270 Win

130 partition

3050fps MV

200 yards

300lb bear

??

If not, what parameters would you, if at all?

Oh hell yeah!!!

Take one its more than enough gun.


Cal30

I'm considering it. I have a 30.06, but there's that part of me that wants to do a self test...you know, to see for myself.

I wonder what the guide would think. Hmmm.

No problem! That should work fine. If it was me I would try to get the shot in through the ribs and down he goes!!

Whats the matter Doc?

You dont think its a myth that a .270 Win will
kill an animal do you?
I have taken a few head of game with more powerful ie {.338 win 300win} and didnt see any diference in any of them.
Introduced in 1925 and still prefered by many hunters it must be doing something right.

Youll be fine, and that is a good bullet you are going to use.

Cal30

One shot One kill

No problem/
wouldn't feel under guned at all.

I've never killed a bear. Never had an interest but that combo has been used to kill elk and plains game to 1000# and better so I don't see the problem. The .270 isn't my favorite weapon but that's a personal thing.

i have friends in northern idaho that only hunt black bears with their .270's. never had a problem.

When you shoot the bear with that old 270, make sure your knives are sharp and your freezer has room.

Nope, don't like a 270Win and the Bullet doesn't weigh enough.

If the Bear has wet hair, is behind a slight bit of brush, weeds, etc. and if the angle is through a Shoulder(as it should be), then I would prefer at least a 30cal 165gr Hunting Grade Bullet (of any type) at 308Win velocity. Even better would be a 35cal 200gr Hornady, either SP or RN, at 358Win velocity.

Bear have Bigger and heavier Bones than will be found in Deer. I feel sure lots of Bear have been taken with a 270Win, but it just wouldn't be my choice.

Best of luck with whatever you choose.

only if my 243 is in the shop

Absolutly. The first 8 or 10 bears I took with a .270, no problem.

It's a thought...I was pondering this as I was looking at all of my rifles. We are going this May to BC with a couple of other AR members. Original plan was good ol .06 with 180s.

But, I have a 270 that I realized, I've never killed any big game with, only coyotes, so I was thinking about that.

I've killed a few BBs, one being quite huge. After skinning them and taking hold of their "arms" there is no doubt about the density of muscle tissue, and heavy bone.

Of course, I could easily load up some 150 partitions, or Barnes TSX, or a 150 Aframe for the extra weight.

Obviously, my hope is to see a 7+ footer weighing in at 650 at bow range and dump him. I know a Muzzy 100 grain broadhead slides right through a black bear like butter and their skin is a bit thinner than I expected.

What to do.....I'll chew on this.

almost every black bear, caribou, and moose i killed while living in alaska were with a tang ruger in 270 win, shooting either 130/150gr corelokts. shot some with 150gr partitions, but most with the corelokts. you will find either the 130/150 partitions more than adequate for bb.

Ditto LBGuy. Elk, deer, antelope, and black bear... all clean kills with Remington 130 CoreLokts. Shot placement is everything!

Didn't Jack O'Connor shoot a few Griz with a 270?

I have taken black bear with a 308.

I wouldn't be afraid of a .270 on a 300lb black bear. I've only shot one and I could have done it with a .270 Win without any problems. Hell I'd even step down to a 6.5X55 on a blackie, but I'd use a 10 grain heavier bullet just to be safe.

quote:

Originally posted by RM007:
Absolutly. The first 8 or 10 bears I took with a .270, no problem.

I have no idea how I missed your post! I'm going WITH YOU! So, what were the reactions of the bears taken with your 270? Drop right there? Run forever? Bleed heavy? What bullets did you use?

seriously,doc iv'e taken 7 blackies with exactly that combo,i would not feel under gunned.the 2 bears i killed in bc were 6'6 &6'11
the big one was just north of 400 lbs.all of them traveled less than 50 yds.

seriously,doc iv'e taken 7 blackies with exactly that combo,i would not feel under gunned.the 2 bears i killed in bc were 6'6 &6'11
the big one was just north of 400 lbs.

