What bullet for black bears?

[Joefrazell]

My vote would be 147eldm

 

[memtb]

Same thing you use when deer hunting will suffice.

That could be a dangerous recommendation with this crowd! memtb

 

[wilkup]

Bears aren't much different than deer most of the time. Occasionally they've been known to soak up some lead and keep going though.
A couple years back, one of my dad's buddies shot an average ~170# bear inside 200yds that didn't go down. That bear doubled back through the woods and he was lucky to get a shot off from the hip at almost point blank range. The powder burnt the hair right off that bears face.
Any of the bullets you have listed will likely work. I'd pick the one that shoots best for you and recommend shortening the distance to 300 yards. They can disappear into tiny little spaces when hurt and depending on where you're hunting, you might never find them at those longer distances.
Good luck out there.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Black bears can have an extraordinary amount of fat. Using a large diameter bullet will help keep that fat from clogging up bullet holes and promotes external bleeding. That's why I much prefer the 45-70 to other capable cartridges. Yeah, the 6.5s will kill them but there are cartridges better suited IMO.

 

[howco]

I'm definitely in the "you want two holes camp". I have seen legit kills under 400 with eldm bullets and 6.5 prc, but I would have asked the members what 6.5 bullets have you killed black bears with and at what distance specifically.

 

[Calvin45]

Bears aren't much different than deer most of the time. Occasionally they've been known to soak up some lead and keep going though.
A couple years back, one of my dad's buddies shot an average ~170# bear inside 200yds that didn't go down. That bear doubled back through the woods and he was lucky to get a shot off from the hip at almost point blank range. The powder burnt the hair right off that bears face.
Any of the bullets you have listed will likely work. I'd pick the one that shoots best for you and recommend shortening the distance to 300 yards. They can disappear into tiny little spaces when hurt and depending on where you're hunting, you might never find them at those longer distances.
Good luck out there.

My dad actually stopped a "charge" from rock throwing distance with his marlin 30-30 (and while that's not the most potent cartridge I will say, one could do worse - that flat nose bullet smacks harder than it should at those ranges and the short handy weapon is quick to wield and has some serious firepower and is reliable as all hell)

But this wasn't a beast in its prime…it was an emaciated sow…something was wrong with her, she should have been fat and getting settled in to hibernate and instead was skin and bones desperately searching the farmyard for something to eat…including his dog (didn't get the dog ). Anyway the thing found it's way into a grain bin and was chowing down on the remnants that didn't get augered out and took a run at my dad when he showed up…had seen a bear, didn't know it was in the bin, at that point he was 71 but I guess his reflexes are still pretty dang fast cuz he stopped it before it covered the ground between them and even though it was obviously sick it could move fast enough to make one require a clean pair of underwear after such an encounter (I did not ask my father about his, don't worry )

It was way more dangerous because of whatever was wrong with it and the fact that it was literally starving to death at this point…it had been seen with a cub earlier in the summer, but the cub disappeared sometime in august.

A merciful thing that it could be put out of its misery - starving/freezing to death at the onset of winter in Saskatchewan sounds like a very slow and miserable way to die. I'd much rather take the 30-30 as well.

And a good thing it was killed before somebody or their livestock got hurt or killed…it seems this bear was unable to hunt and pickings were getting slim, long past the season for berries and stuff when this happened…raiding farmyards is about the only move such a desperate creature has left then.

 

[Buckskinner]

Well I'm glad your old man was armed! If I had a charge like that I would probably pick my 94 30-30 as well, open sights, easy swinging and fast second shot would be important there. The bear in my avatar was taken last fall with an Encore 7mm-08 pistol and 140 gr Accubond, went less than 100 yards. About opposite of the bear your pa killed, 383# fat old sow.

 

[Calvin45]

Well I'm glad your old man was armed! If I had a charge like that I would probably pick my 94 30-30 as well, open sights, easy swinging and fast second shot would be important there. The bear in my avatar was taken last fall with an Encore 7mm-08 pistol and 140 gr Accubond, went less than 100 yards. About opposite of the bear your pa killed, 383# fat old sow.

While we're all saying how easy they are to kill…something about hunting them at close range with a single shot pistol seems a tad "thrill seeking"

Then again, people hunt them with muzzle loaders all the time…and bows…I'm sure the odd cavemen took one down with a big rock thrown hard…I'm also sure the odd one didn't have that work out so great for him

 

[xsn10s]

Black bears can have an extraordinary amount of fat. Using a large diameter bullet will help keep that fat from clogging up bullet holes and promotes external bleeding. That's why I much prefer the 45-70 to other capable cartridges. Yeah, the 6.5s will kill them but there are cartridges better suited IMO.

