I will be planning a hunt out of Ketchikan in 2 years. I did a great hunt there with my father in law back in 99, when we moved there, with a guide named AJ Slagle. We had a great time and both of us shot really nice bears. We hunted a huge area around Johnson arm and saw alot of animals. Wish I still lived there! Anyway, Does anyone know if AJ is still guiding? Another question, what do you all think about using a 243AI for blackies? I have bigger rifles, but think it would do the job nicely with a well placed e-tip or accubond. Thoughts?

I killed a bunch of black bears with my 243 before I bought my 270. 105g Speer Spitzers at 3000 fps out of my 243 worked on black bears and elk too. That being said, a 270 is a better caliber for both.

Been a lot of blackies shot with a 30/30 over the years. My guide carried a 30/30 as his charge stopper. Pretty sure a 243 will get it done. As always, do your part.

Better bring the biggest rifle you have. I have it on good authority that 165 gr. partitions out of a 300RUM simply bounce off AK blackies.

Ironbender,
Thats funny. I had a friend of mine try to convince me that anything less than a 338 win mag spelled DEATH to the hunter when I went on my first black bear hunt! I used a blued Ruger 30-06 with 180 gr partitions and all went as planned. As said before, I just finished a new 243AI and thought it would be cool to take it up for another hunt. Just wondering if it would quickly drop a big blackie, or should I stick to the '06 or 300WSM.

I'd go with the TTSX, E-Tip option in 100gr. Should do just fine.

Maybe a 200 grainer will do better eh...grin

Dober

I will make you a deal on a box of 105gr Speer round nose if you want them.

Only if the basic problem is fixed first.

I've only hunted black bear in Alaska twice now. Both times I chose the rifle on the conditions that I'd be hunting in. The first time I went to SE AK I took a .30-06 Rem ADL because it was the only synthetic stocked rifle I owned at the time. This time I took an Encore .375 JDJ because it was the only stainless synthetic rifle I had in the safe. Now if my 6.5X55 M96 sporter had shot better I might have taken that along as I have no doubts the cartridge is more than capable for black bear.

I'm sure bears can be killed with a 243AI, but it wouldn't be my first choice.

Still lots of time. I have a 35 Whelen AI in the works right now. Mabey that one for bear and the 243 for woofs.

My last two were shot with a 25 caliber (250AI and 257 Roy), killed 3-4 with a 30-06 and another couple with a 35 Whelen. They all died.

I see no reason to go with less than a .30 caliber if you have one already.

Decisions, Decisions...

You'll be fine with your 243 AI, run a decent bullet, put it in a good place and good things will happen.

I've seen quite a few blackies taken with 22/250's and Swifts so I'd not worry about a 243.

Dober

Though I think SE Alaska runs a bit thicker and wetter than Montana, lest from what I've seen.

Still I'd have no problem with a 243.

I agree with Steelhead here. My SE bear hunt was wet and if the bear gets off the beach and into the thick stuff, might be hard to follow. I guess what Im after here is, will the 6mm get him down quite quickly? Steel, how far did the 2 you shot with the 25's go? Were you spot and stalking from a skiff? That is what I am planning on doing again.

longshot3,
Most everybody would agree that proper bullet placement is more important than the caliber.
I spoke with a 3rd generation Colorado rancher once about his 25-06 as an elk rifle. He said that if you hit them right it doesn't matter what the caliber is, and if you hit them wrong it won't matter what the caliber was either.
I do think that when the caliber is light then you should pay close attention to the bullet construction. For example a 35 Whelen is more than needed for deer but you don't need to do any research on what bullet will be suitable because they will all work fine. Smaller calibers have bullets which might be constructed for use on varmints.
I helped a guy track a wounded black bear once who used a 7mm Magnum. He tried for the neck and hit the front leg. Late in the day we found the bear eating blueberries on the hillside.
The hunter got into position for a shot, fired again and the bear ran downhill into a stream and we never did pick up his trail after that. He told me he shot for the neck the second time too??????????? Maybe the brush deflected the bullet, I don't know.
whelennut

I think you'll be in brown bear country too, if you're hunting out of ktown.

My wife took her moose with a .243 - I've taken several caribou and a black bear with the same old Sucks. None of them with premium bullets, all with 100 grains.

I'd now use a premium for the moose and bear, at least.

