[Montana Rancher]

Hey all.
Went elk hunting the first weekend of the season (November 2 was opening day) and although the wolves were back in the area we hunt, my group of 4 hunters harvested 5 elk in the first 3 days. Just a FYI we usually shoot cows for the meat and pass up rag horn bulls because they are about the same size as a good cow but taste a lot gamier.

This year we could put in for a "B" elk tag which allows you to shoot an additional calf/cow and 3 of us put in for that tag thinking they would be rare, and so of course all 3 of us drew one! We could have harvested 7 elk total but after the 5th one we got tired of gutting and dragging and decided to go home (woe is me, hehe)

I finished butchering my elk last Tuesday and after the backstraps and roasts, I ground 174lbs of elk burger, (woe is me again)

Our elk camp usually tags out (gets all the elk we can legally shoot) and have done so for the last 4 years, the unique things was I recovered a bullet from one of the cows and here is a pic, it is a 270 Winchester, 130 grain Barnes X bullet and this one shattered both front legs before hanging up under the skin on the far side. When I say shattered, I mean completely decimated the bones into little tiny pieces. Not what we look for in a good kill but def did the purpose in which it was launched downrange.

It is a 130 grain bullet and after breaking the living batcrap out of the front leg it still has 117 grains left.

I have harvested 10 elk using this gun/bullet combination, they are 1 shot kills and usually I get complete pass throughs.

 

[Go2ndAmend]

I have elk hunted with a group of friends in Wyoming every year for more than a decade now. All but one of us use 300 Win. Mag's. The odd man out shoots a .270 and he ends up getting a bull just as often as we do. For me personally, I feel more confident using my 300 shooting 165 grain barnes triple shock bullets. The 5x5 bull I killed this year was during a snowstorm and 450 yards away just at dark. He only went about 40 yards after being shot but we still had to use headlamps to find him (straight up the mountain). I'm not sure I would have taken the shot with a .270 but plenty of elk have been killed successfully with it.

 

[Rigged for Quiet]

I've hunted with a .270 for the last 20+ years. I've recently decided to retire my go to gun due to it being a pre war Model 70 and the near paranoid steps I take to protect it are just too much. It truthfully has made the transition from Tool to Jewel beings it's damn near irreplaceable.

Yep, I need another gun. Damn the bad luck.

 

[roy]

The 270 is good but the 280 is better, a little higher velocity and better bullet selection when reloading. If you are gonna change guns you might want to consider 280.

 

[AquaHull]

I use an '06 now, but I've taken more deer with an A-Bolt 270. My friend wanted it more than me when I was off work and made me an offer that I couldn't refuse.

 

[Arizona Infidel]

How far out was the shot?

 

[csi-tech]

Congratulations on a great hunt! Our whitetail muzzleloader season opens in the morning. I'll have to wait til Sunday though. Tennessee is just reintroducing an elk hunt. I think we are just too densely populated to have a sustainable herd statewide. My family in Oregon kills elk and that meat is wonderful. I need to plan an elk hunt in the next few years.

 

[Infidel]

First of all I'm extremely jealous, I'd love to be able to hunt elk but it's not much of a possibility for me right now. Maybe once the boys are a bit older we'll get the chance. Congratulations on a great hunt by the way. When I read your post I couldn't help but think to myself "man, 130gr seems little light for a critter the size of an elk", obviously that combination works for you though so who am I to criticize? Sounds like that bullet did exactly what it was supposed to do although I would prefer an exit hole too just in case I need to follow a blood trail. Personally I would opt for a 150gr bullet but I generally like a heavier bullet. Hell I use a 140gr SPBT on whitetails in my 6.5x55.

The recommendation of a .280 Rem for elk would be a solid one except that there aren't very many new rifles chambered in the cartridge and as much as I like the .280, I don't think there's a whole lot it'll do that a .270 won't. The .280 Rem really shines if you handload, but otherwise the .270 Win has the edge for availability of rifles chambered for it and availability of ammunition. There's not many gun shops in this country that don't carry .270 Win ammo. It didn't sound to me like you were looking for a rifle recommendation but since someone offered one I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in for anyone that might be on the fence about the 2 cartridges.

-Infidel