View attachment 448427

I'm a newbie when it comes to bear hunting. Which is why I carried either my 30-06 or 45-70 in Alaska. 45-70 when people in the camp targeted bears.

 

[358 Guy]

Black bears can have an extraordinary amount of fat. Using a large diameter bullet will help keep that fat from clogging up bullet holes and promotes external bleeding. That's why I much prefer the 45-70 to other capable cartridges. Yeah, the 6.5s will kill them but there are cartridges better suited IMO.

View attachment 448427

There is a big difference between spring bears and bears hunted in the fall. In the spring they are fairly lean, and their body fat does not hinder free bleeding near as much as a fall bear that is fattening up for winter. I've killed over 2 dozen bears with various calibers, and I have reached some conclusions: First, black bears are not really all that hard to kill, but a slightly misplaced shot can, and will result in a miserable tracking job and potentially a lost animal. Secondly, 2 holes are better than one. And lastly, The wider the bore the better as long as it will penetrate all the way through the animal. My personal favorites are the 358 win loaded with 180 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets, and the 350 Remington magnum loaded with the 200 gr. Barnes TTSX. I can safely achieve 3000 fps out of the 350 which is chambered in a 22" barreled Ruger Mark 2. This combo has proven to be a real hammer on bears out to 300 yds or so. My pet 358 is Browning BLR topped with a 1.5 x 5 scope with an illuminated reticle. I prefer this rifle when hunting over bait, or in really thick cover. My pet load using TAC powder reaches nearly 2700 fps out of its short 20" barrel, and makes for a very fast handling rifle. Any rifle that can handle large deer will certainly work on black bears, these are just my personal observations.

 

[memtb]

There is a big difference between spring bears and bears hunted in the fall. In the spring they are fairly lean, and their body fat does not hinder free bleeding near as much as a fall bear that is fattening up for winter. I've killed over 2 dozen bears with various calibers, and I have reached some conclusions: First, black bears are not really all that hard to kill, but a slightly misplaced shot can, and will result in a miserable tracking job and potentially a lost animal. Secondly, 2 holes are better than one. And lastly, The wider the bore the better as long as it will penetrate all the way through the animal. My personal favorites are the 358 win loaded with 180 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets, and the 350 Remington magnum loaded with the 200 gr. Barnes TTSX. I can safely achieve 3000 fps out of the 350 which is chambered in a 22" barreled Ruger Mark 2. This combo has proven to be a real hammer on bears out to 300 yds or so. My pet 358 is Browning BLR topped with a 1.5 x 5 scope with an illuminated reticle. I prefer this rifle when hunting over bait, or in really thick cover. My pet load using TAC powder reaches nearly 2700 fps out of its short 20" barrel, and makes for a very fast handling rifle. Any rifle that can handle large deer will certainly work on black bears, these are just my personal observations.

Absolute truth here! Especially the Spring bear vs Fall bear comment. Also the potential variances in size are much greater than with deer. Deer are generally (at least those being hunted) of similar size. Bears can vary from a bit over 100 pounds to as much as 500+ pounds….though those exceeding 400 are pretty rare!

There are a large group of folks here that expound the virtues of using the smallest legal cartridge. Not that a 6.5 is that small…..just commenting on a fairly recent transition of the "smaller is better" rationalizations! Which work great…..until they don't. There is no reason not to use the largest diameter, heaviest (or at least heavy), cartridge/bullet combo that you have!

Many write volumes about their kills with the small stuff…..but, rarely do we read about the failures. We've all had failures, and most will have them again…..however, why should we invite potential failure!

