Black Bear bullets in the 6.5x55

[cebpa]

I am looking for a good bullet to hunt black bear with out of my 6.5x55. I would like some real examples of how differant bullets performed on black bears or other game larger than deer. I know that with perfect shot placement most any bullet from 120gr up will work fine but I want to be able to break a shoulder if that is the shot that I am presented. I am leaning towards the Nosler partition since you really can't go wrong with it.

Thanks!

cebpa

[GatCat]

My son has used the Norma 156 gr ( or is it 160?? I forget ) Oryx factory loads on black bear, deer, and moose, and it worked well. I'm sure the Nosler Partitions would be equally good. In fact, even the the more common loads like the 140 Remington, etc. should all work fine.
Mark

[WyoStillhunter]

So far I have only shot antelope and deer with my 6.5X55.  In both cases I used Hornady 140 gr. SP bullet.  The deer was hit in the spine and the bullet passed through.

The 6.5X55 has a great reputation for penetration with standard 140 gr. bullets.  I am sure the 140 gr. Nosler will do what you want on black bear.  I would trust the Hornady 160 gr. RN for black bear, large deer, elk, and moose but have not used it myself...yet.

[Redtail1949]

I have a Swedish Mauser 6.5x55 and I started by handloading 140 grain Noslers.

Just 1/4 grain from the max loading she will shoot 1/2 inch and just under all day every day. It is the most accurate rifle I own. It was made 1899 in the Gustav Arsenal and I had purchased two of them about 30 years ago. I gave one to my friends wife, jeezsee I wish I had it back.

I was amazed and still am at the accuracy of this rifle.

I have shoot deer, black bear, and elk with this rifle and it worked everytime taking all cleanly. I then started loading some 160 round nose just for the informal shooting and practice. The accuracy was 1.5 to 2.0 inches at 100 yards and that was the best I could get out of it with that round.

A friend ,who is a real gun nut, talked me into using the 160 grain round for hunting just to compare its performance to the 140 Grain Nosler.

Here is the little known truth of that round...PENETRATION PENETRATION PENETRATION. The only other rifles that will smash bones and penetrate like this round does are my 45.70 and my 444 Marlins. I shot one elk, a pretty good 5x5, at a quartering shot hitting in the right hip as he was running away full tilt. That bullet followed through the backstrap all the way to the base of the neck and exited out the left top shoulder dropping him as if pole axed between the eyes.

I shot a 407lbs. black bear at 75 yards standing broad side to me The round broke both shoulders and exited killing him right there. I killed two more bears at less than 50 yards with penetration that was eye opening.

I took a mule deer at just over 200 yards and the bullet enterd the left front shoulder and took all in lungs and top of heart and exited the right side in the lower rib cage breaking two ribs as it left.

I had read about that round being a heck of a penetrator but I was always skeptical until I had personaly seen what it can do. It is the long skinny little finger sized bullet that is the best not the nosler. Yet it is not the most accurate.

Just my 2 cents

[Mikey]

Redtail1949:  I'm not clear on which bullet you were talking about with the successes you shared with us in your last paragraphs.  Were those animals taken with the 140 or 160 gn bullets?  Mikey.

[Redtail1949]

Sorry, I guess I was not very clear on that.. It was the Hornady 160 Grain Round Nose that were all handloads.

I have killed several black bear, mule deer, and Elk with both bullets. The 140 Grain Noslers always worked, however, I was so impressed with the penetration of the 160 Grain Round Nose that I use it now 90% of the time in that rifle if hunting.

The 140 Grain Noslers loaded near max were extremly accurate and performed as advertised on all the big game animals, yet they never penetrated as deeply  espescialy if I shot the animals through a shoulder. The penetration through bone and meat was at least twice as far with the Round Nosed Bullets.

I did not believe my friend when he extolled the virtures of the 6.5 with the 160 grain round nose bullets. He of course was much wiser and much more experience than I with firearms.

Seeing with my own eyes made a firm believer out of me as to the killing power of the 6.5 x 55 with that bullet.

Redtail1949

[deltecs]

One will find the same results in a different caliber with similar sectional density of the 160 gr .264 bore.  The .333 Rimless Nitro with a 300 gr bullet had an impressive reputation for penetration on DG and plains animals in Africa.  Again the sectional density of the 160 is comparable to the 300 for the bore size.  Hunters all over the world have come to the same conclusion.  High sectional density bullets penetrate.

[ratherbefishin]

I have taken over 30 blacktails and a couple of black bears with my 6.5x55 swede.Nothing went farther than 30 yards-often much less.The black bears went right down with one broadside shot on the shoulder.Not dead, but immobalized[I have this  thing about  following up wounded black bears in the christmas trees or salal so thick you can't see your boots]All I use is regular ''Century'' factory loads with 139 gr sierra's [I got 10 boxes years ago on a close out sale for $100-people thought they were no good]Do I love my swede?.....so much I bought 3 more in 9,3x57....mainly because where I hunt moose we have grizzly-lots of them-and no-they AREN'T ''endangered ''up here in British Columbia,and I just wanted something with a little more ''thump''[286 gr Privipartizans]....