Nosler vs Hornady for 270

Before I got into reloading I used 150-grain partitions by Federal OUT OF MY .270 on everything from Antelope to Elk. My main rifle is the same (Tikka .270 as yours). I started handloading 5 years ago or so, I really like the 140 grain accubonds by Nosler. Everything I shoot with them has either been an instant kill or a very short recovery. Any of the options mentioned above will work!

I've always though the term "premium" bullet was kinda stupid. mtmuley

mtmuley said:

I've always though the term "premium" bullet was kinda stupid. mtmuley

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It's a loosely defined term that actually means "expensive".

With my own eyes I've seen quite a few elk die with .277 bullets. 140 Accubonds, 150 Hornady Interlok, and 150 Interbonds all have done extremely well.

Add Federal blue box 130's and Winchester Power Point 150's. Both did just fine.

We tend to overthink it.

Brian in Montana said:

It's a loosely defined term that actually means "expensive".

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Expense is last on the list for me when choosing a bullet to kill with. mtmuley

Since you don't reload nor have specified a range that you will be shooting an elk at then I would also recommend the 150 gr partitions, 140 accubonds even the 150 lrabs. Despite my love for the .277 caliber I haven't used it for elk because I believe larger calibers can achieve better success. I could be wrong but I have only used a 7mm rem mag and .007 aint much. Regardless the 130 sst has work flawless for me on deer from 426 yards to under 100 yards. The bullet penetrates the chest cavity and explodes. No pass through but all the internal organs are destroyed. The 129 lrx barnes bullet also hasn't let me down on deer. That bullet does expand and pass through, based on under 250 yard shots on deer. I have used the 168 lrab on elk with a 7mm and they act like a sst at under 250 yards, the 3 elk I have taken with them all dropped on the spot but close range. Speaking to the ELD-X I shot a muley at around 220 while bedded(not on tv) in the neck with a 6.5 SAUM and he just laid down. While butchering him the bullet acted like a SST but being a neck shot instead of a cavity shot, I don't have good data to back anything up.
While my beloved .270 is getting a new proof carbon fiber barrel installed I have collected some 145 eldx, 140 berger hunter classic and 140 accbonds for load development and unless the Utah draw shines on me, I will not be able to use it this year for elk.

mtmuley said:

Expense is last on the list for me when choosing a bullet to kill with. mtmuley

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Exactly. But it is an interesting question, how does one define "premium bullet"?

Brian in Montana said:

Exactly. But it is an interesting question, how does one define "premium bullet"?

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Well, at one time in my life, a Core-Lokt was a "premium" bullet, cause that's what I killed with. Different today, but I bet I could still kill with a CL. My "premium" bullet's have different names now. mtmuley

Brian in Montana said:

Exactly. But it is an interesting question, how does one define "premium bullet"?

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I just bought a box of ammo where the bullets have a golden color. I think when your bullets are golden, that's a pretty good indicator of premium. Or silver. Silver premium bullets have existed since the days of the Lone Ranger.

Often it's as easy to tell whether your bullets are premium without even opening the box, similar to how you tell the cartridge or bullet weight. The premium bullets will actually say 'premium' on the box. Apparently, others get confused as well.

mtmuley said:

Well, at one time in my life, a Core-Lokt was a "premium" bullet, cause that's what I killed with. Different today, but I bet I could still kill with a CL. My "premium" bullet's have different names now. mtmuley

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Core-Lokt is still my ammo of choice. When I drew my NV bull tag in '96 I bought a box of "premium" Nitrex ammo with Gran Slam bullets and it worked beautifully. I have since killed several cow elk and been with my brother when he killed several bull elk using Core-Lokt ammo. The premium ammo didn't kill them any "more dead" than the regular old green box ammo. I still have half the box of Nitrex left and maybe someday I'll use it on something else.

Another vote for 150 grain partition here. I have had my Remmington 700 .270 win for over 20 years and have always shot the 150 grain partition. Deer and Elk being the only victims...

To answer the original question on price, Federal sells boxes of Partitions that are much cheaper than the ones loaded by Nosler. Should be closer to $35-$40 a box rather than $60.

Ridge Ghost said:

To answer the original question on price, Federal sells boxes of Partitions that are much cheaper than the ones loaded by Nosler. Should be closer to $35-$40 a box rather than $60.

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When my son took his bull in 2015 he used a .270 loaded Federal Premium Ammo in with 150 grain Nosler Partitions. They performed beautifully and they were very accurate. If I remember correctly they were $46.