Oh no a bear!!

TravAce

TravAce

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So i have a savage 99 that i love dearly so now i carry it as my camp/bush gun. It is a 308 and i plan to rechamber to 358 winchester once i get the money saved up. But for now i would like some advice on 308 "bear loads".
Before you say get a bigger caliber like 45 70, they didn't make a 99 in that caliber. Don't suggest shotgun. Already have a model 12 project yo fill that role.
I'm mainly looking at 200 grain bullets. I know they are accurate in my Savage, as my buddy had some be wanted to try. My main debate is between round nose jacketed bullets or cast round nose bullets. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Keep in mind that this is not a bear defence gun, more of a i have it close by so use it for bear gun. Thanks again guys!
 
Why would anyone say, "get a bigger calibre--" than a 308 for killing a black bear?
A 308 is more than enough for a bear, with any sporting bullet of 150 to 180 grains.
 
I wouldn't bother with the 200s. A 165-168 grain pill makes a perfectly good bear bullet and you don't have to sacrifice velocity or trajectory. It also makes good medicine for everything else out there, so you could work up one good load and call it a day for bear deer moose and anything inbetween.

Unless you are going after Grizzly. Then you should get a bigger gun.
 
You didn't say what kind of bear? A .308 is more than adequate for black bear and for the big bears, check your hunting regs .... I believe there are guidelines for calibers in the B.C. Regs for Grizzlies .... I would guess Alberta regs might have some guidelines too.
 
City Boy said:
You didn't say what kind of bear? A .308 is more than adequate for black bear and for the big bears, check your hunting regs .... I believe there are guidelines for calibers in the B.C. Regs for Grizzlies .... I would guess Alberta regs might have some guidelines too.
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I could be mistaken but i believe the only animal in BC that has specific requirements is Bison.
 
Suther said:
I could be mistaken but i believe the only animal in BC that has specific requirements is Bison.
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You might be right Suther, I haven't read the regs in a long time (haven't been hunting), but I thought there were some guidelines like which animals can be taken with shotgun, rimfire, and how many pounds the draw should be on a bow, etc. I thought there were minimums set for grizz .... But maybe I'm wrong.
 
At any rate, personal experience is that animals get larger the further you go up north and at a certain point, a bigger gun is a wiser choice.
 
For what you are looking for, you might want to try the Hornady Interlock 180 RN... it is a shorter bullet and can be seated more shallowly, which allows for more powder capacity... and it is a bullet that will expand well at .308 Win velocities, but stay together enough to drive deeply.
 
I wouldn't rebarrel a .308 Savage 99 to .358. If you want something more than a .308, its because you're a hopeless gunnut, not because you need it more for blackies, so take a look at the .375-284. Its a wildcat that was designed with the 99 in mind, and is more at home traipsing through willow thickets looking for coastal grizzlies than for sitting over a black bear stand, so its effectiveness won't come into question. But just between you and me, the .308 is more versatile.
 
I know there c ate better rounds then the 358 and it's expensive to rebarrel the thing. There is just somthing about the round and rifle i just love. I am not gunna rechamber it right away. Most Likely after i shot out the 308 barrel. I am more curious now about the cast bullets vs. Jacketed. Now this is not to hunt a blackie or moose. But to STOP it...
 
TravAce said:
I know there c ate better rounds then the 358 and it's expensive to rebarrel the thing. There is just somthing about the round and rifle i just love. I am not gunna rechamber it right away. Most Likely after i shot out the 308 barrel. I am more curious now about the cast bullets vs. Jacketed. Now this is not to hunt a blackie or moose. But to STOP it...
Click to expand...

Shooting cast will save you some money, and if you're interested in learning more about it, pick up Veral Smith's book "Jacketed Performance with Cast Bullets" from LBT (Lead Bullet Technology). Google lead bullet technology, and the book tab is on the left side of the page at the bottom.
 
H4831 said:
Why would anyone say, "get a bigger calibre--" than a 308 for killing a black bear?
A 308 is more than enough for a bear, with any sporting bullet of 150 to 180 grains.
Click to expand...

Don't you know that bear, moose and elk have mutated over the couple last years and are now immune to the anemic caliber you call 308. Anything below 30-06 will only make them laugh at your pittiful attempt to wound them. Better go 300WinMag and up to be sure.

I heard it in a gun store so it's true.

/sarcasm off/
 
Personally I hate the 308. Can't tell you why but i've loaded for my buddies rifles. 165-180 gr performance is better than the larger bullets. The 308 just can't spit them fast enough for reliable expansion unless very close. A 200 gr round nose will turn your 308 into a 3030 class. Not a bad thing but know your ranges and drop charts
Personally I'd go the round nose interlock or 165 gr sst. Not sure if you could fit a 180 gr sst. At 308 velocity its a great bullet and will mushroom very nicely and dig deep
 
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