Reloading

[stan5677]

I'm ready to get into reloading for my .270 Win to cut down on costs as I try to hit the range as often as possible to build up my accuracy. I have all the supplies needed minus the bullets. I will be using this for deer hunting and wanted to know which bullet style I should use.

[ShootistPRS]

The size of the deer and the ranges you need to shoot at will make a difference in the bullets you use but most hunting bullets in the 130 to 150 grain range should be adequate for most cases. As for brand that depends on your requirements. the Barnes bullets are great bullets if your gun will shoot them and they are near the top in price. Speer hot core are excellent bullets for hunting and I have never had one I couldn't get to shoot sub MOA. Sierra has a deserved reputation for good bullets and are about the same price as the Speer. Everyone has their favorite brands and I am no exception. Most of the time I will be shooting either the Speer or Sierra bullets - standard cup and core - because I have been successful with them. Nosler makes good premium bullets and you pay for that and I have used them for bear. Find what is available in your area and pick one to work up a load for.

[dahermit]

The reputation of the .270 via Jack O'Connor was established with the 130 grain bullet. Any brand of 130 grain bullet should do for deer sized game, be it Hornady, Speer, Sierra, Nosler, etc. I would avoid fancy-dancy "custom" bullets because they are a solution for a problem that does not exist (my personal opinion) except to lighten your wallet.
Buy a box of each, (Hornady, Speer, Sierra), and work-up enough loads to see if you can find your rifle's preference, accuracy-wise.

[CarJunkieLS1]

Nosler Accubond in the 130 or 140 grain. My .270 Win with a 130 Accubond and a heavy charge (won't post my data) of IMR 4831 is well under MOA and clocks 3019 fps from a 22" barrel. Penetrated over 2 feet of deer and recovered in the rear spine. Bullet weighed 104 grains and was a perfect mushroom shape.

Use the same weight Nosler Ballistic Tips for practice then just swap in the Accubonds for hunring.

[dahermit]

Most of the time I will be shooting either the Speer or Sierra bullets - standard cup and core - because I have been successful with them.

Eggs-zactly! Jack O'Connor did not have any premium bullets, or need them.

[stan5677]

Right now I'm only accurate out to 100 yards don't really have anywhere to shoot longer distances and based on price the Nosler Ballistic Tips are the cheapest I've seen.

[jimbob86]

I've killed deer with standard cup and core .277" component bullets* from Speer, Hornady, and Sierra in 130, 140, and 150gr weights, and from reduced recoil loads for the kids to near Magnum level 150's @2950 f/sec ...... they all work. The gun does best with 150gr SGK's at about 2900...... I have never tried any of the bonded bullets- don't see the need for them for deer, given their cost.


You'll just have to experiment to see what shoots best in your gun.

What powders do you have?

*and Factory ammo from Hornady, Remington, and Winchester

[stan5677]

H4831

[Rimfire5]

I bought some bulk 130 gr Core-Lokt bullets from Midway a couple of years ago. The Core-Lokt is an old Remington bullet but it has always been at the top of the accuracy table for my Winchester Model 70 .270 and they were very low cost. Core-Lokts have probably killed as many deer as any other bullet over the years.

The deer don't know how little I paid for the bullets.

[jimbob86]

H4831

I used that powder (and H414 as well) with 130gr Hornady and Speer soft points for several years, before going to 150gr SGK's......

I'v actually burned more IMR4064 in that gun than anything else, both in reduced 130gr deer loads for the kids and for 90-110gr prairie dog loads....

[stan5677]

I shoot the cheapest ammo I can find in my 270 now which is either the remington core-loct or federal blue box but would like to reload for as much as i hit the range

[jmr40]

For your goals most any 130 gr bullet should be fine. You can use more expensive bullets if you want, but at 100 yards and for deer they are not needed. Hornady Interlocks are fairly inexpensive and work well enough. Nosler Ballistic Tips, Accubonds, and Partitions are good bullets, but about 2X the cost of standard bullets and not needed for your purposes.

If you want to stretch the range beyond 200 yards the more expensive bullets with better aerodynamics will retain speed and energy much better at distance. And they make tougher bullets that would be a better choice on larger tougher game. When you reach the point where you can use them it might be worth it at that time.

[Pathfinder45]

H-4831 might work well with 130 grain bullets, but, as slow burning as it is, it's more optimal for 150 grain bullets. But you have it, so you must try it. My 270 shoots best with 150 grain bullets, especially Nosler Partitions, but the Sierra Game King is half the price and works well too. I practice mostly with 130 grain bullets but also use 140 grain and especially prefer the 150's for longer ranges as they shoot so well in my rifle. Tell us a little about your rifle, especially the barrel length. I've taken more Deer with the Speer 130 grain flat base than probably any other; almost always an instantaneous kill.

[stan5677]

My rifle is a mossberg patriot with a vortex crossfire I 3-9x40 22" bbl no modifications

[jimbob86]

If you want to stretch the range beyond 200 yards the more expensive bullets with better aerodynamics will retain speed and energy much better at distance.

There isn't enough difference between a flat based 130 grain conventional "el cheapo" bullet and anything else until past 300 yards to matter, if you start them at 3100 ...... most 130gr .277" bullet have a BC over .400 .... a BC of .500 and similar velocity will get you less than an inch of advantage in drop at 300. With that high muzzle velocity, BC doesn't become real important until nearing 400 yards.


