I will be headed to Maine this fall for my first bear hunt over bait. I'm contemplating which rifle I should bring?

I could work up a load with a 117 gr. or 120 gr. bullet in my .257 Roberts. I shoot 115 gr. BT's for deer with the Roberts but I don't want to use a BT for bear. A have a new .270 that's yet to be fired so I really need to get started with load development with this one. My .338 Win Mag, I'm still getting acquainted with but the 180 BT's are shooting nice. I have some Hornady 250gr. RN I could load up on the mild side and that we be great black bear medicine. What do you guys think?

C-ROY

My vote would be for a mild load out of the .338. Bullet selection is more important than anything. If you use one of the smaller calibers, use a stout bullet and break bone with it. I'd avoid the behind the shoulder shot with them as they don't tend to bleed well with a small caliber hole in them, so trailing might be difficult. That said, it'll still kill them nicely.

The .338 will give you a lot more flexibility with shot angles.

C_Roy
I would go with the light .338 loads or the .270. I shot a bear this fall with my 35Rem. and I was impressed with the performance. I like the larger calibers because i think they make a better blood trail.
YH
Brock

Go with the mild loads in the 338.

ME TOO!! I'll be with Indian Rock Outfitters out of Rangeley the first week of Sept. Where about in NC? I'm around Fayetteville. BTY I'll be using something in a .41 caliber handgun for my hunt .41 GNR#2 I think. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

125 grain Muzzy 3-blade!!!!!

My reply is based on the experience of only one bear, but they don't seem to bleed much. The hair is thick. I used a 7 mag and found the bullet on the far side in the pelt. I think any caliber you listed will work, but I would opt for the heavier gun (270, 338). One thing to consider is how far will you be away. My bear was less then 20 yards and it was tough to see the crosshairs on a 3x9 scope.

joes

I would go for the 338 with 250grs Swift A-frame or Nosler Partition bullet.

I used a 30.06 180gr Remington Core Lokt and blew thru both lungs on 2 monster blacks.

Choosing the .338 is a no brainer if you are making a purpose trip to hunt bear from a stand, especially in timber where tracking more than ten yards gets harder. If you got it, use it. You want a blood trail if the animal moves after the shot and as said before, that is unlikely with exit wounds from the smaller calibers on Fall bear, if the bullet even exits. Any of the rifles will kill the bear but why drive rail spikes with a framing hammer when you have a sledge hammer? I've shot or seen bears shot with calibers from .22 rimfire to .375, including 22-250 and several 6mm/.243, plus a big one I collected with one old Bear Razorhead and another done in with a tire iron. I've also tracked shot-at bears through heavy brush and timber by scuffed duff, turned and broken twigs, urine squirts and a speck of blood once in awhile. You do not want that situation, and you already have the tools to avoid it. Good luck. You have an enjoyable hunt coming your way.

50 cal smoke pole with 110 grains of Pyrodex makes huge holes for tracking!!

Either the 270 or the 338 will work fine.

If you go with the 270, load up the heaviest bullet that it will shoot. I would try the 160 partition first. It is going to be over bait so it will be a controlled situation. Velocity & long range traj mean nothing. You want that bullet to make an exit wound.

That being said I would probably make up some of the 250 Rn 338s @ 2400fps and go with those. That would be my first choice of the two.

Most guys that hunt bears a lot up here prefer the bigger slower bullets such as 358Wins, 350 RemMags, 45-70s 444s, and of course the 308s & 30-06s.

Barry

I have to agree with NEBRASKA, for bear over bait. But if you must use A gun <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> the bigger the hole the better.

People, there is bear, and then there is bear. For grizzlies, yes, a .338 with a tough 250 gr bullet would be the way to go. But black bear do not require cannons to kill. We use our regular deer/elk guns/loads. For most of my family that is an 06. For me that is a 7mm Rem Mag. We've also taken them with a 44 Mag and had no problems.

