Good Black Bear Gun

[teddy12b]

I'm going to be at Auld Reekie in Gowganda Ontario.  Taking my new Remington 750 in 30-06 using my handloaded 220gr sierra pro hunters.  Other two guys are using stainless savage 30-06's one with my handloads the other has shoulder problems so he's going to use the lighter recoiling winchester 180gr. power points.  I'm starting to get really excited.

[Thebear_78]

I'm sure any of those loads will work just fine.

[efremtags]

you can't kill bears with an 06, that bullet is over a 100 years old.

[ironglow]

  ONn second thought..none of the calibers mentioned are worthy to bag a really BIG black bear. I may just see if I can get a "gun" like the one I used to use when I was 18-19 years old.
   Below, see me with a cartridge for the gun.

[Dand]

The OP also mentioned that he has a 7x57 rifle. That caliber with a 150 to 175 gr bullet would be entirely adequate for black bears as well as the '06 and 44 with proper bullets.

[ihookem]

My brother killed one with a Ruger Blackhawk pistol. A reload with a 240 gr Rem. core-loc flat nose. A max load. It went 25 yards or so. Made a lot more blood than my 270 did. It was a 70 pound bear though after it was gutted.

[jedman]

      I own a 44 Ruger carbine and have shot a bunch of deer with it.  My experiance with any of the 240 gr. and lighter bullets is that they are made for handgun velocitys and out of the carbine at 1800-1900 fps they break up and dont always penetrate good.  I now use only the Hornady 265 gr. FP bullet, it was designed with the 444 in mind.  At close to moderate ranges that you will be hunting / shooting bear at they will expand well and stay together.  I have killed a couple of bears in Canada with a bow and they are as easy to kill as whitetail deer for the most part, but you need good bullet performance you can depend on.
        Jedman

[gstewart44]

      I own a 44 Ruger carbine and have shot a bunch of deer with it.  My experiance with any of the 240 gr. and lighter bullets is that they are made for handgun velocitys and out of the carbine at 1800-1900 fps they break up and dont always penetrate good.  I now use only the Hornady 265 gr. FP bullet, it was designed with the 444 in mind.  At close to moderate ranges that you will be hunting / shooting bear at they will expand well and stay together.  I have killed a couple of bears in Canada with a bow and they are as easy to kill as whitetail deer for the most part, but you need good bullet performance you can depend on.
        Jedman

I haven't hunted bear yet (we will start this upcoming season) but I too have loaded for and use the Ruger 44 carbine.    My main quarry is big wild hogs.   I will say that the Hornady XTP at 240 grains will hold up to the velocity(1830fps)and impact out of the carbine against the shoulders of hogs up to 250 lbs (the largest Ive shot with it).    On neck, ear or lung shots they pass through.   big hogs may not get a pass through on both shoulders but they will be broken.   I would imagine it would work well on average size blackies in the South.   Not sure about the big Northern blackies though.  I may feel better about using a bit more weight in the bullet. 

[ironglow]

      I own a 44 Ruger carbine and have shot a bunch of deer with it.  My experiance with any of the 240 gr. and lighter bullets is that they are made for handgun velocitys and out of the carbine at 1800-1900 fps they break up and dont always penetrate good.  I now use only the Hornady 265 gr. FP bullet, it was designed with the 444 in mind.  At close to moderate ranges that you will be hunting / shooting bear at they will expand well and stay together.  I have killed a couple of bears in Canada with a bow and they are as easy to kill as whitetail deer for the most part, but you need good bullet performance you can depend on.
        Jedman

I haven't hunted bear yet (we will start this upcoming season) but I too have loaded for and use the Ruger 44 carbine.    My main quarry is big wild hogs.   I will say that the Hornady XTP at 240 grains will hold up to the velocity(1830fps)and impact out of the carbine against the shoulders of hogs up to 250 lbs (the largest Ive shot with it).    On neck, ear or lung shots they pass through.   big hogs may not get a pass through on both shoulders but they will be broken.   I would imagine it would work well on average size blackies in the South.   Not sure about the big Northern blackies though.  I may feel better about using a bit more weight in the bullet. 

   That's a good load for northern bears also...

[30calflash]

 What factory loads do you like or know work well for bear?

Black Bear?  A 30-30 is way more than enough.  Larry

[ironglow]

There are  black bears and then there are black bears.
    The one shown below was the largest of over 3,000 taken in Pennsylvania  that year.
  Well over 700 pounds, the hunter didn't get a chance to keep his bear, because he baited it with pastries. Baiting is not allowed in PA, also not allowed in NY where I live.