30-30 and the eastern Blackbear

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My wife and I are planning to go on a outfitted Black bear hunt next year.
I will be using my .300 savage with 165gr Nosler A/B.
Ranges will be up to 75yards.

My wife will just be getting her Hunter saftey and firearms course so I have a year to get her in practice for shooting a rifle. she has shot .22's and the 12 gauge for trap the back yard but the kick with the 12 gauge was a little much as she is of small stature, she hit a few claysfor her first time, I was impressed.

My Question is,

I have a M-94 30-30

Would I be smoking crack if I said that with the new hornady Lever evelution 160 grainers this would be a more then adequate eastern black bear combination for ranges up to 75 yards.

I'm thinking recoil and size of rifle for her and well... I don't have a whole lot of extra funds for a new rifle.

Having asked all this, I know there is plenty of other calibres that can would be more suited for Eastern black bear but it seems to me that up to 75 yards the lod dirty thirty would do well?

Camper
 
As one who has successfully used the 30-30 with standard loads on moose, I can say yes.
Black bear, particularly from a stand, are not hard to kill.
In the US, hunters routinely use handguns like the 357 magnum.
If she can shoot it well, there will be no problems.
 
I think you are on the right track with the Hornady loads... but you may have to get a higher front sight.
Those things really shoot but they hit quite a bit higher and many rifles need the higher front sight to sight in with the leverevolution cartridges.
 
The 30/30 would be great for your purposes, I would favour the factory 170 gr. flat point at close range or a heavier cast bullet with flat point.
 
I've shot 3 boxes of Leverevolution out of my Marlin 336XLR and compared them to 170gr. Win Silvertips and point of impact is nearly the same. I think that even the winchesters will do their job if your wife practises good shot placement on bears. Someone had posted a really neat chart of various animals a while back, I think that would help a lot. Good luck to you both. :)
 
For a high impact point I'd put a Williams receiver peep sight on the rifle.
Very adjustable, and they work great. :)
 
#### wait..the 30-30 isnt suitable for anything larger than small deer, at close range. Look into a 325 WSM or a 338 Win Mag for black bear hunting
 
C'mon Todd get a life, What if it charges The 416 rigby is the only way to go.

and BTW where did all of you fancy Avatars go, I miss them!
LOL LOL
 
If your wife is recoil challenged, and some of us are, for whatever reason, then stick to the lighter bullets, 150 grain or less.
It really doesn't matter if the bullet is 150 grains or 180 grains, as long as she doesn't develop a flinch and can't put the bullet in the right place when she shoots.
That 30-30 will easily drop any bear out there if the bullet is put in the right place.
I've seen bears shot with 45-70s and 375 H&H magnums take off, after being hit wrong, never to be seen again.
Be nice to your wife and find the lightest load that she can shoot well or get her something else to shoot. Maybe, you don't say, she is of short stature and neither the shotguns or rifle fit her properly. Probably the stocks are to long. That is quite often the problem that causes excessive recoil. On the other hand, it may be the other way around and the stock may be way to short, either will give the same result. If that is the case, and you can afford it, look for a rifle chambered in something with a nice balance of power to weight ratio, like a 6.5x55 or even a much maligned 243 Winchester or the really sweet 257 Roberts. bearhunter
 
Why not cook-up a reduced recoil load for your .300 Savage. Browse the hodgdon website as they have many reduced loads posted there. If you do not reload the 30-30 has done in thousands of bears black and brown. Or just a thougt maybe ask her what gun she would like to use.
 
you wont even need the new whizzbang rounds..

just pick up some factory rounds and make sure she practices with it before the hunt!

Now my question to you! WHERED you find the hunting wife!
 
the 30-30 has killed millions of different type of north american animals. my only question would be.is she comfy using the 30-30 on a bear hunt
 
My 12 Year old took a record black bear on Vancouver Island when he was 10 using Winchchester 170 Power Points. Skull was 19 5/16 " bullet went through right side, through lungs hit a rib and travelled the length of the bear. Was using a Winchester 94 Trapper Model. The 30-30 is fine for black bear.
 
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Now my question to you! WHERED you find the hunting wife!

My wife is the type of girl that I am waiting at the door tapping for 20 minutes so she can finish her drying her hair. She is a girly girl but is up for anything to make our lives together great. She loves to shoot guns and because we have one boy that is super interested in hunting and another that will take a few more years to even know what hunting is, I think her additude is if you can't beat em, you might as welll join em!

She loves to eat wild game as well and the though the thoughts of shooting a pretty deer does not tickle her fancy, smoking a big bear or a gobbler would wind her right up!
She's the one that suggested a bear hunt to me.

I'm going to take her to the range this weekend and have her shoot the 30- 30 with some 150 grainers.

I would load some reduced loads for the .300 Savage but we will nee two guns as we will be set up at two different bait sites.
 
Bearhunter had some super good advice above.
Nothing worse than for a new hunter to develop a flinch, & it doesn't take a big nasty gun to do it! In fact a lot of flinches over the years I've seen were developed from NOT wearing ear protection!
I'd suggest you download a bunch of 150s for your 30-30 & let your wife do a pile of shooting at the range so she very comfortable shooting, then slowly move back up to full bore :D 30-30s.
 
yes that is a good idea, along with the hearing protection, I will pad up her little shoulder so its a comfortable experience!
 
Super thread as my wife is going to hunt this season. Thinking about taking the 30-30 in and getting a declerator installed. Looking for a 30.06 to customize for her, but with one daughter wanting to take her CORE, more female sized rifles wouldn't hurt.

My thinking is if she's all good with a 12 gauge, it should be fine.
 
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