Bullet Advice For .270 Weatherby Magnum

[Tim Decker]

We are taking our sons and daughters-in-law to South Africa next June for a plains game hunt. Our elder son will shoot a .300 Winchester Magnum with either 180-grain Nosler Accubonds or 180-grain Nosler Partitions, so his bullet choices are already made.

Our second son is going to shoot his .270 Weatherby Magnum, and the largest animal on his wish list is a gemsbok. I am trying to determine if he would be better served by a 140-grain bonded core bullet like the Nosler Accubond, a 140-grain partitioned bullet like the Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame, or a 150-grain partitioned bullet like the Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame. I do not anticipate any true long-range shooting, meaning ranges will be well within 300 yards. My primary concern is getting sufficient penetration with what is arguably a fairly light rifle for large antelope such as gemsbok, kudu, or blue wildebeest.

Any and all recommendations are welcome!

 

[Spooksar]

140 gr Accubond I've been really impressed with the bullet.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

130 or 140 grai. A-Frame or if you hand load the North Fork bonded cores.

 

[PeteG]

My vote goes to the A-Frame. Its a strong bullet, handles magnum velocities well.
I use a 180gr AFrame in my 300wm when its available here.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

Any particular reason not to use a monometal bullet? The Weatherby isn't lacking in case capacity to take the length. With something like a Barnes, he'd have all the penetration he could need.

 

[Desperatezulu]

Agree with the above suggestions. Either an A-Frame or monolithic.

 

[Tim Decker]

Any particular reason not to use a monometal bullet? The Weatherby isn't lacking in case capacity to take the length. With something like a Barnes, he'd have all the penetration he could need.

No particular reason for not using something like a Barnes, E-Tip, or the Hornady version other than I have had really indifferent luck with getting Barnes X-Bullets to shoot well in my rifles. I will admit that my early lack of success has pushed me away from the Barnes bullets, so I might give them a try.

One thing I failed to mention is that our son will be shooting a Winchester Model 70 chambered in .270 Weatherby Magnum instead of the Mark V, so I don't know if his rifle has the long throat of the Weatherby. The Weatherby cases certainly have the capacity to seat the longer monolithic bullets without eating up powder space, so a monolithic could work.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

That makes sense Tim. Terminal performance doesn't matter if the bullet doesn't shoot straight.

 

[buckcurtin]

We are taking our sons and daughters-in-law to South Africa next June for a plains game hunt. Our elder son will shoot a .300 Winchester Magnum with either 180-grain Nosler Accubonds or 180-grain Nosler Partitions, so his bullet choices are already made.

Our second son is going to shoot his .270 Weatherby Magnum, and the largest animal on his wish list is a gemsbok. I am trying to determine if he would be better served by a 140-grain bonded core bullet like the Nosler Accubond, a 140-grain partitioned bullet like the Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame, or a 150-grain partitioned bullet like the Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame. I do not anticipate any true long-range shooting, meaning ranges will be well within 300 yards. My primary concern is getting sufficient penetration with what is arguably a fairly light rifle for large antelope such as gemsbok, kudu, or blue wildebeest.

Any and all recommendations are welcome!

I shoot a 300 WM on my first hunt to South Africa, used 200 Trophy Bonded Bear Claws with great success. One shot kills on everything including a 400 meter shoot on a Kudu. Would use over a Nosler anytime. Really a great bullet on bigger animals.

 

[RolandtheHeadless]

I have a Nosler Partition bullet in my desk that encountered a moose at sixty yards out of a .300 Win Mag. The bullet was originally 180 grains, and retained 109 grains of weight after I recovered it from the animal's neck. The bullet did its job--killed the moose instantly--but I'm not terribly happy with its performance. It spilled its entire front core and left the jacket peeled back over a flattened rear end. There was no expansion because the bullet came apart.

I'm in the process of trying the Swift A-Frame, and if I can get the same accuracy as with the Nosler, I'll switch. The Nosler is a fine bullet. . . at .30-06 velocities. Since the lead core isn't bonded to the jacket, they come apart at high velocity. I've seen it more than once on moose, a big, heavy-boned animal. When you combine short range and high velocity, like you'll get from a .300 Win Mag or 270 Weatherby Mag, you're asking a lot from a bullet.

I'd try the Swifts or Barnes if I were you. If you can't get good accuracy, then stick with the Nosler, since accuracy is the most important factor.

 

[Divernhunter]

^^^^ Nosler PAR bullets are designed to shed their front core and have the jacket peel back so you have more penetration. Their bonded bullet is designed to have the jacket peel back close to the shank to get more penetration. They work but differently than a Swift bullet. I do like them on cartridges like the 30-06 also. For hotter cartridges I prefer the Swift bullets.

The barnes type bullets do not open as large a frontal area than the lead core bullets. That plus 100% weight retention is the reason they penetrate so well. They also work well. Just differently

I would use the A-Frame bullets in the 270W(140 or 150 whatever shoots better) and the 300mag(165gr A-Frame is my choice or 180 if it shoots better). My daughter and I used them when we went over the Nosler PAR I usually use here. I now shoot the Swift bullets in all my faster cartridges over the PAR bullets. When I go back I will be loaded up with Swift A-Frame bullets in whatever rifles I take.