Grew up an WV and almost all the black bears I knew of were killed with the Appalachian Assault Rifle. Most subsistence fish camps along the Yukon River don't have much more than .30-30s in them most times and they've dropped lotsa black bears and the occassional grizzly with them too.

There's not much to a black bear especially in the spring and summer. I wouldn't have a problem shooting one with a .243.

It wouldn't excite me to carry a .243 in brown bear country. I remember Bob Hagel explaining that he carried a .338 already to hunt Blacktails on Kodiak, and it wasn't because of the blacktails.

Running into a Brown wouldn't excite me either with a 6mm in hand. Thanks for the responses. Can't wait to get back up there.

I carry a .338 when hunting deer in brown bear country. When I get my 35 Whelen built, I'll feel comfortable also.

A story from back in 2007 when a guy got ruffed up a bit while carrying his 6 mm. This is not to say a bigger gun would have helped in this case as the bear got to him first.

http://juneauempire.com/stories/120207/loc_20071202016.shtml

My hunting pard's 12 year old girl just took a Bear in BC with a CZ 7.62x39 carbine with 150 grain bullets. I'll have more details shortly....

I watched one die 10 days ago from a 243/85TSX. It was convincing.

Wish I could give you the load details, but right after I loaded up a couple different loads, I turned around to see the kid mixing the bullets up in the box.

First shot took out his shoulder and made a hole in the offside that I could get my whole hand in.

That is the kind of performance I was wanting to hear. Prolly didn't go too far either. If my guide carries a larger caliber and is good with his rifle, I think I should be fine.

The 243 AI will get it done no doubt, but You may want to consider a bigger rifle in case You bump something a little bigger in the thick stuff.

Gunner

Barne TXS or Nosler Partition and you will have a Dead Bear on your hands to skin

Big Se AK Black bears are fine game animals. I have seen just one instantly flattened (by a 130gr .270)...I have trailed two shot by '06 180gr. I like bears. I have a Whelen, a 340 SS Wby, my luckiest gun is a 30'06. It just seems to be handy when needed, anyway... I hunt bears with a 416. 416s turn bears into rugs. I like that. Softer bullets seem to drop them faster. I once double shouldered one with a 1990s 125 gr X bullet from an '06 @ 60 yards. My guide stopped the show with a 411KDF (416 Taylor class). Rug!

Tough punishment just for mixing up bullets.

125gr Shuttle T Locks also work well on bears, buddy killed a 6 footer on Saturday with one.

To each his own, but it seems unwise to me to hunt in brown bear country with a 243. I'm sure 22 rimfires can kill black bear too but if you bump into a sow with cubs, I suspect you'll want more horsepower.

As for dropping them in their tracks, I've killed black bear with a 45-70, a 376 Steyr and a 338 RUM. They are all good killers, but only the RUM dropped them in their tracks never to get up again. It was like instant death. They weren't little bears. A couple of the bears were pushing 7 ft.

My then 15 yo. daughter killed her 6' black bear with a .308 and it never took a single step - hammer of Thor and all that. Cheap ass cup and core bullet too, but she put it where it needed to go.

Bullet placement and a stout bullet. Hopefully, we won't run into any brownies. The area I want to hunt didn't have a high population of them(according to the folks I got to know around town). We didn't see any the 7 days that we were out. I realize that there are exceptions though. Hell, I'm still 2 yrs out. Lots of time to think about it.

Shot placement, of course, however bullets on the soft side have field proven results, for example, before the 416 craze, most of the old timers who have seen dozens of bears killed (A.Runion and their likes) firmly knew a 270 375 slug was a better stopper than 300, this too, before wonder bullets. Big diameter bullets going 2400-2600fps with alot of lead and a soft front end is still sound advise.

My bad, allow me to rephrase....

"243/85TSX kills like the hand of GOD HIMSELF and STOPS BEARS IN THEIR TRACKS! BANG-FLOP, INSTANT DEATH, RUG, BEAR MEDICINE, RIP YOGI, BEAR DOWN. It's as if the HAMMER OF THOR were wielded by CHUCK NORRIS himself, and a roundhouse kick thrown in for good measure."

And all of that with very little recoil....

Just the ticket.

How many feet can you miss by and still have it kill on the fly-by?

Can I shoot through rocks right off the bow of my gun? Or do I have to pack Chuck along, too?

Yes?

I would get the biggest you can comfortable handle.. 300 win mag or .30-06 would be my minimum. Black bears get pretty big dude.. 400-600 pounds and solidly built with heavy muscle and bone, not an animal to mess around with.