I'll go against the grain. I say a tough 115 gr bullet from the Roberts, like a Partition, should do just fine. Esp in a rifle you are familiar with. Personally, I would go with a 270 Win and a controlled expansion bullet in the 140 to 150 grain range.

You can go with the .338 but even with reduced loads, it is more than I think you need.

Good luck and good hunting.

We are talking black bear here, not Grizzly. Any bullet suitable for deer is fine for black bear over bait.

The 338 win is what I would choose for this hunt. I did not say what others should go with.

But since we alerady are talking calibers and effect: why do people always think of the 338 win mag as a real powerhouse or a big bore? Think about it. The bullet diameter is only 8,5 mm. And the velocity is not what I would call magnum velo. Even the 375 HH is not the powerhouse some claim. It is more powerful than the 338, and still it is used with great result on small african game such as oribi and duiker.

My point is: why shoot an animal with a less suitable caliber than you need to. When shooting a bigger bore, You will never be in doubt if it was a hit or not. You will not be left alone after the shot with the ugly feeling of something beeing wrong. It is of course a depending of that you can handle the larger rifle and the recoil proparly.

I suggest that you go with the rifle you shoot best and feel comfortable with.

RemFan, I'll sure agree that IMO black bears are relatively easy to kill, usually. They have neither the physiological structure or strength of a grizzly, nor the tenacity of life shown by grizzlies, goats or elk. That said, I'd still go with the .338 of the choices offered for this application. We are talking a first time bear hunt it sounds like, or a hunt by a guy who hasn't hunted bears much. From a stand. I'd assume forest in Maine. In that situation, the .338 is a good choice from the rifles he has, for all the reasons mentioned in the thread since it started.

"You can go with the .338 but even with reduced loads, it is more than I think you need."

Precisely.

I think I would use my 8mm Mauser............
T'would be a good knock-em'-down round...........
Don't you think?
Good luck on your hunt.........

I have two rifles that I would grab and would not have a fear of what they can do. Either my 45-90 BPCR or my 35 Whelen <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

This spring for black bear in Manitoba, I'm using a 308 Win. Planning on using 180gr. Fail Safe bullets over 43gr. of RL 15-KT28

If some dude showed up with a .257 Roberts for bear I would ask him if that was all he had! That cartridge is for pests.

If your shooting from a tree then don't fall out when the .338 goes off! Look at it this way. After you get the bear you can brag that it took a .338 to get it. If the bear skin is there on the floor and someone asks what you shot it with and you say "a .257 Roberts" There is a pause and then the person wonders if it was a cub or what? Maybe you passed up a big bear because that's all you had for a gun?

I'd reach for my 45-70 if I was going on this hunt. A 350gr hornady at 1950fps through the boiler room will put them bears down fast.

C Roy,
My guess is that you've already made up your mind as to caliber and projectile, but I'll respond anyway. All of the above will do the job; the projectile choice simply becomes more important as the caliber goes down in size. I would be more concerned with the choice of scope you use for the hunt. At 25 to 50 yards, the lower power the better. I'm probably "preaching to the choir" here, so won't bore anyone with the details.
As to your "choice" question stated in the original post, I also recommend (with others) the 338. It really will not matter which projectile you use in it. I have sent a simple Hornady spire point on it's way to "work" many times and have never recovered one on a blackie; the 250 grain @ 2500 fps has always given full penetration. It is not hard to shoot and I'll be danged if I ever remember recoil issues coming up. I was always thankful for very short tracking jobs! Never lost a single roast to meat damage with the 338 either, though I've never loaded the smaller NBT up for this purpose.
best,
bhtr

DON'T expect a deer bulet to work. I hunt deer with a 22-250 or 308. I bought some 180g Nosler partitions for my bear hunt. The shot through the lungs was no trouble,but as he turned to run, I put an extra one in his rear end. That 180g bullet bounced off the hip bone. If I had tried to break him down with a front shoulder shot would it have worked? Maybe the bullet would have smashed the shoulder and continued on to wreck his plumbing-maybe not.A bears bones are twice the size of a deers. Prepare for that, and your 270 or 338 will be just fine. Accuracy isn't really super critical-If you can hit a coffee can at 50yds, you will be OK,

