Gotta really like those classic rifles such as your 721. Oh hubba hubba.
I have good friends that, as hard to believe as it may sound, refuse to hunt with push feed rifles. Whatever. I do not have that mind set as I hunt with both push feed and CRF.
I use Barnes bullets in a few other rifles too include one chambered in 303 British.
But back to the .270. I am a user of heavy for caliber bullets. But I have absolutely no experience with the .270 so any tips or suggestions are gratefully accepted. The main game usage will be for mule deer and antelope.
These 721's definitely have a special spot in my heart. Mine was my grandfathers, and my dad shot his first deer with it. I shot my first deer with it as well. Being in NV at the time, we only got to hunt every 2-3 years. But the old .270 never failed to bring home supper.
Friends became fans when they realized that not only were these rifles accurate (largely believed to be the most accurate rifle you could by back in the day) they were considered plain, and thus less desirable than a 700. This makes them readily affordable.
Two friends actually got identical rifles to mine, and one of them has brought down his fair share of game as well, using the 130g silvertip. The other guy never shot his. Sat in his collection for 15 years before I finally talked him out of it. This is the one I gave my wife. It's been modified with a BDL stock, and looks very nice compared to my old beater.
The 130g bullet has always been my choice as on deer it has never failed to shoot to point of aim accurately and never looks back. It has always passed all the way through, and 3 out of 4 deer dropped where they stood, the 4th went 10' and dropped.
I've considered going up to the 150 grain, but after seeing Barnes 130g being rated for elk I decided I'd give it a go. No really big reason for the 130, its just what I've always used. Time will tell if it does the job on an elk.
I've actually been on several hunts since moving to UT 8 years ago, but never with my own tag. I just go along as a pack mule
This always works out well considering how large these animals are, but my kids are becoming of age and my wife is really pushing me to do our own hunts, so here we are.
I wish I had some really good tips, but to be honest I'm a pretty laid back shooter. I can tell you that I've had 3 different scopes on my 270, none of which were even remotely high end (a fixed 4x prominar that grandpa installed, a 3-9x32 bushnell I found in a house I moved into, and currently a 4-10x40 simmons my buddy gave me. Its always shot well with each one, and I attribute that to a softer recoil than say a .30-06 which reduces the shock load to the scope. Go out and shoot it, you'll soon see what all us wierdos in the .270 camp love about them.
