preferred 30-06 & 308 projectile weight/style within 100

[hans g./UpS]

Hunting the brush[in Adirondacks],it's rare to see further than 100 yards.
Any thoughts re 30/06 [factory or hand]loads in a Rem.7600 carbine for blackbear?; ditto for a 308 Rem. carbine?
Thanks.

[dabigmoose]

 I always had really good luck with bullets in 180 gr class and
have taken blacks with 165 federal premium factory loads in 308.
The 220 gr in the 06 would be a very fine round and will probably
be what your looking for if your rifle likes them.The 180 also is a very
 good weight for bears in the 06.
 There are so many differnt styles of bullet for the 30 cal were to start.
I like the swift a frames and nosler partions though the failsafe types
are doing well also.
Dabigmoose

[JJHACK]

I assume your going to be doing this in the fall. If that is the case I wonder if you have ever skinned a fat fall bear or seen one being skinned?  I'm not trying to be sarcastic just wanting to know if you have seen the very thick layer of fat just under the skin.  That fat seems to be under pressure within the bear. When a hole is made in the hide it acts like "fix a flat" and comes ooozing out the bullet hole.

For this reason fall black bears in thick bush tend to be hard to find when they run off. They have big soft feet and rarely leave any means of foot tracking.  With the entry hole sealed up the blood trail will usually be very short as well.  This usually changes your outlook on recreational bear hunting when you're looking for a perforated bear in thick bush with no sure idea where he went.

If it were me I would use a very well constructed bullet of 165 grains or more. 200 grains being better yet.  Without going crazy and spending a whole bunch of money on bullets the Nosler Partition has always done a good job for me. The Barnes X if your gun likes them would be a great choice in the .308. The X will almost always exit a bear on a broadside shot.

There are two schools of thought here for me. One is to crunch the front leg bones like the shoulder blade on the first shot and then follow up quickly with another shot. The second thought is to make a good double lung hit and let him run off and drown when his lungs fill with blood.  If I'm going to feel good about the bone crunching shoulder shot I want a heavy bullet or an X bullet. If I want the double lung hit then about anything will work if it's 165 grains or more. In standard factory bullets I have had good luck with Hornady bullets and bad luck with ballistic tips and sierra bullets.

The problems come when you have a less then a perfect shot and it's all your going to get.  Say something like a quartering away shot. Now you really need a heavy bullet to exit the bears neck or shoulder area.   For that bullet kind of shot weight matters. Or you can use a lighter weight premium controlled expansion bullet.

The situation with standard factory bullets is this.  The majority of folks using a 30/06 are thinking they need a bullet that will be soft enough to expand at 250 yards or maybe even 300 yards. That bullet must be soft enough to function at the reduced velocity of the further distance. When that same bullet is used at 60-80 yards it's much too soft to hold itself together for deep terminal penetration at the higher impact velocity.

That is why premium bullets evolved to where they are today. If you're only using factory ammo I would certainly opt for a load with a 180 grain partition if it were me. That bullet has killed so much game at so many different ranges that it's likely going to work out well for you too. I would use it in both the .308 and 30/06.  

Use patience and self control when you pull that trigger. Make certain what you are doing is perfect. Tracking a wounded bear with no blood or tracks is usually more then most people bargain for when they decided it was a good idea to hunt a bear!

[hans g./UpS]

Thanks for the information.The '06 carbine is iron sighted,so my eyes limit me to 100 yards.Realistically,unless one is by a power line/trail or lake front,how many times can one see/realistically-cleanly shoot beyond 50 yards??
I've carried a 44Mag revolver with 270gr JSP flatpoints on several occasions.
Planning for fall 2003 season.

[Zachary]

In the .30-06, PMC offers the Barnes X in 165 grain and 180 grain weights.  I have used the 165 grain Barnes X on 200 pound hogs and the bullets penetrated.  As such, you should use the 165 Xs with no problems on black bears, or, if you want more penetrating power, you could use the 180 Xs.  In my rifle, they shoot sub 1" groups at 100 yards. :grin:

You won't find a hunting expanding bullet that retains more weight or penetrates deeper than a Barnes X. :wink:

Zachary

[Farmboy]

I always used the factory Rem. 180gr R.N. Core-lokts out of my 742 for deer or anything else. Always got a good exit hole just in case the critter decided to run for a bit.

Farmboy

[razmuz]

Some sage told me that the 308 would do anything the 30-06 would do out to 300 yards.  He said after 300 yards the 06 had some advantage.  If that's true the 308 would be the way to go; shorter shuck stroke.  If your in really dense woods, I mean really dense the shorter barrel of the 06 might come into play.  I'm no expert, just something to think about.