.270 Win enough for a Mountain Goat?

[S-3 ranch]

270 130gr should break both shoulders and plant it , any decent bullet will work , I don’t think they are any tougher than a aoudad ram , and a good accubond , fedral Terminal accent, barns ttsx, I hate the eldx for stout game like aoudad , nilgai, African plains game , elk

 

[cbeard64]

Your .270 will do the job just fine. As with any rifle, you need to do your part and place the bullet where it needs to go.

Small calibers are the fad right now with the “cool kids” but I would take the small caliber suggestions with a grain of salt. There’s no need to tempt fate using a small caliber. In a few years the pendulum will swing back again and the “cool kids” will be saying you need a .300 Wby or RUM.

Good luck!

 

[Doc Holliday]

I talked to a very well known outfitter in coastal Alaska who has a waitlist of almost a decade for his registration hunts and kills B&C goats regularly. He told me the perfect rifle to bring on that hunt “starts with 300, and ends with Magnum”.

 

[buffybr]

Very nice. And great old pics!

Can you share more about the kills from the .22 cal bullets if you have those details?

Are you calling me old! ......

I used to have 3 friends here in Bozeman that shot everything from coyotes to buffalo with their .22-250s or .220 Swift and all with 52 or 55 gr bullets. They would each get at least a black bear, a buck, and an elk almost every year.

I've killed a few antelope and deer with my .22-250, but I lost an antelope one year (the only big game animal that I have ever lost) after 2 chest shots with my .22-250, so that ended my big game hunting wih that rifle.

Your .270 will do the job just fine. As with any rifle, you need to do your part and place the bullet where it needs to go.

Small calibers are the fad right now with the “cool kids” but I would take the small caliber suggestions with a grain of salt. There’s no need to tempt fate using a small caliber. In a few years the pendulum will swing back again and the “cool kids” will be saying you need a .300 Wby or RUM.

Good luck!

If I'm ever lucky enough to draw another goat tag, I'll be hunting him with my .300 Wby.

 

[Graves14]

It is definitely good goat medicine.

 

[NoDakfarmin]

It is definitely good goat medicine.

That’s awesome

 

[ianpadron]

Notice that all the guys that claim mountain goats are tough also recommend monolithic bullets.

The guys that say they die fast shoot cup n core/match/ballistic tips.

There is a lesson there...

 

[drdrop]

Notice that all the guys that claim mountain goats are tough also recommend monolithic bullets.

The guys that say they die fast shoot cup n core/match/ballistic tips.

There is a lesson there...

You didn't read my post apparently.

 

[ianpadron]

You didn't read my post apparently.

Your post is the kind I'm talking about. Your n=1 experience was favorable. You value penetration and weight retention, and apparently deem those attributes important to killing, even on a relatively small animal. That's fine. If you shot 100 goat/sheep/deer/antelope sized game animals with monos... the average time from impact to death would increase noticeably unless you're shooting CNS.

Objectively, animals tend to run further when shot with that type of bullet through the boiler room than a more frangible option.

I'm not looking to argue. If I want a critter DRT I'm looking for a predictably frangible bullet or CNS hit, preferably both.

 

[justin davis]

I killed mine with a bow. A .270 will kill just fine. Heck I think a 6 creed might be the ideal one for a goat. They aren’t that big and their. Kind of narrow bodies. I think the thing that makes them tough is their cardiovascular. Something about them living so high they can take some blood loss and damage to the heart and they are still good ha

 

[MT_Wyatt]

I think a lot of the “they are narrow” vs “they are wide” part comes in where you’re referring to. Their vitals/shoulder area is not wide, but as you go back, Billy’s can get some really wide stomachs/guts. Almost shockingly so for their size. As others have said their build is “prehistoric” and reminiscent of buffalo once you start getting into the bones.

