Caribou Gear Tarp

.270 Win 150 or 160 Partitions

wannakillabigbull

wannakillabigbull

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Anybody with experience with the 160 partitions out of the .270? We've taken a number of elk and deer with the 150 partitions, and I shot them well this weekend. But I've been looking at the 160s and never tried them before. They'd obviously shoot a little slower and have a worse trajectory, but they should give better penetration in theory. Their ballistics are nearly identical on paper to 165 partitions out of a 30-06. Any of you guys with field experience with them? Is it worth even looking into them if the 150s are shooting well?
 
I think the 160's would work very well, but if my rifle was already shooting good with the 150's, I wouldn't change a thing. I just don't think 10 more grains is going to make any real difference. Although if you have the time it sure wouldn't hurt to try some just to see how they shoot.
 
I think you could hunt for a hundred lifetimes and not find an instance where a 150 wouldn't kill an elk but a 160 would.

That said, if it floats your boat, do it
 
I shot a medium size cow w 160 gr partition from 270 Win broadside @ 160 yd. Hit a little high, couple inches below the backstrap, just behind the shoulderblade. Elk dropped @ the shot. Bullet recovered under offside skin, broke a rib up high on entry side, about 70% of bullet weight retained. I was impressed by the bullet's performance, my 7 Rem mag w 160 partitions would have performed the same.
 
My son shot his bull at a measured 408 yards using the Federal Premium Vital Shock in 150 grain Nosler Partition from my wifes .270. The shot was a broadside high lung shot that came to rest just under the hide on the far side. You can't ask for any better performance. The result was a dead bull.
I don't think you would gain anything by using 160 vs 150 grain.
 
The 150 gr. .270 bullets have a BC of .465 where the 160 gr. Partitions are a semi-spitzer and have a BC of .434, slightly lower. That means your 150 gr. bullets that are starting out faster will also not slow down as quickly as the semi-spitzer in your .270. I'd stick with the 150 if it shoots well and I'd have complete confidence in it.

David
 
be careful about going over 150 because you get into a need for a different twist rate to optimize the load. Just check your guns twist rate and the recommended twist rate for that bullet and weight. I think most 270 rifles are 1:10.
 
johnh9411 said:
be careful about going over 150 because you get into a need for a different twist rate to optimize the load. Just check your guns twist rate and the recommended twist rate for that bullet and weight. I think most 270 rifles are 1:10.
Click to expand...

I think the 160 semi-spitzers were made for the standard 270 twist rate. It's only when you start shooting the new uber-slick VLD type bullets that you have to worry about twist.
 
Yea the info from burger is why i made that post. Was not sure about the bullet in question just something to check. I think burger recommended 1:8. My 270 has 1:10 like all others basically. Personally I shoot 129 Barnes about 2900 fps and plan on elk hunting with it this fall.
 
johnh9411 said:
Yea the info from burger is why i made that post. Was not sure about the bullet in question just something to check. I think burger recommended 1:8. My 270 has 1:10 like all others basically. Personally I shoot 129 Barnes about 2900 fps and plan on elk hunting with it this fall.
Click to expand...
Required barrel twist is determined by bullet length not weight. Those two may not always be related or at least in a linear fashion.
 
As previously mentioned, the 160 gr .277 partition is a semi spitzer and it's BC is less than that of the 150 gr spitzer. However, at ethical distances there really isn't that much difference. The 160 gr will (theoretically) give better penetration, but probably a marginal difference at best. I'm a proponent of heavy bullets, especially for elk. But if you are shooting the 150s good then I would stick with that. If you have time for experimentation, and find that the 160s shoot better, then go with them.
 
I am shooting the Nosler 140gr Balistic tip with my Tikka 270. I was thinking of going up to the 150 but I have a bunch of the 140 and didn't want to attempt to re-zero.
 
jmustard said:
I am shooting the Nosler 140gr Balistic tip with my Tikka 270. I was thinking of going up to the 150 but I have a bunch of the 140 and didn't want to attempt to re-zero.
Click to expand...

I prefer a tougher bullet for elk, but the BT has been beefed up since it originally came out. They sure fly good.
 
I made a post on how to determine what is "best" for elk, you can use the same method to compare the performance of the two bullets. The simple answer to your question is which one does YOUR rifle shoot better, what is your planned engagement distance, what is your expected environmental conditions? These are all questions you need to answer for yourself. Others have already stated the issues with bullet twist rates, go to this link:

http://www.bergerbullets.com/twist-rate-calculator/

enter your information and see if the bullet will perform in theory. You don't have to use Berger bullets, you can enter any projectile you want if you know it's dimensions. Keep in mind that yes heavier bullets carry higher sectional densities, but they typically have slower muzzle velocities, in some cases that lower start velocity can mitigate the potential gains in energy the heavy bullet has.

It's my professional opinion that precision (group size) and accuracy (ability to center the group on target) trump all out power. I'll take a well placed, or ability to well place a shot over the power potential any day. If you can get both in bonus, do it.
 
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