nowarningshot
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
180 partition. I shoot that shet on everything. Pricey, but in reality, your bullet/ammo is the cheapest part of your hunt.
What's your go to 30 cal black bear bullet?
- Thread starter dand883
- Start date
180 or 200 gr partitions, depending on the rifle. I have tried 150 gr Barnes x bullets as well, they performed well, but that was only in one 308 rifle, so cant say that experience is standard across the board. - dan
I’ve shot black bears with SST, interlock, TSX, core-lok, partitions
Only bullet I had “fail” was an interlock 150g out of a 30-30.
It killed the bear but I did put a second shot in it because I had the opportunity in the moment.
The first bullet was busted into chunks in a sack of silver skin under the hide.
It hade went trough shoulders and spine on a quartering away shot.
This spring is 130g TTSX in a single shot 30-30 for a 30cal option
But have a 45colt henry and a new 243 I want to blood first so I’ll see
Only bullet I had “fail” was an interlock 150g out of a 30-30.
It killed the bear but I did put a second shot in it because I had the opportunity in the moment.
The first bullet was busted into chunks in a sack of silver skin under the hide.
It hade went trough shoulders and spine on a quartering away shot.
This spring is 130g TTSX in a single shot 30-30 for a 30cal option
But have a 45colt henry and a new 243 I want to blood first so I’ll see
Blackies are easy to kill as the hunting is rarely at long range so avoid overthinking the concept. A simple soft point is all you need. The only requirement is that you can shoot the load accurately from your rifle. Although I often carry either my 35Whelen or 375H&H just for fun, my 270Win with Powershock 130 grain soft points has racked up a few bears and my father's ancient 30-30 with 150s harvested 50 to 60 bears during his lifetime.
Have to agree with that. Old timer friend of my step father's, who killed more bears than anyone I have ever met, used a 300 savage. - dan
i do not know if they are hard to kill or not but the 300 savage is a great caliber ...
Black bears are not hard to kill, generally. In the 70s and 80s I shot a lot of nuisance bears around in central alberta. A lot of people i knew had acreages, and bears on your property were treated the same as varmints. Usually a guy at work would ask (every shop has a gun guy or two), id tell him how to put out a bait barrel, and a few days later I would drive out and shoot it for them. Often with just a 30-30, but I tried various cartridges over the years. The bears all died. After that it was up to them to dispose of the carcass, as they saw fit. Usually buried on their property. Sometimes they wanted the skins. Couple of times they sold the carcass to some asian guys we worked with, they wanted the paws and gall bladders. Ive eaten black bear a bunch of times, the meat really depends on their diet and the cook. - dan
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I’m in this camp. I do believe lead core bullets can be slightly more effective on our thin skinned game, however anything I feed the family gets shot with mono metals. Injecting lead at speed into food isn’t the best laid plan.
Light to mid weight for calibre TSX, GMX, or CEB for me.
As stated, SP cup and core bullets work well in most 30 cal rifles. For example, incl/, but not limited to:
30-30; Winchester 170 gr Silver Tip or Power Points, and Federal 170 gr Nosler Partitions
308 Win; Winchester 180 gr Silver Tip or Power Points, Federal 150-180 gr Nosler Partitions/AccuBonds, Hdy Interlocks, Speer Hot Cor, Sierra Pro Hunter/SGK, etc.
30-06; Same as 308
300 Magnum (of any type); Same as above
Biggest variable (other than the operator behind the trigger, and bullet placement) is going to be the size of the bear...bears of the 150 lb size are a different beast to that 4-500 spring bear. A large boar is going to have heavier bone and more muscle mass than a young bear, that must be taken into account.
Know your bear population, or ask your outfitter, as to the bears that are being targeted. And the average distance of the shots to be presented to the hunter e.g., spot and stalk vs stand hunting over baits.
30-30; Winchester 170 gr Silver Tip or Power Points, and Federal 170 gr Nosler Partitions
308 Win; Winchester 180 gr Silver Tip or Power Points, Federal 150-180 gr Nosler Partitions/AccuBonds, Hdy Interlocks, Speer Hot Cor, Sierra Pro Hunter/SGK, etc.
30-06; Same as 308
300 Magnum (of any type); Same as above
Biggest variable (other than the operator behind the trigger, and bullet placement) is going to be the size of the bear...bears of the 150 lb size are a different beast to that 4-500 spring bear. A large boar is going to have heavier bone and more muscle mass than a young bear, that must be taken into account.
Know your bear population, or ask your outfitter, as to the bears that are being targeted. And the average distance of the shots to be presented to the hunter e.g., spot and stalk vs stand hunting over baits.
fade2black
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central Ontario
When we could get then the 200g HC worked well for on bear
Quality bullet??? You don't think cast bullets or even round ball in a smoke pole are good enough to kill a black bear?
I give bears more respect in regards to bullet choice and shot placement vs whitetails. What I don’t see repeated nearly as often as “bears are not be hard to kill”, is they’re absolutely hard to track. They also tend to “disappear” under the smallest thing you’d never expect them to, where a whitetail often just dead runs straight until it drops and is easily seen. I’ve never stepped over a deer without knowing. I’ve seen 3 guys circling a bear within 40yards, often within just a few yards for 40min looking for a speck of blood before someone noticed the bear.
I’m on deer hunting, moose hunting, bear hunting, and dog blood tracking Facebook groups. While there’s less bear hunting in Ontario than deer and moose, the norm is to see far more people asking for help tracking a bear than any other species. Even archery deer doesn’t come close. Far more stories of never found bears too. I often think people give up when the bear was actually right there.
Over thinking a bear bullet isn’t a bad thing in my opinion
I’m on deer hunting, moose hunting, bear hunting, and dog blood tracking Facebook groups. While there’s less bear hunting in Ontario than deer and moose, the norm is to see far more people asking for help tracking a bear than any other species. Even archery deer doesn’t come close. Far more stories of never found bears too. I often think people give up when the bear was actually right there.
Over thinking a bear bullet isn’t a bad thing in my opinion
Any 165-200 grain cup and core bullet will work just fine. If your heart is set on using a 150 grain bullet switch to a stouter designed bullet like a Partition, or a monolithic.
