Black Bear Rifle

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mountain_man

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I have never gone black bear hunting before, but may have an opportunity to this coming season in the mountains of North Carolina and or Tennessee. That said, I need something that I can use for a black bear hunt and it would be used for deer as well. The areas would be mainly wooded but there are a few clearings with 200 yard opening. Would a .308 or a .30-30 be appropriate for my situation?
 
I'd personally use a .30-06 or a .300 Win Mag for the purpose. Use heavy for caliber hunting loads, preferably bonded, for the bear and lighter for caliber loads for deer.
 
Either option would be perfectly adequate. For those 200 yard shots I'd pick the 308, but that is purely personal preference.
 
The old .30/30 has knocked off so many black bears they would need a Cray computer to tabulate them all. And with super performance ammo, it's even better.

Yes personal preference. I have no qualms about using my 30/30 on black bear.

Deaf
 
mountain_man said:
I have never gone black bear hunting before, but may have an opportunity to this coming season in the mountains of North Carolina and or Tennessee. That said, I need something that I can use for a black bear hunt and it would be used for deer as well. The areas would be mainly wooded but there are a few clearings with 200 yard opening. Would a .308 or a .30-30 be appropriate for my situation?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking black bears are put in the same game class as deer. Either of those calibers would be fine. I like up-gunning just a bit for bear relative to deer, so I'd probably go .308 but the .30-30 is definitely doable. I'd go with a premium bullet load (partition or bonded) on the heavier end of the spectrum. You could go with a lighter cup and core bullet load for deer, but I'd probably just use the bear load for deer too and have one zero that way.

That said I pretty much hunt with either a 7mm magnum or a .45-90 depending on how much I think the critter might take a disliking to me, so my advice is a bit academic.
 
Out to 200 yards a .308 would be all that you will need. A 150gr core-lokt, ballistic tip, SST, Interlock etc. will be perfectly suitable for deer. For black bear a 165gr premium bullet like a Barnes, Scirrocco, Accubond, Partition, etc. will fit the bill nicely.
 
I like a little more gun for bear. A full .30-06 won't deliver much more recoil but will have some more power.
 
It is difficult to beat the old-fashioned .35 Remington for Black Bear hunting. Bruins are plenty tough but probably not going to come after you after taking a hit. The two I shot in Western N.Y. were taken with a 12 gauge shotgun shooting slugs. It took 3 (good) shots to anchor them permanently (no center-fire allowed there) Hunting with a friend in the Adirondacks where center fire rifles are/were allowed showed the value of 200 grain .35 caliber slugs, even in thick brush. All three if his black bear boars were one shot kills using the .35 Remington. I was and still am impressed. My next rifle was a .35 Whelen, but I have not gotten a good black bear hunt since.
 
Any decent deer rifle will work for black bear. Of the two you mention, the .308 is more appropriate and versatile, and can be used with complete confidence.
 
Cooldill said:
I like a little more gun for bear. A full .30-06 won't deliver much more recoil but will have some more power.
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I like a little more gun for bear. A full .30-06 won't deliver much more recoil but will have some more power.
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Cool dill, you must really like the 06 to mention it twice in one thread... Reality is there is very little difference in energy or recoil between 308 or 30-06 unless you are using the very heavy for caliber bullets which are overkill for this situation.

The 308 is plenty and I give another vote for a bullet that is less likely to have jacket separation such as a Barnes ttsx 150 or 165 partition. Same bullet will work for deer if needed.
 
I'm with cooldill, the 30-06. Actually any 300#or smaller bear i would feel confident using the 30-30 on within 200 yards with modern ammo. Just don't shoot it if it's facing you. A panicked bear, especially a wounded one will charge straight ahead no matter what's there. So don't be there and you're fine.

Sent from my LGLS740 using Tapatalk
 
Two rifles stand above the rest. Old Ruger 77 with tang safety and Remington 700 'Classic' both in .35 Whelen. Even by modern standards neither is heavy and both handle beautifully. If I remember correctly when I was young record Black bear in Green Mountain state was above 600lb. If you're very lucky and walk into something like that you will not be under gunned.
 
mountain_man said:
I have never gone black bear hunting before, but may have an opportunity to this coming season in the mountains of North Carolina and or Tennessee. That said, I need something that I can use for a black bear hunt and it would be used for deer as well. The areas would be mainly wooded but there are a few clearings with 200 yard opening. Would a .308 or a .30-30 be appropriate for my situation?
Click to expand...
Either one will be okay. The 308 is way more than enough for Black Bear or deer. The 30-30 is the perfect gun for Black Bear & Deer if you will not be taking shots in excess of 200/250 yards. Personally, I would use the 30-30, especially if it's a lever gun. I love lever guns!
 