 

[cacklercrazy]

Hey Guys, another question for your consideration. Like you’ll I have many rifles of all calibers including a lot of wildcats but I’m currently having a 270 built to Jack O’Connor specs by Leroy Barry at CCC gunstocks. I plan to you is on a Dall sheep hunt I have in 28. But I’m considering using it on a MG hunt I have in August. Is an ol pre 64 walnut stocked 270 have enough knock down for a goat or is it the species that need to make sure I drop it where it stands with my trusty 7 Dakota or 30-338?

Yes! 270 is good enough for a goat.

 

[Decker9]

Iirc Iv been on 14 goat kills, only 1 that I remember a guy used a Berger, all the rest would be mono’s. Never did lose or come close to loosing a goat. .243 to .338 WM. The longest kill time though was by far the one where the fellow used a .338. The innards were gone like you’d expect, but the Billy had a will to live.

I have though, passed on many goats because the situation wasn’t right. Finding a goat, getting into a position and killing a goat is the easy part. The hardest part of the hunt can be the waiting game, waiting for the right position place and time.

There is a 3 evening goat seminar coming up next week online. Might be worth checking out for anyone who’s interested in goats. Can find it either through spike camp or the rmga.

 

[AK Troutbum]

A .270 will work just fine, like most things, it’s all about shot placement.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WABullsnBucks]

Shot a Washington goat years ago with a 300 Mag. Was glad I had the knockdown power to anchor it before it went over a cliff. Your .270 will work but I'd prefer more. They are tougher than most people think.

 

[SewardsFolly]

Shot my billy at 80 yards with a .270. 1962 or 63 winchester model 70 with a wood stock. First shot double lung. He started climbing, pumped two more into him, then he did the death jump to thankfully a recoverable position and didn't bust a horn, but plenty of cuts on the hide. In hindsight, I wish I had anchored him. Second or third shot went into shoulder blade but they just keep climbing! Don't wish I had a different caliber, I could shoot well with that rifle, just wish I had put it in a different spot. Going to Kodiak this fall with my 7 prc and will be anchoring first.

 

[Jimss]

I’ve been on around a dozen mtn goat hunts in Alaska and Colorado. Although a 270 will work do yourself a favor and use a 30 caliber! Yep, some of the goats dropped in their tracks but a chunk of them also rolled fairly long distances.

if you want to chance multiple shots and your goat doing a death leap over a cliff, making a bloody mess, and possibly breaking off a horn use a 270. Even great taxidermists can’t hide goat heads that are cut up by rocks. If you want a better chance that your goat will be anchored where he stands use a 30 cal.

Mature Billie’s generally spend most of the time close to cliffs. If you are super lucky or wait it out there may be the chance you catch one away from cliffs and drop offs.

Mature Billie’s actually have big bodies, massive bones with thick hides with dense hair for bullets to penetrate. Mature Billie’s are build like miniature bison.

For me, it’s a no brainer. Some of the hunters that didn’t listen to my suggestion of using 30 caliber often ended up with mature Billie’s with bloody coats and broken horns.

Bring along around 2 or 3 knives because you may need them to skin your billy!

With that said, there is no way I’d take a shot at a mature billy with a 270 if he is close to any cliffs or steep hillsides where he will roll. That’s pretty tough to come by in goat country! Nannies and young Billie’s are tough but nothing like mature Billies that can take a pounding.

It’s easy to say shot placement is important but if your Billy ends up a bloody mess you may regret not using a 30 cal.

 

[AK Troutbum]

From a few years back with a .270 and 130gr. Barnes TTSX ammo. This was at about 230 yards.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Short Track]

Me personally, I have (2) 1 shot kills with a .270. My .308 is always 2....3.....4 shots. I think speed kills..

 

[OXN939]

the projectile is probably more important than the caliber.

Wild all the effort people put into debating caliber without people realizing this.

.270 is relatively fast. Shoot a tough bullet with controlled expansion- Barnes TSX, Hammer hunter, or Accubond- and you will be more than set for any sane scenario involving a mountain goat, end of story.