Brown Bears w/ .270

[harbinger]

Hey all,
I am interested to hear from anyone who has taken a grizzly/brown bear with their .270. How did it go? I shoot .270 and hear alot about how it is too small for big bears. I have never hunted bear but am warming up to the idea and there is no way i will be able to get a new rifle anytime soon. (10 years) I realize that with the bigger mags you have quite a bit more "wiggle room" than with the .270 but I figure a .270 w/ 160 partition should have no problem bringing down a big bear. So am I nutz or what?
If anyone out there has whacked a big bear with their .270 i would LOVE to here about it. Thanks guys/girls!:mrgreen:

[youngfellla]

I won't say it can't be done - but hunting grizz with a 270 is not my cup of tea. We had a hunter two years ago kill 7 1/2 foot grizz with a 7x57 Mauser with handloaded 175 Partitions. He got the job done, but is was 'a little tense' for a few minutes.

[Kirby]

One of the largest grizzles ever shot was taken by a lady with a .22. So, would the .270 work, ya I would say so, would I want to try it, not really(however I am hoping to try and get one with a bow:shock: ).
I would suggest finding a friend with a larger rifle, and borrowing it if you can't afford one yourself.

Kirby

[guntech]

I know of a large grizzly shot with a .243 but it is not a safe practice. I have always felt you want to break the front shoulder or both front shoulders on dangerous game. I don't think a .270 will do that.

[Seabass]

Get a bigger gun, think of what type of gun you want in a worst case situation rather than perfect ideal one. Talk about .22's and 243 is just plain stupid. This week I wached a guy try to kill a downed moose with a 243, 4 shots later it was still trying to get up until I plugged it with my 45/70. You want some heavy medicine so start with the 30 cals with good bullets (noslers, barnes) and go up from there. There is no such thing as overkill on somthing that can kill you back. If the animal is unaware and you have perfect broadside shot thats great but a lot of the time thats not the case. You need a cartridge that can break down heavy bone and penitrate well at all angles. On a side note I have seen a 400lbs bear take a shot (perfect lung shot) with a 300 win mag at 25yrds and manage to run a good 100/150 yrds up hill!! Makes me wonder if he had decided to run at us?? Still want to use a 270???

Cheers

Seabass

[todbartell]

It can work but I sure would feel undergunned, especially at close range

I'd much prefer a 8mm Rem Mag or bigger, especially a 375 H&H or 416 Rem

If I *had* to use a 270 on grizz, I'd be wanting a 150 gr. Barnes X in the chamber.

[youngfellla]

Very well put!! Seabass has pretty well hit the nail on the head.

[Kirby]

Talk about .22's and 243 is just plain stupid.
Seabass

Nobody said these were good calibers, it was said its been done.:roll:

Kirby

[Gateholio]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid79/paa7f24d484f1973e47bdc09b44cb4b14/fb0cf7bc.jpg



http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid79/p7fe92b8a18304d75391bca197e309059/fb0cf7a9.jpg

This grizzly was killed with a 7mm Remington Magnum.

160gr X bullet, and it was travelling at about 2875 fps.

The bullet completely penetrated both shoulders of the bear, and left an exit would that I could stick 3-4 fingers in.

A .270 could be loaded to about the same speed with a 150gr X bullet, and I imagine that the performance would be pretty much duplicated.

A .277 and a 7mm are only seperated by .007" in diameter.

WOuld a .270 be my first pick? Nope. No way.

Will it work? FOr sure, as long as you place the bullet correctly, and use the rigth bullet.

I also would want to choose the location correctly. I'd want to be out in the open with a little distance between us, not in the thick stuff, at close range.

[REDGREEN]

If you are shooting the Winchester 270 and are determined to use the 270, then use the 150 grain partition or the Barnes X. A friend of mine took a grizz up in the Kananaskas with one on a broadside shot. The bear covered about 150 yards up the side of the mountain and then dropped. It wasn't his weapon of choice either. He was hunting elk and had left his Weatherby at home. He had a grizzly tag and the opportunity presented itself, so he took it. Another buddy took one with the 338 and was backed up by another buddy with a 458. It took two 250 grainers out of the 338. The bear went nuts when it was hit with the first one and attacked the stump beside it and tore it to pieces. !60 grainers out of a 270 Winchester are real dogs. You decide!

[Shoey]

One of the largest grizzles ever shot was taken by a lady with a .22. Kirby

Geez, I believe it, but holy sh*t. I knew on old indian fella who used to shoot grizz with a .30-30, and I thought he was crazy.

He used to lure them in to a dry river bed, stand on the shore and pop one, the bear would charge him, but they could never make it up the sides of the lake bed, then he'd pop it again. 10-12 shots later he'd have a nice rug.

The thing with grizz is that their hearts only beat 3 times a minute, so no matter what you use, after you shoot the bear, he could be dead, he just doesn't know it yet, and he's gonna do his darndest you take you out with him.

As for the .270, I dunno. To me it's not a good idea for two reasons. Number one, it's not safe for you, and number two, it's not exactly humane for the bear either.

