270 for all round gun?

[Curly]

I would not let me using a 270 hold me back from a brown bear hunt. I think it is a fine choice for all round use

Carl

I have had my Winchester Featherweight in .270 Win for 35 years.  I have killed more than a few deer with it.  My favorite reload is 55 gr. of IMR 4350, pushing a 150 Nosler Partition, which is a perfect load for deer.  I consider it a little light for elk and have a .300 Rem. Mag. for that purpose.  I would not recommend a .270 for brown bears, and I'd be willing to bet that if you showed up for a guided brown bear hunt with a .270, your guide would not be pleased.

Did you mean .300 win mag?

[C-Money]

I use a .270 win a lot. I've been carrying a .243 win the last few years deer hunting cause my kids are hunting with me now, and that what they use. .270 has put a lot of dinners on my families table. As for the magnum cartridges, they have a place in the world of hunting. Lots of sportsmen still use magnum cartridges. That said, I do think the magnum CRAZE is slowing. I think the popularity of the 6.5 creed has redirected some attention back to standard cartridges, and how effective the old standards really are.

[kselkhunter]

I would not let me using a 270 hold me back from a brown bear hunt. I think it is a fine choice for all round use

Carl

My buddy from Alaska actually harvested his brown bear with a 270, along with multiple moose over the years.   It was a hunt and not a defensive shot, which is very different.  Broadside shot into the vitals.  And his hunting partners had bigger rifles as backup, but weren't needed.   Residents, so no guide to complain about the caliber choice. 


He has other rifles, but his 270 is his favorite.   And it is a beautiful old rifle, and I can't blame him for choosing it most of the time.


I harvested my first deer in the early 80s with my brothers 270.  Great caliber, and pretty much all you need in the lower 48.  My family has taken elk with it just fine, granted we've taken elk with 30-30, 7.7Jap, etc. smaller calibers over the years. 


I personally wouldn't take it on a brown bear hunt because I have bigger calibers....but if it's the only rifle you had it would get the job done.....but let's be honest if you're not a resident of Alaska you're paying $15K-$20K for guide/travel/tag/etc. to hunt that brown bear and the cost of a second rifle in a bigger caliber for that one hunt is a small cost compared to the total cost of that trip...…get the 270 and if you ever decide to do a brown bear hunt you have a good excuse to buy another rifle.

[Bob33]

It depends on how “all around gun” is defined. Assuming it’s for North American thin skinned game like deer, elk and black bear then the 270 is a great caliber. If “all round gun” is meant to include dangerous game like brown bear, I would prefer something of at least .30 caliber.

In reality, all legal big game calibers will work just fine in the vast majority of cases. For elk calibers I wouldn’t choose a .243 but they work with proper bullet and shot placement.

In my opinion too much emphasis is often placed on caliber. The ability to find game and put bullets in the right location when found are usually far more important to harvesting game than a few thousandths of an inch here and there.

[konradcountry]

In my opinion too much emphasis is often placed on caliber. The ability to find game and put bullets in the right location when found are usually far more important to harvesting game than a few thousandths of an inch here and there.

But that makes it sound like the caliber difference is trivial.
 
The 270 will have around 50% more energy than a 243 at 300 yards.

[huntnphool]

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,244570.msg3279399.html#msg3279399

[Igor]

I would not let me using a 270 hold me back from a brown bear hunt. I think it is a fine choice for all round use

Carl

I have had my Winchester Featherweight in .270 Win for 35 years.  I have killed more than a few deer with it.  My favorite reload is 55 gr. of IMR 4350, pushing a 150 Nosler Partition, which is a perfect load for deer.  I consider it a little light for elk and have a .300 Rem. Mag. for that purpose.  I would not recommend a .270 for brown bears, and I'd be willing to bet that if you showed up for a guided brown bear hunt with a .270, your guide would not be pleased.

Did you mean .300 win mag?

Yep.  Kinda shortened it.......it's a Remington 700 .300 Win mag.

[Bob33]

In my opinion too much emphasis is often placed on caliber. The ability to find game and put bullets in the right location when found are usually far more important to harvesting game than a few thousandths of an inch here and there.

But that makes it sound like the caliber difference is trivial.
 
The 270 will have around 50% more energy than a 243 at 300 yards.

A 243 has more than enough energy to kill deer cleanly at 300 yards.

[Karl Blanchard]

I'd shoot just about anything with a .270! It's a workhorse if there ever was one. Let's not get out in the weeds here guys. Griz are so far out in left field for 99% of hunters that it shouldn't even be brought up in conversation. And let's be honest, if you can afford a griz hunt then you can afford a second rifle more suited to the task.

[b23]

I'd shoot just about anything with a .270! It's a workhorse if there ever was one. Let's not get out in the weeds here guys. Griz are so far out in left field for 99% of hunters that it shouldn't even be brought up in conversation. And let's be honest, if you can afford a griz hunt then you can afford a second rifle more suited to the task.

 I'd say that pretty accurately sums it up. 

[Commando]

thanks for all the continued info guys. I can't wait to get this rifle! I've got a question on scopes... Id like to get the Leupold vx-3i scope but can't decide between the 2.5-8 or the 3.5-10. I'm thinking th 2.5 since ill be mostly staying on the west side.... what your thoughts?

[Igor]

thanks for all the continued info guys. I can't wait to get this rifle! I've got a question on scopes... Id like to get the Leupold vx-3i scope but can't decide between the 2.5-8 or the 3.5-10. I'm thinking th 2.5 since ill be mostly staying on the west side.... what your thoughts?

For years I hunted with a Leupold 2.5-8 on my Winchester Featherweight.  These old eyes needed a little more magnification, so I went to the 3.5-10.  I would recommend the higher magnification.

[Bob33]

I prefer smaller, lighter scopes that mount lower but if the specs are the same I would choose 10x over 2.5x.

[7mmfan]

I hunted with a 2-7 Leupold for a long time. I have a VX3i 4-14 now, and will never go back. The specs are the same as the 3.5-10, just higher magnification. I think the higher magnification can be a huge benefit on westside hunts. Being able to zoom right in on a buck bedded in cover at 200 yards or standing in reprod at 300 will make you a more efficient killer.

[BigGoonTuna]

The .270 being a long action, would make me consider the 3.5-10 due to it’s longer tube for more flexible mounting options. I do have a vx3 2.5-8 on my Ruger m77 30-06, it fits but if I had needed to adjust it much, I would probably need extension rings. Not an issue if you have something with a rail. The 2.5-8x is a great scope for sure, though.