You obviously have never seen the bones of a real blackbear.

Try again...

...let alone shot or killed one...

Just saying

TFF.


By the by, we gots action.

Great news! Talked to the idiot with the spear yesterday and he told me the thing is ready! It does look freakin' interesting though longish...hope his insurance is up to date

life insurance or health insurance?

This feller with the spear, his name wouldn't happen to be Roy would it?

Nope.

I'm not feeling too bad about a 243 now!

Beerhuntr and I both know the spear chucker. He's a tough SOB and likely could kill a blackie with just a hunting knife.

Nah. Roy's been there done that. This guy is just a pretender to Roy...though he knows Roy well. I suppose this fellow is trying to keep up with the Jones' (Smith's ) though, anyway...

Yes.

I watched one of Roys bear spearing videos, to say it was impressive is an understatement. He damn near sliced that bear in half, what a devistating would channel!

Do you think this one will work?

Will it overpenetrate?

I'd put a longer handle on that thing and probably a longer blade too.

Looks a half-ounce heavy on the front end...might be a tad sharper. Dang sure would work though. Good "jumpin'outada the tree" piece I think...

I talked to a relative who has shot lots of bears. He says a .243 is plenty if you are in a tree and shooting for the spine.
Where you hunt bears may be different than Minnesota but the brush is so thick that finding them after you kill them is the challenging part unless they leave a good blood trail you may never locate them.
I don't think they are that tough to kill just tough to find afterwards. Especially if they can crawl under a log or get into the swamp.
whelennut

My experience with blood trails and bruins is that they rarely leave much if anything of a trail to follow. But, there's always the chance that they will.

The two best blood trails I've seen over the last 29 years were made by a .416 and a 22/250....so go figure that one out. And the one via the 22/250 was far and away the most impressive of them all. And yeah, placement here could be a part of it..

Dober

Best caliber for a really good blood trail is a 2 inch rage through the lungs. I shot a nice bear in sask. last fall. At a full run he made it 37 yards and tipped over. Blood out both sides for 3 feet each way. "It was like I through an ax through him." :]

Dats my kind of blood trail!

Dober

I think that is better suited for use on pigs, not "hair pigs".


Although, it might be OK as long as you follow directions and wear safety goggles!

A relative had to shoot a nuisance bear because children were playing in the area. He gut shot it with a .204 Ruger and then had to follow it in the woods at night to finish it off. His family participated. He said it was very exciting!

I'd be wearing some adult undergarments as part of my "safety plan".
whelennut

I respectfully suggest your relative is overstepping his experience. Spining a bear is neither pretty nor wise, IME. A good hole through the running gear, heart, lung area is fast and deadly.

A thrashing spined bear is only partly immobile and not usually going to die fast unless a leaky hole is included. Trying to figure out where the spine is in a sometimes odd-shaped body is difficult, +P.
art

Spring black bear in my area is often done over bait because of the thick brush. I like to find them DRT in front of the barrel.

A spine isn't my first choice of target, but it doesn't hurt my feelings to hit one.

Shoulders are too good to pass up.

Case in point. Back in '95 while hunting with a buddy on his bait site we had a black bear come in practically right under our stand but just slightly off to the right. I drew my bow and aimed at his lung area, when I released I didn't compensate enough for him being so close and the broadhead went completely through his spine about 2 inches. That shot immobilized his back end but his front end was fully functional. He dragged himself about 10 feet and proceeded to climb a spruce tree, he got about 10 feet up the tree before my buddy finished him off with his 300 wm. Upon gutting and skinning the bear, I found the broadhead and about 3 inches of arrow sticking through his spine on the inside, a devistating wound to be sure but not nearly fatal enough. The whole time the bear was bawling and I felt terrible about making such a bad shot on him.

I have several very similar tee-shirts...

Like CWH2 I realize it sometimes happens and it gets dealt with when it does... OlBlue passed on a Kodiak brown bear because it would have been a straight on shot at the bear's back as it went up a steep hill... But with the 375H&H in his hand I would have called it perfect...

The 243 with a TSX or similar is perfectly adequate if things are even close to right.

The wife's bear was shoulder/lung/spine, and I didn't think that was possible. He was F'd 3 different ways with one shot, but did manage to spin about 3 circles.