I'm still chewin on it....

the 270 in question is a Rem BDL custom, 24" #3 Broughton barrel, Jim Borden-Rimrock stock with a Leupold 4.5x14.

decisions decisions....270 or 30.06...

Doc

I have taken several black bears.

I have used the following calibres.

On spot and stalk hunts;
300 Wby with 180 Nosler Partitions
450/400 Double rifle with 400gr Woodleigh Softs.

Hunts over Bait;
Freedom Arms 475 Linebaugh with 400gr Hornady XTP.
9,3x74R Double rifle with 286gr Nosler Partitions.
The 9,3 again with 286gr Woodleigh Soft.
Blaser K 95 in 308 with 180 Woodleigh Soft.

In choosing between your 30-06 and your 270 take the one you like the best.

With good bullets like the Nosler Partition the bear will never know the difference.

If it is spot and stalk in rough country I would take the lightest rifle.

Be prepared for a 300 yard shot.

fellow I knew in college that was from eastern Idaho (just over from the Tetons) shot what he described as "the largest bear seen at that check station in 20 years" with exactly that combo - 270 with 130 grain nosler partitions.

He said it was on a slope just above some thick alders and it fell into them at the shot. He didn't know whether it was hit and ran into the alders or fell into them, and he said that the approach/tracking of it was more nerve-wracking than any other trail he'd followed . . . but as it turned out it had really DRT and fell into the alders and tumbled down about 20-30 feet.

Troy

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
In choosing between your 30-06 and your 270 take the one you like the best.

Well, the problem here is that is like asking to take my favorite child. I love them equally! None more than the other.

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:

If it is spot and stalk in rough country I would take the lightest rifle.

Be prepared for a 300 yard shot.

Well, they are almost identical in weight and both carry very well.

The 270 is the only varmint rifle I would consider adequate for black bear.

This is good

quote:

Originally posted by Pathfinder:
The 270 is the only varmint rifle I would consider adequate for black bear.

Bears are varmints.

This is kind of what I've been thinking...it's like the 243/deer debate...it's a varmint rifle adequate for deer.

Doc,

The bear (below) I killed with Roy a couple years ago fell to my trusty 40+ year-old Mod. 70 .264 WM. One shot through the lungs at 75 yards or so with a 140-gr. Winchester PP. He went about 35-40 yards before keeling over.

That same .264 has killed a passel of other big-game critters up to a 60" BC moose with a bunch of elk, caribou, African game and a red deer stag tossed into the mix.

Now, if you compare the ballistics of the factory ammo I used to a factory 130-gr. .270 load, you will quickly find there isn't a helluva lot of difference in both velocity and energy figures. And 10 grains of bullet weight won't make a diff either. I guarantee the bear sure won't notice any difference.

Shoot straight and you'll have a bear rug. -TONY

wht not

Well, honestly, I would not. I won't own a rifle under 30 caliber for hunting. However, my guide on my last black bear hunt carried a Browning BLR in .270. He said he has shot 'everything' with it. He was a pretty straight up guy. I beleive he has shot more game with his .270 and 130 grain bullets (he buys whats on sale) than I have ever seen. In checking his gun -- he had 2 federals, a remington and a winchester in it-- all 130's.

Doc, with proper shot placement I do not see why it should not work. I would probably use a 150 grain Nosler Partition.

For my upcomimg dear hunt, I will not be taking my .270. I have not decided which caliber yet but it will be one of these 3; 30-06 w/180 gr NP's, .45-70 w/350 gr Hornsdy RN , 9.3x62 w/286 gr NP's.

Shot my first bear with a .270 and 130grn bullets. He went 10 yards and fell over dead. Second bear was a monster and an hour and half later I finished him at 20 feet with a 180grn Scirocco from a .300 RUM. He was still quite lively with 1 lung and 1 shoulder intact.

With a perfect shot a .270 is fine. With a slightly less than perfect shot it may not be fine at all. I won't hunt bear with a .270 again.

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer:
Doc,

The bear (below) I killed with Roy a couple years ago fell to my trusty 40+ year-old Mod. 70 .264 WM.

Tony, Roy is who we will be hunting with also. I heard all about your hunt up there. Good stories!

