Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Bear Rifle

Trying to narrow down my rifle choice for Black Bear over Bait. So far Marlin 1895 45/70 I have 325 gr FTX or Grizzly 405gr Hard Cast, Marlin 35 Rem, 200 Rem Round nose or 200 gr FTX, 16" AR-10 with 165 gr Gamekings. Maybe 308 BLR with 165 gr Gamekings. This i just the ammo I have on hand now. I have shot 2 Bears Bothe with Rem 760 30-06 180 Partitions. I have many more rifles and calibers but these are the ones I am thinking about taking.

I don't think there are any bad or marginal choices that you've listed. I'm prone to pick the 45-70 with cast bullet, but they all sound fun and effective. How big do the bears get there?

All would work, I would be tempted to pick by caliber starting with the largest and would probably stop at the 45-70. The 45-70 is limited in other situations but would be about ideal for this scenario. On bear I like the ideal of a mid to larger caliber that will exit reliably just in case a blood trail is needed. I think I would lean more towards the 405 hard cast as that is what I have experience with. The FTX may be slightly softer so not certain for an exit but I have not used it and only seen two deer taken with them and it did exit.

The 35 Rem. is sort of a classic, the AR would feel out of place to me, the BLR would be like an old friend I have shot many deer and hogs with a 308 BLR. But I have had mixed results with Sierras so might choose a different bullet like a Partition or Barnes. All this is based on my personal biases.

Killed a bunch of bears with a few over 350lb (dressed) with 7-08, 44 mag, 35 rem and 45-70. They aren’t that hard to kill. Biggest one was just shy of 500lbs. Marlin 336 35 rem 150 gr corelok traveled thru 3’ of bear and ended up in the offside skin. Perfect mushroom and 40 yard easy tracking job. I prefer a soft point bullet. Having two holes is always preferable but bullet placement trumps all. Take whatever you feel comfortable with and have fun. good luck on the hunt

I have never hunted this Outfitter before. They killed one 450 last year. It is NW Minnesota. I have shot 2 Bears in about the same area Both in the 275LB range. Like i said that is just the ammo that I have now. Heard good things about the Barnes 45/70 load. I also can reload all but the 45/70 right now. Really leaning toward the 35 Rem Texan

I've shot a couple with the 45-70 over bait. The guys I used to hunt with all used 45-70. Hard cast lead, 400 gr Speers, and Rem 405 all worked well.

Which one has the best glass on it? When i was baiting bears----they seemed to come in just before dark----last possible legal shooting light.

I own plenty rifles too have in the past shot bears with my bow, but this year just for fun trying decide what rifle ? what caliber ? what cartridge ?

I use buffalo Bore 405gn soft points in my 45-70. I believe it’s the same bullet Remington uses just loaded faster. I’ve killed a few bears and a couple Canadian white tails with it. Only bullets I’ve recovered were dug out of the ground.

Colorado Bob makes a great point. Usually the shooting is at the very last light. I hunt in Maine and those woods get dark 1/2hr before legal shooting time ends. Usually I get out to the road and it’s still light enough to not need a light to see

I grab either the .35 Remington or 45-70 depending on my mood. Either does the job admirably.

The 35 Rem has a Redfield Ghost ring sight on it. 45/70 is VX3i 2.5-8x36 as is the BLR. AR*10 is VXR Firedot. Low light is a slight problem with the 35. Both Bears I shot previous where in good Light. However if I have the 35 you know it will be last light. Murphy's Law is strong for me! That's why I like the AR-10. It is my Pig gun witch is often Black Pigs and low light. That Firedot really draws your eye right to it.

^^^^This^^^^

How far are the stands from the barrel? If it’s we’re talking 25-30 yard shots maybe handgun one just to say you did.

The FTX load produced giant exit holes on the bears I saw them used on, one had 3” holes in the off side. Good for trailing, bad for rugs. I’d be inclined to use the 35 out of your options, just because I like them and know it will work.

Any decent bullet and put it in a vital. Last one i got was a bit over 300 lb in the fall. It was in heavy timbered steep country at very close range and incedental and not over a bait, i just happened to stumble across him. A 160gr Hornady Leverevolution from my 30-30 Marlin made short work of it. FTX bullet.

I have read enough about those FTX bullets to make me a little leary of them. I'd take a Game King over an FTX, but I am not in love with the construction of that bullet either. If I had Partitions I'd use them if it was possible to encounter a really large bear.

I like partitions also and doesn't have to be a cannon but I favor 30 cal or bigger and 180s or bigger. Lots of people say bears are not hard to kill, and if you heart shot or double lung one he's yours.............but hit one lung or shoulder shoot one, all bets are off, at least that's my experience having been in bear camp many times over the years.

