.270 Winchester for Coyotes

Atherisdoode

New member
Hello,

I have a friend who would like to use his own rifle, in this case a Tikka T3 .270 winchester, rather than borrow either my .223 or my .220 swift. I was googling around and found some info on coyote hunting with the .270 ( including on this forum ), and the general consensus seems to be using a 130gr deer round to avoid fur damage. However, I consulted the Hodgdon site for reduced loads and found 2 for 100gr and 110 gr bullets with 36 and 36.2 grains of 4895 respectively. Muzzle velocities would be 2594 and 2604 fps.

The reduced loads would solve another of his problems, which is shoulder pain from the recoil. He has shoulder problems and every time he fires off a round he walks around wincing in pain. These rifles are also rather light.

What would be the best bullet in 100 or 100 grain used with these reduced loads which would result in little or less fur damage? Would hornady v-max 110 gr be ok? I saw some info stating the v-max bullets have small entry hole and no exit holes since they tend to disintegrate inside the animal. Any input would be appreciated, including alternative suggestions.

Thanks!
 
If he is in pain with a 130gr I don't think he'll be comfortable shooting a 100gr in that lite of a rifle. Maybe a muzzle break and a good kick pad would help along with the reduced loads. I think a 100gr pointed soft point would do less damage than a v-max. Speer made a 100gr sp and might still.
 
I'd try to convince him to get a smaller rifle or to borrow one of yours. With shoulder problems he's always gonna be thinking of the recoil and not concentrating on the shot. Shooting is supposed to be fun and not something we're worried about.
A limbsaver recoil pad does help a lot if he can't be convinced to try something smaller.
 
if he is hurting with the 270 now... will it just sit in the closet now... if so... then he might as well sell it and buy a 223 so that he can have more pleasure in shooting.
 
Originally Posted By: Displayed Name I'd try to convince him to get a smaller rifle or to borrow one of yours. With shoulder problems he's always gonna be thinking of the recoil and not concentrating on the shot. Shooting is supposed to be fun and not something we're worried about.
A limbsaver recoil pad does help a lot if he can't be convinced to try something smaller.





Well said
 
A pal loaded 110g vmaxes at about 2900 fps in his .270 for coyote. He finally got smart and got a .243 a year later.
 
Sounds like a great idea. If you loaded down that low it would recoil less than a 243. A 8 pound 270 is right around 17 ft/lbs of recoil and a 243 with 100 grain bullets is about 8 ft/lbs. So you would be looking at less than half the recoil at those velocities. Course a 204 or 223 would be 2-3 ft/lbs which may be worth the investment if his shoulder is that bad. Reducing the weight of the bullet affects recoil a bit more than reducing velocity and Sierra makes a 90 grain bullet.
 
If he really wants a big game round that can scale down, look into a 25-06. It can go from sub 243 recoil to enough oomph for larger deer.
 
I see no problem with a 270 for yotes, I have killed more than one with my 300 Win. Mag. just a target of opportunity.

But really killing coyotes with your big game rifle is good field practice.

Finding a load that will not mess up the fur might be sort of hard, then again maybe not.

I say shoot them with what you got. Keeping in mind the longest lethal yardage the cartridge is good for when it comes to killing coyotes, rabbits, or what ever you are trying to kill.
 
That's what I figured. He has a Pachmyr slip-on recoil pad, which should help. The other option for reduced recoil and less pelt damage might be the remington recoil management line of ammo. They bring it down to 115gr bullets at 2700 FPS, but use core-lokt bullets, of which I have zero knowledge. How bad are these things for pelt damage? Does anybody know?
 
Originally Posted By: NdIndyIf he really wants a big game round that can scale down, look into a 25-06. It can go from sub 243 recoil to enough oomph for larger deer.

Basically, he has limited financial resources at times and doesn't want to invest in another firearm. He works on a tree farm, hence the shoulder problems, and for some reason, got talked into a .270 for deer. I can't understand why he opted for the .270 since most of his deer hunting is close range stuff which he can manage with his 30-30 or his muzzle loader. In the latter case, most of the deer hunting in our area can only be done with muzzle loaders. It's the law. You have to travel outwards away from populated areas to legally hunt with regular firearms.

From what rkite stated, I think some reduced loads would solve the recoil issue. My remaining concern would be a bullet which reduces pelt damage. He definitely wants to keep the pelts.
 
I have a .270 Winchester and I am one who doesn't like recoil (I will tolerate it and have shot up to a 50 BMG but the less recoil the better).

Here is what I have found - Get a slip on recoil pad (it will extend the length of pull but helps a lot with recoil and I use one when shooting a lot of rounds

Save up and get a muzzle brake installed - can reduce recoil by up to 70% and should run around $150.00 or so

Trade in the gun and get a .243 for deer - you can shoot 58gr rounds to practice with and the recoil is much less.

Add weight to the gun will help reduce recoil also

YMMV
 
Originally Posted By: Displayed Name I'd try to convince him to get a smaller rifle or to borrow one of yours. With shoulder problems he's always gonna be thinking of the recoil and not concentrating on the shot. Shooting is supposed to be fun and not something we're worried about.
A limbsaver recoil pad does help a lot if he can't be convinced to try something smaller.



Might think of putting a break on it.
 
I used a .270 Win on coyotes for a few years, way back when( 1980's) when I first started calling. I had fairly good luck with the Sierra 90 grain hollowpoints and IMR 4350 powder,like 57.0 grains if I remember right and they were running around 3300 fps.

Good hunting Chad
 
Last edited:
While something smaller would be better it's unlikely he'll be getting so many shots on coyotes that the recoil would be that much of a problem.I think a good pad like a KickEz or Limbsaver should do the trick.The KE pad was a huge improvement on my 12g.
 
Originally Posted By: DABI see no problem with a 270 for yotes, I have killed more than one with my 300 Win. Mag. just a target of opportunity.

But really killing coyotes with your big game rifle is good field practice.

Finding a load that will not mess up the fur might be sort of hard, then again maybe not.

I say shoot them with what you got. Keeping in mind the longest lethal yardage the cartridge is good for when it comes to killing coyotes, rabbits, or what ever you are trying to kill.



I've never believed in the term of overkill, particularly when it comes to varmints, dead is dead.

I do think though, that even with hunting slugs, a .300 Win Mag will do some serious damage on the off side of the dog. I'm hoping to explore what my new 30 Remington AR and maybe my .300 WSM will do to the howlers!! Don
 
Back
Top