Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Your favorite bear bullet?

I'm building a 7mm Rem mag for deer and bear here in eastern Pa. shots will be from 100-600 yards. I'm curious what everyone else uses for mid-to-long range bear hunts. My goal is little to no tracking; drop them in their tracks. I was thinking of Accubonds, but I'd like to get some input from the community first. Thanks in advance.

If I had your setup, I doubt you could do better than 168gr or 175gr ABLR. I don't have experience with them in a 7mm, but this is the exit wound from a .308 168gr ABLR after travelling the full length of the deer's torso.

Just use whatever you shoot for deer. I killed my 23rd bear last spring and can tell you they are not overly tough. I’ve used AB’s, NBT’s, TTSX, Sciroccos, Berger’s, Game Changers and even good ol Core-Lokt’s back in the day receiving acceptable performance from all. Ranges have been from less than 15ft to over 600yds. Bottom line is you won’t be disappointed in your AB’s.

Lots of good bullets out there for what you are after, but what you need to understand is that it isn't the rifle or the bore size or the headstamp on the case or even the bullet chosen that is the biggest factor in "...little to no tracking; drop them in their tracks." It's where you shoot them. You want little to no tracking, pick a sturdy bullet that can withstand bone at the closest range you'll shoot which shoots well in your rifle, and then shoot for the CNS. There is no other way to "drop them in their tracks" with any certainty. Even huge cases and accompanying bullets don't guarantee what you are after. Only shot placement does that, once you've picked a bullet that will do the work.

I like the Hornady 175 spire point

Shoot what is accurate in your rifle. Bears aren't particularly bullet proof...

ABLR would be good or the original Accubond. Partitions too but the AB & ABLR have better BCs. Bears are can be hard to track so I limit myself to almost sure thing shots depending on conditions. For me that is usually within 400.

I tend to break 1 or both shoulders when I shoot bears. Partitions or TTSX.

I’ve never seen a Bear in the wild, but I bet a 7 mag would do the trunk with a Barnes bullet.

Yes, bears are not that hard to take down but when compared to deer there may be a lot more bone and tissue the bullet has to go through to get in to the boiler room. I like to use monos so I know I can get the bullet to get in and through the chest cavity no matter what angle the bear presents in case I have a trophy bear that does not give me a broadside shot. Currently I shoot my 375 Ruger with Hammers and the two bears I have shot with it were impressed. I hunt in dense woods and swamps where shots of 50 yards would be long. The 375 is more than is needed but the recoil is not bad and I will always get two holes and that in my mind is better than 1. I think it is important to get an exit hole on bears, as the hide will plug up many entry holes stopping any blood trail this is especailly for fall bears with inches of fat.

If I was looking to go at the ranges you are thinking about I would probably use ABLR's in my 300-375 Ruger assuming they shot well, I would also see how the Hammers shoot at those ranges, either one would probably yield two holes at extended ranges with the 30-375 Ruger. Did I mention I like two holes each time I pull the trigger?

My favorite bear bullet? The same bullet I prefer for all of my big game hunting, a Nosler Partition. And I tend to favor "heavy for caliber" bullet weights.

160 gr Accubond works for me on black bear, hogs and deer. Very good bullet!
GreggH

Partions, TSX, and interlocks have worked well for me.

180gr TTSXs work. This one was taken at 265yds with my 358 Win. The bear dropped in it's tracks but a FMJ may have had the same affect, lol.

Thanks, Dinny

Just a story of one shot with a 140 Accubond from a .270 Win. Distance 30 yards, impact into the point of the shoulder of a 200 lb black bear. Bear ran off into a thicket, leaving not one cut hair or one spot of blood. Bullet did not exit. Massive wound internally.

My take-home was to shoot them through the ribs and use a Barnes. And/or use a bigger caliber. I think bears do not bleed like deer. Also, I would use a different bullet for this work at 500 yards -- a Berger VLD and only chest shots. Yes, I just said the complete opposite thing, I know. Nothing kills faster than a VLD assuming CNS shots are off the table, IMO. At 500 yards a CNS shot is off the table for me.

It's not about killing bears, it's about finding them. Not talking about self-defense, short range work in this post.

The bullets I have used are:

270 Winchester 150 grain Core-Lokt Round Nose 1 bear
375H&H 270 grain WW Power Point. 2 bears
45-70 400 grain RCBS cast 1 bear
44 magnum 250 grain Keith SWC 3 bears
44 mag 320 grain LBT 1 bear
44 mag 265 grain Hornady 1 bear
454 Casull 370 grain LBT 1 bear

So far i have not recovered a bullet from a bear. All were 1 shot kills.

All dropped pretty soon after the shot except one, which was a mid size bear I shot with my 375 about the center of the body as it went away from me. Bullet exited in front of the off-side shoulder and that bear ran about 75 yards. Easy to follow the blood, but I was surprised how far it ran.

One I killed with a 44 mag with the Keith SWC ran, but only about 25 yards and then fell to it's side and started thrashing the ground and brush. It died soon after that.

The 45 70 bear ran only about 20 yards but left no blood for the first few yards which also surprised me. It was in berry bushes and so it was real hard to go after it. It took me a few minutes to find the blood, but once I did it was an easy trail to follow but for the thorns. I drug it out with a mule and a rope.

Oh I forgot one.
30-06 220 grain Horandy RN from my Browning 1895 rifle.

Hard to go wrong with a 160 accubond at about 3000FPS

Listen to Bater, experience trumps all. I’ve spent a lifetime guiding and killing bears. Blacks, Brown and mtn Grizzly. Black bear are like shooting a cottontail, ain’t much there and not very tough. The Brown and mtn Grizzly you better put on your big boy pants and keep shooting. AccuBombs will be fine.

ttsxs or swift a frame if shooting longer ranges on bears.you always want a exit hole also.they seem to be able to clog up fairly well.could make for a long tracking.