Bear rifle?

[ecgreen]

What kind of rifle do you guys use for bear?

Sean

[MK-M-GOBL]

With whatever I'm carrying when I see one with a tag in my pocket & worth shooting ;D

[Scout]

Mathews if you just want to piss'em off, Hoyt if you want to kill'em ;D ;D ;D ;D

[MK-M-GOBL]

Feb 11, 2011 18:26:38 GMT Scout said:

Mathews if you just want to piss'em off, Hoyt if you want to kill'em ;D ;D ;D ;D

[ecgreen]

I am thinking about either a 300 win mag or a 30-06. Going on a caribou hunt next year too, so I would like a gun to cover that too.

[danf]

My co-workers son shot a bear two seasons ago with a 7 T/CU, which is essentially a .223 case that is necked up to 7mm and then the case body is blown out so it has minimal taper. I'm not sure where the shot placement was, but the round was adequate for the job. The bear had been treed by hounds, so that is a consideration.

Myself, I'd have no issues using anything centerfire that is 6mm/.243 and above. I have a .44 mag T/C Contender carbine that I'd really love to take one with- with cast bullets it's a no-brainer.

[okanagan]

Feb 13, 2011 13:20:43 GMT ecgreen said:

I am thinking about either a 300 win mag or a 30-06. Going on a caribou hunt next year too, so I would like a gun to cover that too.

ecgreen, either of those cartridges is excellent for black bear (or caribou) with virtually any big game bullet. Merely confirming what you know. I have shot a dozen bears with 30-06 using 165 grain Sierra boattail softpoints or 180 grain Nosler Partitions. My main hunting partner for several decades used a 300 Win mag and shot more than I did, mostly with 180 Hornady spire points.

I've killed one black bear with a recurve bow, and been involved in about 50 killed by friends using many implements and calibers, from a tire iron to arrows to .22 long rifle to a .375 H&H mag. Black bears have a deserved reputation for being easy to kill, usually, but they often plug exit holes with fat and leave no blood trail.

.243/6mm etc. will kill black bears fine but often they do not leave a blood trail and if the bear travels much after the hit, they are super hard to find if the brush is thick, which it often is. Following a wounded bear in a thicket is something I prefer not to do again, based on the experience of doing it several times.

FWIW I plan to hunt black bear this spring and will use my 30-06 with 165 grain Hornady interbonds. It is a plain vanilla good bullet, the rifle is already sighted in for it, and I have a bunch of them already loaded. Killed a bull caribou with that bullet also.

[ecgreen]

Feb 20, 2011 20:38:15 GMT okanagan said:

Feb 13, 2011 13:20:43 GMT ecgreen said:

I am thinking about either a 300 win mag or a 30-06. Going on a caribou hunt next year too, so I would like a gun to cover that too.

ecgreen, either of those cartridges is excellent for black bear (or caribou) with virtually any big game bullet. Merely confirming what you know. I have shot a dozen bears with 30-06 using 165 grain Sierra boattail softpoints or 180 grain Nosler Partitions. My main hunting partner for several decades used a 300 Win mag and shot more than I did, mostly with 180 Hornady spire points.

I've killed one black bear with a recurve bow, and been involved in about 50 killed by friends using many implements and calibers, from a tire iron to arrows to .22 long rifle to a .375 H&H mag. Black bears have a deserved reputation for being easy to kill, usually, but they often plug exit holes with fat and leave no blood trail.

.243/6mm etc. will kill black bears fine but often they do not leave a blood trail and if the bear travels much after the hit, they are super hard to find if the brush is thick, which it often is. Following a wounded bear in a thicket is something I prefer not to do again, based on the experience of doing it several times.

FWIW I plan to hunt black bear this spring and will use my 30-06 with 165 grain Hornady interbonds. It is a plain vanilla good bullet, the rifle is already sighted in for it, and I have a bunch of them already loaded. Killed a bull caribou with that bullet also.

Exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. Thanks!