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I agree with Steelhead. Bear die pretty easily.

I LOVE my 250. and would not hesitate to shoot any bear that lives in Maine. I did not have the wide arrary of bullet choices that is available today which make the 250 even better. Shoot a bear in the azz with a 308 and you still have a wounded bear.

The 250 sav. is cool and it kills far beyond what paper ballastics say it should. However, it is your $$ so you need to be satisfied and convinced.

Last edited by JDK; 12/13/08. Reason: Spelling
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Get the heaviest TSX you can load, and do check the twist. A 1 in 14 may not stabilize the longer bullets.

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Dale get the weathger warrior in .250 - load some tsx, accubond, and or partitions and go kill a bear grin. I have taken or seen taken bear, elk, moose, tons of deer, antelope, and an assortment of vermin with the .250......and guess what the animals that were hit were they should died and the ones that were'nt did what all the other animals that I've seen shot with much "greater" calibers did.....did not die (at least right away). It is no great mystery and the .250 is more than up for the job....if you are?!!

Best of luck with your choice!
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Originally Posted by Steelhead
Black bear die easy

If shot well. I made some good dollars going into the bush to kill wounded bear a couple decades ago. Their fat sealls the wound chanel and you don't usually get much blood trail to follow. A wounded angry bear needs a central nervous system hit to put down with authority. If you keep your nerve, that is the ideal shot when calling, as they are coming in for dinner and typically come in hot, and face on. Spinal shots I have taken a number with 6.5x55. I moved up to 45/70 single shot and finally to 338 win mag. I only got two with that, and quit helping out the outfitters in the mid 1990's as a slow economy had them balk at my price. I plan on using a 257 bob this next fall and it is hardly more powerful than the 250-3000.
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I've only shot one bear with a .25, that one was with a Roberts. It worked very well with 120 gr. Nosler partition - broke shoulder blade, backbone, and exited from just over 100 yds. I have used the 250 Savage with 117 gr. Hornady round nose to kill three big northern whitetails, and got an exit wound each time. I'd be OK using either bullet on black bear in a .250 if it was loaded hot ( about 2700 fps) and shot at ranges under 150 yards or so. Longer range would make me nervous about bullet placement as well as bullet energy. I'd not use a Remington or Winchester factory load 100 grain bullet for bear, for reasons some others have already mentioned.

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Originally Posted by Steelhead
Black bear die easy


Yup.

My old man killed a 600 pounder that squared a little over 7 feet,with a 243.

With Sierra bullets to boot........ (grin)

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What have you used on bear?


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Originally Posted by cossack2
Get the heaviest TSX you can load, and do check the twist. A 1 in 14 may not stabilize the longer bullets.


A 1-14 twist will NOT stabilize a lot of bullets that are out there right now. In fact, 1-10 is marginal on the 115 Ballistic tips and such. I suspect that Steelie's 250AI is a 1-10 if he is using 110 Accus. If this really is a 1-14- don't touch it with with the proverbial 10-foot-pole.

All this said, I have killed a number of cow elk with my 250 Savage, all using 100 grain Partitions. All have been complete pass-throughs so using a 115 Partition is probably no warranted.

Would I hunt PA bears in thick cover with one? Not on purpose- I would use a large caliber bullet to make a bigger hole. Ray said it best.


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Ron,
The Savage 99 in .358 Win, would indeed be a fine blackbear gun.
Having used both bolt and savage lever guns, I seriously dispute whether the lever gun is faster then a smooth bolt gun like the tikka for rapid aimed shots, truthfully me not think so, actually I believe the reverse is true. Most savage leverguns had an awfull trigger to boot, which does not help in delivering rapid well aimed shots, regardless of looks and tradition.
Also I would discourage running shots on black bears unless they are well within 25 yards and the person has skills as a wingshot. A 225 grainer into the gut is still a blackbear that will not be recovered.

Last edited by shrike; 12/14/08.
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Shrike...

I don't recommend shooting at running game either... especially game like bears that, if wounded, can be a danger to other hunters or innocent hikers.

However, I was looking at the need for FAST follow-up shots due to the bear charging the hunter at very short range and closing that range rapidly.

Therefore, the necessity of making a "well-aimed shot" wasn't as important as putting several shots into the charging bear as fast as possible. But even if the situation called for shooting a standing bear a 2nd or 3rd time, the lever rifle with a smooth action like the Model 99 Savage would have the advantage.

I'm well-practiced in shooting both lever and bolt rifles. I hunted for over 40 years with a pre-'64 Model 70 bolt-action rifle in .338 Winchester Magnum and so, I'm completely familiar with the speed at which a bolt-action rifle can be manipulated.

However, after hunting running jackrabbits with a Marlin Model 39 "Mountie" (a .22 rimfire lever-action rifle) and shooting literally thousands of rounds through the lever-action Model 39 plus hundreds of rounds through the Savage Model 99 lever-action rifle, I have to respectfully disagree with you as to which type of action is fastest for follow-up shots.

Frankly, I surprised you'd even attempt to debate it or say that the bolt-action is actually faster on follow up shots than a lever-action Model 99 which has a very smooth action and a firm, but decent trigger.

In fact, I recently had my gunsmith take my Model 99's trigger down to 3 lbs. As a result, the trigger on my Model 99 is quite nice. smile


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Originally Posted by dennisinaz
Originally Posted by cossack2
Get the heaviest TSX you can load, and do check the twist. A 1 in 14 may not stabilize the longer bullets.


A 1-14 twist will NOT stabilize a lot of bullets that are out there right now.
All this said, I have killed a number of cow elk with my 250 Savage, all using 100 grain Partitions. All have been complete pass-throughs so using a 115 Partition is probably no warranted.

Would I hunt PA bears in thick cover with one? Not on purpose- I would use a large caliber bullet to make a bigger hole. Ray said it best.


Savage's website says the twist is 1/14 but someone on the Savage Collectors double checked and Savage said that is wrong. It is actually 1/10. Barnes website recommends 1/9 as minimum for the 115 grainers.

IMO, a 250 with a 100 gr. is the same as 243 and I don't consider that adequate for bear under the conditions I have experienced.

Looks like I won't be getting a SS/syn 250 for bear. If they offered a wood/blue model would make a nice groundhog/deer gun though.

Thanks, everyone for all the input.

Dale


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I wouldn't think twice about it, but I've only seen a 'few' bears die......


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Oh man a savage weather warrior in 250 savage huh? I wish I never read this thread. Now I gotta buy anther rifle! When I bought my Roberts I was really looking for a 250, but no factory chambered for it then.

I carry a Roberts loaded with 100 grn tsx in Clinton Co Pa but can't prove to anyone yet that I'm not nuts. maybe next year I'll see one.

By the way my Roberts 1-10 twist Ruger Ultra light won't stabilize 115 tsx's. Puts oblong holes in the paper about 5" at 100 yds FWIW.

Last edited by ruger438; 12/14/08. Reason: spelling, grammar

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This thread has me all excited. My dad's 99 has three bear to it's credit. IIRC, one was with 100gr and two with 87gr factory ammo, back in the 20s and 30s. One horse in Dec., '44 with an 87gr factory load. (It had to be put down.) A .250 does well on many levels, as Steelhead points out, and now, after reading all this, I may have to find me a new Savage. cry

Last edited by shootinurse; 12/14/08.


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