whats your favorite black bear caliber.

[jdr308]

I was just wondering what you guys use as your black bear gun.? Im going on a bear hunt in Canada and am leaning towards my 375 winchester or my 307 winchester, but I enjoy shooting my leverguns. So what do you guys use.?

[chainsaw]

Our bear population is growing rapidly where I live,so I bought a Savage 111 in 338wm for use on bears and elk.Toned down a little,it should do good on muleys too.
I load 250 gr. partitions on 72 gr. of IMR 4831,going 2700+ fps,packs a good wallop.

[Blue Avenger]

.30-30

[Ron.D]

I've used 30-06, and 43 mauser with black powder so far and bought a double barreled 45-70. The 375W or 307 will both do the job if you place your shot well. They're not that hard to kill. Ron.D

[MaDa]

30-06, 270wsm. Have I shot any? No I haven't. Lol but my old boss shot one throught the ears with a 30-06. Turned the skull to jello.

[Grit #1]

Take your 307. That is about the same as a 308. 150s to 180s will drop a black in it's tracks. If you are hunting over bait it will be a short range affair. If your hunt is a stalk it could be 100 to 200 yards. The 307 is up to the task especially if you load the new rubber tip bullets that Hornaday came out with for the lever guns. Blacks are not that hard to kill as long as you keep it in the boiler room.
Best regards,
Grit

[darkker]

Killed 4 with my 308. 165gr SP's

[skwirl]

35 Rem with 200 gr remington corelocks

[woodsman416]

I have a 116 Bearhunter in .338 win mag. I haven't hunted with it yet but I'm planning to use it for brown bear in Alaska. For black bears you can use just about any whitetail cartridge so it becomes more a choice of what gun you like rather than the cartridge. I have a Marlin Guide gun in .45/70 with ghost ring sights that's great for baited stands. I also have a Remington Model 742 in .30-06 with a 1.5X scope that I like a lot for bear hunting over bait. My old standby is a Savage model 110 in .308 win with a 3x9 leupold mounted on it but the last two bears I shot I used my bow. ;D

[Eric in NC]

38-55 is my black bear/pig gun so your 375 Win would be more than enough. Just make sure you have tough bullets - some of the .375 bullets out there shed jackets and blow up even at 38-55 velocities!

[shovelheadave]

I've only got one black bear, it was with a .338 RUM.

[gunjunkie]

I use 450 marlin with 430 grain bullet outta a Browning BLR, which knocks the biggies up in Ontario, on their butts! ( It's quite the thumper to the shoulder, but I love that) My 358 win does the number on 'em too with a Barnes TSX 225. The bruins in Ontario need to be dropped quickly 'cuz it's SO thick up there, tracking is difficult at best. So the premise is put them down fast and hard or get a big enough exit hole so you can have enough blood to track 'em.

[Coyoteslayer223]

I know that this aint my thread but i was just wondering, would a 270 with 150gr corelokts work on colorado black bears??

[mbkmkk]

A CA Black Bear with S&W 629 44 Mag.

[efm77]

450 Marlin and 338 Win. Mag.

[gunjunkie]

coyoteslayer: ANY bullet will kill ANY animal if bullet placement is correct. My personal opinion is to put the animal down as quickly as possible in the most humane manner. I personally feel black bear should never be hunted with anything smaller than 35 cal. Yes I know there's alot of people that have killed black bears with 270 and 308. I don't like tracking a badly hit bear so I prefer my 450 marlin. U might wanna take a look at chuck hawks web site about "sectional density" of bullets needed for CXP 3 animals. I think the sectional density should be .280 for elk/black bear or CXP3 animals. Your 270 with 150 grainers is gonna be under that. Of course type of bullet matters as well. Use premium bullets when possible.

[gunjunkie]

coyoteslayer: I mis-spoke. Looked up sectional density of 270 with 150 grain bullet. That WILL give you enough sectional density to bring down CXP3 size game like black bear. Your corelokt should work. Let us know what happens.

[Jeff518]

your 307 with 180's ought to do quite nicely. My lever choice, 358 in a Sav99

[bill2260]

So you would not hunt a bear with anything less than 35 caliber. Hmmm. Don't know of a 35 caliber that would come close to the bone crushing, flesh devisation caused by a 7mm remington magnum with a 154 grain hornady spire point. Shoot a 300 pound bear looking at you in the chest and he will have two holes to do his business. Bill

[efm77]

Um.........35 Whelen, 350 Rem. Mag., 358 Norma Mag., 358 STA all would have bone crushing power on a bear. Now I'm not saying that a 7mm won't work but to each their own. He did say it was his opinion. I too feel that the 7mm is a little on the light side. Now if you go with some of the even heavier bullets in 7mm that have real high SD's then I would feel better about it. I don't feel that a 154 grain 7mm bullet is constructed tough enough to hold together well enough to penetrate enough in something as tough as a bear. Again, not saying it won't work, just saying there are bigger calibers out there that make me feel better.

[WuzYoungOnceToo]

Recall that we're talking about black bears here, not grizzlies, Kodiaks or prehistoric cave bears. Is anyone seriously saying they think that black bears are so tough that something like a 200 gr .30-06 (or any other potent .30 cal round) isn't a reliable stopper for them?

[bill2260]

That hornady 154 grain spire pt is a interlock bullet. Will retain most of its weight as it exits length ways thru the bear. 300 winchester magnum, little bit better. Slightly bigger hole. I have shot at least 50 deer with 7mm mag and nothing kills as violently shocking as this caliber in my experience. Bill

[gunjunkie]

Where we hunt in Ontario for the last 12 yrs, guys in our group shoot caliber's from 30-06 to 45-70. The 30 cal bears have gone farther once shot than the 45 cal bears. Not saying 30 cal won't work. I think it boils down to shot placement AND wound channel/exit hole. You all know the fat in the fall bruins plugs the entrance/exit wound yielding a meager blood trail to almost no blood trail at all. Heck, I shot one up there 375 lbs with 12 gauge slug taking out both lungs and you could see the spray of blood on the exit side. He still ran 70 yards after that. Maybe a .22 through the ears would work too. LOL Guess it's what you think will work for you taking into consideration sectional density of your bullet.

Recall that we're talking about black bears here, not grizzlies, Kodiaks or prehistoric cave bears. Is anyone seriously saying they think that black bears are so tough that something like a 200 gr .30-06 (or any other potent .30 cal round) isn't a reliable stopper for them?

[efm77]

I never said a 7mm or 30 cal wouldn't work. And yes we're talking about black bears and they're not the same as grizzlies but they are still tough animals. As I said before, I personally feel better using something bigger and if I were to use a 7mm I would use a 162-175 grain bullet instead.

[Coyoteslayer223]

Thanks gunjunkie. And I'll let you guys know how it all pans out.