270 130gr vs 150gr (North America)

[7MAG]

Hello guys I'm looking at getting a 270 for deer sized game. This gun will be mostly used for Black Bear, Whitetail, Pronghorn and mule deer. I currently only own a 7mm mag and it's a bit...overkill. I have been shooting Barnes TSX for awhile and see they only make it for 130gr(I don't reload). Im wondering if there's a big difference between the 130gr and 150gr and what ammo y'all recommend.

 

[Labman]

A 130 TSX will work fine for what you're planning to hunt. However, for thin skinned game like deer and antelope I'd go with good old cup and core lead bullets like the Hornady Interlock. I've shot a lot of game with the 130 Hornady and always get pass through penetration with good expansion on broadside shots on deer.

 

[Jeffrey]

See if that factory Barnes shoots in your new 270. If it does, you're good to go. If not try Accubonds or Accubond LRs in either weight.

If you're worried about 130 vs 150 I'd say split the difference and shoot 140s but options may be limited with factory ammo. Game won't notice. I think the 130 vs 150 think was more important with cup and core bullets at various ranges. We have better bullets now.

EDIT: Yes softer bullets fine on deer.

 

[Red Leg]

First, buy a couple of Jack O'Connor's books.

I currently own four .270's (I think ) and have used the caliber extensively since the mid-seventies. For deer (mule or whitetail) and antelope, the 130 gr loading is ideal. It has great reach and hits above its class whatever the bullet. In a caliber like the .270, I also prefer a cup and core design (though bonded). Jack would occasionally use 150's for elk, but virtually all his mountain game was taken with the 130. Simply one of the most beautifully balanced things ever created.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I've used 130 gr Hornady SST in my 270. One shot kills on Dall Sheep, Wyoming antelope and a few deer. I even used it on my New Zealand red stag. The first shot put it down, but a follow up shot was required.

 

[7MAG]

thanks guys, and to add to the post I will be head shotting bear. I know some people don’t agree but you either kill it or miss it.

 

[DG870]

I’ve used 140 grain SST’s in my 270 because I couldn’t make up my mind between 130s and 150s. I’ve never been disappointed. A little more bc doesn’t hurt but honestly 130, 140, 145 or 150 would do the job on deer sized game. Shoot what you have confidence in. Shot placement is more important than a few grains of bullet weight.

 

[TKessel]

I’ve used 130 Nosler partitions in my 270 the past 35 years. I’ve take anything from duiker to elk with it. I’ve never felt the need to try any else.

 

[Red Leg]

thanks guys, and to add to the post I will be head shotting bear. I know some people don’t agree but you either kill it or miss it.

Wish that was true. I have seen a starving deer without a lower jaw. It wasn’t pretty. The kill area on a bear’s head is surprisingly small and all that muscle and fur very large. If it has worked out for you so far, I am very glad. I wouldn’t take such a shot.

 

[Velo Dog]

I no longer own a .270 but when I did, I found that 130 grain common soft points tended to drop deer and caribou quicker than 150 grain ones did.
I attribute this to the 150’s being a little too tough to fully expand, when striking between 2 ribs in the way in and in the way out.
This didn’t happen often for me but it did happen, resulting in a merry chase across the close together tundra hills and valleys, until I could finally get a finishing shot into a caribou.
It’s amazing how fast and how far animals can run, with only a pencil sized hole through the lungs.

Fur, skin and lung tissue apparently is plenty of resistance for the 130 grain .270 spitzers (Winchester, Remington, Hornady, Sierra, etc.) to expand, but not sufficiently resistant to reliably expand the 150 grain (Hornady Spire Point in this instance) each and every time.

Even though I no longer own a .270 these days, (I slightly prefer the .30-06 and 6.5x55 over the .270 now but only slightly) nonetheless, when loaded with 130 grain pointy soft nose bullets, I regard the .270 Winchester as an excellent long range, if not perhaps the most classic Western N. America deer / pronghorn / sheep / goat / coyote and wolf cartridge.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

I’ve not used Barnes but I put one of these into a mule deer last October and was happy with the results.

The 130gr bullet hit both lungs and the top of the heart and fully penetrated at ~270 yards. I wasn’t able to find the bullet but based on the damage I considered the performance just about perfect.

With their reputation I wouldn’t hesitate to use barnes for the same situation.

 

[Ark. Trapper]

I've shot several dozen deer with several different styles and weights of bullets in the ole 270. The 130 Barnes are straight up killers. There is no other bullet that I've tried that puts deer on their ass as fast or as efficiently. The 140 Accubonds that I shoot now are really close and work great. My rifle doesn't shoot the Barnes as good or I'd still be shooting them. The 150's I've used seemed a bit hard to really transfer as much shock to deer as the 130's and 140's, even on shoulder shots.

 

[Neil Molendyk]

I would think that it really depends on the size of the game you're after. Here in Alberta i have found that the whitetail can be considerably lighter than mule deer and as such I prefer the 150 gr for mules and elk. 130 gr for whitetail and pronghorn seem to be just fine. Its been quite some time since I used the 270 and then it was with Sierra Game King bullets. They worked fine but I don't think that they were up to the level of say Barnes or Swift.

 

[Ray B]

I haven't purchased any 270 factory loads in about 30 years, but at that time the 130 gr spitzer loads were considerably hotter than the 150 (generally round nose) loads. As I recall the 130s were about 3100 fps muzzle velocity while the 150s were about 2800. As Jack O'Connor said, the 270s reputation was made by the 130 gr bullet. If the game needs a 150 gr bullet, it's probably better to use a 30-06 180 gr.

 

[Fixfire]

For deer and antelope I use readily available and cheap Winchester Super X Power Points. I find the 130 more accurate in my rifle than the 150.

 

[oldfart009]

I use Federal 150gr RN about 90% of the time in my 270 .. I found that bullet works well ...out of a dozen or more Whitetails taken ,I have yet to recover a bullet , they seem to open fast a penetrate through.