Point blank zero for a 270 WIN is a bit further than most rifles......

[jimbob86]

H-4831 might work well with 130 grain bullets, but, as slow burning as it is, it's more optimal for 150 grain bullets.

I've found IMR7828 best with 150's.....


OP, with that 22 inch barrel, you might try a quicker powder, and stick with 130's.


3100 f/sec used to be the advertised velocity of 130gr 270WIN factory loads ..... it's been toned down to 3050 in stuff I see published recently...... and some of my manuals mention that 3100 may not be possible with a 22" tube.

[Paul B.]

"Eggs-zactly! Jack O'Connor did not have any premium bullets, or need them."

I disagree. He did prefer the Nosler Partition and stated as much in some of his writings. He did like cup and core 130 gr. bullets for deer but did come to prefer the Nosler. He also stated he liked the 150 gr. Partition for elk and moose.

For the OP, my preference for antelope and deer is the 150 gr. Sierra Game King. Very accurate and carries well at distance at 2900 FPS at the muzzle. For elk I can use the same charge of powder and use the 150 gr. Nobler Partition. Luckily, no change in scope adjustment necessary for my rifle. Just a very good stroke of luck, I admit.
I won't give the charge as the powder I use (Winchester Magnum Rifle or WMR) has been discontinued for quite a while now. I'm fortunate to have a decent supply that will probably outlast me. One of the 4350's, 4831's and maybe IMR 7828 should work well for you. I prefer the Hodgden as it's not so temperature sensitive.
Paul B.

[Pathfinder45]

I'm thinking along the same lines as Jimbob. You should probably pick up a pound of IMR-4350 which should be optimum for 130 grain bullets in a 22" barrel. These probabilities are merely generalizations. Each rifle will have its own preferences, sometimes differing from what you would generally expect. The only way to know is to try the different components and see. I recommend that you try Sierra GK's in 130, 140 and 150 grain weights with both IMR-4350 and H-4831 to see what your rifle prefers. There are endless combinations of components, but you have to start somewhere. It's highly unlikely the pet load for my rifle would be the best for yours. Good luck and have fun.

[jimbob86]

I recommend that you try Sierra GK's in 130, 140 and 150 grain weights

I found the 130gr SGK to be too explosive at very short ranges when started at over 3000 f/sec ..... one of the reasons I went to the 150's.... just a quirk of where I hunt- shots can be VERY short, or out to way out past Ft. Mudge ......

Hornady Interlocks hold together better on the close shots..... and I found a good reduced load for them for the kids......

[5whiskey]

Sierra Gamekings in whatever weight you desire. For regular 'ole deer, 130 is plenty. They have a decent BC, they are accurate, and they have great effects on target. Sierra is the gold standard of value for me, factoring in price, accuracy, and effectiveness on target.

[stan5677]

I have H4831 in the cart but got busy at work and never hit the complete button. From the factory ammo I have put through there so far federal fusion, remington core-loct, federal blue box, and hornady superformance sst, my rifle is not picky on ammo. I have no problem switching to another powder if it would provide higher velocity I switched out the ballistic tips and will buy some sierra prohunters, hornady interlocks, speer hot-cor. and gamekings. Any advice on a powder that will produce higher velocities than the H4831 that work well with the 270?

[Pathfinder45]

There are a whole lot of good powders that are suitable for the job, more choices than anyone has time or budget enough to get around to trying in an exhaustive-try-everything-test. That's why we all like to have half-a-dozen or so reloading manuals to reference, because even those folks can't test it all, or they would never get there manual finished to publish it. I have used a lot of different powders in the 270. The most magical powder I have encountered for it is Norma N205. But I cannot recommend it to you as it is no longer made and if you chance upon some at a gunshow it will almost certainly be 40 years old by now. Somehow, I have never tried IMR-4350. Yet I recommended it to you because it has a well-earned reputation in this application for producing high velocity with 130 grain bullets, even in 22" barrels, along with outstanding accuracy, in almost any 270 Winchester rifle. So it's a go-to powder to get on the fast track to success, a good place to start. Another excellent powder is IMR-4831, it's just a little slower burning than IMR-4350, but it's important not to confuse it with H-4831 as they are not the same and have substantially different load data.

[jimbob86]

With the 22" tube, and 130's, I'd try something a bit faster than H-4831 ...... Maybe RL-19 or even IMR4064.

Remember, high velocity is not everything: if you don't have consistent velocities shot to shot, and consistently small groups, you ain't got nothin'.

[Nosler guy]

130 grain (non bonded) bullets like the bt can severely limit your take with a 270 if you hunt for meat. I've had several folks come up to me and ask me why they blew their deer in half with the bt's and have pictures readily available. I prefer bonded bullets in the 270 because they have the perfect combination of expansion and penetration on deer sized game. I also love the accuracy I've attained from Speer btsp. Most bullets available for the 270 will grant a good bang flop for deer at reasonable ranges but from experience the 130 non bonded bullets are a bit too explosive and can ruin a lot of meat.


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[cptjack]

did a test with jack conners load with4831sc. used Sierra ,horned and Speer. SGK was the tightest group .hdy next ,than Speer ,slight change in POI