Will my Professional Hunter want me to bring more than a .270

[colorado]

If you had shot it with a 270 with 130g Nosler Partitions at 3150 fps it would've been dead right there

 

[yidava25]

Got myself some Trail Boss powder for developing a reduced practice load for the yet-to-arrive .300 RUM. Couldn't resist trying it in my .30-06. Normally this rifle is uncomfortable for me to shoot much at the range, as it is quite light and has a hard plastic buttplate. With 17 gr of Trail Boss pushing a 175 gr Nosler hollow point at probably around 1200 fps the recoil is a joke. Literally less than a .223 sporting rifle. Looking forward to being able to practice with this kind of load in the big scary RUM. I know that if all I had were full power dragon-slaying loads I would not shoot this rifle enough to be confident hunting with it.

 

[caddman]

UPDATE

Some of you may remember that at one point in this thread I stated that I wouldn't have asked the original question if I had a .300 Mag. Well, guess what...

Last night I received a phone call - apparently the Calgary Fish and Game Association was having their annual banquet, and one of the events there was the drawing of the winners of their gun raffle. I entered said raffle at the African outfitters expo in Calgary this past January.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!
I had to make a choice between a Beretta 391 and a Rem. 700 in .300 RUM topped with a Leupold scope.
I'll take the rifle, please.

So, now this thread is basically irrelevant because I can leave the .270 at home. I can not wait till the new boom stick gets here!

I don't know if any members of the CFGA are on this forum, but if you're reading this, THANK YOU!!

Congratulations, as a fellow ALBERTA Boy I would like to see you change that into a Winner Winner Zebra Dinner! Have fun shooting your new rifle!

 

[yidava25]

Well, the rifle isn't here yet. Still waiting for it to be shipped.
But that's ok, because I'm starting to consider changing my plan a little...
I'm trying to determine if my girlfriend enjoys shooting, in particular, shooting clay pigeons. She isn't a fan of recoil, but she says it looks like fun and I'm pretty sure she would get into it if I could find her a shotgun that fit her well and shot softly enough.
Sooo... IF she enjoys shooting with a borrowed scaled-down 20g, which we will be doing this weekend, I may or may not end up trading off my new rifle for a ladies shotgun.
Feel free to judge me openly.

 

[colorado]

Keeping your lady happy is important, 270 Win is goodness. If I was going to go to a 300 RUM, I'd just as soon shoot a 375 H&H.

 

[mdwest]

Well, the rifle isn't here yet. Still waiting for it to be shipped.
But that's ok, because I'm starting to consider changing my plan a little...
I'm trying to determine if my girlfriend enjoys shooting, in particular, shooting clay pigeons. She isn't a fan of recoil, but she says it looks like fun and I'm pretty sure she would get into it if I could find her a shotgun that fit her well and shot softly enough.
Sooo... IF she enjoys shooting with a borrowed scaled-down 20g, which we will be doing this weekend, I may or may not end up trading off my new rifle for a ladies shotgun.
Feel free to judge me openly.

FWIW my wife expressed a similar interest... I picked up a youth model Mossberg 20 gauge on the cheap just to give her something to get started with and see what she thought about it..

It came with a rib, chokes, short stock (that almost fits her perfectly right out of the box), what they call an "EZ Reach" forearm (for smaller statured shooters), short bbl, etc.. for less than $300 out the door..

She absolutely loves it.. its soft on the shoulder, easy to control, etc..etc..

I've offered at this point to step her up to something nicer and have it modified if necessary to fit her properly.. and she refuses... she thinks that little $300 mossy is perfect for her in every way, and wont even look at a Browning, Remington, Winchester, etc..

 

[Buckdog]

dude life is easy get her shooting that 270 with light loads and bullets, keep that new 300wum. then you can take her with on the safari and she can use the 270!
I have shot 22 plains games species including eland and zebra they are tough! thru and trhru on eland with 300 win mag and 200 gr accubond double lunged and ran like 250yds. zebra the same and ran about 75 yds. African shit doesn't die easy even with serious holes from well placed bullets.
and I will riddle you this not all shot will be ideal broadside volleys for that 270 at less than 200 yds. when a huge kudu stands out there quatering away at 300 yds you better believe you are going to wish you have that 300 rum in your hands!

 

[colorado]

I've taken several bull elk at 400 to 500 yards with my 270 Win and 150g Nosler Partitions at 2900 fps. Are kudu that much tougher? I've never hunted Africa so it's a genuine (not rhetorical question).

 

[Desert Dog]

Also consider where you will hunt and what time of year. On my April safari in the bushveld, perfect broadside shots were the exception rather than the rule. I took several full frontal and quartering shots because that was all I had. I passed on way too many animals my first 3 days waiting for that perfect shot, then said screw it, grabbed the 375 and started putting trophies in the salt. The PHs at the lodge encouraged me to bring the H&H every morning. shoot the biggest you have/can shoot accurately/can comfortably carry. If its a .270, so be it, you will harvest game.