My experiences with FTX bullets weren’t ideal. Shot a couple deer with them and they acted like a varmint bullet when they hit bone. No exits. I prefer 2 holes especially when dealing with bears and blood tracking. I bought and trained a blood tracking dog after seeing so many unrecovered bears while on trips including one a friend shot

I love the calibers you mention but loathe the FTX bullets. A good 405 hardcast would be lovely

Pick one. They will all work.

As for me, I am going to shoot my next bear with a large caliber rifle, instead of my .270 Win. The reason is , cause I had one run off on my . I shot it through both lungs and it went 125 yds. The real problem was there was very little blood trail in a very thick green woods. It was very hard to track this bear . I did find it just before dark though. I need more blood trail than that. My son got one 206 lb gutted . It was with his .270 Win., shot through the front shoulders with a Hornady 150 gr. It went 20 ft. so they do stop bears fast if shot in the shoulders properly.

Never messed with bear.

But if I was going for one tomorrow, I would grab
my 760 30-06, 180 grain Pro hunters.

Given a minute to get anal, I would load Partitions.

The AR is the only thing you post that gives an advantage
over your 760. And that's only firepower. At a cost of clumsy weight.


And here is the thing.
The 760 is a good rifle, but I don't like them.
It's not a favorite, or a first choice.

Take the firedot, your shot will be at dark

I spent a lot of years Bear hunting with a 760 pump. These days I prefer a bolt gun. If I need a lightning quick second shot I didn't do things right the first time

If you just want to shoot a bear, I'd go this way.

If you're fussy on size, by the time it gets dark enough to need help seeing the reticle, it's get damn tough to tell the size of the bear.

I've used a Marlin 1895 .45-70 with run of the mill Remington 405 gr jacketed soft points.

I used to guide in Maine for 17 years. Everything you mentioned will kill a bear but my favorite cal. over bait is the 45-70.

+1

I shot an average size black bear with a .35 Whelen and 225 grain Gamekings at 75 yards. Bear died but did have jacket separation. I would go with a tougher bullet, just my 2 cents

Well, the 10th or 12th time I came on 2 gallons of brown bear crap (often at a distance of one step) while moose hunting heavy cover, I upgraded from .30-06 to. .338WM.

Worked too.

Haven't seen a brown bear in 20 years out there since - just in my yard.

Skert them, I did....

And the "experts" claim that old 150gr Core-Lokt was useless on anything bigger than a coyote. I've only killed one deer with it but had no complaints either.

I've killed one buck with that load and it did the job

.45-70 with 380-420gn cast or solid.

150 gr corelok .35 rem. At 30 yards. Impact at the shoulder/neck joint and traveled across the body breaking a couple ribs. Found it in the off side hide. 488lbs dressed if I recall correctly.
branch near me

the nearest citizens bank

Black bear are not tough to kill, many are shot dead with satisfaction using 6mm. The 308 Win is plenty potent and rendering pinpoint accuracy at those ranges. The 35 Rem is an underestimated killer at 100 yards, anything hit right within range is dead. FTX bullets are a marketing joke in a tube feed lever gun. The tube feed lever is a pure killer with JHP, JFP and HC. For 45-70 the JHP in the 300 gr dumps massive expansion, shock and wounding at that range. Any quality JFP in 350gr weight at 2,200 fps will cut a black bear in two. As far as 45-70 HC in 400gr+, not really necessary as they will pass through easily at that range.

Yup. Cartridge isn't as critical as scope.

I have never hunted black bears. I live in Maine ( decent black bear population).

I stayed at a bed and breakfast east of Lincoln, ME 20 years ago when I used to call on various paper mills as a chemical supplier. My normal small hotel was booked, so I stayed at the b&b out of town from Lincoln Pulp &Paper. It was owned by a Maine registered guide. It was bear hunting season.

After dinner, I was chatting with a couple of his "sports" /clients who were going bear hunting the next day. They were from Philadelphia. One was going to use a 338 Win mag, the other had a 300 Win mag. Scopes were 3-9x or 4-12x (?) Leupolds. I mostly just listened to the sports tell their hunting stories. Made for an interesting evening. To them, they were on a safari of a lifetime in the deep Maine woods. They retired to their rooms after a bit, when the stories ended

The guide/owner came into the living room where I was finishing some coffee. He sat down at one of the chairs where the "sports" were sitting , and he chucked, as he was listening to their stories in the other room. He said, "If I told them the truth about tomorrow's outing, they would be disappointed. I've been baiting those bears for a month with all the old donuts, bread and cooking oil I could find. All they have to do is sit in the tree stand, and wait for a bear to show up, at a distance of less than 40 yards. All they need for a rifle is an open-sighted 30-30, and they would get a bear."

Based on that comment, I would guess any of your mentioned firearms would work fine.

I know any of them will work, Sometimes I wish I only had one rifle. Picking one is hard.

