270 for a predator rifle

D

Don Armstrong

New member
I have a 204 H&R that is killing me. I have spent 120.00 on powder and bullets and it still shoots worse than my Browning 12 gauge. I have a Marlin XL7 270 Winchester that I might try to use on yotes, foxes and cats. Any suggestions on a bullet that will damage as little hide as possible. I'm in the east so shots will probably be 200 and in. Thanks, Don.
 
Don,

There just isn't anything that's going to be truly fur friendly out of a .270. Your best bet is going to be to get a well constructed soft point and avoid hitting bones.

Hate to say it, but you're probably going to have some severe damage on a high percentage of the foxes and cats, which are really the more valuable furs.

My dad shot a lot of coyotes with a .270 using 130 grain Speer SPBT's, and they weren't usually pretty to skin.

I'd trade off that handi-gun and get a Savage.

Daryl
 
I want to get a Savage or another Marlin in 243 but don't have the money right now. The H%R has one more chance to straighten up tomorrow. I'm going to load some 32 V-max in a few minutes for tomorrow. If it doesn't work, I'm putting her on the market. Don
 
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For sale, 1 barrel that won't shoot for [beeep].

I would *think* that a heavily constructed slow moving bullet out a larger caliber would give an exit, but not massive/explosive expansion.

I'm still chasing my 1st coyote though, so its up to someone else to try that as an experiment. I know 2 years ago I took a nice buck with one of my elk rounds. I had 1 day to hunt and didn't want to resight my 30-06 for the lighter round. I punched completely through both shoulder joints, 30 cal in, 30 cal out. I don't think the bullet even knew that a deer was in it's way. 180gr swift scirrocco at about 2900fps, shot was about 350 yards by laser. I pretty much lost both front 1/4's, meat felt like jello. I hit a little further forward than I had planned
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Too bad about the .204 though. I have one in 45/70, 223, and 243. I shoot the .223 quite a bit, groups about 1/2" at 100, though about a .204 a while back.
 
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Don
Whatever you load for a bullet just make shure that the speed is below 2500 fps you should not be blowing the off sid efur.
Clarence
 
I used to hunt predators with my 270 alot. I still hunt with it on occasion. I used to load Sierra 90 grain bullets to 3600 fps or so. They were spectacularly devestating! Fur unfriendly. I have hit several with 130 grain Sierras that I load for deer. They were good, Exit wounds about the size of a fifty cent piece. My son shot one with a 150 grain Barnes triple shock (270)while we were elk hunting. It entered the chest and exited through the pelvis. Messed that coyote up BAD the hole was the size of a big grapefruit or bigger. I have a box of Remington 150 grain roundnosed cartridges that I suspect will be perfect but I seldom use my 270 for predators.
 
I've been using my 270 this year to get some trigger time on it and do a face lift on the 243.
as long as you poke straight threw the ribs it has been leaving a golf ball hole, running away it has left a soccer ball.
not fur friendly but at 10 bucks a fur who cares.
i have seen the same damage from the 223 243 and 220 swift.
now my 300 mag at 30' removed the opposite side of the coyote once and at 110 yrds it poked a ping pong ball "go figure"
I've seen the 223 leave a grapefruit, i think its all about bones, miss the bones save the hide.
 
If you reload you can try some 90gr sierra tnts. That might make a bigger hole or a smaller hole. Depending on how much powder you put behind them I guess. I have them here but have yet to get a coyote with them as I normally carry my shotgun during deer season. I don't hunt deer and am not a loud to carry it without a deer tag at that time of year. Then after deer season I carry my 22-250.
 
i used a 270 for years on coyotes. the key was i used federal rounds loaded with a nosler soft point bullet. the reason being is that it was like shooting a fmj bullet, even with the smallish deer here in alabama. the only time i saw these bullets expand was on a 275# hog that i shot square in the shoulder! so i never had alot of pelt damage on coyotes with this 130gr. bullets....but i can say, DO NOT shoot a coyote with remington corelokts!! they will blow a hole the size of a softball on the exit side.
 
Good info bailebr3. I need to get some of those. I shot a coyote with a federal loaded with the 150 gr Nosler partition while deer hunting and i could have stuck my head in the exit hole.
 
yeah that sorta describes the hole when i used the corelokts. i should say that one coyote that i shot did get pretty messed up with the 130gr. federals i used....but i shot it square in the shoulder and it was also my longest shot EVER, on any animal.....453 yrds! i had a buddy to witness it and range it. talk about an awesome feeling!!
 
I shot one years ago with 130gr. game king I think about 200yrds. It left a large exit. I am pretty sure that you will get exits so what I plan to carry when sheep hunting or using my .270 is Barns 120 solids they will pass though but so does everything else, just be sure that it is going into something behind the coyote.
 
I used a 270 for years and reloaded many different types of bullets for it. Unless you can find a full metal jacketed bullet, you are going to get extensive damage. Hit a fox or cat, expect two halves laying there after the shot. I switched over to the 243. It is a much better round. You do not hear the bullets richocheing for miles on end, your ears are no longer ringing for 15 minutes after the shot, fur damage is minimal and it is cheaper to reload.
 
Long ago the only rifle I owned was a .270. I can say for sure, do not use the 90grn hp's if you want to save fur at all. One on the most un-fur-friendly bullets I have seen.

There is no bullet that you could really call fur friendly, at least so far as I have seen, and I shot a fair number of coyotes, with a fair number of bullets. My suggestion is the same as others here, use a quality 130grn sp and hope for the best.

I believe I loaded a Sierra 130 game king, though its been so long I can't recall exactly from memory. My attitude was, its the same bullet I use for deer, and I can't expect fur friendly performance from any bullet, so I might as well save my self the trouble... That would be my advice to you, and it makes for some nice live game practice.
 
Originally Posted By: cmiddleton I've been using my 270 this year to get some trigger time on it ...but at 10 bucks a fur who cares.

That's my feeling, too. I have used my .280 and I use the same 160 Nosler Partition that I use on deer and elk. Field trigger time for that gun.
 
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