Hunting Deer Elk
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Is a .270 WSM a good round for Deer/Elk hunting? And is a Browning Eclipse A-Bolt Bull barel worth the money?
Is a .270 WSM a good round for Deer/Elk hunting? And is a Browning Eclipse A-Bolt Bull barel worth the money? I am looking at a used Browning Eclipse A-Bolt Bull Barrel Stainless with a thumbhole stock, lamated, for $800. Would this be a good buy, gun, and caliber for Deer/Elk? Thank you for any info on this matter.
The 270 Winchester is fine for deer or elk with the proper bullet and shot placement-270 WSM gets you more velocity /energy,so there is no problem in the cartridge. Craig Boddington is a fan if the 270 WSM.Be aware however that the WSM cartridges are expensive to buy-normally $40 or more a box;I have a 300 WSM and I handload for my rifles,so that isn't a problem. I also own two Browning A-Bolts (30-06 and 300 WSM,and think they are some very fine rifles-both are shooting sub MOA groups. A Stainless Eclipse for $800 is a very good deal on pricing;my SS was a little more than that new.
As for bullets,I suggest using bonded core design (especially on elk) such as Nosler Accu-Bonds,Partitions or Barnes Bullets,Sierra Game Kings or Hornady InterBond or SSTs,etc. With as much velocity obtainable with the WSM you might have bullet failures with a standard cup and core bullet design. 270 WSM with a 150 grain bullet can still get above 2900 feet per second muzzle velocities, and with a high BC and sectional density they will perform well. I know plenty of elk hunters using 270 Winchester standard,and they seem to put tags on elk just like folks with 338 Mags do. Again, only drawback to me would be the cost of factory ammo for a WSM,but if you have a Weatherby Mag or some other less mainstream cartridges you are going to pay that price anyway. Many standard cartridges with "premium" bullets cost $40 and up---I'm just glad I can hand load for less than $20 a box with Noslers and Barnes bullets.
The Ballistic chart will let you compare cartridges-270 WSM is a very good performer,yet loads out like a 30-06 for powder use.