Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles pick a black bear bullet

If you were going to smack black bears over bait with a 7-08, what bullet would you choose? I've got the typical 120-140gr tsx, ttsx, AB stuff on the shelf, but I'm half thinking that a 160-180gr cup and core-maybe even roundnose would be pretty devistating. Velocities would be moderate, so I'm not concerned about bullet integrity. Of primary importance to me are complete penetration and good expansion.

Any bullet you use for deer should work fine for black bears. They aren't bullet proof, but if you want to experiment with different bullets nobody is going to say no....

if i was a serious Black bear hunter with a 7mm-08 over bait i would use 160 gr. Nosler Partitions . i am going to Africa next May 2024 using a 7 mm Remington mag. i will be loading and using 160 gr. Nosler Partitions then. good luck ,Pete53

I predict lots of overlap between this thread and this one: https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...s/18568111/1/a-close-in-black-bear-rifle


Okie John

Yup, I had missed that thread- thanks. I guess my big question is whether or not it's worth moving into the 160gr class , and if a Partition or Accubond is really going to offer much of an advantage at 2600fps or so. I'm sure it can't hurt, but I don't anticipate moderate velocity like that taxing a bullet too much.

What would a heavier jacketed bullet offer over a 120 mono?

Never have hunted them but I cannot imagine anything you have on the shelf not being just fine.

The 120-140 stuff you have should do more than enough.

All the black bears I shot over bait were done in with 150 grain 30 cal Core Lokts.

I currently shoot a 7-08 now and anticipate a bear tag the next 2 years. I suspect I'll be loaded with the 140 AB instead of the 162 Amax I have now.

If you shoot your bear in the vitals with a heavy Partition or a 120 TTSX - I bet you end up with the same result. Dead bear, short tracking. Prob close enough to hear the death moan easily. While there's no down side to going up (assume equal accuracy) other than recoil - there's little to almost zero upside in a 160 class for black bear out of a 7-08 at average velocities over bait.

The bullet I would use is sadly one that has been discontinued for many many years. The 170 gr. Sierra round nose. They were already gone when Sierra brought out their first load manual although they did post data for the bullet. I have a few that I'll run in my 7x57 sing 7-08 data.

You've been given some good advice and I don't have much to add. I'd look at the Speer 160 gr. Hot Core if it's loadable in a 7-08 without having to seat it too deeply into the case. That might be a problem with most boattail bullets. The Speer Grand Slams might also work if not too long.

While I agree most deer bullets will work on Black Bears, I prefer a heavy for caliber bullet when it comes to animals with teeth that bite and claws that scratch.
PJ

Black bears aren’t hard to kill. I have one with a 150 grain .308 SST, one with a 6.5 Grendel with a 115 grain Cavity Back MKZ, and one with a bow. I have a Canada trip for BB planned for 2024 and I will be using my 7-08AI and will just use my deer load, which uses a 150 grain Nosler ABLR.
A 139 grain SST would work just fine as well. I would go with bigger wound channel (i.e. cup and core) over pass-though (monometal) as bears done bleed good anyway. The hair soaks it up.

Not the one stick shot a bear 8 times with.

I use larger calibers but prefer breaking both shoulders for black bear. Anything from partition, ttsx, ect will reach vitals.

Black bears aint hard to kill, use any decent hunting bullet 120-140 grains and you will have good results....happy hunting, I hope you kill a pile of the useless, nasty, dumpster diving bastids!....Hb

160gr Partition or Grand Slam.

It doesn’t matter. Heavy bullets go slower. Slower bullets do less damage than if the same was driven faster. 120 ttsx 140 gr AB have plenty of penetration.

My neighbor Lee ran a packstring for the Forest Service trailcrews for 30+ years, he's killed more blackbear (usually agitated and ornery) than I have pissants. Don't overthink it, he mostly relied on a .30-30 with whatever ammo was on sale or a .38 Special occasionally. He's not a firearms guy and didn't know or care that they were inadequate. Don't overthink it.

You want complete penetration but mention cup and core......I've seen way too many cup n cores fail to exit on deer....mostly 308s and 3006s.


I agree....I'd want complete penetration. Bear fst and fur clog holes...I'd definitely prefer 2 holes if I could.

A well hit bear isn't going far. But due to their color and shape and body structure it can be easy to nail a shoulder and not realize it was in the crosshairs....they can also get large and have heavy bone which is why I'd want a good mono or bonded bullet of some sort. The TTSX, Hammers, Partitions, Woodleigh... all make great hunting bullets IMO. They open rapidly and do damage but hold together and penetrate. The performance is predictable and much more consistent. I have had issues with Accubonds and I've since stopped running them....I've had great results with them too. It's really strange.



Not sure if Woodleigh makes a roundnosed .284 that might be available...that could be a good thumper.

The Viking fire princess hunts a7-08. She loves the Hornady 154 round nose cause it drops deer and elk.
As far as black bears bring easy to kill…. How about a boar that took four rounds of 405 Winchester and one round of 30/06 220 partition before he stood on his hind legs and roared at us. Then collapsed at twelve feet away. Hits were good, he came at us from over one hundred yards. Then I threw my old featherweight in the creek for pictures (just kidding) that bear was under two hundred pounds probably 150?. I didn’t have the heart girth chart then so don’t know. Had an ear tag that said to not eat the meat! Apparently he was a problem bear that had been darted. No studies on the effects of eating the meat I guess.

That was a warrior bear! Heck of an experience.

I've only taken black bear with Nosler's 165 grain Ballistic Tip, via 30-06, and the 260 grain Nosler Accubond from a 375 H&H. Both did great.

Guy

They are not always easy to kill. When they are jacked up they have a lot a adrenalin in them. I had one once go 125 yds just after a rain and almost lost it. It was a .270 Win. with a Rem. 130 gr. I put the bullet through both lungs too. My son had one come in nice and slow . It was a relaxed , but somewhat easy going mood . A .270 WIn. 150 gr. Hornady went through it and it ran 20'.. Mine was a jacked up boar 224 lbs gutted and his was a 206 lb sow. My son though had his bullet go through a front shoulder, and out one lung. Mine did not hit bone.

Too bad Federal doesn't load their 155gr Terminal Ascent in 7mm-08