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358 shooting a 180 Barnes ttsx is serious business.

I have a Savage so called in 45-70 if you get hard up

Black bear 101

Are black bears dangerous?

that's so touchy/feelie I don't think I could shoot one now.

It’s as much challenge as you make it. That’s why I use archery.
The meat is absolutely delicious.

Me being un-politically correct I would shoot one given the chance. They are a big powerful animal and they have attacked people. We had one in our neighborhood many years ago. The Democrats next door thought it was cool having him running around the neighborhood. He came face to face with one of the other neighbors and they scared the s--t out of each other. Game and Fish live trapped him in my yard. While in the cage he acted like he would tear us to pieces.
The bottom line is bears are like people, different ones have different personalities. I'm not going to play the percentages and try to get touch/feelie with one. To each his own.

Any of those cartridges will work fine. 358 or 300 would be my choices but I’m biased since I have those. Better question might be what rifle has the best sighting system for a black target in the dark woods with daylight about gone?

Dale

Bingo!

Dale, that's my biggest stressor. Some of the guns have "classic" scopes that look cool but in reality blow in low light.

My .300, 38-55, and .303 are ready to go with decent glass. The .375 and .358 not so good and the .308 needs bases rings and a scope.

That's an excellent point. Black on black is black.
If able to hit him in the heart/lungs, he's dead in seconds. If not, could be a tough day.
The heart/lungs is about the size of a coffee can. And if they are not broadside stretched out it's difficult to identify that spot right behind the shoulder.
Many times I've had to wait quite a while for just the right angle. They're either facing you, sitting down, laying down, etc. Granted a bullet is more forgiving than a broadhead.
Get in early, 3 hours so scent settles down. Downwind too.
Get a camera out for a scouting report. Could be a morning bear or evening. I've had both.
When is season?
Look forward to story and pics!

Shot both of mine with 30/06, i also have a tag for this fall, im leaning towards 358, or 20 gauge slug gun this time , as i will be trying to get one with hounds. Good luck

If you choose the 38-55 Don't use the Winchester factory, or Ideal factory ammo! Lost 2 different bears , one each with the factory ammo. Rifle was a Marlin 1893. Shot a 300lb bear 3 times with win.. Ammo and shot a 400 plus bear 2 rounds with the Ideal. I think all were 200 grain bullets. Shots were 10- 25 yards, yes blood was drawn but little.

I have Buffalo Bore 38-55 ammo and have used it in my 1899. Shoots 2 inches higher at 50 yards but never had any high pressure issues.

Savage 250, what 20 gauge slugs are you planning on using? I have a CSMC double 20 slug gun that could use.

Brenneke K O’s, I believe they are 3/4 ounce.

Also be aware if hunting in steep ground, bears run downhill when shot. "Always". Had one run over me when I stuck him with an arrow at 15 yards. Thankfully I didn't have to kick his azz. LOL

The 358 Winchester gets my vote! BUT, NOT using old factory Winchester Silver Tips. They are way too soft. You need to handload for the 358 to get the most out of it. 225 grain Woodleigh round nose over a stiff dose of Ramshot TAC would be my go-to.

Leupold scopes in 1 by 4 power or 1.5 by 5 are real good for close range dark conditions.

I've heard about Silvertips being too soft. I remember reading that there were two versions, with the softer one being responsible for the bad reputation.

If I use the .358 I'd use from my stash of Hornady 200 Grain interlock SP ammunition. If you believe their web site, they are rated for game up to 1,500 lbs, which is a hell of a lot bigger than anything I'm going to see.

They are factory loaded and the literature says they leave the muzzle at 2,475 fps with 2,720 foot pounds of energy.

This early thread deserves a conclusion.

In the end I took a Savage 99 in .300 savage and a 12-gauge Benelli Super Black Eagle dedicated slug gun.

The night before at orientation, my outfitter said that if he had a choice, he'd take the Benelli, since it had a Zeiss scope on it and the sabot slugs I use are Winchester Partition Gold's that send a 385-grain 50 caliber partition slug down the barrel at 1,900 FPS. (this outclasses a most of 45-70 loads available). I'm sure the 180 grain Remington Core Lokt bullets would have been ok from the 99 but he said every year guys lose bears due to the lack of sign after the hit, so I took his advice.

I got a complete pass-through and the almost 300 lb. dry sow piled up in about 20 yards. This picture shows the exit side.

The slugs sure did the job and then some, but I keep wishing I used the 99.

Congrats!
Some good eat’in there.

Many bears are killed each year with 30-30s loaded with 150gr and 170gr flat point bullets.

Congrats on a nice bear!