Best .270 bullet for Axis

I used Ballistic tips for whitetails this past year with great success. Both shots were right at 100 yds and the deer fell right in his tracks.


Will these be alright for an axis? Should I get a different bullet?

If I were you.....I would look into a 140 gr. bullet from Federal.....either a Nosler Partition or a Barnes TSX. Both are fine bullets.

TSX or Partition

Accubond will work better and I believe ive seen them at academy.

will accubond overpenetrate on your average whitetail? sorry to hijack.

Those Ballistic Tips will work just fine on an Axis. Put one in the boiler and he will fall in his tracks. Nothing wrong with Ballistic Tips.

what is it with people thinking axis deer are built like tanks and require these kinds of bullets?

any bullet that will kill a whitetail will kill an axis.

ballistic tips are fine....so are corelokts, interlocks, gamekings, etc.

worry more about where your shooting and less about what your shooting and you'll be succesful

x2 I would take a perfectly placed shot with a 55 grain .223 over a poorly placed shot with a 165 grain 30-06 any day.

To each his own.....

I've shot several Whitetail with 130 gr. corelokts out of a .270 and never once got an exit wound. Always killed them, but they were hard to find. I will never shoot another Whitetail with them.....much less an Axis, especially since your average Axis is about 50% heavier than your average Whitetail.

Hornady 140gr. Light Magnum!

I've shot plenty of whitetails and hogs with several different loads from my .270 and all worked fine. I've been shooting the 130 gr Rem corelokts for a couple of years since I'm almost out of the handloads a friend made for me. I have shot a couple of bucks behind the shoulder with those rounds and have not had a pass thru shot yet. The deer did run about 25 yards so no problem finding them but if you're looking for a blood trail, that could become an issue. But, those handloads are awesome too and my favorite. 110 gr hollow points are my favorite (max powder loads) and the 130 ballistic tip was a little excessive. Darn near decapitated several deer that I neck shot. So, of course, I agree that shot placement is more important than bullet size. I've seen several hogs run, never to be found, by bad shot placement from a 180 corelokt .30-06. I'm guessing that the axis deer can't be any more stout than a 250-275 lb hog and those were stopped in their tracks by the smaller bullets (shot placement in or right behind the ear). By the way, it looks like I will be going on a little axis buck hunt this next Fall so I sort of had the same question about cartidge size since I have not personally taken any of these deer before. I guess I will just stick with the 130 grain ballistic tip or go buy some nosler partitions. Thanks, and a well timed topic too!

eland has alot of trouble with exit wounds

Have you ever hunted axis? If you do, and you are shooting a .223, you better make sure that you get that "PERFECTLY" placed shot. Rarely does that ever happen, when hunting axis, unless you are lucky enough to be posted up in a blind, waiting for them to mozy on up to the feeder. And if you are little off with that .223, you might as well not even look for it, because it is gone. Much rather have the caliber and bullet that fit the game that I am hunting. I sure as hell would not shoot a cape buffalo with a .223, no matter how perfectly placed the shot is. There is a reason that people use .416 Rigby, .375 H&H Mag, and .470 Nitro Express. So, .270 with a 130-140 grain bullet will be enough bullet, if you miss and are not perfect, and you will still be able to find your trophy.

Now, I know I will hear it from all the .22-250, .204 Ruger, .22 Hornet perfectly placed shot guys out there, so let me have it.

Im telling you I would rather have the accubond. They run to dang far in the worst thick youve ever seen witha good shot. Ive killed a bunch

so you are saying an axis is a tough as a water buffalo?
wow never heard of that. Honestly, I have killed 2 axis with my s&w m&p 15 no problem. And never claimed to be a perfect marksman. because im not.

No, not saying an axis is tough as a water buffalo, but they are tougher than a whitetail and a lot of North American game. Would you use your AR on an elk, mule deer, or moose. I doubt it. Just saying that the caliber needs to fit the animal that is being hunted, regardless of that "perfect" shot, because rarely does the "perfect" shot present itself.

You probably have killed two axis with an ar, but they were probably does and it was a head shot. An AR might do the job on a 250lb trophy buck, but you will be tracking it for miles, no matter where you put the shot. Bullet needs to fit the game being hunted. All I am saying.

Thank GOD I'm not the only one on this forum that also thinks this way!! Amen HUNTING_COACH!! Amen!!

So is the consensus by those who have hunted axis deer that a reasonably placed shot from a .270 using a 130-140 grain bullet okay? If not, I will borrow my brothers .30-06 and use 180 grain bullets. I definitely don't want to chase wounded animals all over the place plus it's just not ethical in my opinion.

scott: don't know if you will EVER get a consensus. But yes, a good 130gr bullet from a 270 will work fine. If you are concerned about the typical cup and core 130's, then use a monometal or bonded bullet as a little insurance.

Scott, considering that a .270 is just a necked down .30-06, a relatively well placed shot will do the job, with a 120 grain, 130 grain, or 140 grain bullet. Just remember, that when shooting axis, the heart is farther forward than a whitetail. If you are going to shoot an axis in the shoulder, put the crosshairs right on the front shoulder and fire away. If you aim as if you were shooting a whitetail in the shoulder, you might not hit any vitals and be chasing the animal anyway.

Remember, you can shoot 150 grain bullets out of a .270. Now, I dont advocate using a 180 grain bullet out of a .30-06 and just letting the lead fly. By all means, you still need to put a well placed shot on the animal. I have shot 4 axis in my time and have used a Remington 700 BDL .30-06, using hand loaded 125 grain Hornady bullets. I had to shoot my trophy buck 4 times before it expired and two of those shots were in the shoulder. The first was 3 inches below the spine, and the second was a follow up shot that missed its mark. The final two shots were at 40 yards as the buck was under some thicket and I did not want him to run off. Two in the shoulder and that did it.

So, just pick the bullet that you and your gun are comfortable with. Make a good, clean shot and you will be fine. No need to shoot 180 grain bullets and have to pick your shoulder up off the ground. Just my opinion.

I shoot a 270 and the federal 130grn bellistic tip is what I shoot. Works just fine on white tail and Axis.

will knocke'em down just fine....

Sounds good. I was never one to believe that a larger caliber gun or heavier bullet are viable solutions to poorly placed shots. I'm all about making the best shot possible that will expire the animal the quickest (not into chasing wounded animals if it can be avoided). That's probably why I've only shot 3 deer/hogs in the body my whole life, I'm more of a head and neck shooter for anything less than 120 yards away (and I lost count on how many I've shot the past 28 years,lol). I figured the .270 would be fine for this hunt but wanted to make sure since it's my first time with axis and I might be required to take a body/shoulder shot. Thanks for the input on the vitals locations too, I wasn't aware of that either. Good huntin' to everyone!