Couldn't go wrong with either. Just use the one you are most comfortable with.

Obviously the clear choice would be a Model 71 .348. Geeze, I wish I had one!
 
I always find it amusing that a question is asked about specific calibers and there is always someone has to throw in something off tropic. For example the question was 308-30:30 yet .35 made its way into the dialogue.

just saying
 
If you already own the 308 and or 30-30 just use a 180 or better bullet. For those calibers I prefer a Nosler Partition of similar type projectile. Living here I've hunted all over Tennessee. An hour from the Cherokee National Forrest, All I ever use there for bear is a 44 Mag Winchester 1965 #94 with a 240 grain bullet.

Only about 1 out of 20 bears in this area are over 400 pounds. And shots over 50 to 100 yards are seldom seen... At least if you are where the bears actually are.

Good luck.
Victor
 
I would bring the .308. I do not think you will need the .44 Ruger Super Blackhawk as backup or the Bowie knife and a fixed bayonet.

My experience has been Black bear run the other way at amazing speed for a big black bumble when they wind you.

Good luck with your hunt.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mountain;

This is anecdotal, but serves to illustrate the point. The year I took my pronghorn in to get mounted, the kid just ahead of me had a black bear he wanted skinned & the hide tanned. I asked him the usual set of questions about the gun & circumstances, and got a bit "wowed" over the answers.

He had been hunting antelope, just as I had been. His gun was a .22-250 where mine was a .30-06. He had a bear tag & just happened to see a smaller one running across a hillside about 200 yards from him & he decided to go for it. He made an extremely good shoot, offhand, IMHO. Put the bullet in the bear, running, just behind the shoulder & right at the bottom of the lungs. The bullet broke ribs on the far side of the chest cavity but did not exit the hide. Dead bear. Until you've actually experienced how fast a bear can move, most people don't believe it. OTOH, I didn't ask him if his life insurance premiums were paid up to date, but I do think he took a risk.

So, yes, any good deer rifle is perfectly adequate, but I don't consider the .22-250 to be good for that purpose. Myself, I'd stay with the .30-06 simply because I'm partial to the caliber.

900F
 
Victor: I don't own either, so it would be a purchase either way. I know that the two are among the most popular calibers and thus ammo is slightly cheaper than the rest. It looks like I will probably end up going with the one that I find the best deal on. I would like both, but finances won't allow it.

Thanks to everyone for the responses.
 
I agree that deer cartridges are good for bear and generally they are shot at close range, here anyway. But I would not take anything for granted as you could find a rare very large bear, 400 plus pounds. Last year a hunter here was very badly mauled by a wounded Black bear. Very rare but that is why I would use a .308 or 06 and make sure of my shot. Still a 30-30 is good at short range as a .35 Remington.
 
mountain_man said:
I have never gone black bear hunting before, but may have an opportunity to this coming season in the mountains of North Carolina and or Tennessee. That said, I need something that I can use for a black bear hunt and it would be used for deer as well. The areas would be mainly wooded but there are a few clearings with 200 yard opening. Would a .308 or a .30-30 be appropriate for my situation?
Click to expand...
Black Bear out to 200 yards I like the .308 Winchester. While the 30-30 Winchester at 200 yards is also adequate I just prefer the .308 Winchester. Why? Simply because if you don't have a rifle I like the .308 Winchester if only because it offers up a wider range of bullets and loads over the tried and true 30-30 Winchester. Either cartridge will take bear and deer.

Ron
 
rifle...

Mountain Man, Between the 2 calibers you mentioned, the 308 with a heavy bullet like a 175, 180 or 190 in a good hunting type projectile, will do the job. Practice with it enough to get better than fair with it. I just carried the 44 mag because I had it and it's a light rifle that I could carry it up and down hills and on the ridge back without wearing myself out.

I agree about the speed of Black bears. They can run UPHILL faster than anyone I know can run DOWNHILL. Most I've run into while hunting or scouting were mainly blurs with sound. Unless the leaves are off the trees, you probably won't get a second shot. Good luck with your choice. Victor
 
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