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From a 308 Win?

Hornadies SP, Accubond, Intrebond E-tips, anything decent really in 165 or 180 flavor (for the non-premies).

Don't be tools... It's Big Chief posting under a new name.

If all you want is close range penetration just load 180 gr. solids by A-Square, Barnes, Hornady, Woodleigh, etc. over some H380 or IMR 3031.

If you want expansion too there are plenty of choices even if you can't use Partitions. The 180 Accubond, 180 A-Frame, 180 Kodiak, 180 North Fork, 180 Oryx, or .180 TSX or TTSX (and I'm probably missing a half dozen others) will certainly do that job. Any of those should be through-and-through on black bear and vitally destructive on all but the biggest U. arctos.

I've never hunted bears with the "good slugs". However, for my own satisfaction I have done some controlled tests just to make sure I have confidence that they will work if they are ever needed. The Brennekes I've tried have stood well alongside A-Frames in the 375 H&H as well as the better stuff in the 45-70.


This is one bullet "failure test" where I was shooting about the most formidable real stuff: moose leg joints, I could find. Even then, the better slugs were recovered deep in the trapping media (shredded, wet newsprint).

That leaves me to worry only about my own abilities.

As for repeated shots, I believe many folks assume only rampaging, full-tilt charges warrant defense from bears, or that that is the only form in which they are a threat. My own experience around bears has been that they can also create proximity threats which don't require lethal intent. I've fired countless rounds toward bears - including several that many folks might have shot the animal for- where it was comforting to have a second shot very quickly available just in case things "went south." Generally bear problems can be "thunk out."

Thanks for the report. Like I said before, I have absolutely no experience with "good slugs".

My experience with bears mirrors yours, most encounters can be resolved by using your brain rather than your gun. I was referring to multiple shots being fairly unrealistic because, while you may put bullets into the ground to turn a bear, it's rare to use multiple shots on a bear. The whole "slug, slug, buckshot, slug" is a moot point if you're putting most of those shots into the dirt.