Jack O'Connor's Pride & Joy - the .270 Win Revisited

Deer season is just around the corner and I am in hopes my son Jeremy can come home this year for a few days around Thanksgiving time to hunt with me. Jeremy became rather fond of my Ruger Model 77 MKII .270 Winchester. I am sure that taking two deer with it last fall, one of which was a 13 point buck that made the NYS Big Buck Magazine at 146 7/8 contributed to his liking the gun.

I went to the range today with (5) different loads and did some testing off the bags at 100 yards essentially to check last year's zero for him. I was pleased with the results and will clean the gun and put it away for him till deer season.

First up was a load that is unfortunately NO longer made. It was Federal's 130 grain Hi Shok bullet. I fired two shots which measured 1.25 inches center to center and exactly 2 inches high at the 100 yard mark. Years ago, I fired the best 3 shot group of my life out of this rifle at 200 yards with the same load.

Second target was a 3 shot group with Federal's 150 grain round nose Power Shok. Again the group was 2 inches high and center to center with (1) flyer of 1.75 inches. Two of the shots went into 1/4 inch group center to center. This will be the load I will try and steer Jeremy towards for this fall's hunting season.

Third group was with Remington's 150 grain round nose core lokt and the two shot groups also 2 inches high went into exactly (1) inch center to center. I would have to move point of impact to the left about 1/2 inch to feel totally comfortable with hunting with this load.

Fourth group was Federal's 150 grain round nose Hi Shok (also NO longer made) and the two shot groups  was 1.5 inches high and 1.5 inches center to center. One shot was 1.5 inches high and the other one was 3/4 inch to the left of dead center.

Last group was Winchester's 150 grain Power point, also a two shot group.  This has been the clear winner for best groups last year and is the load Jeremy used to take both of his deer. Group was 2 inches center to center with one of the two shots 3.25 inches left of center and  2.5 inches high. I obviously muffed the high left shot.

All that being said, ALL GROUPS pass the palm of the hand test and one could easily stuff the magazine with any of the above and go deer hunting tomorrow. You would have to make a slight adjustment to zero a couple of loads, however since the Federal 150 grain Hi Shoks are not getting any younger (or newer) sitting in my safe, I am going to have Jeremy use them this fall. The gun is good to go as is with this load. I love minute of angle rifles and tiny tight groups, however if the truth be known, you can hunt deer for the rest of your life out to 200 yards or maybe 250 with a rifle that will consistently put 3 shots into 1.5 inches at 100 yards.

Dan



(James 5:14-16 NKJV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. {15} And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. {16} Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.