Hello, new member here looking for information from more experienced hunters/members. This fall will be my first black bear hunt in Manitoba and through some trial and error I have found my .270 seems to prefer 140 grain over 130, i have not tried 150's yet. I zeroed in my Tikka T3X with Hornady American Whitetail but I am wondering if I need something a little more robust for black bear hunting. Have looked at Hornady Precision Hunter ELD-X @ 145gr, Federal Fusion @ 150 & Federal Terminal Ascent @136grain as that is what is readily available to me. Any insight or suggestions is appreciated as I am more than willing to listen and learn. Tia
Black bear ammo
- Thread starter rgp11
- Start date
Black bears aren't hard to kill, and as far as that goes I haven't found grizzlies to any harder.
Use whatever you would be happy shooting a nice whitetail with. The American Whitetail are loaded with Hornady Interlocks, which I used a ton of when I was in my 270 stage. Almost completely 130 grainers though.
Bears aren't hard to kill; but they can be a real bugger to find. make it easy for yourself an belt them through the shoulders.
For fun here's the story on my last bear this spring. I shot him at right around 10 yards because I was tired of him pushing me around. He made one jump into a tiny clump of spruce that was no bigger than a half-ton truck box, and never came out and never made a sound. That clump of bush was spruce that had dead branches right to the ground, interwoven tighter than a fishnet. If I shoved my arm into it I couldn't see my hand. Eventually I was able to touch hair, then went to the boat and got my chainsaw. Took a few minutes to cut enough to see him, and considerably longer to clear enough to get him out. I honestly don't know how he managed to force himself into that mess.
Oh, 7 foot, 19 5/8' skull and 428 pounds
Use whatever you would be happy shooting a nice whitetail with. The American Whitetail are loaded with Hornady Interlocks, which I used a ton of when I was in my 270 stage. Almost completely 130 grainers though.
Bears aren't hard to kill; but they can be a real bugger to find. make it easy for yourself an belt them through the shoulders.
For fun here's the story on my last bear this spring. I shot him at right around 10 yards because I was tired of him pushing me around. He made one jump into a tiny clump of spruce that was no bigger than a half-ton truck box, and never came out and never made a sound. That clump of bush was spruce that had dead branches right to the ground, interwoven tighter than a fishnet. If I shoved my arm into it I couldn't see my hand. Eventually I was able to touch hair, then went to the boat and got my chainsaw. Took a few minutes to cut enough to see him, and considerably longer to clear enough to get him out. I honestly don't know how he managed to force himself into that mess.
Oh, 7 foot, 19 5/8' skull and 428 pounds
Any of that ammo will work, I would concentrate on putting the bullet through the lungs on a broadside shot and let him run... it won't go far and you won't lose the blood trail... with a .270 and any of that ammo, I would avoid the shoulders, at .270 speed I have seen many bullets fail on heavy bone and take funky routes when they come apart... stick to the boiler room and increase the margin for error. Any weight between 130-150 grain will be fine. The boar I arrowed this spring only went 50 yards shot through the lungs and all I did was follow the red carpet to it. 7 1/2 footer with 20 1/2" skull at 480 pounds... doesn't matter how big they are, put it in the right spot and they go down quick.
I didn’t really want to shoot him, I was guiding and checking baits.
thewoodsrunner
New member
Whatever you choose, i'd go heavy for calbre in the bullet. I've become a fan of copper monolithics. Great penetration, great weight retention. Also, just like with whitetail, a bear is not just a bear. Carry what you need for the largest potential animal in your area. For instance, many hunters will tell you a .243 is fine for whitetail. No doubt it is, for some. I don't know of a single veteran bush hunter of old whitetail bucks of the big subspecies who carries one. There's an education in that.
Your Hdy Whitetail ammo with the 140 gr Interlock (cup and core bullet) will work just fine on black bear. I actually prefer the 140 gr bullet weight in the 270 for its balance of velocity and weight for expansion and penetration, but this is just my preference.
