308 win.. black bear load/white tail.

[mustang_gt_350]

Ok. I live in Pa. And i am thinking about breaking off my normal routine of hunting rifle whitetail season and muzzle loader season and also adding in a bear tag.

I normally carry my 6mm for deer. But it was given to me by my grandfather 13 years ago when i started hunting. Not really wanting to carry my 600 mohawk around anymore i built a 308 win from an old mauser action for target shooting. With intentions of also building a 375 H&H to use for deer and bear this year. But funds don't allow for the 375 build so i will be taking my 308. Anyway.

I just want some recomendations on a good bullet for maybe both black bear and also deer.. I would like to only need to work up one load. But most important is i don't want to pick somthing wrong for bear. I'm not worried about the deer as i believe any well placed shot with a non varmint bullet from a rifle will bring one down. But i've never hunted bear before and i want that extra added confidence in my rifle for if i would get lucky enough to see one.
Most importantly i need help with weight choice.
My rifle is 1-10" and is 24" long.
It likes shooting the 168gr nosler comp. bullets So higher weight/longer bullets aren't a big problem to stabilize.
I was tossing around the idea of the 168gr nosler C/T silver tips since i have used them in my 6mm before and liked the results. But i am not sure how they would do on bear?
thanks
and sorry for the long winded post.

 

[mustang_gt_350]

no suggestions?

 

[W.E.G.]

Any good commercial ammo will do a great job on deer.

You might want to consider one of the heavier (165 gr. - 180 gr.) bullets for bear.

I once shot a deer through the heart with 30-06 at close range. The deer still ran well over 50 yards. Inspection of the heart showed a perfectly-centered shot. Amazing that the deer was not DRT. My point is, don't assume that any catridge is not "ideal" just because the critter you shoot with it doesn't drop instantly.

 

[mustang_gt_350]

Would there be any problem using the heavier weights for deer also?

 

[GunTech]

What is the twist in your 308? I am partial to Barnes TSX. I like the 168gn over 41.5gn Vihtavuori N135. Accurate with good penetration and weght retention.

 

[Steve C]

I knew an old professional hunter that made a portion of his living working for the Timber companies controlling black bear on their lands in addition to guided hunts. He told me on a good year he'd get 120 to 130 bear for the bounty. All he used was a 30-30 Winchester 94. Any .308 round 150 gr or more will be quite adequate for black bear and deer.

 

[mustang_gt_350]

twist is 1-10"

 

[GooseGestapo]

I've not killed a black bear, but have handled a lot of bear that had already been killed..... I have however, killed and processed a lot of pigs, and they are similarily built.

In the .308 most any 150gr or heavier expanding bullet will do well. It won't take a super bullet, but they won't hurt either.

I really like the Remington Corlokts, and they are probably the least expensive bullets you'll find. All the Sierra, Speer and Hornady bullets will work well also.

The Nosler 150gr Partition could be substituted for any other 150gr bullet you're loading and will be impossible to improve on. Even the 150gr Ballistic Tip should prove acceptable, but may be a bit on the lightly constructed side for bears larger than ~300lbs, which are rare however except in the southern reaches of their range. (In the southern applachians, some feeding near garbage dumps can run above 500lbs. and record is near 800lbs- Largest in Georgia was 733lbs and was killed with a .243 and 100gr Rem. Corlokt factory ammo.)

My brother has had exceptional luck with his .308 using the 150gr Nosler Partitions loaded to 2,800+fps used on Elk, which have run upwards of 900lbs.

 

[mustang_gt_350]

Thanks Goose... thats just the info i wanted to know. I was stuck between the partitions or the BT's I think i'll give the 150 partitions a try.
I also am very attatched to the corlokts as i have had good success with them in my 6mm. So i was thinking about them too. Maybe i'll give them both a try use the corlokts for practice and work up a good load of partitions for hunting season.

On edit... the average bear weight around the area i will be hunting is about 200lbs. But one was taken last year that was around 450. so there is a decent range but the higher are more rare.

 

[Jim Watson]

In my youth, there was a whole category of "deer and black bear" rifles, including .30-30, .35 Rem, .303 Savage, etc. Unless the bears have gotten tougher in the past 50 years, any .308 game bullet - not varmint or target - will get the job done.

 

[Sunray]

165 grain hunting bullets with IMR4064 and regular large rifle primers. You don't need premium bullets for Yogi. Any good bullet will do nicely. Mind you, so will your 6mm.

 

[glockman19]

I like the Federal Vital Shok in 150, 165 or 180 grain

 

[MCgunner]

I'd use my 140 Barnes X, myself, a very deep penstrating controlled expansion bullet with a very high SD, yet high velocity. I like Barnes X bullets. They're very accurate, too, and open up readily. But, I agree that any 150 grain plus normal jacketed lead bullet should do the job.

 

[MCgunner]

Unless the bears have gotten tougher in the past 50 years,

I think bears have gotten a lot tougher since Al Gore invented the internet. Just reading this board, seems like it takes a 416 Rigby or better to bring down a black bear. Oh, they've gotten a lot more agressive, too. You can't walk 50 feet into the woods without being attacked, it seems, at least if you believe all the posts.

 

[41magsnub]

I heard the bears started buying army surplus body armor. You need explosive or AP rounds now to be safe, preferrably in a .50 BMG.

 

[OKIE2]

With all the sales pitches now days you need a 5 pound 16" barreled 416 rigby for rabbit hunting.
all the deer I have killed in my life time has been with 100 grain bullets from my 243 6.5x55 25-06 and 264 win mag and once even with my 30 m1 carbine
not one of them did I have to tract down. None left my sight where I shot them.