Let's face it, there's no doubt a 270 rifle bullet will kill any bb alive, but there's always those chances of not-so-favorable angles that raises my eyebrow.

Doc,

Yeah, I already knew you would be hunting with Roy since you mentioned going with RM007.

You probably heard the tales of my first hunt there when RM007 was along. I used a .338 with 225-gr. bullets on that hunt because I also had a grizzly tag. Never saw the latter. The two blacks I shot were monsters, however.

The bear in the pix is one I killed with the .264 in 2003. Sadly, Roy's area is now on a special quota for grizzly, but that's understandable since we saw a monster of a silvertip well within my range.

I think you'll enjoy the hunt. It's all spot-&-stalk -- no watching a barrel filled with donuts and Big Macs. Neat thing is the area has about every color phase imagineable. I had my son and two other friends from Phx on that last hunt, and we all killed bears that were different colors. One guy shot a dandy 6' blond phase.

If you don't feel comfortable with the .270, take the 30/06 and use 180-gr. bullets. -TONY

Ignore this extra click. The site has been acting up all day. -TONY

Yep, RMOO7 did fill me in and was such a great reference for Roy. I did speak with Roy about 2-3 years ago, maybe more, but wound up hunting in AB instead as the available week for hunting was better for me. But, I'm very ready for spot and stalk on the bears.

I'd very much like a color phase or 2.

Now I'm thinking about some 160 partitions in the 270. Well, I'll likely take the .06. It is a proven bear killer. Perhaps I'll take the 270 to TX this September for antelope.

quote:

Would you shoot a black bear with this?

Yes, as fast as I could get my sights on it....

Doc,

Here's an article I wrote for OUTDOOR LIFE shortly after my first hunt with Roy in the 1980s. -TONY

*******

B.C. BEARS

Copyright by Tony Mandile

Menacing clouds had dropped lower onto the British Columbia mountains. As the snow-capped peaks disappeared into the thick, black mantle, a light mist was already dampening the shoulders of my jacket.

Just then, my guide said, "Take off your shoes."

I looked up at the clouds overhead. The nearly invisible mist quickly coated my face. For a few seconds, I considered the prospect of running around in my stocking feet during a rainstorm and turned to my companion.

“Are you serious?â€

Roy Pattison was already bent over, removing his second shoe. Undoubtedly sensing my apprehension, he looked up and smiled when he saw the puzzled expression on my wet face.

"Standard operating procedure," he whispered. "The less noise we make, the better."

I found a damp rock, sat and started to remove my boots when the irony taking place made me chuckle. In preparation for western Canada's supposedly frequent spring rains, I had bought a new pair of super-duper water-proof boots. Now, as the raindrops grew larger and puddles began to form on the little used, dirt and gravel two-track, I was taking off those boots.

Feeling slightly ridiculous but ready to continue the stalk, I hitched up my socks and stood. "Let's go. I'm ready."

Smiling, the guide began walking and I followed, wincing as the sharp-edged gravel indented the soles of my feet. As my socks wicked up more moisture, each step caused an uncomfortable, squishy feeling.

Earlier, we had used our binoculars to spot two dark spots in a swath of emerald green grass more than a mile distant. Pattison quickly assembled his spotting scope and squinted through the small eyepiece. "Look at that one on the left," he whispered.

I dropped down to the spot the guide had vacated. Through my binoculars the black shape had reminded me of an overstuffed armchair. Now, as I focused the 20-power scope, the dark mass changed into a bigger-than-average bear, grazing like a Hereford cow on the fresh, tender grasses.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"He's a dandy, and his hide looks like it's in good shape from what I can see," Pattison replied.

I trusted his judgment; he obviously knew what he was seeing after having chased Canada's bears for over 20 years.

Once, however, it had been the other way around. On a fall hunt, a few years ago, a lady from Germany put a bullet through the hump of a big grizzly. Armed with a 30/06, Pattison, along with his German shepherd, Radar, followed the bear into the bush. The dog soon found the wounded grizzly, and Pattison put three 220-grain bullets into it.

