270 varmint loads

[Tex S]

I have been tinkering with the idea of making some varmint loads for my 270. It has a 22" bbl with a 1-10 twist.

Several manuals show velocities approaching 3500 fps with 90 and 100gr pills. This might be kinda fun to play with.

Anybody have any experience doing this? What would be a good bullet/powder selection for my rifle? What would the felt recoil be like? Varget seems like it may be a good choice.

[Shoney]

110gr Hornady HP's gave excellent 5/8" groups with IMR4064 at 3100fps 24" barrel.

[FrankenMauser]

Speer 90 grain TNT HPs don't do so well out of any .270 in my family.

However...

Speer 100 grain HPs are fantastic. Good accuracy, good velocity, and explosive expansion.

I load mine over 49.0 grains of H4895. My brothers and father use 50.0 grains of IMR4064.
Both loads do well from a variety of barrels. Our rifles run from 20" to 24" barrels, from different manufacturers. Accuracy is consistently good.

[James R. Burke]

I believe Hornady has a 110-V Max for the .270. I never tryed it, but did in the 30.06 with Varget. Worked great, accurate, and really blew things apart. Turned a porky pine into a red mist.

[cornbush]

The 100gr Speer hollow points are absolutely devastating on anything from coyotes on down. I usually load them to about 3200 or so to be a little nicer to my barrel. I have loaded them up to well over 3700 but I will not give out that load data to anyone because it was way over max and worked up to in one gun, one time. The accuracy fell off after about 3400, just wanted to see how fast they could go.

[Crankylove]

Speer 100 grain HPs are fantastic. Good accuracy, good velocity, and explosive expansion

Explosive is the key word. I load mine up to 3,200-3,300 fps, and whatever they hit, simply disappears.

As Frankenmauser stated, all the .270's in the family seem to like that bullet, does squirrels and prairie dogs very well.

[Tex S]

I think I will be trying a Speer 100gr HP over Varget. It seems like Varget is offering the best velocities with this bullet.

[ForneyRider]

We just use normal 130gr Nosler Ballistic Tip or 130gr Hornady SST. They are plenty flat shooting and you don't have to change anything from your deer/hog loads. Just goes right through the coyotes, exit hole is about same size as entry hole.

[Tex S]

Figured I would dig this thread back up.

Has anyone tried the Sierra 90gr. HP in a 270 load? Will my 1-10 twist barrel work with a bullet this light? Powder recommendations?

[Dr. Strangelove]

Yep, I just loaded some Sierra 90gr HP yesterday. I'm currently loading with RL-15, but have used IMR 3031 and IMR 4064 with excellent results. They are extremely accurate and a blast to shoot. At the higher end of the velocity scale, they get a little squirrely and will blow up on blades of grass between you and the target.

I've been shooting them for years and really enjoy them.

[Tex S]

Strangelove, do you notice a decrease in felt recoil when firing these lighter bullets?

[Dr. Strangelove]

There is quite a bit less recoil with the 90gr bullets. It's not like a .243 or anything, but it is less.

[Christchild]

Tex S,

I shoot .270 Winchester, and load the 90 grain Sierra HP with 53.5 grains of AA 4350. I don't have my Sierra manual in front of me so I can't give the suggested C.O.A.L., but when I loaded them a few months ago, I used this powder charge and seated them to Sierra's suggested C.O.A.L.

The result... The recoil was lighter than any other time I've ever pulled that trigger... 3 shot group was 0.65" Center to Center. Not bad considering the REST I was shooting from, left much to be desired.

The only thing I can suggest in using those 90 grain HP's, is to look into the Hollow Point before You seat the bullet, because I've found what looks to be Tumbler Media in the Hollow Cavity, most of which can be extracted with say, a sewing needle, or anything else with a fine point.

[Tex S]

The only thing I can suggest in using those 90 grain HP's, is to look into the Hollow Point before You seat the bullet, because I've found what looks to be Tumbler Media in the Hollow Cavity, most of which can be extracted with say, a sewing needle, or anything else with a fine point.

Thats good info. Thanks.

[Kawabuggy]

I also wanted to chime in on the 90 Gr. Sierra Varminter bullets.. AWESOME! Great accuracy, and they are LETHAL on game. I have killed 2 wild hogs with those exact bullets. I went hog hunting & specifically took those bullets because I loaded them.. At the shot, he fell over and squealed for a full 30 seconds.. One long drawn out squeal I might add. I drug him out from under the feeder and waited another 30 minutes, and I was able to shoot a 2nd one! Neither bullet exited. One small hole in, and then soup inside! When I opened them up, the bullets had completely fragmented inside the animal.

The only other thing I have shot with those bullets is a squirrel. What was left, was not pretty. I got more skin than anything else.. Patches of skin floating on the wind slowly coming down from the heavens.. Yep, just like that..

I think one of the great things about these bullets is that there is a reduced chance of them hitting something and straying off into parts unknown. If the bullet contacts something, it will come apart right then.

[SL1]

I have also used these same Sierra 90 grain varmint bullets as reduced loads at abaout 1800 fps with 19.0 grains of SR-4759 (that's 475NINE not 475SIX). VERY accurate at that speed, too. And recoil is about like a .223. I think it would make a good small game load, but haven't checked that it won't vaporize a squirrel at that velocity. If it does, I'll try turning that bullet around and shooting it backwards as a "wadcutter."

SL1

[castnblast]

I'd recomend H4895 or H4350 for those light ones. I ran some 100gr for my dad using 4895 many years ago - I don't recall the load but I do recall that H4831 would not group the lighter bullet, but worked like a charm on 130's. I've since switched to H4350 for my 130's and found it groups real nice at a variety of charges.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Got a chronograph for Christmas and thought I would throw some 90gr .270 Sierra hollowpoints through it to try it out. (actually, I went ahead and shot them, as opposed to simply throwing them through)

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.




String 6 .270win 90gr Sierra HP #1800 50.0gr RL-15 CCI 200 COL 3.105" Group 1.764"
1) 3154.0 -30.2
2) 3179.0 -5.2
3) 3216.0 31.8
4) 3206.0 21.8
5) 3166.0 -18.2

High: 3216.0
Low: 3154.0
E.S.: 62.0
Ave.: 3184.2
S.D.: 26.3
95%: ±36.5

String 7 .270win 90gr Sierra HP #1800 55.0gr RL-15 CCI 200 COL 3.105" Group 2.378"
1) 3484.0 -56.4
2) 3506.0 -34.4
3) 3577.0 36.6
4) 3571.0 30.6
5) 3564.0 23.6

High: 3577.0
Low: 3484.0
E.S.: 93.0
Ave.: 3540.4
S.D.: 42.4
95%: ±58.9

String 8 .270win 90gr Sierra HP #1800 60.0gr RL-22 CCI 200 COL 3.105" Group 2.406"
1) 3137.0 -18.6
2) 3129.0 -26.6
3) 3153.0 -2.6
4) 3225.0 69.4
5) 3134.0 -21.6

High: 3225.0
Low: 3129.0
E.S.: 96.0
Ave.: 3155.6
S.D.: 39.8
95%: ±55.2

String 9 .270win 90gr Sierra HP #1800 64.0gr RL-22 CCI 200 COl 3.105" Group 2.513"
1) 3358.0 -5.8
2) 3359.0 -4.8
3) 3365.0 1.2
4) 3374.0 10.2
5) 3363.0 -0.8

High: 3374.0
Low: 3358.0
E.S.: 16.0
Ave.: 3363.8
S.D.: 6.4
95%: ±8.9