black bear?

[Troutslayer]

Black bear season has started and though I got a tag, I'm way behind the eight ball on everything else. What kind of bullet do you guys like for black bears? I've got a lot of 180 grain stuff around, and I'm thinking that will do the trick, and probably what I'll use because that's what my gun is sighted in for. If I have the chance to have some loads made for me, what should I get? What grain, what bullet? I probabaly won't shoot a bear unless it's 300lbs, and I'm using a .300 win mag. I imagine my shots will be 200-300 yards. This is probably in the wrong forum so don't jump down my throat over that.

I think Trophy Bonded Bear Claws are good, but that's just what I've heard.

[Ian M]

2-300 yards can be a long shot on a black bear. Shot placement is everything - break him down so you do not have to trail a wounded animal. Trophy Bonded bullets are hard to beat for reliability - any of the bonded bullets will work well in a .300 mag.
Good luck with your hunting.

[Troutslayer]

Well, I made it out today. I hiked about 6 miles before I saw a large bear with two smaller bears. They were a ways off, but I think they were grizzlies. The area I was hunting is known to have them from time to time. I was tired and heading back to the truck which was starting to seem like a long walk, so I stopped at a nice place to glass and layed down in a meadow. It was getting to be evening and I spotted a nice solo bear about 1000 yards or so, no rangefinder with me. I decided to try and close the distance and spent about an hour and a half climbing up the steepest and nastiest mountain you've ever seen. It was so steep that I wasn't going to be able to see the bear till I was right on top of him. As I was climbing up the mountain talus rocks were sliding off under my feet and the wind that was in my favor shifted. I got to where he was, but no doubt was busted a long time before I got there. If I played my cards differently and had a rangefinder and a buddy to spot I could have got to a spot to take a 500 yard shot. 500 yards isn't beyond my capability but it would be a new personal record. I estimated him to be around 350-400, a bear that I would be proud to have shot today. No dice. I'm now covered in ticks, or I was when I got home. Now that I have that bears adress I hope that he'll be there again in a few days when I'll have time to go looking for him.

I have been shooting Barnes X BTs, which paper ok, and since a bear is pretty tough I figure a blow through won't be an issue. Here's my problem with the Barnes. They're handloads that I've only shot off the bench, loading them into the chamber one at a time. Today I went to fill the magazine and the bullets are TOO LONG for the magazine. They get stuck in the magazine and won't feed. What a bummer. I was out there with one in the chamber and some in the sling and one in the pocket. That's not how I want it to be when a close encounter is possible.

Hopefully one day soon this thread will include a hero shot of me standing over a big black bear.

[Desert Fox]

Three years ago I was hunting deer with my buddy when we encountered a 450 lbs Black bear. He shot the bear with his 300 Win Mag Sendero loaded with 180 grain Sierra Spitzer. The distance was 483 yards. That Sierra entered the bruin's chest cavity just behind the shoulder and existed on the other end at a slight angle. The bear took off on a full stride. We only found one tiny drop of blood on a leaf from where the bear was standing. We found the bear later and he traveled 70 yards before collapsing. This was the last time he used the Sierra Spitzer ever again. He now use 200 grain Barnes X bullet.

[Varmint Hunter]

[ QUOTE ]
That Sierra entered the bruin's chest cavity just behind the shoulder and existed on the other end at a slight angle. The bear took off on a full stride. We only found one tiny drop of blood on a leaf from where the bear was standing. We found the bear later and he traveled 70 yards before collapsing. This was the last time he used the Sierra Spitzer ever again. He now use 200 grain Barnes X bullet.

[/ QUOTE ]


What is the Barnes bullet going to do that the Sierra bullet didn't?? Penetrate farther?? Sounds to me like the Sierra performed well. I've shot whitetails broadside with my 7STW and a 140gr XBT bullet and had the deer just walk away like I had missed them. Usually find them DEAD within 60yds anyway.

[Desert Fox]

Inconsistent performance. He also shot several deer using this bullet and sometimes the bullet open up violently and some times not at all. I used that same load on a mule deer at 350 yards. I was aiming at the chest for a frontal shot at a quartering deer and somehow missed the chest all together. The bullet instead entered the frontal ribcage just behind the shoulder traveled the lenght of the deer and came out at the bottom of the stomach at the same time, blew the testicle on the way out. The deer shuddered and then took-off like a scalded dog. It took another round to the chest to finally put the animal out of his misery. I agree that Barnes are even tougher bullet especially on a deersize games but it's a question of preference. I know how deadly my buddy is with his Sendero and the 200 grain Barnes so who could argue. To date he harvested over three dozen games with them from Bison to coyote and never once lost an animal and most of them are one shot.

[panman]

Sounds to me that you and your buddy need to pratice SHOT placement.
The 300 Mag. is way more than enough for the animals listed,with just about any bullet ya may shoot them with.Learn shot placement and your sucess rate will inprove 100%.pan.