Any of your mentioned calibers are adequate.
A loaded down .338 would do less pelt damage then a .270.
I would pay more attention which rifle is most suited to the job.
I would avoid carrying a full size heavy rifle with big scope in a tree stand.
You be better off with a short rifle. Most important of all is the scope you will be using. You need a low power in the 1-3x class, with 3 absolute max when hunting. I use a 1.5x5 Leupold for this and keep it on 1.5 or 2x.
Why? in near dark in an already darker forest, try to make ass from head on a black bear against a dark back ground. Ever tried it? Every year hunters gut shoot 20 yard bears because their scopes were not suited to do the job.
In your case field of view and clarity is what you need for your 15-30 yard shots, exactly what you find in a low power set-up. Next make sure you do not have one of those very fine duplex hairs. Here the coarser the better.
Why? Same story regarding a black bear in a dark forest etc.
One last hint, ever sat 4-5 hours in a cheap treestand without backrest and shooting brace, as most outfitters give you, say with temperatures in the low 30's, may be a little wet?
You will get the shakes, and not only of bear fever if he suddenly shows up. You all do.
It is amazing how many nimrods flub that 20-30 yard shot.
Help yourself and be kind to your person, and bring a 4-5 feet stick that you brace between your left foot and right knee, yes, a shooting stick. Think boys in the camp will snigger at you for that? Not after they have spend a cold afternoon/evening in the stand.
An ideal set up for this game would be a low power scoped Marlin or Win. 94 in 30/30,35 Rem, 307, 356, 375, 45/70 or a Model 7 Rem, in .308, 7/08, 260.
Regardless your guns will be plenty fine as long they are properly scoped for this game.
Another hint, proper soft rubber low noise rain gear that will sustain a continuous down pour, with a proper rubberized wide brimmed rain hat that keeps the water out of your neck. That reads not a baseball cap unless sunny. All rain gear seems noisy. In my experience, Gortex does not sustain a continuous down pour. Properly dressed you can sit in the stand and hunt during rain, while others sit and waste their time in camp drinking. You will do that after you bring in your bear, and show them how it is done.
Wide necked gator aid bottles are good piss bottles in a stand.
Bring only water when in your stand and some energy bars. Caffeine is a diuretic and constricts your blood vessels making you feel cold.
Next have a good mosquito net handy to protect your head/neck. Mosquis can be bad at that time.
Enjoy your hunt.

Over bait, I'll use my 45-70 with Randy Garretts' 540gr super hardcast. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

CROY,

It seems you are most familiar with your 257 Roberts. Using the "proper" bullet the 257 Roberts is more then enough gun to pass a quality bullet through any black bear.

On a recent hog hunt to Texas a freind of mine borrowed a 257 Roberts. She, yes she, was using my 101gr EXP Groove Bullet. She hit a 150lb hog at the base of the neck, quartering to her and the 2" exit hole was just behind the offside shoulder. I do believe hogs are much tougher critters then black bears. In all 5 hogs were killed on that trip, 1 one with the 257 Roberts, 1 with a 7mm mag - 127gr EXP Groove Bullet, and 3 with a 300 win mag - 159gr EXP Groove Bullet. No bullet was recovered because they all had complete pass throughs.

Use a premium bullet, pick the gun that you shoot the best and don't worry, you will kill the bear.

Have fun, come back and tell us about your hunt,

Don <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

My close quarters bear/hog/deer gun is a 358 Winchester in an old Sako L-579 with a 20 inch barrel. Handles quick, puts a large hole all the way through and is light enough to carry all day. Recoils a mite, though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Gee Fredrick,
I guess a whole boatload of DG animals must've just died of fright then when confronted with those wimpy 338's & 375 H&H's. Couldn't have been due to the performance of the calibers, huh? BTW, what do you hunt with? 50BMG? See my signature.
badger