I lived with this philosophy long before Bob Hagel so eloquently stated it……

You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel

memtb

 

[Varmint Hunter]

There is a big difference between spring bears and bears hunted in the fall. In the spring they are fairly lean, and their body fat does not hinder free bleeding near as much as a fall bear that is fattening up for winter. I've killed over 2 dozen bears with various calibers, and I have reached some conclusions: First, black bears are not really all that hard to kill, but a slightly misplaced shot can, and will result in a miserable tracking job and potentially a lost animal. Secondly, 2 holes are better than one. And lastly, The wider the bore the better as long as it will penetrate all the way through the animal. My personal favorites are the 358 win loaded with 180 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets, and the 350 Remington magnum loaded with the 200 gr. Barnes TTSX. I can safely achieve 3000 fps out of the 350 which is chambered in a 22" barreled Ruger Mark 2. This combo has proven to be a real hammer on bears out to 300 yds or so. My pet 358 is Browning BLR topped with a 1.5 x 5 scope with an illuminated reticle. I prefer this rifle when hunting over bait, or in really thick cover. My pet load using TAC powder reaches nearly 2700 fps out of its short 20" barrel, and makes for a very fast handling rifle. Any rifle that can handle large deer will certainly work on black bears, these are just my personal observations.

While I agree with your points and like your choice of the 358Win for black bears; the poster never said he was only interested in hunting SPRING bears. The bear in the photo was shot in the fall and had an unusually heavy layer of fat. It had to be 8" think over his back. The point being that larger diameter bullets are better for bears than smaller diameter bullets, all else being equal, IMO

As far as penetration goes, in all the bears that I've killed over the years with a 45-70, only one bear stopped the bullet. It was a 300lb+ bear and I shot him on the shoulder with a 300gr Barnes TSX. The bullet went through his shoulder and lodged in his spine. He dropped to the shot. Even soft bullets of 400gr or so just sail through bears hit broadside through the lungs.

 

[Calvin45]

There is a big difference between spring bears and bears hunted in the fall. In the spring they are fairly lean, and their body fat does not hinder free bleeding near as much as a fall bear that is fattening up for winter. I've killed over 2 dozen bears with various calibers, and I have reached some conclusions: First, black bears are not really all that hard to kill, but a slightly misplaced shot can, and will result in a miserable tracking job and potentially a lost animal. Secondly, 2 holes are better than one. And lastly, The wider the bore the better as long as it will penetrate all the way through the animal. My personal favorites are the 358 win loaded with 180 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets, and the 350 Remington magnum loaded with the 200 gr. Barnes TTSX. I can safely achieve 3000 fps out of the 350 which is chambered in a 22" barreled Ruger Mark 2. This combo has proven to be a real hammer on bears out to 300 yds or so. My pet 358 is Browning BLR topped with a 1.5 x 5 scope with an illuminated reticle. I prefer this rifle when hunting over bait, or in really thick cover. My pet load using TAC powder reaches nearly 2700 fps out of its short 20" barrel, and makes for a very fast handling rifle. Any rifle that can handle large deer will certainly work on black bears, these are just my personal observations.

In a stunning turn of events the person who goes by "358 guy" recommends bullets of .358" caliber

(Imagine that in a radio broadcast voice - mama always did say I have a face for radio )

If I ever do go bear hunting I'll bring either my 358 Norma mag or my 8x57. The .358 is awesome but my particular gun is very long and heavy and wears a scope at the moment.

The 8mm is light, fast pointing, and deliberately an iron sight only gun.

 

[wilkup]

There is a big difference between spring bears and bears hunted in the fall. In the spring they are fairly lean, and their body fat does not hinder free bleeding near as much as a fall bear that is fattening up for winter. I've killed over 2 dozen bears with various calibers, and I have reached some conclusions: First, black bears are not really all that hard to kill, but a slightly misplaced shot can, and will result in a miserable tracking job and potentially a lost animal. Secondly, 2 holes are better than one. And lastly, The wider the bore the better as long as it will penetrate all the way through the animal. My personal favorites are the 358 win loaded with 180 gr. Barnes TTSX bullets, and the 350 Remington magnum loaded with the 200 gr. Barnes TTSX. I can safely achieve 3000 fps out of the 350 which is chambered in a 22" barreled Ruger Mark 2. This combo has proven to be a real hammer on bears out to 300 yds or so. My pet 358 is Browning BLR topped with a 1.5 x 5 scope with an illuminated reticle. I prefer this rifle when hunting over bait, or in really thick cover. My pet load using TAC powder reaches nearly 2700 fps out of its short 20" barrel, and makes for a very fast handling rifle. Any rifle that can handle large deer will certainly work on black bears, these are just my personal observations.

I've got a custom Marlin in 356 Winchester I pack in a saddle scabbard while horseback in the backcountry. Never thought of loading monos in it and will have to give it a whirl. Mine has an 18.5" barrel and I'd be happy to hit 2300+ fps with some of the 178 or 203gr Shock Hammers.
The wheels seem to be spinning, always…