You might as well go out there covered in tribal paint with a 12" buck knife. :biggrin:

[PGKris]

Get a bigger gun.

[oldtimer]

Grizz have been taken with a bow before but guess what was used as back up?? not a 270. Will it work? you bet ! Is it safe ?? Only with a shot to the brain. Go bigger !!!!!
If your talking black bear then the 270 is adequate. Just so you know the 270 was and still is my favorite gun but I want to keep on living so I don't hunt Grizz. Mike

[Maxx]

3 beats per minute, is that true?

[Shoey]

3 beats per minute, is that true?

Sorry Typo...In the late fall until hibernation I've been told that it's 13 or 14 beats per minute. At the best of times I think a bear's heart on beats about 35-40 beats per minute with is still super low. During Hibernation they thump away at 6-8 beats per minute. :shock:

Either way I still think hunting grizz with a .270 is a good example of natural selection.

[Tarp Man]

Even if you take a shotgun and use slugs, that big bundle of hellfire is going to be VERY close in order for those to slow it down. There are plenty of lever action 45/70's out there, and are affordable to boot. They will also give pause to large carnivores. Like a grizzly or a politician (KIDDING). Just ask Amphib. or Sea Bass, or other proponents of hand held cannons. Myself, I am not too interested in tempting natural selection in this way, if I can help it. Certainly not with some serious back up. Now there's a good use for a .50 BMG!
-Tarp Man

[BOOMSTICK]

I think a 30 cal magnum with A-frame or X-bullets is MINIMUM for grizzly. I prefer my 458 Lott or 45/70. Hunting grizz can be pretty 'hairy' at times:p

[huntwriter]

Gatehouse summed it up perfectly. The only addition I would like to make is, if a .270 is all you have and you can shoot it acuratly then it is plenty gun to bring every game animal in North America down.

Right now everybody is talking about the magnums and super magnums and everybody "needs" one. But the fact is that more hunters are over gunned than under gunned. I know a few hunters who purchased a big gun but they rarely shoot it because they fear the cick and if they do shoot it they flinch.

If you can handle a magnum then by all means kill a grizzly with it. But a smaller caliber will do the job do, it is not the size which matters it is the accuracy and proficiency that really matters. I own and shoot a 7mm Rem.mag and a 300mm Rem.mag but like I said it is not for everyone and I have killed just as many big game animals with my 7-08 Rem. or the .270. A friend of mien gets his bear (black and griz) with a 30.6 the most popular cartridge ever.

Like I said it is more important what you are comfortable with and what you can shoot well.

[shortroot]

HW, that 300mm must kick like a bitch:eek: , you have it mounted in the back of the truck like a 5th wheel?:wink:

A .270 isn't too small if you're proficient with it. I shoot a .300win mag (not a 300mm:wink:) and it still took 6 rounds with 200gr. NAB's to put my grizz down this spring. The first two and the last through the boiler room. The key is to be unseen and make the first shot count, and don't stop shooting till the bear stops moving, holes can be sewn, well, so can your scalp, but I'd rather pay for the hide repair than for the plastic surgery.

Also, take a partner with a big gun who can shoot as well. I went solo this spring as I had no other choice, and emptied two clips and then reloaded.

I'd use a .270 if I was comfortable with my partner, but the .300 was a bit more comforting by myself.

[huntwriter]

shortroot- sorry, the typo devil got the better of me. Of course I meant 300mag not 300mm. You bet a tank canon like that I would mount on the back of my truck:-D

The reason why it can take several shots at a bear for some is to be found that a bears target looks always bigger than it actually is that is due to the long hair. Thus a good many bears cronically are shot high or low but rarely right in the middle of the goody box. By a bear allways hold smack dab in the middle of the chest or if you get a head shot even better.

[rrfred]

270 for big browns, doable... yes it can kill cleanly, with a bunch of if's... how the situation may unfold could cause some pucker, i took a medium rather pissed- off spring black bear few years ago with a 7mm rem mag, 175 grand slam and with both - yes.. both- "shoulders- legs" broken on the first shot he came for me on his back legs.. it took 3 proper hits to anchor him, last round at about 15 feet... a bigger bore/ non magnum is a better bet than 270 imho( and i love .277 and 284 chamberings) cheers.

[Shoey]

HW, that 300mm must kick like a bitch:eek: , you have it mounted in the back of the truck like a 5th wheel?:wink:

HEHEHE, I didn't want to say anything! Thanks for the giggles HW! :lol:

[todbartell]

"If you ever go into the bush, there are grizzly bears lurking behind just about every bush, waiting to pounce, so you need a powerful gun with huge bullets" - Gatehouse ~ 2004


indeed, never been better said, would you want a 270 Win!? :biggrin:

[Kirby]

that, from the same guy that wants to spear hunt bears!

Kirby

[Gateholio]

HAhAAHA

POUNCE!!!:grin:

They are lurking behind just about every bush!!:-D

[PGKris]

Now that would be fun!!!