I'm Trying to Decide on a New All Around Rifle.

[Tmbrgost]

Can you get adequate bullet expansion combined with penetration to heart or lungs of a bull elk at 500 yards with your .270? Would you shoot in a crosswind at 500 yards?

I will punch paper at those distances. Seems 500 yards with the .270 is not a slam dunk even if are hitting a pie plate 5 of 5 times at the range with a steady rest on level terrain.

Flame away.

Yes to all.

 

[rjthehunter]

Tikka 100%

You'll get a lot of backlash on this site from anti vortex guys. There are millions of vortex scopes out there that are flawless. I'd trust the tracking of a vortex more than a Leopold out of the box.

I have Vortex, Athlon, Maven, Leopold and Bushnell scopes. They all work and kill animals! They've all survived being dropped a time or two. The only thing they all have in common is that I've paid at least 40% less than retail for them.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I've said this before in more than one platform, but you will not be sad to own a Tikka. I've had several and they're all shooters, all very reliable and lightweight.

I've personally never shot an elk with a .270, but people do it every fall.

As to your scope, I've seen people bashing Vortex these days. I have never had anything but good experiences both with the company or their products. That said, my personal opinion is the one you're leaning towards sounds like a little much for what you intend in the field. I'm probably a bit of an outlier with this regard, but I personally like to keep things simple and lightweight. I don't care for turrets and things needing to be adjusted as an elk walks into view, just use the MPBR method and go.

 

[targetpanic]

Tikka or Browning X-bolt in 270, 308 or 30-06...you will be set for life!

 

[Sheltowee]

Buy the Tikka. The .270 is boring but a couple hundred million dead game animals over the last hundred years can attest to its effectiveness.

Vortex scopes are generally fine for their price point but I wouldn't go with the Strike Eagle unless you just really want a tactical-style reticle. I'd go with the Viper HD instead if you're dedicated to Vortex. Alternatively, you can get a Trijicon Credo for about 3/4 the MSRP of the Strike Eagle right now and they are fantastic scopes: https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/trijicon-credo-hx.331297/.

 

[coleL]

Can you get adequate bullet expansion combined with penetration to heart or lungs of a bull elk at 500 yards with your .270? Would you shoot in a crosswind at 500 yards?

I will punch paper at those distances. Seems 500 yards with the .270 is not a slam dunk even if are hitting a pie plate 5 of 5 times at the range with a steady rest on level terrain.

Flame away.

I got an Elk last year at 503 with a 150 grain 7mm08.

 

[Sheltowee]

I got an Elk last year at 503 with a 150 grain 7mm08.

You aren't really gaining a lot going from 7-08 to .270. A touch more velocity, slightly better BC in like-weight projectiles but not enough to make a major difference at typical hunting ranges.
You might consider a 7PRC or something in the .30-cal range if you want a significant increase in performance.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

7mm 150 Gr ELDx is a higher BC bullet than near anything that runs in a standard 10 twist 270. So a guy could start one at 2700 FPS and have velocity @ 500 yds be about the same as most of the 140 class 270 ammo that starts 200ish FPS faster. Either is likely in that 2000 FPS ballpark at that distance.

 

[brymoore]

We can have a caliber argument but the 270 will work fine out to 500 yards. I’ve shot elk out to 400 yards no problem with a 270. The 270 godfather Jack O’Connor shot elk out to 600 yards with it. I’d shoot a 500 yard elk with a 270, assuming a scope dial.

 

[appmtnhntr]

Yeah, I was looking at the Tikka tx3 gen II stainless which is threaded.

You won't regret that choice except for the fact it will make you continue to buy Tikkas...
Don't ask me how I know...

 

[Sheltowee]

You won't regret that choice except for the fact it will make you continue to buy Tikkas...
Don't ask me how I know...

They reproduce like rabbits. Think I'm up at 4 now.

 

[MTLabrador]

Can you get adequate bullet expansion combined with penetration to heart or lungs of a bull elk at 500 yards with your .270? Would you shoot in a crosswind at 500 yards?

I will punch paper at those distances. Seems 500 yards with the .270 is not a slam dunk even if are hitting a pie plate 5 of 5 times at the range with a steady rest on level terrain.

Flame away.

A first round hit on a 500 yard shot with anything under true field conditions isn’t a slam dunk. But the .270 wouldn’t be the limiting factor there. This is my current load in the .270, plenty of velocity beyond 500.

 

[brockel]

They reproduce like rabbits. Think I'm up at 4 now.

The bolt throw is the hardest thing for me to go to other guns now. I’m so use to the 70 degree bolt throw now

 

[MTLabrador]

You won't regret that choice except for the fact it will make you continue to buy Tikkas...
Don't ask me how I know...

I’ve thought long and hard about getting another Tikka to have a light stainless/synthetic .270. They certainly do keep multiplying.

 

[00BUCK]

If you are set on a 270 then I would recommend spending the extra money and get a Winchester model 70. Control round feed plus 3 position safety. Features worth paying for. That would make sense to me

 

[Nuts]

Tikka vote here. Although I would add a caution. I had one in 300WSM. While in a remote setting I broke it down and cleaned it after rubbing up against some old fire trees. I had the bolt out and twisted or did something that clicked. I could not get the bolt back in the rifle. I could not use it for the rest of the trip. I had to use the lone spare rifle we brought which was fine. A gun smith fixed it and said there is a tool for this. I was careful and it never happened again. Hopefully this is fixed in the next gen guns. I haven't personally bought one since but have handled those owned by others and never double checked. Very nice action. Hands down above the Ruger