If it shoots well in your rifle, go forth with confidence!
The average black bear taken in most areas is not overly big or tough. The 400 lb plus bear is the exception, not the norm. So the 270 Win will work just fine. Your ammo is still packing more than 2000 ft. lbs of energy at 200 yards, where the majority of bears taken are within this distance. Plenty, even for that monster bruin, should you encounter one!
As always, bullet placement is key. The double lung shot is very effective, and as stated above they won't get far.
If possible, aiming to break the offside shoulder with this shot helps do more damage and imparts more shock on the bear, but will most likely limit full penetration for a better blood trail for tracking.
The Fusion is also a great bonded bullet. I haven't seen a rifle yet that would shoot these at least acceptably well. If it shoots well in your rifle, I wouldn't hesitate to use it on a black bear.
I also like the 140 gr AccuBond bullets. While not having used it in the 270 Win on black bear, I have used it in other calibers on black bear with great success. They shoot well in most rifles from factory ammo (Nosler and Federal), and if you handload, are one of the most consistently easy bullets to find a good load load for with minimal effort, providing good to great accuracy, and great on-game performance, regardless of caliber and bullet weight. My all-around favourite hunting bullet for these reasons, for over 20 years now.
The new Terminal Ascent bullets are another great bonded bullet that I am impressed with so far.
My 270 Win likes the factory ammo, shooting groups just over 5/8" at 100 yards.
I haven't taken game with it yet, but have taken 5 animals with the 6.5 Creedmoor with the 130 gr TA ammo to date; all one shot kills on red stag, fallow deer, arapawa rams and caribou, from 40 to 296 yards. All complete penetration with no animals falling further than 5 yards from where they shot.
I would hesitate to use this for black bear with my 270 Win.
Best of luck on your hunt!
If it shoots well in your rifle, go forth with confidence!
The average black bear taken in most areas is not overly big or tough. The 400 lb plus bear is the exception, not the norm. So the 270 Win will work just fine. Your ammo is still packing more than 2000 ft. lbs of energy at 200 yards, where the majority of bears taken are within this distance. Plenty, even for that monster bruin, should you encounter one!
As always, bullet placement is key. The double lung shot is very effective, and as stated above they won't get far.
If possible, aiming to break the offside shoulder with this shot helps do more damage and imparts more shock on the bear, but will most likely limit full penetration for a better blood trail for tracking.
The Fusion is also a great bonded bullet. I haven't seen a rifle yet that would shoot these at least acceptably well. If it shoots well in your rifle, I wouldn't hesitate to use it on a black bear.
I also like the 140 gr AccuBond bullets. While not having used it in the 270 Win on black bear, I have used it in other calibers on black bear with great success. They shoot well in most rifles from factory ammo (Nosler and Federal), and if you handload, are one of the most consistently easy bullets to find a good load load for with minimal effort, providing good to great accuracy, and great on-game performance, regardless of caliber and bullet weight. My all-around favourite hunting bullet for these reasons, for over 20 years now.
The new Terminal Ascent bullets are another great bonded bullet that I am impressed with so far.
My 270 Win likes the factory ammo, shooting groups just over 5/8" at 100 yards.
I haven't taken game with it yet, but have taken 5 animals with the 6.5 Creedmoor with the 130 gr TA ammo to date; all one shot kills on red stag, fallow deer, arapawa rams and caribou, from 40 to 296 yards. All complete penetration with no animals falling further than 5 yards from where they shot.
I would hesitate to use this for black bear with my 270 Win.
Best of luck on your hunt!
OP hasn’t been on since sept, no follow up to bear hunt. His other thread said choices were narrowed down to fusion and partition.
The only bullet I’ve used that left a lot to be desired was a tsx from a 257 wby. All cup and core bullets, and partitions from 24-43cal have worked exceptionally well.
The only bullet I’ve used that left a lot to be desired was a tsx from a 257 wby. All cup and core bullets, and partitions from 24-43cal have worked exceptionally well.
