# Bear Hunting Rifle Calibers



## amerelec (Aug 19, 2005)

Just curious. What caliber, grain, & type of bullet do you guys recommend for black bear?

Walter


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## fishotter (Oct 25, 2004)

thats a hard one to say.You would be supprised on how many bear have been killed in michigan with a 30-30 amd i myself would love to put one down with a 22-250 but will i try it no.Lets put it this way if you have a 30 caliber rifle you have a riffle that will kill a bear.I have a lot of different caliber riffles but i prefer to use my 12 gauge with open sights for the fact that you probally wont be shooting over 30 yards anyway and when setting in the woods when it starts to get dark that scope on that riffle isnt going to do you any good anyway so i opt for the 1100 12 gauge.Like i said though any 30 caliber rifle a 270 or 7 mm will al do fine.A buddy of mine uses a 20 gauge and has never had any problems


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## Rustyaxecamp (Mar 1, 2005)

I've never pulled the trigger on a bear so I am not speaking from experiance, but a lot of reasearch lately as this fall is my first bear hunt.

Richard P. Smith (UP hunting writer) claims the 30-06 it the king of MI bear guns. He praises the 150 and 180 gr loads, with more praise on the 150 gr.

I was told by a skilled bear hunter that bear are not tough to kill, and if they go over 50-75 yards when hit, the hunter screwed up.

FWIW - I am using a 35 Whelen I just built, shooting 250 gr Hornadys. If it's raining when I hunt, I am using my 300 Wby, as it is synthetic. My three friends are using: a 300 Win Mag, a 300 Wby, and a 280.


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## amerelec (Aug 19, 2005)

Thanks so much for your response. I'm using a 300 win. mag with 180 gr.a Nosler Partition bullet. I have a 30-06 I'm bringing with the same grain & bullet. The 30-06 has a lighted recticle.

As a back-up, I'll wear my 44 Smith & Wesson model 629 Performance Center pistol.

Thanks again for the response. This is my firat bear hunt and I've been doing a lot of research as well.Walter


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## IronSite5421 (Aug 26, 2005)

If you are hunting Black bear you will have success with a 45-70. this gun is a little heavy but its no kick like a 300.mag its a very nice shooting gun and i would never leave home for hunting without it .


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## greatprohunter (Jul 25, 2001)

Pro-line Mt30 at 70 pounds with a CX300 arrow!!! at only 270 fps!!!
I like a 270 or 300 shorts mags :evil:


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## yooperkenny (Jul 13, 2004)

My good ol' Winchester Model 94 30-30 with 150 gr Rem core lokt did an excellent job - a well placed shot on a bear will kill quickly and humanely - they're not going to run hundreds of yards like a deer can.

I posted a link recently to a site that discussed bear shot placement at great length - this is at least as important as what caliber etc imho

I think some hunters get worked up over this because it can be pretty spooky in the bear woods at dusk - but carrying a cannon is not necessarily the answer.

Unless you're talking grizzly or kodiak out west or up in Alaska, which is totally different.


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## Burksee (Jan 15, 2003)

45-70 with a 400 grain solid lead bullet, It's like hitting'em with a bowling ball that going a 100 mph!


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## tedshunter (Dec 27, 2004)

How about thee ole .444? I think my 7MM-08 would do the job with a 140 gr. core lok


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## Jr.BowmanMI (Jun 27, 2005)

another vote for the 45/70. Friends went up to canada and shot 2 black bears with them. They did say that the bears ran farther than expected. closer to 100-150 yrds. Both double lung and back shoulder was broken on one the of the bears.


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## 45/70fan (May 29, 2005)

Any of the rifles in the 270, 7mm, 30 cal (except the 30 carbine), 32,338,35, 375,44 wcf or 444 marlin or a 45-70 cal rifles in black powder or smokeless. I've also seen bear killed efficiently with a .243 and 25-06 but I tend to stay away from those varmit rounds because a big black bear may show up and the 6mm/25 cal just doesn't have the penetration I feel is necessary. 
I've taken black bear with the following rounds and all bear have fallen in the 200-400 lb class. 
44 mag/ S&W 29-one shot 25 yds bear ran maybe another 25 yds and dropped dead. 218 lb dressed
30-06 rifle, one shot in the neck and it dropped in it's tracks 275 lb
270 win, one shot to the chest and the bear spread eagled and dropped dead in it's tracks. 238 lb dressed
50 cal flinter, Patched round ball, one shot to the chest/heart and the bear ran maybe 50 yds and dropped dead 250 lb dressed
54 cal percussion, patched round ball, 3 bear all shot in the chest, 1 ran maybe 30 yds and dropped dead, the other two dropped in their tracks 210 -260 & 300 lbs dressed
44-40/44 WCF rifle, one bear with one shot to the chest 50 yds and it ran across a small creek and dropped dead. 225 lb dressed
45-70, 3 bear with this caliber from a Shilo sharps using 500 gr pure lead slugs and black powder. 2 with a marlin mdl 95 using jacketed 405 gr flatpoint and smokeless hand loads. All 5 bear dropped in their tracks. 4 were taken with side chest shots and one was an under the tail going away shot with the bullet exiting the sternum using the sharps with black powder and the 500 gr slug. 380 lb dressed wt down to 200 lb dressed wt. 
As a side note on using the 243 and 25/06-both were shot by hunting partners and both dropped the bears in their tracks. Both bear were in the 200 lb range dressed. 
I've recovered bullets from all of the bears taken with modern jacketed cartridges but never from the 45/70 (jacketed or cast) and the muzzle loaders. 
I've never seen a bear taken with a shotgun slug but I'd not hestitate using this combination for even the largest bear on the continent. While living and hunting in Montana years ago I had occasion to go into the bush after a wounded griz-my weapon of choice was a mdl 870 12 ga loaded with slugs and a rifled barrel with iron sights. 

I personally can't say that one caliber is more efficient than another nor that it makes much difference using a rifle or handgun provided the range is within the limits of the gun and hunter. 

So which is the ideal rifle/cartridge? Whatever you have available and are proficient/comfortable using.


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## amerelec (Aug 19, 2005)

Thanks so much for the detailed reponse! It was fantastic! I just went bear hunting in Maine this week but the remnants of the hurricane washes out all chances. It's too bad as it was my first hunt.


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