Elk Rifle – Are You Choosing The Best Bullet?

You want to use your .270 as an Elk Rifle? You keep reading that you can’t – We’ll I will tell you from years of experience that you can. Let’s look at the bullet you are using. Because of the thickness of their hides, and the size of  an elk, they require a heavier bullet weight. Yes, there is a compromise in deciding the best .270 elk bullet. The heavier bullet will penetrate the elk better but you will lose distance. The heavier the bullet, the more bullet drop. That is known as the bullet’s trajectory.

Bullets are weighed in grains. A .270 starts at 100 grain and goes up to 150 grains. When I hunted for whitetail deer I used a 130 grain bullets.  When I chose an Elk Rifle, I used the maximum 150 gain bullet. This bullet gave me all of the knockdown power I needed and a moderate range of shooting distance.

When I’m stalking Elk, it’s rare that I have my rifle over my shoulder. Each time I walk up to a clearing , I have my rifle ready and my thumb on the safety. If there’s a herd of elk or a nice bull, I can make a quick decision, shoulder my Elk rifle, or fire in about three seconds. That’s very hard to do if your rifle is on your shoulder. The lazy elk hunter will waste thousands of good opportunities each season by walking around with their rifles slung over their shoulders.

The bottom line is – use the heavier bullet weight, know your own shooting capabilities and don’t take a careless shots that could only wound the elk. The .270 is a good Elk rifle for elk hunting and I have harvested many using it. What’s the best 270 elk bullet? In my opinion, it’s the 150 grain.