30/30 handload for Black Bear

[melsdad]

What is everyones opinions on the best bullet / powder combination for hunting Pennsylvania Black Bears with the 30/30 with ranges up to 100 yards maximum?

Thanks
Brian   
 
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[jedman]

      If you are going to load something "new to you " for better performance, I would go with the Barnes 150 XFN-TSX bullet with any recomended powder.
      Really though the 150 or 170 gr.  common factory loads will do the job well.
   I have been using the X bullets for different types of big game and they are the best I have used, they kill and penetrate like they say they do.    Jedman

[PawPaw]

I've never used Barnes bullets  but I've heard good things about them.

If I was using the .30-30 on black bear, I'd probably use any good 170 grain bullet, like the Core-Lokt (or Speer, or Hornady, or Sierra), push it to about 2200 fps and call it good.

[teddy12b]

I worked up handloads in 30-30 using the barnes bullets.  The barnes bullets are too expensive to buy in factory ammo, but not too bad if you reload your own.  I never got the accuracy I was looking for so I ended up hunting black bears with federal 170gr.  Never got the bear so I can't say much on that end.  For powder, there's a lot of people out there that swear by 3031 for the 30-30.

[shot1]

Work up to this load. As for the powder charge it is the suggested hunting load in the Sierra manual.
29.4 grs H-322, WW case, WW WLR primer, 170 Nosler Partition. It shoots and is a hammer. Black bear are not any harder to kill than a deer. Put the bullet where it is supposed to go and it will do the job. But with the 170 partition you can break the front shoulders and they don't run off a ways before they die. 

[melsdad]

Thanks for the information everyone!!