 

[JimP]

I have a Nosler Partition bullet in my desk that encountered a moose at sixty yards out of a .300 Win Mag. The bullet was originally 180 grains, and retained 109 grains of weight after I recovered it from the animal's neck. The bullet did its job--killed the moose instantly--but I'm not terribly happy with its performance. It spilled its entire front core and left the jacket peeled back over a flattened rear end. There was no expansion because the bullet came apart.

I'm in the process of trying the Swift A-Frame, and if I can get the same accuracy as with the Nosler, I'll switch. The Nosler is a fine bullet. . . at .30-06 velocities. Since the lead core isn't bonded to the jacket, they come apart at high velocity. I've seen it more than once on moose, a big, heavy-boned animal. When you combine short range and high velocity, like you'll get from a .300 Win Mag or 270 Weatherby Mag, you're asking a lot from a bullet.

I'd try the Swifts or Barnes if I were you. If you can't get good accuracy, then stick with the Nosler, since accuracy is the most important factor.

That is what the Partition was designed to do, hence the name "Partition." If you look at a cutaway of it the bullet looks like this A It sacrifices the frontal part of the bullet while the back half stays intact for deep penetration.

I personally like a monolithic bullet such as Barnes TTSX. If you hit something that causes it to shed weight you have really hit something. I have also never recovered a Barnes bullet, either the old X bullet or the TTSX bullet from any of the multiple game animals that I have shot with them out of 3 different rifles and ranges out to 700 yards.

 

[Code4]

The bog stock .270W is a favourite in South Africa for plains game, so the 270 Weatherby is more of a sure thing. African game isn't bullet proof nor especally tough. Just a little larger than what we are used to.

My cull Gemsbok shot with a .308 and 165 Woodleigh. Projectile was under the skin on the off side in text book style. It was a top of the heart shot, which if you notice is rather more forward then normal.

The camel in my avatar was shot with a 264 WM with 140 Woodleighs.
Any premium 140 will do. You don't need uranium depleted projectiles.

 

[enysse]

Swift A Frame are nice, TTSX work wonderfully too.

 

[Tim Decker]

The bog stock .270W is a favourite in South Africa for plains game, so the 270 Weatherby is more of a sure thing. African game isn't bullet proof nor especally tough. Just a little larger than what we are used to.

My cull Gemsbok shot with a .308 and 165 Woodleigh. Projectile was under the skin on the off side in text book style. It was a top of the heart shot, which if you notice is rather more forward then normal.

The camel in my avatar was shot with a 264 WM with 140 Woodleighs.
Any premium 140 will do. You don't need uranium depleted projectiles.

Great shot!

 

[Tim Decker]

^^^^ Nosler PAR bullets are designed to shed their front core and have the jacket peel back so you have more penetration. Their bonded bullet is designed to have the jacket peel back close to the shank to get more penetration. They work but differently than a Swift bullet. I do like them on cartridges like the 30-06 also. For hotter cartridges I prefer the Swift bullets.

The barnes type bullets do not open as large a frontal area than the lead core bullets. That plus 100% weight retention is the reason they penetrate so well. They also work well. Just differently

I would use the A-Frame bullets in the 270W(140 or 150 whatever shoots better) and the 300mag(165gr A-Frame is my choice or 180 if it shoots better). My daughter and I used them when we went over the Nosler PAR I usually use here. I now shoot the Swift bullets in all my faster cartridges over the PAR bullets. When I go back I will be loaded up with Swift A-Frame bullets in whatever rifles I take.

I have great faith in Swift A-Frames. I have used them in my .375 H&H and my .416 Rigby to take moose, polar bear, brown bear, kudu, and Cape buffalo. Right now my inclination is to go with the 140- or 150-grain A-Frame.

 

[jbwick]

We are taking our sons and daughters-in-law to South Africa next June for a plains game hunt. Our elder son will shoot a .300 Winchester Magnum with either 180-grain Nosler Accubonds or 180-grain Nosler Partitions, so his bullet choices are already made.

Our second son is going to shoot his .270 Weatherby Magnum, and the largest animal on his wish list is a gemsbok. I am trying to determine if he would be better served by a 140-grain bonded core bullet like the Nosler Accubond, a 140-grain partitioned bullet like the Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame, or a 150-grain partitioned bullet like the Nosler Partition or Swift A-Frame. I do not anticipate any true long-range shooting, meaning ranges will be well within 300 yards. My primary concern is getting sufficient penetration with what is arguably a fairly light rifle for large antelope such as gemsbok, kudu, or blue wildebeest.

Any and all recommendations are welcome!

For what it is worth, I took my 270 Wby to South Africa in July, 2014 and used 140 grain Accubond's (factory loaded) exclusively. Took 14 animals....smallest was a Springbok and the largest was Eland. I had zero problems with this set up. Recovered the bullet from my Kudu that traveled completely thru the animal on a hard quartering shot (~125 yards) and was recovered right under the skin on the far side.......looked like the one Nosler uses in their adds.

 

[larry4831]

I shoot a 300 WM on my first hunt to South Africa, used 200 Trophy Bonded Bear Claws with great success. One shot kills on everything including a 400 meter shoot on a Kudu. Would use over a Nosler anytime. Really a great bullet on bigger animals.

SwiftA frames are also a good bullet and superior to noslers

 

[enysse]

Trophy Bonded Bear Claws are a excellent bullet, they are pricey but good.