.270 Winchester for Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, L – Foundry Outdoors

.270 Winchester for Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunting? Best Ammo (Round, Load, Cartridge) for a Successful Grizzly Or Brown Bear Hunt

Is the .270 Winchester a viable caliber/load/round/cartridge for grizzly or brown bear hunting? The accurate answer is “it depends”. However, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether the .270 Winchester is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear.

As with anything, the devil is in the details. To answer the question completely, we would need to evaluate the downrange distance to the grizzly or brown bear, the bullet type, the grain weight of the bullet, the physical condition of the firearm, the size of the grizzly or brown bear in question, the shot placement, the local wind conditions, the expected accuracy of the shooter, the ethics of the ideal maximum number of shots – the list goes on.




What we can do is provide a framework to understand what average conditions might look like, and whether those are reasonably viable for a shot from the average shooter to harvest a grizzly or brown bear in the fewest number of shots possible, i.e., ethically.

Let’s dive right in. In the question of “Is the .270 Winchester within the ideal range of suitable calibers for grizzly or brown bear hunting?” our answer is:

Yes, the .270 Winchester is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting, under average conditions, from a mid-range distance, with a medium grain expanding bullet, and with correct shot placement.



Let’s look at those assumptions a bit closer in the following table.

Assumption Value
Caliber .270 Winchester
Animal Species Grizzly Or Brown Bear
Muzzle Energy 3780 foot-pounds
Animal Weight 595 lbs
Shot Distance 200 yards


What is the average muzzle energy for a .270 Winchester? In this case, we have assumed the average muzzle energy for a .270 Winchester round is approximately 3780 foot-pounds.

What is the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear? Here we have leaned conservative by taking the average weight of a male individual of the species, since females generally weigh less and require less stopping power. In this case, the average weight of an adult male grizzly or brown bear is approximately 595 lbs.



What is the distance this species is typically hunted from? Distance, of course, plays an important role in the viability of a given caliber in grizzly or brown bear hunting. The kinetic energy of the projectile drops dramatically the further downrange it travels primarily due to energy lost in the form of heat generated by friction against the air itself. This phenonemon is known as drag or air resistance. Thus, a caliber that is effective from 50 yards may not have enough stopping power from 200 yards. With that said, we have assumed the average hunting distance for grizzly or brown bear to be approximately 200 yards.

What about the other assumptions? We have three other primary assumptions being made here. First, the average bullet weight is encapsulated in the average muzzle energy for the .270 Winchester. The second important assumption is ‘slightly-suboptimal’ to ‘optimal’ shot placement. That is to say, we assume the grizzly or brown bear being harvested is shot directly or nearly directly in the vitals (heart and/or lungs). The third assumption is that a projectile with appropriate terminal ballistics is being used, which for hunting usually means an expanding bullet.


Various calibers



A common thread you may encounter in online forums is anecdote after anecdote of large animals being brought down by small caliber bullets, or small animals surviving large caliber bullets. Of course those stories exist, and they are not disputed here. A 22LR cartridge can fell a bull elephant under the right conditions, and a newborn squirrel can survive a 50 BMG round under other specific conditions.

Again, the goal of this article is simply to address the question of whether .270 Winchester is within the ideal range of suitable calibers to harvest grizzly or brown bear - and to this question, the response again is yes, the .270 Winchester is A GOOD CHOICE for grizzly or brown bear hunting.



This article does not serve as the final say, but simply as a starting point for beginner hunters, as well as a venue for further discussion. Please feel free to agree, disagree, and share stories from your own experience in the comments section below.


Disclaimer: the information above is purely for illustrative purposes and should not be taken as permission to use a particular caliber, a statement of the legality or safety of using certain calibers, or legal advice in any way. You must read and understand your own local laws before hunting grizzly or brown bear to know whether your caliber of choice is a legal option.





