.270WSM load for cow elk?

[2ndtimer]

It looks like I will be going on a guided cow elk hunt in Idaho this November. Since I have never hunted elk before, I thought I would take my .270WSM as my primary choice. I have a decent selection of bullets, powder (and even primers!), and looking for recommendations from people who have experience. Available bullets are:
Nosler 130, 140, 150 Partition
Nosler 140 Accubond
Speer 150 Deep Curl and Hot Core
Also Ballistic Tips of 130, 140 and 150, but figured they might not be preferred for penetration.
Powders on hand:
Accurate MagPro
Accurate Data 86 (3100)
Alliant Power Pro 4000-MR
IMR-4831
IMR-4451
Ramshot Hunter
Ramshot Magnum
Reloder 17, 22 and 26

I have loaded 5 rounds each with Nosler 140 gr B-Tips and Magnum, Hunter and IMR-4451 and will test them to see how they shoot, but would be open to other options. Thanks in advance, other options available are .270 Win and .308 Win, but the WSM has a 200fps edge over the standard .270 and my .308 bolt gun, while accurate, is a 24" heavy barrel and weighs a ton…

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[bionic knees]

load something that shoots well in your rifle, shot placement is much more important than what bullet or load you are using. hit her right and the WSM will get the job done. I have taken 2 with factory powermax 130 grain.

 

[Koda]

your overthinking this, any of your bullets will cleanly take an elk in your caliber.
I would go with any of the Nosler 140g options, probably the Accubond.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

Koda is spot on. For a hunting cartridge, any decent bullet will be accurate enough. Nosler says 67.5gr Magpro with the 140's. I would load that under an Accubond or Partition. If that produced less than 1.5 Moa from the bench, my load development would be done.

It will be way more important to get experience in shooting various field positions, like standing and kneeling. Most any load will be multiple times more accurate than your ability to hit what you aim at in the more difficult positions and 1.5 Moa will be less than 1/3 the size of the kill zone of an elk at 400 yards.

 

[Xaevian]

your overthinking this, any of your bullets will cleanly take an elk in your caliber.
I would go with any of the Nosler 140g options, probably the Accubond.

Aren't you like the prince of overthinking in regards to ballistics?

Just giving you a hard time. Your answer pretty much is what mine would be. The BTs probably won't give a pass through if that matters, but the internals will be a mess.

 

[Yarome]

Personally... I would see how the nosler 150g partition shoots in your rifle. Barring that... the 140g partition and 140g accubond... in that order.

 

[belshawelk]

I have shot a few cows with a 270WSm. 140 Gr Accubond. Deadly.

But I would absolutely shoot a barns LRX in the similar weight. I sold my 270 WSM, is one of my absolute all time favorite rounds.

 

[NeoBlackdog]

I've taken quite a few elk with 130's out of a standard .270 Winchester. As has been said, shot placement is key. Also (he said, jumping up on his soapbox) close the gap and don't try to stretch things too much! You can be a hunter or a sniper. Please be a hunter.

 

[thorborg]

Can't help you here, I used and preferred IMR 4350 with Nosler Ballistic tip, I used 150 gr for many years just fine but circumstance caused me to use my 130 gr deer load and never went back, albeit many will chide, though I admit to the feeling of staying under 200 yards with that weight may be prudent as 130gr is not a load for sloppy shots on Elk.

 

[Koda]

Aren't you like the prince of overthinking in regards to ballistics?

Just giving you a hard time. Your answer pretty much is what mine would be. The BTs probably won't give a pass through if that matters, but the internals will be a mess.

Yes, i do overthink things but im also very aware I do, so i dont lose sight of the basic foundation.... an extra 100fps isnt gonna make any difference to the elk. At the end of the day all these hunting calibers do the same thing .

Originally i wanted to use Partitions in my rifles, they have a good history and reputation, but i suspect the newer bullets fly better and perform close to the same terminally. Im not as familiar with the differences in the AB vs. BT bullets though....

 

[osprey]

I have killed several elk with a 270 win and 140gr accubonds. I would think they would also work well in a 270wsm, although I would probably recommend not aiming for big bone up close.

 

[PORSCHE928S4]

Get in some trigger time to build confidence and you are good to go !

 

[2ndtimer]

Thanks for the replies. Loaded up some 140 Accubonds and 140 gr Partitions with IMR-4451 to see if either can come close to the accuracy I got with the 140 gr Ballistic Tips.