Best round for Black Bear

[Redhawk1]

I have always thought the 12 gauge slug was one of the best bear rounds. What is your opinion. I also like the 45-70 loaded with Barnes Bullets.

[Cabin4]

IMHO, from what I have seen, a 12ga slug is devastating on thin skinned game close in. On smaller bear, say 200ish lbs or less it will work great. These smaller bear just don't have the bone, fat or tissue mass yet.

Big bear, I think the jury is still out. You start getting over 300 lbs in a bear and they just start to get very massive in structure. With some of the new slugs out there like the Dixie Terminators, that may change. These new slugs are suppose to be hard cast and or better sd and provide the penetration needed on large heavy game such as big bear.

As far as 45-70. Again, IMHO, this is a great small or big bear round. Small bear 300gr bullet is enough, big bear, including the biggest 400 and up. I have taken several bear with the 45-70 and all have provided siginificant kill results.

[Rmouleart]

I agree with your statement that a shotgun is a great bear gun, Now with the rifled shotguns, you can really get some FPS going and also using sabots. I have a 1187 premiere using Remington's solid copper solid sabots, this bullet I would not hesitate to shoot any size bear, now I'm talking with shot guns range, a hundred yards or so is reasonable. I have seen many bear shot with 12ga slugs, can't say I remember many bears that ran far with a proper shot placement;) usually a good blood trail. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

[Redhawk1]

I agree with your statement that a shotgun is a great bear gun, Now with the rifled shotguns, you can really get some FPS going and also using sabots. I have a 1187 premiere using Remington's solid copper solid sabots, this bullet I would not hesitate to shoot any size bear, now I'm talking with shot guns range, a hundred yards or so is reasonable. I have seen many bear shot with 12ga slugs, can't say I remember many bears that ran far with a proper shot placement;) usually a good blood trail. Aim small hit small. RAMbo.

Those are the slugs I use in my Remington 1100 and they are very accurate. I have taken 6 deer with them and only one shot was needed.  

[Cabin4]

Has anyone taken a large bear, say over 400lbs with these Rem slugs ? I know these work good on deer and small bear but not sure about the big bear.

[Steelhead]

35 Whelen with 250 grain Nosler Partitions have worked well for me on several AK bears.

[Gowge]

Steelhead!  Nice Bear!!   :wink:

Cabin, that Solid Copper Slug looks like a .45caliber to me.   It might be a 50, but I sorta' doubt it.  Maybe someone can verify.  Too bad Remington and Winchester and the rest don't mention the caliber of all their sabot slugs.

I like a hard cast, full bore slug on dangerous game like bears.  

For those with 12ga smoothbores, who want to shoot a standard weight full bore slug but want it to be a hardcast slug that won't flatten out, Dixie also offers this 1oz LEE "Key" Slug.  It's cast one at a time in hard bullet alloy lead, then quenched & tempered like the other Dixie Slugs and loaded in 2¾" shells.  You can't use a choked shotgun barrel like you can with the soft cast lead slugs, so a cylinder barrel is the best option if you have it...   I think the Dixie Slugs crew said this slug can be used with chokes as small as 0.725", but verify to be sure if you want to use this 1oz full bore slug.

GOOD LUCK!  

[gallatin]

I like my 45-70 with 405 gr. hard cast for bear
John

[Gowge]

Redhawk, you might want to check this out.   There's a couple links to video clips, testing this new slug load - just scroll down to the links... and this ain't the final version which will be a bit faster & even more powerful.

http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=15553

You'll sure know it when you drop the hammer on one of these and so will any bear you're hunting!  

GOOD LUCK!  

[Redhawk1]

They look like an awesome slug. :eek:

[Gowge]

Yea, I think these are the closest thing you'll get to a Magnum Bore Rifle load these days.   The old ten bore (10ga) Paradox Guns and Bore Rifles built by Holland & Holland tossed two ounce conical bullets from brass shells and were used for all kinds of dangerous game up to and including elephants.   At close range, this one might be very close to the same power level as the big TENS.  

Moving that much weight over 1400fps is quite an accomplishment by any standards, much less in a fully rifled 12bore barrel.  

Looks like it's right on the edge of what the average grown man can possibly handle as far as recoil is concerned, too.   I think a weighted stock is definitely in order for these bad boys!  

GOOD LUCK!   :wink:

[ratherbefishin]

I think that what's equally important if not more so is where you hit him.I will only take a broadside shoulder shot-it anchors him right there,he ain'yt going anywhere.And, trust me, black bears head for the thickest patch of Christmas trees,you know the stuff you can';t see your feet when you're pushing your way through.You do that just once, then pick your shots or pass

[Country Boy]

I've shot over 30 bear with various things, handgun,archery,ML, many different cal. rifles. IMO the best black bear rifles I have used are the .35 cals. I;ve used the .358 win, .350 rem mag and .35 whelen. They all work great. My favorite is the Browning blr in .358 win with .250 speers. ( I've also used 99 savage and 88 win. in .358)
  I like the blr because it is handy in a tree or on horse back, also very shootable with managable recoil for a second shot. Last Spring I shot a 536 lb bear B&C 21 6/16 sq. 7' 5"" with my ittle blr and it dropped on the spot, typical .358 perfprmance, at least for me.