Still, the enraged animal managed to launch an attack, tearing a huge chunk of flesh from Pattison's left buttock and biting his ankle. The dog's persistent harassment and Pattison's kicking and screaming eventually caused the bear to flee.

While Pattison spent a week in a Prince George hospital receiving numerous skin grafts and treatment for a chipped ankle bone, his brother and friends unsuccessfully searched for the bear.

The following spring the lady from Germany returned and wounded another grizzly. This time, with a new-found respect, Pattison borrowed his brother's .458. Radar again located the bear, and two shots from the big-bore rifle put it down for keeps.

When Pattison removed the hide, he found four healed gunshot wounds and recovered two 220-grain, 30/06 slugs; the grizzly was the same one that had mauled him the previous fall. The 10-foot tall, life-size mount sitting in the main lodge now serves as a reminder of the guide's adventure.

We had pussy-footed along the gravel road for about a hundred yards when Pattison stopped and whispered, "Do you have extra shells in you pocket?"

"Yes. I have plenty." "That's not what I mean. I can hear them rattling. Separate them," Pattison said.

Sheepishly, I removed the extra ammo and divided it up among all my pockets as best as possible.

The rain was coming down harder now, and our socks were already soaked. Ignoring the tiny torrents flowing down the road, the guide and I simply sloshed up the hill in a straight line.

Suddenly, Pattison, thrust his arm toward me, signaling me to stop. He ducked his head and slowly backed down the hill to where I was standing. "They're just over the rise. The one closest to us is the big one. I'll wait here, and you crawl up there."

I nodded and dropped to my hands and knees on the muddy road. Knowing a trophy was close-at-hand made me oblivious to the wetness penetrating my gloves and pants. A few minutes later, I reached the crest and peeked over it.

Although the bear had his head down, his back was clearly visible. I clicked off the safety on the Browning and carefully raised to my knees. Now, the entire bear was in view. Slowly, I brought the rifle to my shoulder, put the crosshairs on the bruin and fired.

The 225-grain .338 bullet slammed into the target with an audible smack, seemingly exploding the coal-black hairs on the bear's left shoulder. After one step, the bruin fell hard, rolled once and went still. The second bear stood for a second after the shot, then ran into the thick forest.

Pattison ran up the hill and saw the black form laying in the grass. "Alright! One down and one to go," he said, reaching out to shake my hand.

Driving back to Pattison's lodge at Bear Lake, I removed my wet socks. I remember thinking about how cold my feet felt, and then, for some strange reason, I thought of the first line of Tennyson's poem, LOCKLEY HALL: "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." Perhaps it reminded me of another magical quality of spring.

Spring brings life and changes to Nature's world. Shortly after birth, a mule deer fawn stands on wobbly legs for the first time. Colorful blossoms, long protected within their buds, burst forth to add splashes of color to the landscape.

Spring also marks the start of another ritual. Slowly awakening to a growing warmth and feeling the pangs of hunger from their long winter sleep, bears stir in their dens. Eventually, they come forth to roam the countryside in search of food. In turn, they attract the hunters. During the past decade, the popularity of spring bear hunting has increased dramatically. The reasons are simple: it fills a void from one fall season to the next, and it's unquestionably the ideal time to acquire a bear rug.

"In the past decade, every one of my hunters have filled their two black bear tags and about 35 percent of them have killed grizzlies," claimed Pattison. "In contrast, our fall success on bear is not as high."

While many states and Canadian provinces that have spring bear seasons allow baiting, it is illegal in British Columbia. The use of dogs is legal, but the forests are so thick that following them would prove extremely difficult.

This leaves only one, and perhaps the most satisfying, way to hunt: spotting a bear from a distance, then stalking it. Because this technique is a matter of necessity in Pattison's hunt area, he spends many hours glassing the clear-cuts and other open areas.

Searching for a bear in this way is a waiting game. Success means being in a place with a good bruin population, knowing how to use optics and possessing the patience of Job to glass likely bear haunts for hours on end. Here, the hunter comes about as close as he will ever get to being on the bear's terms.