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4 Comments

Dan - Jul 18, 2022

I’ve hunted with the great 270 a majority of my life taking whitetail deer in Maine using 130 grain ammo and Bull Moose in Alaska using handloaded 160 grain nosler partitions. However, I would not intentionally hunt grizzly/brown bear with it. A little light for big bears in my opinion and would opt for the 338/375 magnums if I went bear hunting, which is unlikely.
Love my 270 though.

G. R. Campbell - Nov 16, 2022

I have killed a grizzly, in my youth in the Yukon, using a 130gr nosler partition with one shot. Very decisive as the .270 and I were able to achieve very good bullet placement. Finn Aagaard of Kenya and then U.S.A. told us shot placement is 90 percent of killing power. The other 10 per cent is the unknown. Finn was a PH/professional hunter who moved to Texas and became a world famous gun writer for the NRA and Wolfe Magazines of Handloader and Rifle magazines. He also told us he had seen more African game killed with one shot using the .270 Winchester than with any other caliber. Why? High velocity equals flat shooting plus low recoil equals very good shot placement equals quick, precise clean kills. I killed thirteen animals in Africa with one shot with only one exception. I shot too low on a big water buk and finished him off after tracking with a second shot. My ph had also shot him with a .458 win mag. The first shot would have done a quick kill if I had done my part. My largest animal was a 2,000 lb eland. One shot. Jack O’Connor often told a story about Bob Lee, a New York State hunter who killed two lions, one shot each, with a .270 using 150gr Nosler partition bullets. This bullet will also kill a lion. The .270 is more capable than most people will ever k ow about

G. R. Campbell - Nov 16, 2022

I have killed a grizzly, in my youth in the Yukon, using a 130gr nosler partition with one shot. Very decisive as the .270 and I were able to achieve very good bullet placement. Finn Aagaard of Kenya and then U.S.A. told us shot placement is 90 percent of killing power. The other 10 per cent is the unknown. Finn was a PH/professional hunter who moved to Texas and became a world famous gun writer for the NRA and Wolfe Magazines of Handloader and Rifle magazines. He also told us he had seen more African game killed with one shot using the .270 Winchester than with any other caliber. Why? High velocity equals flat shooting plus low recoil equals very good shot placement equals quick, precise clean kills. I killed thirteen animals in Africa with one shot with only one exception. I shot too low on a big water buk and finished him off after tracking with a second shot. My ph had also shot him with a .458 win mag. The first shot would have done a quick kill if I had done my part. My largest animal was a 2,000 lb eland. One shot. Jack O’Connor often told a story about Bob Lee, a New York State hunter who killed two lions, one shot each, with a .270 using 150gr Nosler partition bullets. This bullet will also kill a brown bear. The .270 is more capable than most people will ever know about. Since age 10, sixty years ago, I’ve used the .270 and cherish my memories of the .270.

G. R. Campbell corrected email address here - Nov 16, 2022

I have killed a grizzly, in my youth in the Yukon, using a 130gr nosler partition with one shot. Very decisive as the .270 and I were able to achieve very good bullet placement. Finn Aagaard of Kenya and then U.S.A. told us shot placement is 90 percent of killing power. The other 10 per cent is the unknown. Finn was a PH/professional hunter who moved to Texas and became a world famous gun writer for the NRA and Wolfe Magazines of Handloader and Rifle magazines. He also told us he had seen more African game killed with one shot using the .270 Winchester than with any other caliber. Why? High velocity equals flat shooting plus low recoil equals very good shot placement equals quick, precise clean kills. I killed thirteen animals in Africa with one shot with only one exception. I shot too low on a big water buk and finished him off after tracking with a second shot. My ph had also shot him with a .458 win mag. The first shot would have done a quick kill if I had done my part. My largest animal was a 2,000 lb eland. One shot. Jack O’Connor often told a story about Bob Lee, a New York State hunter who killed two lions, one shot each, with a .270 using 150gr Nosler partition bullets. This bullet will also kill a brown bear. The .270 is more capable than most people will ever know about. Since age 10, sixty years ago, I’ve used the .270 and cherish my memories of the .270.

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