[loaded4bear]

The "best bear round" is a rather subjective qualification. Since bears are hunted using various methods (ie. over bait, using hounds, spot & stalk, etc.) in different parts of the U.S and Canada, it's difficult if not impossible to come up with one round that is "best" for all scenarios. Also, bears vary greatly in size depending on where you are hunting. A bear less than 200 lbs. is an entirely different animal from the biggest blackies taken every year in the 600-700 lb., even 800 lb. range. Pennsylvania, for example, has produced bears in this class every hunting season for the past several years. In 2004 a total of 56 bears weighing 500 pounds or more were taken in the harvest. The largest was an 834-pound (estimated live weight) male. (See PA Game Commission press release #011-05):
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/view.asp?A=11&Q=163551

[pastorp]

Loadedforbear, The key word in your post is (estimated live weight). A 500 lb bear, wether black or brown is a truly massive animal. I spent 18 years in meat markets working as a meat cutter. I butchered beef and hogs on the side for the local ranchers. I say this to demonstrate that I have had some experience both estimating the weight of animals as well as scale weighing them

In my experience as a big game hunter, and I have hunted from Florida to Maine to Most of the rocky mountain states and the last 8 years in Alaska, very few animals are actually weighed on a scale. And most 150lb bears are estimated at 300lbs.

I don't want to sound harsh but the reality is it is difficult to move a 200 lb bear for 2 men. A 800 lb bear will need to be skinned and quartered to transport.

Since I've been in alaska I have only seen one black bear that I thought would weight over 300lbs and he was over 8' in length. And that is larger than many brown bears that are killed here.

A story told buy a famous brown bear guide illustrates what I'm saying. A client hunter related to him about a arizona black bear hunt he had been on. Said he killed a 600lb bear. The hunter ,when asked how they got the bear out stated they just through it on a horse and packed it out whole. Now those were some men to through a 600lb bear around like that and that was some horse to pack him out. Regards, Byron  :lol:

[Two Bears]

Hard to beat a  Easton ACC 3-49 arrow with a 100gr revolution broad head. :grin:

I love to bow hunt bears. It is the most exciting thing that I have ever done!

[Buckskin]

Took my thunder 2 bears.  Bow is way to go!!

[loaded4bear]

pastorp,
 
Regarding your response to my post, I know bears are difficult to judge as far as weight goes, perhaps the most difficult of all north american big game.
 
While I have no first hand experience with Alaskan bears, I do have extensive hands-on experience with bears in the northeast U.S. I know that most bears taken in remote areas are never weighed at all before being quartered & packed out, but in Pennsylvania, for example, most bears arrive at game commission check stations intact (except for entrails). The bears I speak of in the 600-800 lb. range, are weighed on certified scales by state wildlife biologists.  
 
I personally witnessed a bear brought into a check station in northeast Pennsylvania in 2002 that weighed 645 lbs. field dressed! The estimated live weight was 761 lbs. (which pa. game commission biologists arrived at by using their proven formula of multiplying the field dressed weight by 18%) By the way, it took 8 men over four hours to drag this bear to the nearest road & load it into a pick-up truck. I have the pictures to prove it if you are interested. Statewide, pa. produces bears of this size year after year.
CLICK BELOW FOR PICTURE
  http://www.graybeardoutdoors.com/phpbb2/album_pic.php?pic_id=953

[oso45-70]

Gentlemen, In the south west, N.M.  CO. AZ. And surrounding areas Finding a 400 lb bear is almost un heard of. First place they don't get enough feed, Plus they don't live long enough. I have had guys tell me they killed a 400lb plus bear and gone to see the hide,,,,,,,Nope dodn't happen, They put the BIG EYE on them......Joe........

[Qtip]

loaded4bear,

I see you are from NJ. My brother lives in northern NJ and his area is infested with bears; some of which are very,very large. He has them in his backyard at least once a week. The game wardens have said that some are over 600#.

Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!
To God Alone Be The Glory!

[pastorp]

Qtip, The key words in your post is" the game warden says."

Loaded for bear, That is a big bear in the pick-up picture. And scales don't lie. Haven't seen a black bear in Alaska that was that big and very few browns. Regards, Byron

[myronman3]

we get big bears here, too.  instead of argueing with you non-believers, i will just say you should check with state agencies to see what their records show.    

if you aint going to do that,  you dont need to be saying or implying others arent being factual.   check your facts.

