the Speer GS or the Barnes X based on posts I have read on other Forums by guys who have used them successfully for big game.
I do have experience with Ballistic Tips not performing well on Michigan Deer, so I can vote against using them.
My sons and I all use Nosler Partitions now. But, with you having the bullets in hand, I'd have no issue using either of the ones I suggested for Moose. Years ago, I read about lots of Indians in Canada shooting Moose with Savage Model 99's in 300 Savage, with whatever bullets were loaded in that rould 50 years ago.

Martyn
 
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Jseime

New member
You don't have the standard by which all others are judged listed so I will humbly suggest the Nosler Partition 150 gr. There! I said it!
Click to expand...

AMEN. Thank you for bringing that up. I thought I was gonna be the only guy to say that. When I shot mule deer with a .243 100 grain partitions were the only rounds I would fiddle with and no deer that was ever hit in the vitals moved more than ten yards.

Mule deer with a .243 and Moose with a .270 are roughly the same as far as I can tell and you should use the gold standard ever proven Nosler Partition.
 
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T. O'Heir

New member
You don't need premium bullets or 150's for moose. Any good 130 grain bullet will do. 140's will be a bit better, but Bullwinkle won't know or care what puts him in the freezer.
 
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Picher

New member
Thank you for the suggestions.

Normally, Partitions would be my choice, if I were the Permittee, and while I was at it, I might even take the "opportunity" to buy a 338 Mag, but I'm only the Sub-Permittee and may not even get the chance to shoot. :(

I'm not going to get carried away and buy anything when I have perfectly good bullets to use, should I need to put another round or two into a mortally-wounded animal.

I'm planning to load up a few Speer 150 Grand Slams and see how they perform, mainly for penetration and expansion/retention. I think they'll be fine. but may also try the 140 grain Barnes X bullets.

Thanks for the assistance.

Picher
 
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slabsides

Member In Memoriam
I'd say go with the Grand Slams. (I've got some 150 factory Silvertips left over for my .270 which I'd feel perfectly comfortable using on Old Bullwinkle.) Our pal Ken L. was co-p on a hunt three years ago, and got in two 154 gr. rounds from his 7mm Mauser, which were pretty effective. A 150 .277 premium bullet with a good dollop of 4831 under it should do the trick. You won't be shooting long range, and I know you CAN shoot a rifle pretty well!!!
 
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Paul B.

New member
I'd go with the 150 gr. Nosler or the GS in the same weight. Sometimes I think it's too bad Speer dropped ther 170 gr. round nose bullet. I'll bet they'd penetrate like nobody's business. Probably just as good as a 175 gr. 7MM from a 7x57. I still have a few of those left over from years ago. They shot well, but I never did use them on any game.
Paul B.
 
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