Best 7MM bullet and/or factory loaded ammo for a Black Bear under 100 yards?

[WEATHERBY460]

Going on a bear hunt, and decided to take a 7MM Rem Mag. I'm not sure if I will have time to reload but what bullet is the best to use on a black bear or, what factory ammo is best to use. Shot should be under 100 yards. Thanks

 

[LVJ76]

I used the 168gr Hybrid Hunters from Federal a couple years ago, they group half MOA and did one heck of a job on a deer. Only worry is that it is a hot load, they are advertised at 2,800+ fps and mine shoots them at over 3,000, so at 100 yds you would have to stay off the shoulder (I like double lung shots and like to stay off the shoulder). They also have a 160gr Partition load.

Or the Hornady Superformance with the 162gr SST. The bullets hold up very well at magnum speeds, up close and at long range.

Just FYI, I'm not a bonded bullet fan.

On reloads, the same, a Berger 168gr or 180gr, a 162gr SST, a 160gr Partition, even a 160gr Gameking SPBT will do.

 

[Bob Wright]

At that distance a flat base round nose jacketed bullet in 175 gr. class would do it.

 

[LVJ76]

At that distance a flat base round nose jacketed bullet in 175 gr. class would do it.

A 175gr Interlock? That would hit hard like a mule's kick

 

[RidgeTop]

175gr either Remington CoreLokt or Winchester Power point.

 

[Swamplord]

Since I couldn't change my old man's evil ways & his love of the 7mm Rem Mag, I started loading ammo tailored for his rifle many years ago so I could choose what bullets he used, specifically targeting moose ..

Picked up a couple boxes of factory loads of Federals 160 gr Trophy Bonded Tip ammo and his rifle loved the stuff, moose killing bullets right there, including black bear ... plus I'd feel a lot safer with this bullet in brown bear country over any thin jacketed soft lead core target type bullets

Figured I can improve on the factory ammo velocities, I got a couple boxes for reloading and thankfully I have a ton of Reloder 26 powder for it

My old mans moose load for the 2022 season ! He won't shoot black bears because he won't eat 'em ... but I'll feed them a shot of RUM any day !

......

 

[Swamplord]

175gr either Remington CoreLokt or Winchester Power point.

The 175 gr CoreLokt bullet in 7mm Rem Mag is responsible for a lot of big game death in Alaska for many years, probably the most popular box of ammo in the state for the 7 mm Rem Mag

I always preferred the Winchester Power Point bullet over the CoreLokt due to it holding up better in the 300 Win Mag, it wasn't always available while the CoreLokt was everywhere, making it an easy choice

...

 

[Countrythug79]

150 partition is one mean machine

 

[WEATHERBY460]

What about the Norma 165 Grain Bonded Bondstrike?

 

[Reelamin]

Partition trophy bonded tip core lokt power point. Premium and basic all bad arse killers!!! All 160gr and up for weight.

 

[FEENIX]

What about the Norma 165 Grain Bonded Bondstrike?

Yep, that should work. Good luck!

 

[WEATHERBY460]

Yep, that should work. Good luck!

Great, because thats the only loaded ammo I could find in stock at a reasonable price.

 

[Catahoula]

Going on a bear hunt, and decided to take a 7MM Rem Mag. I'm not sure if I will have time to reload but what bullet is the best to use on a black bear or, what factory ammo is best to use. Shot should be under 100 yards. Thanks

Black bears are not hard to kill. Just pick a bullet between 140 and 175 and go hunting...

 

[bballard]

Use whatever you like to use on deer. Black bears are not super tough to bring down and any decent soft point should work just fine. I would not recommend some super tough deep penetrating bullet.....it's just not needed. Put the bullet where it needs to go and the bear won't go far......good luck on your hunt!