Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only 375 Ruger for big black bear

What would you use for big black bear at about 50-75 yards in a 375 Ruger ALaskan

...260 Gr accubond, 270 gr Hornady SP or 300 gr Hornady SP?

Looking to use RL 15 primarily, but I do have other powders.

Thanks for any ideas.

thinking how to best sharpen my knife is a better Q...grin

any will do just fine

how big of black bear are you talking about when you say big...?

also, must be a bait hunt?

Dober

perhaps something like this..?

Dober

If I were hunting black bear using my 375 Ruger Alaskan, either the 260 AB or the the Hornady 270 gr SP would be fine.

At 50-75 yards, I don`t think that max or near max loadings would be necessary. The 260s and 270s moving along at about 2500-2600 (well below the Alaskan`s capability) is all you would need.

For the largest of b/bear, I would more inclined to use the 225 gr Hornady SP. But if the 260s and 270s are what you have on hand, they`ll be fine.

One max loading for my Alaskan is 79.2 gr RL15. That one got me 3016 fps using the 225 gr Horn SP. Though for a big blackie at short range, I`d load it down to about the 2700-2800 fps range.

Gotta love the bruins

Dober

These are about as big as they get in the lower 48, but not British COlumbia coastal island size.

I also have some 220 gr Hornady RN.

Maybe I should bring my SKS and use the bayonet...

U going on your own or guided?

I've never hunted bruins outside of Montana, that's where these pics are from.

Keep us in the loop as to how it goes, and have fun out there.

Dober

Since you have more rifle than you need, you have wiggle room in the bullet choice. If it were me, I would use a Barnes 270GR TSX to make sure I got an exit wound, though for a normal sized black bear any of the above choices will likely exit on a normal shot. Two holes are better when trackiing.

Hope you do get the big oen you seek. Guided or self guided hunt?

any of the 3 would work out for you

Nice pics. I forgot to turn the sound off on my computer so I could clearly hear them. (They said "oink", both of them. )

Thanks for the advice. I'll either go with the 300gr SP's or a 270gr TSX elk load I've been working up.

This is a guided hunt over bait. Not physically challenging, but should be a lot of fun.

One thing I really like about bear hunting is that a guy can sleep in a bit in the morning instead of being up before dawn.

post pics as I do love the bruins

Another bullet I liked but is tough to find is the 270 power point. Long ago i bought a tonnage of them and have shot them a lot!

It's really tough to go wrong with a bullet out of a 375.

Have you hunted bruins b4?

Dober

I've hunted over bait once before, but nowhere near this close. Used my 45-70 last time, but want to try my new 375 ruger. ALthough my 44mag would be plenty for this hunt.

Did you get a bruin when you hunted b4 and if you don't mind what's the name of the outfit you're going with and what size bruins do they tell you to expect to see?

Thx
Dober

Just another Big Sky bruin, one I called in and took a few falls back. 7'1" square, and 416 lbs and a noggin at 20" if I recall right. Not a POW or SE size bruin but dang good for a rocky mtn bruin.

Dober

WOW! That is one nice mountain bear! I have seen tracks and scat from one that might go this size where I will be hunting soon, but the underbrush and other foliage is very thick so my chances of seeing him are not so good. Still, it is whay we go and try, eh?

Leverite, hunting with the Quinnaults up North of you a ways, perhaps?

Thx and here's the first big bruin I took- 17 yds or so with a 340 and a 250 Noz. Spring bruin, 335 lbs, 19" and 6'4" sq if I recall right. And yeah that was a few moons ago...grin



Dober

Nice pictures Mark. My fall bear season opens tomorrow.. I have seen a few nice ones in the creeks chasing salmon, but haven't made up my mind if I want to hunt bears this fall. Bears just feel like a spring thing for me!

yeah...got a fairly nice spring bear in Idaho a few years ago. Not real big, but a good pelt. Made a great rug...and a few very nice roasts.

Used my Marlin Guide gun w/ a Williams peep sight. 300 gr X bullet at about 2100 fps (as I recall) did the trick at about 100 yards. Thick timber, steep hillside...aka "mountain" for all you folks east of the Mississippi.

This hunt is on the Quinalt reservation in NW Washington. Some pretty big blackies.

Gotta wonder about my thought process though. Here I ante up for a guided hunt and am reluctant to use my TSX bullets, because they're more expensive than my Hornady Interlocks.

You guys ever get caught up in that weird thought loop about ammo and bullet choices?