Bears typically move about early and late and rest during the mid-day hours. Most glassing, consequently, occurs in less than ideal lighting conditions --- times when inferior optics can cause unnecessary eyestrain. Optics with high resolution (sharpness) and good light-gathering capabilities help to eliminate the problem. Although the top models are expensive, they are worth it.

Pattison spends 75 percent of his hunting time searching huge expanses of open country with his binoculars. He once relied on an inexpensive pair of 10x50s, but when he discovered they were responsible for repeated headaches, he quickly switched to top quality, 7x50s.

Although a spotting scope is not an absolute necessity, its higher magnification certainly makes positive identification and trophy judging a whole lot easier.

One morning, shortly after sunrise, Pattison and I located a bear that appeared as a small dot in my 8x30 binoculars. The 20X-to-45X spotting scope showed it clearly and saved us a long stalk when it revealed a large bald spot on the animal's back.

Wildlife biologists often tell us a bear's eyesight pales compared to the rest of North America's big game. On the other hand, they say a bear's senses of hearing and smelling rank near the top. Some even claim the bear owns the best nose of all.

All of this makes a bruin quite wary. In other words, the key to a successful stalk is care. Plan a downwind route that hopefully will keep you out of sight and make as little noise as possible.

On the second day of my hunt, Pattison and I checked an area where he had seen a big bruin during the previous week. The bear had been feeding on a winter-killed moose close to the edge of a logging road. We arrived about two hours before dark and parked the truck about a half-mile away. Of course, because the road was gravel, Pattison insisted we leave our boots at the truck. This time, however, I was ready; after the experience of the first day, I wore two pairs of heavy socks.

We walked about 200 yards before I saw a movement in the brush a short distance from the road. I stopped and grabbed Pattison's arm. He saw why almost immediately.

"Geez, that's one of those chocolate grizzlies. Shoot him."

I dropped to one knee and looked through the scope. "It's a black," I whispered. "No way," Pattison countered. "He's too big for a black. Shoot."

The roar of the .338 shattered the eerie quiet, and the bullet penetrated through willows, striking the bear behind the shoulder. The animal wheeled around and bit at the spot.

Pattison yelled this time. "Shoot him again before he gets into the trees.

I already had worked another cartridge into the Browning's action, but getting a good shot at the spinning bear was nearly impossible. I aimed at the middle of the whirling blur and fired. Again, I heard the bullet hit.

Pattison already had started toward the spot at a slow trot. "He's down, let's go."

I chambered another round just in case and caught up to the guide. When we got close, we slowed to a careful walk.

Pattison looked at the dead bear and shook his head from side-to-side. "You were right. It is a black. Look at the size of that son-of-a-gun, though!"

We skinned the big black the next morning. The hide measured 8 ft., 1 in. from the tip of its tail to the nose. Pattison estimated its weight at 450 pounds.

Questions often arise concerning the condition of a bear's hide in the spring. As a rule, the fur is in prime shape, especially if the bear recently emerged from its den.

About the end of May or in early June, however, a bear begins rubbing, and bald patches start to appear. The hair eventually grows back in these spots and the fur regains its plushness about the time the bear is ready to hibernate again. Unfortunately, in most places with only fall hunts, the seasons have ended already.

An information specialist with British Columbia's game department estimates about 75 percent of the province's bear harvest occurs in the spring. He pointed to increased visibility as a key reason because bears frequent open areas more in the spring but keep fairly hidden in the timber during the fall.

The fact that hunters at this time of year are concentrating their efforts on one animal also comes into play. In the fall, many of Patterson's clients are interested primarily in taking a trophy moose or caribou, even though they buy a bear tag.

Whatever the reason is not important, however. Besides being a season of high success, spring is an excellent time for a person to be in the woods --- to watch Nature come alive and to shake the winter doldrums.

I'd be willing to bet if Lord Tennyson's young man had been a hunter, he would have ignored love and turned his thoughts to bear hunting.

I'd shoulder poke a bear with that combo. If you can't do it with your 270 then don't expect different results from your 30-06...

I'll likely decide moments before my trip. If I a fortunate enough to kill a bear or two, I will do the "big reveal" at that time as to which caliber I took.