Forgot to mention that we did recover a TSX on TJ's 243 bear. Not that it was a necessary shot, but his dad adheres to the "the bear with the most holes wins" philosophy.

Longshot3, the only issue I have in bear hunting, is simply this; If you just happen to run into a bear of a lifetime and it weighs 500 or more pounds, I would sure want something in my hands besides a little .243-Ack.

My minimum would be the 30-06 using 200 or 220 grain bullets.
A .300 mag using once again 200 or 220 grain bullets.
A. .35-Whelen or .338 Win mag.
A. .375-H&H, little extra power never hurt any dead bear!

30-06, 200 grain Nosler Partition.

Agreed. I've never had to chase one that was shot through the shoulders. Never.

I'd take the biggest you can handle. I personally live in upstate New York and there are some BIG black bears here because they have lots of decidious trees like oaks, beechs, and wild apples to snack on... and also the occasional corn field and apple orchard... it is NOT uncommon for hunters to kill a few 400-600 pound males every year... and just over the border in Pennsylvania they are shooting 600-700 pounders every year and some 800 pounders. The point is that black bears can get big, as big as a grizzly. I would not trust a .30-06 to prevent myself from getting into a tussle with a bear. The thing about black bears that makes them more dangerous in my opinion then grizzlies is that they are more mobile, and faster... they have such power and size and actually pound for pound are stronger then grizzly or polar bears... a 400 or 500 pound bear can move through the woods as fast a deer, and they are REALLY quiet, you won't know you are near one unless you are right up to it and it gets scared and runs off and you hear a bulldozer running through the woods. I wouldn't underestimate if I were you, they are just as dangerous as any other bear, and any animal with jaws and clawas and weighs over 200 pounds can do a lot of damage to a human which we have no claws or teeth, only our tools and fists, which are not as damaging as claws that can leave nasty puncture wounds and tear an artery. I would bring something bigger thena .30-06. I would take atleast a .338 or higher. You will be really surprised at how quiet they are in the woods. I've walked up to 400 pound bears 100 feet up in an oak tree snacking on acorns, not even knowing they are above me until you hear a whole tree snapping and cracking like it was falling down from the wind, then you look up and see a big black blob running down the tree. I saw a 400 poundish bear last year (i can tell because of claw marks, its claw marks on tree were about the size of my hands and i'm 305 pounds... so i'll give him an extra 50 or 100 pounds of fat on me, and the size of the trail he polowed through the bushes was enough to fit me through it) It was really impressive how fast that 400 pound animal got down from a 100 ft tree, like in 2 or 3 seconds. Luckily it turned around and ran away, but it was maybe 15 or 20 yards from me, if it wanted to turn around and charge i'd be in trouble. Plus you owe it to the animal you hunt to use enough gun, if you can't handle a large enough gun to kill your prey humanely and effectively then hit the gym put some pounds on your bench, get some thickness, and then come back to the range.

A 30/06 is among the first things I'd grab.

As to the rest of the post,Polska have you ever seen any grizzlies?

Compared to some folks on here I have not seen many....but having been pretty close to some,and watched one become an absolute buzz-saw blurr,I can guarantee you they are fast and powerful beyond comprehension....

It's common knowledge that a favorite pass time of coastal grizzlies emerging from dens,is to dig out large black bears from their own dens, like marmots,and snack on them....

Slow black bears wind up as grizzly doo-doo.....

I know I'll be taking the frshy new 375 to northern maine this fall on a moose hunt in the hopes of seeing a nice big blackie.

Don't you love working in the negative? Lots of the clueless have lots of "Nevers" too, but it doesn't stop 'em from posting...

Just how many dead bears have you been around... this month?

Amazing!



In a charm school kind of way...



Hit the gym? Really?

WOW! You sure it wasn't just black squirrels up in the treetops?
They can really cause a ruckus. I know about black bears. I was fortunate enough to live in Alaska for 8 years and did my fair share up hunting from SE to around King Salmon. While I lived there my "light" gun was my 30-06 and the one that got the most use was my .338 Win Mag. Never had to join Golds Gym to shoot those....grin. As far as the 243AI's ability to kill a black bear, I have no doubt that it would work, and work well, if the conditions were right and the hunter is able to control himself. Lots of guys here would, and have agreed. Dont recall anyone here saying that they were mauled after shooting one with a 243, or the 25's and the likes. A TTSX or similar, through the lungs, with a big bore off to the side "just in case", will do.