[wolfsong]

I'm not one to argue with other hunters on size or weight, but last year I shot a 225 pound California black bear and moved her about 30 yards by myself on pure adrenelin! Of course, I needed help to get her back to my rig and up into it, but the endorphins definitly gave me a burst of strength that I didn't know I had! The particulars of that hunt and how I came to get the shot had alot to do with it, but that's another story... Peace and God bless, Wolfsong.

[pastorp]

Myronman, No argument with a bears weight that has been weighted on a certified scale. But I have seen to many estimated weights to be a believer. As Joe said they get the big eye too often. Regards, Byron

[myronman3]

two of the regristation stations here have certified scales.  you back yer truck up, and they hook on, lift it up and wiegh it, then put it right back in yer truck.  

  i will concede that bears are super hard to judge by guessing; as are deer.  people really blow it.   i shot a super nice buck a few years back.  everyone guessed it at 250.  it wieghed 174.   hell, i even suck at it.  i just will say it was "big" or "small".  

i agree wholeheartedly,  unless it was wieghed on a scale, it is only a guess and should be suspect.

[NYH1]

I don't know what the "best bear round" is. I have a 444 Marlin. I bought it for black bear and wild boar hunting (haven't done either yet ). I also have a Remington model 700 Classic in 280 Rem. that I think would make a great Black bear rifle with the right ammo. My father and I want to go on a black bear hunt in Canada, hopefully next Spring (2006). My dad will probably use my 444 with Hornady's 265 GR Flat Point Light Mag. ammo. I'll use my 280 with either Federal's 160 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw or their 160 gr. Nosler AccuBond ammo, I don't know yet. Of course if I get that Remington model 673 in 350 Rem. Mag. they have marked down at Gander Mountain, I won't have to worry about which ammo to use in my 280 Rem. :grin:

[TOMMYY01]

My howitzer, 45-70 with 405 coreloks!  :mrgreen:
                                                             tommy

[Jaydub in Wi]

I don't know for sure what the best round is, but I'll be using my blackhawk  45 colt with 300 gr bullets . If I get a shot a bit further out,I'll be using my model 70 338 win mag with 225 or 250 grain bullets. This will be in 2 or 3 years when I have enough points for a tag.

[X-man]

I live in Newfoundland, the province where the .303 British is simply known as "The Moose Gun" so that may give you some idea as to how particular we are when it comes to caliber selection.

Newfoundland has been blessed with some of the largest Black Bears on the planet. A combination of good genetics, zero predation and plentiful food sources accoding to our provincial wildlife biologists Shane Mahoney. As a result an "average" bear will run in the 350lb range, a "big" bear in the 450-550lb range and monsters in the 600-700-800lb range aren't that uncommon. Most black bears are taken as a secondary target of opportunity, as guys are moose and caribou hunting. They use whatever rifle they have with them at the time.

Getting back to my earlier statement, don't underestimate the .303 British! Its a great round and has accounted for hundreds of thousands of Moose and caribou in Newfoundland over the last 100 years. For Black Bears, however, I think that most any reasonable big game caliber will work fine. Put your rounds in the vitals and you get a dead bear. I've shot bears using the .303 Brit., .308 Win (my own handloads), 6.6X55mm Swede, .30-06, .30-30 & 7mm Rem Mag. I generally try for a shoulder shot to anchor the bear quickly. I haven't found them, even the really big bears, all that hard to kill, irrespective of the caliber used. Shot placement IMHO is far more important.

I usually take along a small block and tackle and 100' length of rope when I go hunting for animal recovery, especially when hunting alone. I've taken bear that I've had to quarter and pack out using my home made pack frame. I'm a big guy and can take a lot of weight, there are times when I had to hoist the pack frame using the block and tackle from a tree limb so I coule get it on my back! :shock:  Don't know how heavy the bear was live weight, but those quarters were well over 100lbs a piece. That particular bear was taken with a plain ol' .308 Win. :grin: Most times, however, I try to either shoot my animal in a place where I can get my ATV (660 Yamaha Grizzly) to it, or can at least reach it with my 2500lb Warn Winch (rope comes in handy here too) :-)

[handirifle]

I'm not one to argue with other hunters on size or weight, but last year I shot a 225 pound California black bear and moved her about 30 yards by myself on pure adrenelin! Of course, I needed help to get her back to my rig and up into it, but the endorphins definitly gave me a burst of strength that I didn't know I had! The particulars of that hunt and how I came to get the shot had alot to do with it, but that's another story... Peace and God bless, Wolfsong.

Wolfsong
I plan on using my 375 Win 94 BB after using varmint calls for black bear in the SoCal mountains.  Where abouts are you located, I live in Palmdale.