140 or 180 grain for black bears?

MD

MD

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This will be my 43rd season hunting black bears.

I've used a 243, 30-06, 7.62 Russian, 7x57 and 300 WM on bears so far.

My current fave rifle though is a 280 with 140 Federal premium Trophy Bonded bullets. I have yet to shoot a bear with it though. I love my 3-9 scope on it.

Otherwise I use my 300 with Winchester silver box super X. I know they are not premium bullets but they are accurate in my rifle and I like that. It only has a fixed 4-power on it but that hasn't stopped it from killing deer, bears, elk and moose in the past. It is heavier to pack around than my 280 though.

What would you take?

I'm leaving in the morning on a hunt.
 
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MD said:
This will be my 43rd season hunting black bears. I've used a 243, 30-06, 7.62 Russian, 7x57 and 300 WM on bears so far. My current fave rifle though is a 280 with 140 Federal premium Trophy Bonded bullets. I have yet to shoot a bear with it though. I love my 3-9 scope on it. Otherwise I use my 300 with Winchester silver box super X. I know they are not premium bullets but they are accurate in my rifle and I like that. It only has a fixed 4-power on it but that hasn't stopped it from killing deer, bears, elk and moose in the past. It is heavier to pack around than my 280 though. What would you take? I'm leaving in the morning on a hunt.
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Given your experience, and the fact you've used lighter cartridges in the past, I would not hesitate to use that 280. Wish I had one.
 
I'm gonna use Buffalo Bore ammo shooting 225gr Barnes TSX pushed out of a .358 BLR. :) Probably overkill for a little blackie, but I' m ready for the biggie with this ammo.
 
Take whichever rifle/cartridge makes you happier. Either of your choices are excellent. I personally would choose the .300 WM only because I have not shot game myself with one and would like to have that experience. I have used 7mm cartridges extensively, ( 7x64, 7x57, 7mm08 etc.) and like them a lot. A premium 140 grain bullet at 2800-3000 FPS muzzle velocity is a very good choice for hunting medium sized game like black bear. But so is a standard cup and core 180 grain .308" bullet at the same speed. I doubt anyone could measure the difference in effectiveness.
If you used a stronger constructed or heavier premium bullet in your .300 WM, you would likely get a higher proportion of the bullets passing through, which is a real advantage when hunting many animals, including bears. Makes them bleed out of two holes and therefore much easier to track if that is necessary. The heavy /premium bullets are also less likely to break up or deflect at odd angles if heavy bones like the humerus/scapula joint are hit. So if you want "maximum advantage" go with a heavy premium bullet like the 200 gr trophy bonded bullet in your .300.
Or just go ahead and choose either of the .280/premium or .300/standard bullet combinations based on what you like to carry and shoot. None of your choices are bad ones.
 
Yer over thinking this...…………...me thinks.
140 out of the 280 will do the trick as long as you don't dew the Texas heart shawt.

Take yer camera with you too.
 
DTM5 said:
I'm gonna use Buffalo Bore ammo shooting 225gr Barnes TSX pushed out of a .358 BLR. :) Probably overkill for a little blackie, but I' m ready for the biggie with this ammo.
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I finally found my little BBQ boar... it went down to my Ruger M77 MKII .358 Win carbine and a 200 grain RCL. Dropped straight down with zero flinching. I don't like the TSX for the .358 Win, standard cup and core bullets are right in it's wheelhouse... the TSX is better in the fast .35's. The 225 Partition is a good bullet if you are loading to MAX, but at moderate speeds, the 200 RCL, H-SP and Speer HC are just about perfect.

OP, I kind of like your .280 over the .300 WM, but of course both will work just fine.
 
hoytcanon said:
I finally found my little BBQ boar... it went down to my Ruger M77 MKII .358 Win carbine and a 200 grain RCL. Dropped straight down with zero flinching. I don't like the TSX for the .358 Win, standard cup and core bullets are right in it's wheelhouse... the TSX is better in the fast .35's. The 225 Partition is a good bullet if you are loading to MAX, but at moderate speeds, the 200 RCL, H-SP and Speer HC are just about perfect.

OP, I kind of like your .280 over the .300 WM, but of course both will work just fine.
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Looks like the right size for some fine eating. Congratulations!

Ted
 
hoytcanon said:
I finally found my little BBQ boar... it went down to my Ruger M77 MKII .358 Win carbine and a 200 grain RCL. Dropped straight down with zero flinching. I don't like the TSX for the .358 Win, standard cup and core bullets are right in it's wheelhouse... the TSX is better in the fast .35's. The 225 Partition is a good bullet if you are loading to MAX, but at moderate speeds, the 200 RCL, H-SP and Speer HC are just about perfect.

OP, I kind of like your .280 over the .300 WM, but of course both will work just fine.
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great, hope you will use my wife;s recipe for the ribs on the bbq.
 
MD said:
This will be my 43rd season hunting black bears.

I've used a 243, 30-06, 7.62 Russian, 7x57 and 300 WM on bears so far.

My current fave rifle though is a 280 with 140 Federal premium Trophy Bonded bullets. I have yet to shoot a bear with it though. I love my 3-9 scope on it.

Otherwise I use my 300 with Winchester silver box super X. I know they are not premium bullets but they are accurate in my rifle and I like that. It only has a fixed 4-power on it but that hasn't stopped it from killing deer, bears, elk and moose in the past. It is heavier to pack around than my 280 though.

What would you take?

I'm leaving in the morning on a hunt.
Click to expand...

I was out with a buddy last night for blacks - closing day. Two were taken with 160 gr Speer Grand slams. One shot kills
 
medvedqc said:
great, hope you will use my wife;s recipe for the ribs on the bbq.
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Thanks, Phil... will have try the ribs next time, just stripped the loins, everything else went into burger and sausage patties... already BBQ'd the loins and they were great with just a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper.
 
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