 

[Buckdog]

wow colorado you must have a"Magic 270 win" !! 500yds on elk with 150 gr Nosler partitions, damn thats special. Never knew a 270 was a 500 yd gun and nosler partitions were 500 yds accurate bullets?? Would love to see a 500 yd group from a 270 with nosler patitions??Now enough BS what a 270 is it is a low recoil light weight rifle easy to carry and shoot good for deer and ok for elk. If it is the only gun you have and shoot it well then by all means take it to africa it will work if you choose your shots, but if you have a bigger stick then take it. as desert dog says a bigger stick opens up more shot possibilities period and puts more in the salt.
I have killed at least one of everything in north amerca and I can tell you I was amazed at the punishment the avg african animal could take and go. yes I have shot lots of elk and they fold like a house of cards to a 300 win mag. the only thing we have that would be close would be moose and brown/grizz bears. next trip I will caryy my 373HH!

 

[colorado]

Actually 270s have been killing elk at those ranges before any of these "modern magnums" existed. We never knew we needed a 300 Win Mag or a 338 Win Mag to kill elk in the 60s. Just dumb I guess. I have a 375 Weatherby for the tougher stuff (bronw bears) and a 500 Jeffery for the big stuff.

 

[yidava25]

I guess I'm back on the .270 train for now. Sold the .300 RUM and bought the lady a PSE Stinger bow complete with some pink arrows... and her groups are tightening up quickly.

 

[Beans]

@yidava25 We had a client in camp that left yesterday. He sucsessfully took Njala, Waterbuck, Zebra, Copper Springbuck, White Blesbuck and an ostrich with his 270 Win. The only animal out of his 7 animals that needed a second shot was his zebra at 285 yards in a howling wind that moved the bullet more that what we allowed for.
He was using Barnes TSX 130gr on my reccomendation.

 

[Hutch01]

My PH of three hunts uses a .270. If you don't bring a rifle then you would use his .270.

 

[colorado]

Good luck on your hunt, remember shot placement is if not everything, it's almost everything

 

[spike.t]

kinda amazed this is still going.....just take your .270 put the bullet in the right place and thats it.

I've taken several bull elk at 400 to 500 yards with my 270 Win and 150g Nosler Partitions at 2900 fps. Are kudu that much tougher? I've never hunted Africa so it's a genuine (not rhetorical question).

@colorado i have never hunted the usa so have no experience with your animals, but i think its a bit of a myth all this african animals are tougher......if you put the bullet in the right place the animal will die same as usa species. i am sure if the bullet is not in the correct place in a white tail etc usa species then it will piss off into the distance as well. yes there are animals that dont behave as they are supposed to do, but thats the way of things. .......i will now wait to be told about all these tough animal scenarios so i am proved wrong.....

 

[BRICKBURN]

kinda amazed this is still going.....just take your .270 put the bullet in the right place and thats it.
.....................

130 TTSX .270 Thick skinned Giraffe at 80 yards. One in the heart (typical shot placement) and the other into the heart lungs after a departure up hill. Down within 50 yards.

What Spike said!

 

[Southwind]

wow colorado you must have a"Magic 270 win" !! 500yds on elk with 150 gr Nosler partitions, damn thats special. Never knew a 270 was a 500 yd gun and nosler partitions were 500 yds accurate bullets?? Would love to see a 500 yd group from a 270 with nosler patitions??Now enough BS what a 270 is it is a low recoil light weight rifle easy to carry and shoot good for deer and ok for elk. If it is the only gun you have and shoot it well then by all means take it to africa it will work if you choose your shots, but if you have a bigger stick then take it. as desert dog says a bigger stick opens up more shot possibilities period and puts more in the salt.
I have killed at least one of everything in north amerca and I can tell you I was amazed at the punishment the avg african animal could take and go. yes I have shot lots of elk and they fold like a house of cards to a 300 win mag. the only thing we have that would be close would be moose and brown/grizz bears. next trip I will caryy my 373HH!

Well it's not 500 yards but I have shot my pre 64 model 70 fwt in 270 @ 500 and 600 with no problem

I will be taking that rifle and my Win model 70 super express in 375 h&h when I head to Namibia.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

@Southwind......wow that's good shooting.

 

[bassasdaindia]

for years I avoided a .270 , I cant even pin point the reason why , perhaps it was all the literature I had read in print , I don't exactly know.
I then wanted a long range rifle with bigger optics for longer distance hunting in the Kalahari and I purchased a .270

My .270 has become my number 1 choice for open and long distance hunting and the biggest species I have hunted with it is Gemsbok in the Kalahari .