Cool. How many black bears have you shot or seen shot with a 243, 30-06, and 338 to draw these conclusions?

So far this year, it's been 243, 7 Rem Mag, 280 Rem, 338 Win, and 300 WSM. The .338 was the loudest.

I love my .243, and I'm sure it would work just fine on black bears. However, it wouldn't be my first choice, nor the first round I'd recommend to someone else. My .30-06 would make me feel much more comfortable about taking a shot that wasn't 100% perfect.

cant comment we have only little slow grizz here ....

If you don't trust yourself, best not get into a tussle with anything - much less a bear. Other way round - if you are in trouble with a black bear and can not sort it out with an .30 cal. bullet, you are commentening on your marksmanship (thanks to .458 Win, we have that quote).

Don't listen to a German giving advice on how to hunt an animal that doesn't exist in his part of the world.

Carl guides in Alaska for one of the top brown bear outfitters in the state ....he probably has bumped into more bears by accident than you have on purpose....and I will bet he has killed far more of them than you have,as well....Besides, Europe ain't exactly devoid of bears,either.

You're over your head here Polska...these guys have too much "bear" experience on here...

While on the subject of calibers,of the many friends and I have killed,here in NH and Maine,and using everything from the Roberts to the 375,a couple of the more egregious tracking jobs we have had involved a 257 Roberts and a 340 Weatherby....in both instances the shots were too far back....the others folded like napkins to 270's, 30/06's,280's 7 mags etc....Hit well, they are not hard to kill...hit sloppily with anything and it's rodeo time.

Polska Offnung mund und stellt FuB hinein!


Polska, you are a laugh a minute! Keep em' coming, laddie-buck!

bear,

great quote... right you are.

Bob,

thank you.

P,

no advice was given - advice is not what you are seeking anyways.

You have been given advice on bearhunting by 458 Win. w/o recognizing the source...which in itself is a feat.

Keep the laughs coming...

Hi Carl,

I don't know about black bears or bears in general for myself except some i took pictures of in northern British Columbia or Vancouver island. For what i've seen if i planned a trophy hunt for bear i would go to something bigger than 243 or 270 even if these calibers can take their toll.
It seems today, in all parts of the world, hunters want to use the smaller caliber available for hunting, as if it was a sort of challenge. Hunting is not survival...
For me game deserve respect, so we must use an " enough caliber" just in case of, one we can shoot and manage well with enough "ooomph" for the largest most dangerous game of the area.
In the US, Canada, Sweden, Finland (will be there in october 2011) you have access to 30-06 so why use a lesser one. As french i would use german caliber, not the worst: 9,3x62 cause i trust it as i trust my shooting ability, or may be my 8x68S. If money come, for an Alaskan or Russian bear hunt, they would be with me again cause i know they will do the job and i control them well. The most important thing. As Ruark said "use enough gun" and i add, the right bullet. Hunters spoke always of ammo and rifles but not often of their "real ability"....Most of them don't even really train or stay fit enough to walk a day long.
Calibers for bears, buffalos, wild boars, deers, elks all these discussions seem redundant, not only on the fire but in every hunting camp and in my job as outdoor writer/consultant. I don't know ( and all other friends here), about you but it's boring me a bit.
But, there's always a but: it's good to read advices of people like some of the Alaskans there, from Phil and you too who know by experience what they spoke of.
All the best from France.
Dom

More than a couple of those 700-800+ pound bears you mention being shot here in PA have fallen to the lowly .30-30 Winchester. Last year's 800 pounder fell to a crossbow! I think I'd rather have a .243.

Polska opening mouth and foot is inside!





Gotta love Google.

well i no a guy here in pa that shot a 800 pound black bear and he used a regular 280. I asked him how it went he said just like a big black fuzzy whitetail. drt

Dom,

that s certainly not the funny part of the forum.

some are giving real world experiences like Carl or Phil but seems from people not living there or hunting on a regular basis that advices are differents ...

my roots will tell me nothing below a 7mm for bear and the 8x68s (you wrote a nice article about few years ago) or the 9,3x62 are very good for that but nowadays some are trying to use the least caliber they can.

but a good 30-06 with 200 or 220 grains wont be bad or course.

for bears whatever they re im in love with my 375 ruger but again here in Yukon our bears are "not" huge but can be in good size too ...

all the best

Phil

6' plus black bear boar I killed with one shot through the ribcage while he worked the edge of a large chockcherry patch in early Sepetember. I was out calling coyotes and had along my favorite coyote rifle, A Sako .220 swift. I never considered not shooting this bear because I only had a swift along.

