Ammo advice

CodyK9

New Member
Going out in a couple weeks to try and take a deer and a hog, and I plan on taking my .270 Win, and my 6.5 creedmoor. The .270, is a Savage 110, and it’s not a fan of most factory ammo, so I loaded up some 140 grain Hornady SST’s. The load I worked up that was the most accurate, was pretty close to max in the manual. I shot 3 across the chrono, and they averaged just over 3,000fps. I’m worried that the SST moving that fast, inside of 100 yards, may be too “explosive”. Those bullets seem to fragment quick on impact, especially if you hit bone. The other option, is working up a new load using a 130 grain Interlock SP, or just leave the .270 in the cabin, and stick with the Savage Axis II Precision in 6.5, which loves everything I feed it!


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I’ve definitely seen some large entrance and small exit holes with the “softer” bullet construction on even medium size hogs. Bonded bullets are good deer/hog medicine and I never had any issues with copper, more specifically Barnes TSX.


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I’m a huge fan of of plain Jane 130g interlock bullets. They just work and shoot accurately. If I didn’t have confidence in the 140s, I’d make the change. Unless your hunting long senderos, I’d throw together a well accepted 130 load and hunt. In my experience, hornady interlock bullets perform out of proportion to their cost with partition like penetration when started 3100fps or less.
 
I’m fond of Sierra Game Kings in my .280 Remington. My load is running a 140 grain bullet at around 2850 fps. In my old age I’m a high shoulder shooter. The Sierra GK kills quickly with minimal meat damage when placed in the high shoulder.
 
Because of my location, most of my shooting is "up close work". Because of this I tend to favor heavier grain weights, and or tougher bullets. I cant say that I've ever bought or loaded anything in my 270 win lighter than a 150. But then again I shoot 120 sierra pro hunters in my 6.5 at a bit over the maximum charge :oops:, and they seem to work admirably. The only bullet failures I've had to date were with 140gr Hornady ELD in the 6.5. I'm also a big proponent of of round nose cup and core bullets they hold together better than their pointed versions.
 
I had some 130 grain Interlock SP bullets and some IMR4350 powder, so I loaded up 3 rounds each of 5 different loads earlier, and I’m gonna shoot them across the chrono tomorrow and see how the rifle likes them. I’m hoping to find a load that groups well enough. If I do, then I may use them instead of the SST’s. I would rather have used some 4831 powder, but I only have 1/2 lb left, and I’m not sure if I’ll get the 5lb’s I just ordered before I need to have the rounds ready. I’m sure the SST’s I have loaded will be fine, but after seeing some shots with them, and with what limited experience in hunting I have, there’s no reason to try and improve on the results I’ve had with regular old soft point bullets! Usually, I’d take my hog with a 6.5 to the noggin, but I am considering taking a shot with one of the SST’s, to see the results.


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If I recall, the sweet spot for 130s and IMR4350 was 55 or 56 grains. I prefer 4831 BT 4350 will get the job done.
 
If I recall, the sweet spot for 130s and IMR4350 was 55 or 56 grains. I prefer 4831 BT 4350 will get the job done.

Forgot the chrono (left it sitting by the door when I loaded my truck!) but I got some great results with this combo. Started at 52 grains and worked up to 54 in 1/2 grain increments. Wish I would have had more bullets to get up to 55, but 54 looks to be pretty good. About 1/3” 3 shot group center to center. I’ve always used 4831 for my .270, but I may be using 4350 more often now. Worst group I shot today was just at 1”. I also had a box of Monarch 130 grain soft points that I picked up cheap at Academy last week, so I shot a group with them. Guess my rifle likes them, 3 shots grouped right at 1”, and for factory ammo, in this rifle, that’s pretty damn good.



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Had a friend that had bad luck with 6.5 this last week on deer and Outdoor life came out with an article online about why there are being deer lost with the 6.5. I would shoot one of the other choices
 
Had a friend that had bad luck with 6.5 this last week on deer and Outdoor life came out with an article online about why there are being deer lost with the 6.5. I would shoot one of the other choices

Yeah, the plan is to use the 6.5 on a hog. It’s dead nuts accurate, and a round to the head shouldn’t be an issue. The .270 is for deer.


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