I've shot five black bears. Three with a 450 Marlin and 400 gr Speers. One with a 270 and a 180 gr Woodleigh. Last one was with a 270 and a 140 gr Accubond. As many have noted, they aren't particularly tough - any good deer bullet is probably sufficient. I'll likely carry a 243 with 95 gr Partitions this spring.

I get his point and yes I own and use several 30-30's. However, if one owns these magnums (and I do) if one doesn't use them for hunts such as these what do we have them for? I own numerous guns that the Bear guide in question would approve of. But if I'm booking a Bear hunt of any type I'm taking my 300 Win Mag. I own it because I like it and I look for reasons to use it. And if the Bears within 30-30 range a 300 mag is certainly no handicap

Yuuuup.

To use a golf analogy, you can putt from the fringe or you can pitch from the fringe, but pulling out the driver for a short shot DOES have possible negatives associated with it.

Just my own personal preference, but I would opt for the 336 in 35 Rem. That round, with 200gr CoreLokt SP just screams deep woods deer and bear.

Again, any one of your choices will do well.

The longest shot I have taken on a bear was 150 yards. I used a 7mm Mag. It was enough rifle. Most of my bears have been taken at less than 25 yards and a 12 gauge slug has been 100 percent effective. Now that I have a couple 45-70s I would opt for one of those with a 405 water quenched cast.

[/quote]
I get his point and yes I own and use several 30-30's. However, if one owns these magnums (and I do) if one doesn't use them for hunts such as these what do we have them for? I own numerous guns that the Bear guide in question would approve of. But if I'm booking a Bear hunt of any type I'm taking my 300 Win Mag. I own it because I like it and I look for reasons to use it. And if the Bears within 30-30 range a 300 mag is certainly no handicap [/quote]
+1
I used a 338 win mag loaded with 225 gr swift A frames to take a black bear in Mi in 2019. Worked like a charm

Ideally I'd mount the firedot on the 4570govt

Similar to this?

my experience is that within reason the gun and bullet aren't that critical, my 250AI kills black bears about as well as my 358W. What my experience says is optics can be important for eastern bears over bait.

Bears can be a little wary of coming into the bait while its light, especially the ones you want to shoot. The bigger ones seem to appear right at very last light, and they are black, the kind of black that makes fine aiming challenging. I would recommend a scope with good low light performance and either a illuminated dot/ reticle that works well in the dark. If not an illuminated reticle then a heavy crosshair like a #4

To relate back to the story about the Maine guide and the 30-30, the cartridge would do fine, but the iron sight would be a disadvantage for me. I would look a for a scope like a 1.5-6x42 with an illuminated dot.

Personally I would choose to actually hunt bears rather than shoot them over a pile of doughnuts. The rifle is far less important to me than the hunt, and baitpiles aren't hunting.

That will work Vic

The best deer and bear hunter I know pulled up to my camp last fall in his side x side with his hounds in the back. While talking to him I noticed the Marlin 35 carbine next to him. Covered and I mean covered in rust. He saw the look on my face. His words were. " It's responsible for over 150 bears "

Killed one at 15 yards on a waterhole with a 50 cal muzzleloader. Killed one at 600 with a 7mmRem and 195EOL. Killed them in between with various rigs. Kill em with whatever you have but if hunting thick cover I may just use a Model 94 next.

Is mounting a red dot on the 35 Rem an option?

Any of them will work, but if you like that 35 Rem, that would be a good way to go for low light.

Different strokes for different folks.

The USA is a very big country with a ton of varying terrains. What works for hunting black bears in Oregon, Washington and Idaho will absolutely not work when hunting Maine, Michigan and Northern MN. The woods are just too thick and there are not ridges overlooking cut-overs where you can glass up a bear and then stalk it. Your choices are to set up on logging roads/trails and hope a bear comes by (good luck with that) or bait one in.
As has been pointed out before, just because the bait is there, doesn't mean the bears will come in or that they will come in during shooting light. It is still very much hunting.

Oh, and if it were me, I would put a good 4X scope on the .35 Rem and take that.

I'd go with any except the AR. But that's just me. The one I'd choose if I had to pick one would be the 45-70 with cast bullets.

This x100. Anyone of your rifles/loads will work fine. A bright scope will make the hunt over bait.

I’d run the 35, 35’s are cool

350 rem. mag at 27 feet works as well.

here in Minnesota where blacks bear live its in thick swamps and/or thick woods so we have to bait to even see a bear , we really don`t have a choice . but if i go bear hunting i did inherited a real nice Winchester pre-64 model 70 in a 30-06 , so this lowly loved 30-06 cartridge i will hand load for and will be the rifle i bear hunt with this year over a bait pile and while on the stand in a tree ,i will be thinking of my old friend Harold who gave this fine old Winchester pre 64 rifle to me .