IMO, black bears arent any harder to kill than a deer. FWIW, I've killed 31 blackies here in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Alaska and seen at least that many if not more killed by guys I hunt with.....shot placement is still king.

I packed a .280 for my Alaskan black bears......go with the rifle you shoot the best and are the most comfortable with.

Now that rifle has some panache!

Dober

scenarshooter,
Do you mind sharing what bullet you use in your Swift?
Every time I shoot my Swift I get lots of expansion and I think that would limit penetration on a bear wouldn't it?
Minnesota recently changed the law to allow .22 centerfire on big game. That includes bear and presumably moose although they used to suggest a .280 Remington as a sensible minimum IIRC.
Our bears are a little bashful about coming out in the open unless it is after dark. A flat shooting bear rifle isn't really needed in the woods where we hunt them. We normally bait them and sit in a tree stand. I have heard of guys hunting an oats field and that is where the Swift might work out for me. If they have their head down eating nobody would even know they were there.
Whelennut

Scenar and I know a couple guys from this area who've taken a handfull of good bruins over bait north of the border. Using 22/250's and I think 55 Horns or Fed 55 grain classics.

Dober

Here's a Big Sky bruin taken via flight 63 Ugly. Bruin was 178 yds after he began to leave after I had called him in and quartering away. Bullet went in about where his love handle would be and exited where his adams apple would be.

20 3/16"

Dober

Or a 270..... Course I mostly used Bitterroots and Nosler Partitions;both of which make it kind of like cheating.....and have found what Pat and Dober have found...namely that black bear die about like deer do to similar hits.I have never observed them to be "tough" to kill,unless hit poorly, which should not surprise anyone.

If your not man enough to handle big bores then you shouldn't be in the woods... leave your gay cross bows and 30-30's and 243's at home... thats for kids.. .man up, grow some hair on your balls.. get some dick elongation pills if you have to and then you can pretend to be like me.

Why am I not surprised at this response...........?

As if anybody needed more proof of trollship from you. And yet, you deliver...

Professional Troll-like delivery! Change your name to Fed-ex.

Were you dropped on your head as a child?

Yes. He was. It happened last week as a matter of fact!

Wow

You shouldnt even ask until I "man up"....grin!

I've had good luck with 55gr Hornady Spire Points. And the same bullet that Mark killed that stud bear with, the 63gr Sierra.

What did he weigh?

uh dude, tis evident most here can handle "big bores" they're still responding to you ain't they


me however I'm bored with your inanity

cya

I suspect it has more to do with being repeatedly kicked in the head as an adult...

Oh, A troll. I see.

having seen what a angry injured black bear can do to a hunter first hand,i wouldn't push my luck hunting them with a small caliber. i've taken a few with my bow,but i usually carry my glock,just in case.

270 with a 140grn bullet will put them down,but i had a 220lb female get up and run after a 50yd neck shot. second shot in the back of her head worked better.

I'll bet this fat [bleep] can't do one pullup.

Must not have been a very good neck shot if it got back up and ran.. Helps if you actually break the spine on those neck shots.

i took the neck shot only because the bear was standing in tall enough grass and heading into the corn field and thats all i had,it was shoot then or not at all. i had crop damage tags in september and was wanting to thin the bear out fast. normally i will not take any neck shot except when its angling back into the body. i've seen lots of deer walk away after being shot thru the neck,like you say if you don't get the spine they may not go down.

bears in new york must wear bullet proof vests, now im not bear savy like the gentlemen in this post, but ive been around a few (wisconsin bears) which were 450-600lbs, i saw 2 shot with 260 rems, and the last one shot with a 300 RUM. the 260's were bang flops DRT kills and the 300rum was one we got to chase, that was my fault for letting a chicken [bleep] who listend to a moron like polska and thought his 7x57 was enough gun use my toy.

Those 300ROMs don't do well on black bears for midwest fellers.

lol...

that 300 rum works good for me, but im not recoil shy, ill NEVER let another guy get scared out of using a gun he's comfortable with. Blackies aint hard to kill.

FWIW, my black bear rifle is a McMillan stocked, M70SA chambered for 358 Win. To my mind it's the perfect round for such hunting.

That's a good one, for certain!

bhtr