450 Bushmaster or 300 WBY for Black Bear?

[WEATHERBY460]

450 or 300WBY?

 

[remingtonman]

Either one. Anything from a .243 on up for blackies. 270 up for Grizz. Once you get the hide off a bear, body wise they are not that large. Shot placement will be far more important then caliber.

Here is a Grizzly I got yesterday. Used my .375 just because I like the rifle but would of been perfectly happy packing my .280.

That's a nice looking grizz Phil, how far of a shot did you get on him & what bullet was used?

 

[458win]

That's a nice looking grizz Phil, how far of a shot did you get on him & what bullet was used?

Lol Phil S. stole my handle! When I tried setting up an account a few years ago on AR it said it was already taken. Didn't know by who until a couple years ago.

Anyhow the grizz was 60 yrds and Barnes 270gr TSX. I was actually after a caribou when I saw the bear. Much prefer the nosler accubond. The TSX just drive through and don't do much, better for the meat department. For bears something that expands easier is better. Going in willows after a bear is always interesting and not for the faint of heart.

Shot placement is key. Bears are easy to kill if you put the first shot where it needs to go. Screw up the first one then it's a tumbling, rolling, hauling donkey mess that's difficult to actually put a round where it needs to go.

To answer the OP go with the 300 weatherby. Accubonds are what I prefer. Even a big blackie isn't very big boned so you want something to expand but hold together. if you see one at 2-300 your still in business.

 

[Knight]

I find it funny when some people think, one needs a super large caliber to drop a black bear. I've killed a fair share of Black bears in the last 45 years weighing anywhere from 180 lbs' / 475 lbs + using nothing more then a 308 caliber soft point bullet. It's not so much the caliber, but most importantly the shot placement. But for the faint of heart use what ever you feel comfortable with, there is no such thing as overkill, Dead is Dead.

 

[coyote wacker]

I've guided for black bears for over 45 years seen them shot with many calibers, tracked more than anyone would want. I've also shot on my own many with many different calibers. The one caliber that I really like is 450 Bushmaster using Cutting Edge Bullets 250 gr. Flat Base Raptor .....https://cuttingedgebullets.com/452-250gr-flat-base-raptor
Its a great bullets on a bait most bears shot with it will go down within sight no tracking needed.

 

[skipglo]

450 or 300WBY?

It's in your name....you have the answer..... but as for the choices you gave I prefer my 300 Weatherby. 270 WSM 150 Hornady SP. are doing a great job too. Had to experiment with my 6.5 creed when I got it...143s 2 DRT...180-220 yards...1 did the FUNKY CHICKEN Dance and spun several 360s at 325 yards before dropping. You don't require bigger but as someone mentioned above it's nice to have if you need to enter deep bush and tall grass to retrieve. We aren't allowed side arms in Canada for protection or back- up so I like 270 as my minimum.

 

[Treeslug]

It's in your name....you have the answer..... but as for the choices you gave I prefer my 300 Weatherby. 270 WSM 150 Hornady SP. are doing a great job too. Had to experiment with my 6.5 creed when I got it...143s 2 DRT...180-220 yards...1 did the FUNKY CHICKEN Dance and spun several 360s at 325 yards before dropping. You don't require bigger but as someone mentioned above it's nice to have if you need to enter deep bush and tall grass to retrieve. We aren't allowed side arms in Canada for protection or back- up so I like 270 as my minimum.

Rumor has it that you hunt bears with a stick. I feel perfectly comfortable hunting big black bears with my .17 HMR. Of course, I won't be able to shoot anything with the .17, so after finding a suitable bear, I'll have to go back to camp and get my 340 Weatherby Mag. to finish the hunt. That all seems like a lot of trouble, so I think I will leave the .17 in camp and carry that heavy arse Weatherby instead. Or, you could hire a gun bearer for me.

 

[Catahoula]

What is recommended for a sitting black bear stand hunt? I'm guessing it will only be about a 50 yard shot at most. Thanks

A 243 will kill them.....
Just sayin.....

 

[LoneTraveler]

I would take the 300 W with 180 gr. Nosler Part. It would be my luck to see a bruiser bear at 250 yds. walking into the stand. Just be sure scope power will allow accurate finding bear and shooting at 50 yds.

 

[WEATHERBY460]

Taking the 450 with 240 grain bear creek ballistic hv bullets.

Now how do I tell if its a big bear?

 

[Ricky C]

Hey, I'm going to throw this in too. Use a low power scope, with a good view of view, and with good light gathering capabilities. Good baiting spots tend to be kind of dark and bears are like other game animals moving more at dawn and dusk.
Good Luck and Take Care