Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Best hunting rifle for bears?nal

Any insight on the best fire power and bullet to take down a bear. when going bear hunting i learn you have to be packing really good, pls let me know your personal experience with what you have use to take down a bear.

Brown bear?

I have killed black bear with a muzzle loader what calibers do you have now? Brown bear I couldn't help you

I killed my only black bear in thirty years of trying with a Winchester 94 in .32 Special. It was ideal that day.

30-06 will cover black bears and the big ones.....not too much recoil....and works if you do your part. Any good name gun is fine. Winchester, savage, Remington, etc etc

Lot of it depends on your hunting style and what area you'll be hunting. Like the above poster mentioned 30-06 , that round is never a bad idea. But if you're running hounds or over bait you may want a lighter shorter range weapon. If it's a spot and stalk hunt a flatter shooting rifle from 270 and up would work well. I've taken bear with bow , muzzle loader, handgun and several rifles. From 30-30 to 45-70 and a few 30 cal bolt rifles. They all worked fine.

Never go wrong with a 30.06 or 308 win. I like a 9.3 x 62.

My old 243 works very well with a 105 grain bullet.
I would gladly pack that rifle any day.

Blacks 270,280, 30-06.

Brown bear 375H&H.

Thats what Ive used. But seen other cartridges used on them as well. Lots of stuff works good.

Always carry more gun than you need. +1 on the 9.3X62. Go with the CZ550 with the 20" barrel for quick handling.

For a black bear your deer rifle with a good bullet is fine.

If there is hard part to shooting bears I find it to be finding a good aiming pint in low light on an inky black bear.

A black bear outfitter I hunted with says that most of the issues he sees are with bullets and arrows that are placed to far back. The vitals when compared to the front shoulder on a black bear are little more forward than they are on a whitetail. Folks used to the behind the shoulder shot on a deer have less margin for error on a bear.

Black bear you can use anything that works solidly on deer - minimum 6mm caliber I'd say.

The great bears, I would say my personal minimum calibers are .35 Whelen or 9.3x62 in a bolt and .348 Winchester in a lever gun. .375 H&H is preferable.

Personally though I like to over-gun in terms of sectional density for black bear. They have fat that tends to seal up their wounds, so you don't get much blood for tracking if necessary from the entrance wound. That means I darn well want an exit wound. I've had good luck with a 7mag and 175gr A-frames. Woodleigh makes a 175gr 7mm protected point that should be suitable for the same reason although I've never actually used it.

Has more to do with you the shooter than anything. If you can place a good bullet from a 30-06 where it needs to go, but have trouble hitting a beer can at 100 with a 338WM due to recoil, go with the 30-06 and a good bullet, like a Nosler Partition or similar.

In the end, its the bullet that does the work.

Black or Brown? The best would be your favorite deer rifle.

Thinking my 9.3x62 and a 250 accubond at 2600 fps, or a 250 TSX at same.

My most recent brown bear (Kodiak) was shot once by me at a long angle with a 270gr TTSX from a 375AI. It fully penetrated.

It was shot repeatedly as it came back down the hill with four 270gr AccuBonds from a 375H&H. None of the Accubonds passed all the way through.

That has been exactly what I have seen with every AccuBond I have seen shot. I insist on two holes in bears...

Lots of options, if you're talking Grizzly/Browns might be a good excuse to get a 358 Norma Mag or a 300 Win Mag or a 9.3x62 - but as always the bullet has to be the right type and go to the right place.

I would think one that goes bang every time. Some guys have these fetishes over rifles that sometimes work and sometimes don't....

Black bear are no big deal any good deer rifle cartridge will do .308 Win, 30-06, 270 etc.....heck ive killed black bear with a 10mm pistol....Brown bears im sure are a whole different matter but i have zero experience in the matter........Good luck.......Hb

Well no ones perfect

I've always found it a good policy to "not arm the bears". If one were to decide to do this however it would be good to remember that bears have rather large paws and perhaps a rifle with a thicker stock would work best.



Trystan

What about their right to Bear arms?

338 Win Mag

If I ever go bear hunting again, I'll be taking my 35 Whelen.

338 win mag, 210 TTSX for both.

308 or bigger with good premium bullet and sensible ranges equal dead bears of any color. Specifically black bears I would choose any good deer rifle/bullet combination.

I've seen a few really nice black bears taken with a 243.

For black bear I pack a Winny 71 .348 and a Marlin in 444........

I've only hunted Black Bear....I have killed 5 with an old SL50 Darton bow, 3 with a .44 Super Blackhawk, and one with a 20 ga. Shotgun and a slug. Placement is the key...

Good point! However that could be interpreted a lot of different ways in congress

With that in mind I've found the 8mm Mauser with a 220 sierra has shown some authority on black bear.


Trystan

For black bears I like the medium bores best. None have ever gone far from a 225 grain Nosler Partition from my .350 Rem mag.

Small bears most anything will do. Big bears, most anything will do.... as long as a Jack Russell can chase a fat squirrel down the barrel.....

According to those knowledgeable in such matters, adequate starts at the 7mm-08 with premium 160s. Perfect...I can't imagine improving on a 338 WM.

Keep in mind I've never shot a Brownie or Griz and likely never will.

I'm looking for an opportunity at a black bear over bait that I can use my 35 Remington lever gun. Don't have a doubt.

Ditto, or my .350 Rem Mag or .375 Ruger