270 Weatherby for plains game

[Silver Tip]

I recently talked to my PH in South Africa and he said he was quite impressed with client that use a 270 Weatherby there for plains game. He shot game up to and including eland. What's your opinion on the 270 Weatherby mag?

Silver Tip

 

[gillettehunter]

Little light for Eland, but can be done. Saw an article a couple yrs ago where a gun writer used a .26 caliber on Eland.... Been discussed here a number of other times in various forms . What it really boils down to is this: Use a good bullet and put it in the heart/lungs. Good marksmanship trumps caliber. Some people use a bigger caliber to help them make a clean kill when shot angles are poor. Bigger bullets usually penetrate further/better and work when shot angles are less than ideal.
Lighter calibers/bullets tend to improve marksmanship in those that don't practice as much. Less recoil. Any .270 can kill effectively. For most larger plainsgame a .28 caliber is probably a better choice. For Eland most prefer at least a .30 caliber. Bigger bullets make up for borderline hits.....
Bruce

 

[enysse]

A little on the light side for eland, might take multiple shots to put him down for good.

 

[Velo Dog]

Hello Silver Tip,

For the larger thin skinned animals like eland, zebra, waterbok and some others, my personal minimum is a .33 caliber, with 250 grain round nose soft at 2400 fps (.318 Westley Richards / .338-06).
That is not to say I'm suggesting there is anything wrong with a .27 caliber for those animals, except that a .27 for those larger animals is wrong for me personally.

My thing with all of this is that most critters seem disinterested in standing perfectly broadside for me when I am out hunting.
And. the quartering toward me shot requires I smash through the shoulder bone to hit heart/lung well.

On the large animals, that is a concrete block wall to defeat and a larger diameter/heavy bullet, @ moderate velocity in my experience is the best way to get through.

Whatever caliber you settle on, it is right to ask your PH about it and also what bullet brand and weight he or she recommends.

Regards,
Velo Dog.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I'd agree it's a bit light for Eland. However, use one of the high weight retaining bullets in 150gr and place it properly and it'll get the job done I'm sure.

 

[sestoppelman]

I would venture that with a premium bullet of adequate weight like the 150 gr, moving at over 3000fps, you would have a rifle capable of taking all plains game. Barnes Triple Shock comes to mind. It wouldn't be my first choice but I have no doubt it is capable enough for eland.

 

[Silver Tip]

When I started this post I should have left eland off! I hunted eland in 2012 and got a real big fellow. I used my .375 Ruger. I agree with everyone on the eland. I really thinking about Kudu, wildebeest, Gemsbok etc. In 2007 I used my .338 Win Mag and in 2012 I used my .375 Ruger. They both performed well.

Silver Tip

 

[BRICKBURN]

Take it along and shoot straight. You'll do just fine.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

When I started this post I should have left eland off! I hunted eland in 2012 and got a real big fellow. I used my .375 Ruger. I agree with everyone on the eland. I really thinking about Kudu, wildebeest, Gemsbok etc. In 2007 I used my .338 Win Mag and in 2012 I used my .375 Ruger. They both performed well.

Silver Tip

Will be very good on the above mentioned animals. The .270 Win is a very popular caliber among commercial farmers here. The Weatherby with its extra bit of juice will just add to it.
Take it.

 

[enysse]

I think with your animal list you will be just fine.

 

[kesha]

I owned a 270 Weatherby somebody liked it better than I did, excellent caliber I went for the 270 WSM pretty much same ballistics as Weatherby . Like noted before its all about shot placement. Went to East Cape in July with son me using .375 H&H son using .308 both using Hornady Interlocks as recommended by Hornady as that's what was available at the time STAY CLEAR of INTERLOCKS. Son shot 2 blues 1 shot each 1 at 50yds the other at 120 yds both ran about 50-60yds and piled up mine was at 60 yds 3 shots with 375 broke both shoulders and took out heart.
Eland took 5 shots at 120yds down to 40 yds 3 to the heart poor weight retention on Hornadys. PH swears by Barnes Triple X . I was using 270gr and son 150gr his rifle performed a lot better than mine by far . He asked why I brought 375 told him booking agent recommended the 375 for Eland but he says 270 would be perfect with the Barnes. So next time I am leaving the big bore at home.

 

[Royal27]

Shot placement, shot placeent, shot placement

 

[colorado]

I sure wish Swift would come out with some 160 A-Frames for us 270 Weatherby shooters. A 150 A-Frame at 3300 fps will put a hurt on most non-DG animals. I wouldn't hesitate to use them on brown bear either, though it wouldn't be my go to caliber.

 

[enysse]

I like Swift A Frame but they won't drive through a shoulder bone quartering too.

 

[colorado]

True, that's what I have my 570g TSX's for

 

[Husker-in-WA]

Don't know about Eland, but my 270 Win with 160 gr. nosler partition reloads with 54 gr. Superformance moving at 2889 fps into the boiler room, put down my BC moose at 230 yards as well as a frontal shot on the caribou at 40 yards. I'm sure proper shot placement with the Weatherby will "get er done".