Bears are not stealthy predators and don' t like confrontation take whatever gun you feel most comfortable for the caribou. 270 will be plenty enuf gun for anythging you might need it for. it' s not what you shoot it' s where you shoot it that matters. the guides don' t carry that should tell you something also. Go get you a caribou. good luck should be a fun trip.

HaHaHa Elksniper, since when can you place a bullet where you want at a chargeing bear, a 270 ain' t going to cut it, Bub, Get Real.

ELKampmaster, I am by no stretch an authority on bear, but I can relate a story concerning a 30-06 on big brownies.

About 15 years back, a guy that brokers hunts all over the world asked me to reload some 30-06 rounds for him to take to Kodiak Island after a coastal brownie.
I suggested that from what I knew that he did not want to use that caliber.
He insisted for sentimental reasons. (he has literally a house full of animals from all over the world, taken with this particular pre 64 model 70 in 30-06.)
Anyway, I loaded up the hottest load I could using 220 grain noslers.
He came home with a bear that went 1150 pounds.

And swore he would NEVER try that again. He claimed the bear was feeding broadside at 110 yards when he poked the first one into the front shoulder. When he racked the next round into the chamber, the bear turned towards the sound, and came on in at a full run. He hit the bear in the brisket with two, and in the face with one, then the guide popped him once in the head at twenty yards to stop the bear.

No doubt many big bear has fallen to a 30-06, but given a choice, I know I would try it with no less than a .338 win mag.

Well, I am gonna try it with a bow, but someone is gonna be there with a big bore!

Big Country,
Thanks for sharing the story. What a great adventure for your friend to be able to tell for the rest of his life. What an adrenalin rush that must have been! I bet he takes the memory of that one with him to bed every night. May have made an " Elmer Keith" fan out of him on the spot.

It seems likely the bear in your story was mortally wounded. Sure enough all number of cartridges will " kill them" and of course " dead is dead" ---- the part that conveniently gets left out of that little train of thought is.....

What happens to YOU -- BEFORE they die?
A hunter reduced to three parts shredded meat/bone and one part steaming bear poop is a sobering thing.

That same hunter, had he not had that experience, could have been lecturing here on the forum, extolling the virtues of his favorite deer rifle and citing the long list of animals taken with it and warning about the evils of magnums, flinching, recoil shyness, and the silliness of being " overgunned."

Personal Safety Above All,
Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

Take your 350 Rem. Mag. There' s really no place for a 270 in God' s Country, anyways.

Personally I can' t think of a good enough reason to take the .270. I mean I' m from ohio and the biggest thing I' ve been hunting for is whitetail/wild boar, but if I' m going into grizzly area I would take the bigger gun it' s not like the 350 isn' t gonna kill the caribou and the .270 would but the 350 might work on the bear and the 270 might not. Anyways good luck on our hunt, wish I was going.

two of my buddies are from homer and whittier, they say 350.

my question is why not take both. I usually take a rifle and shotgun with me and a box of shells for each, still way under limit on flights.

I live in Montana, right near glacier national park along the rocky mountain front. Let me tell you, when you' re going into bear country probably the best sidearm you could bring is bear spray. Some macho bad asses may say that bear spray won' t do anything, but I know plenty of people who have avoided attacks by this. If you read any newspapers in montana, you' ll read about a guy in missoula who was hunting over here when he stumbled across a sow grizzly with 3 cubs. He too, had a .270 rifle, and the bear charged him from only 50 feet away. It took the bear less time than he could react to bring up his gun before it was at 10 feet. He shot it in the head as he fell back with his gun at his hip. Now, remember HE SHOT IT IN THE HEAD AT 10 FEET!!! The bear just stopped, then turned around and walked away. The bear is still alive, and has been radio collared and tracked covering over 200 miles since then. I literally hunt within a mile of where this incident took place, and there are A LOT of bears up there. I' m talking 10 to 20 along one river bottom...no kidding. When hunting, I carry my normal rifle a 7mm Rem MAG with nothing less than 150 grs, and a canister of bear spray on my side. For $30 you can get a can of that and if you feel in danger at all, just squeeze the trigger and aim in the general direction. It is accurate up to 30 feet, which doesn' t seem like a lot, but you shouldn' t be doing anything to a bear if its farther than 30 feet away. Maybe the bears around here are a little more agressive because they are used to people, and some have been relocated here as problem bears, but I' d go with the .350 and a can of pepper spray. Don' t listen to these people saying " Oh, a a .270 will be fine" unless you plan on shooting a bear in the eye as it charges you. They can run in bursts up to 40 MPH, and will be tearing you apart quicker than you can wet yourself. They are nothing to take lightly, so be prepared...

That $30 can of " bear defense" pepper spray buys me a box of ammo for my 338 Win. Mag. I' d poke the bear with a 250 grain premium bullet and use that pepper spray on a loose dog in my neighborhood.

I have enjoyed 24 trips to Alaska to gladly donate to the economy and always to fish. I used to carry a 44 mag then a short barrel 12ga then for most years nothing. I have been within 30 yard of a sow with cubs and am still breathing. I just think after seeing browns that you might have a shot but doubt it if the bear is mad. I would take a bow and pepper spray or maybe my 300 for a rifle. Point is to have a great hunt and don' t worry too much about getting eaten. Pick a fat guide to hunt with you.