savage 270

[zeus 912]

I have always hunted with a 300 win mag or a 30.06 however due to financial problems(being self employeed and having no work for a year)i have had to sell almost all my guns.All i have left for deer hunting is a 270 savage accutrigger that i bought my wife two years ago and has never even been in the woods once and shot maybe 10 times.My question is does a 270 have the power needed to kill whitetail out to 400 yds?Is it sufficient to hunt the huge bodied whitetails in canada?Is it sufficient to hunt elk?

[Blue Avenger]

yes

[zeus 912]

I have always hunted with a 300 win mag or a 30.06 however due to financial problems(being self employeed and having no work for a year)i have had to sell almost all my guns.All i have left for deer hunting is a 270 savage accutrigger that i bought my wife two years ago and has never even been in the woods once and shot maybe 10 times.My question is does a 270 have the power needed to kill whitetail out to 400 yds?Is it sufficient to hunt the huge bodied whitetails in canada?Is it sufficient to hunt elk?
buzzards gotta eat too!

[ctrout]

Yes to all questions. Choose the right bullet and the 270 will do the job. That being said, my experience with the 270 on a huge bodied mule deer at just over 100 yards was not exceptional. I did not have the best bullet. Deer weighed well over 200 pounds and the 130gr Hornady soft point entered behind the rib cage on the left side. I found the bullet under the skin at the right shoulder. It weighed like 80 grains. The deer dropped at the shot but seconds later got up and walked away like he was never hit. I put another one behind the rib cage on the right side and it was a mirror image of the first shot. the deer didn't even flinch. I put the third shot high in the shoulder and broke the spine before he stopped. Not to say that any other bullet would have done any better but I really would have liked an exit wound on a deer that tough so at least when he walked away, I would have had a good blood trail. I KNOW that a 140 or 150 grain Partition would have exited. Both of the first two shots damaged the liver and one lung, severely damaged the other lung, and broke the off shoulder and the deer kept on going. I am not a fan of the 130gr Accubonds either. Shot an average sized mulie doe last season at about 300 yds and the bullet blew up on the shoulder and did not exit. I had to finish her with a 45 Colt when I got there. My point is, if you use the 270 to hunt tough, big-bodied game, use a well-constructed, heavy-for-caliber bullet. I like CT 150gr Partitions for my mulie hunting now. I built a 338-06 for my elk hunting.

[ellobo]

For under $130 you could get an A&B barrel from MidwayUSA in a heavier caliber like .30-06 and swap it by taking off the .270 and adding the new barrel. If you could afford that, your home free, By swapping barrels and possibly bolt heads if needed for different calibrs you can have just about any caliber you want for anything you want.
If all you can afford at the moment is ammo do as was suggested, heavily constructed bullets should do the job and learn to sneak closer before shooting.

El Lobo

[zeus 912]

Thanks for the advice!very informative as its a caliber i have no experience with.