Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters What is the most sensible big bore for white tail and black bear?

.444 Marlin,,if you handload. Factory loadings for the .444 are pathetic. Seat a 270 gr Speer GDSP over a healthy dose ( mine likes 54 gr) of RE-15 and Bambi and da bears are in serious trouble. I have used it sucessfully for many a critter.

Once you really get into it you find that, within a range, the caliber or cartridge does not matter that much in performance as long as the optimum bullet is used for the game and range.

The first thing that I do is to pick out the rifle. Then select a cartridge that fits in it and make it work to its best.

Long ago I came across a 358 Win in a 99. That worked out very well. Other combo's would too.

I have both 358's and 375 HH's. The 375's are kind of heavy for just the hunting you describe. Its the rifle that matters more to me.

If the range is resonable and it often is, especially for bears , I'll pick the .358 Win.

The .350RemMag has worked very well for me on deer, bear, caribou, water buffalo, red deer, elk, and pigs.

9.3x62 and 286-grain Nosler Partition.

Whoever criticized bigger bore cartridges for not killing quickly, thus forcing their users to follow that blood trail--well, you're right. I've followed every blood trail made with this combo, all the way out to 24 yards.

JB

375 Hawk-Scovill?

Love that one too. I have one in a Sako. Also have a 9.3X74 Ruger #1 on order. Not much for recoil either.

This one is easy- pick up a 35rem 7600 pump with 18" tube, have it re-chambered to .358Win. And only then will you have the perfect whitetail/black bear slayer. Load it will 180grn Barnes X bullets, and get 2650 out of it. Makes 2 big holes, every time, quick kills with awesome blood trails, little meat damage.

Of course my opinion may be biased, as this would be my weapon...

Kevin

...I've got a Remington pump model 141 in .35 Rem that is sweet handling,fast and accurate. With 200 grain soft points it doesn't beg for more power on deer or bear.I do like the Winchester 358 for a bit more punch on larger game if needed (the newer 338 Federal would do too).These are not big bores of course,but bigger isn't required on thin skinned game.

You wanted "big bore", "flat meplat", plus "thump" at 150 yards and under. That has 45-70 wrote all over it.

I load my No.1 in 458 Lott down to 45-70+P levels for use in thick stuff and it will definantly put some "thump" on deer.

Unless you need the extra penetration, make sure to use the lighter constructed bullets designed to expand at 45-70 velocities.

As for recoil, heavier bullets and higher pressure can make it thump on both ends, but nothing unmanageable.

Most of my deer hunting has been in Michigan's Upper Penisular. I have used calibers from 257 Ackley Imp, 30-06, 7mm mag, 44 mag handgun, 357 handgun, 270 Win, 45-70, 300 WM, 338 mag and finally my beloved 35 Whelen. Ranges from open fields 400 yards to thick woods, 30 yards. All have killed deer without exception. I like owning,reloading and shooting guns that's why I try to use the different guns I own when I hunt. I must say the quickest kills on whitetails have been with my 35 Whelen, especially for thick woods, and not too long of ranges. It is a Rem 700 BDL, glass bedded in a McMillian Stock and has a 1.5x4.5 Swarovski Nova on it. I shot deer in the Whelen, about 12 in all, using the 225 Sierra, 225 Nosler, and the 250 Speer. All 1 shot, drop on the spot, no trailing. I shot one black bear with it at 40 yards using the 225 Trophy Bonded. I shot thru the front shoulder, flipped him over and he was dead right there. He weighed 377 pounds on the scale dressed out. Had a 19 inch skull, and I got a 7 foot rug out of him. I think the 35 Whelen from 10 yards to 300 yards will do everything you would want in a deer / bear gun. Handy, light with the fiberglass stock, and not a hard kicker. I quite using the 225 Sierras because I had two lose their jackets on two deer. Of course, the deer still dropped on the spot. I recently obtained a 9.3x63 mauser on a mark X action, McMillan Stock, and Lilja barrel which I hope to bag a deer in the "Yooper" with this year. I think the 286 Nosler will do just fine in it.

.308 Winchester

358 Winchester - BLR is good.

" what is a sensible choice for the hunter who will most likely only use it on deer, black bear, and wild hogs at reasonable ranges out to 150 yards or so? By sensible I mean something that gives you more round nose/flat meplat big bore "thump" at reasonable ranges (on the critter) without kicking the snot out of the shooter"

sounds like your discribing a 358 win loaded with 250 grain speer bullets over 44 grains of IMR-4064 in my BLR to me!

theres been WELL over a dozen ELK and more than that many mule deer that could attest to that from our ELK camp members experiance, but then theres 3 358 win BLRs in our camp most years