.308 150 grain for black bear
- Thread starter olympia
- Start date
Well, if the bear ain't too big, and the range is under 80 meters,and you hit him right in the ticker, maybe. Go to 180's if you care about humane kills.
And don't use 'blue box' ammo - go with something harder-hitting like Winchester Supremes (Nosler bullet) - with those, I do go down to 168's & I've had no issues dropping bears up to around 400 lbs. with my BLR. Bigger than that, I don't know coz I've never had a chance at one of the really big guys.
And don't use 'blue box' ammo - go with something harder-hitting like Winchester Supremes (Nosler bullet) - with those, I do go down to 168's & I've had no issues dropping bears up to around 400 lbs. with my BLR. Bigger than that, I don't know coz I've never had a chance at one of the really big guys.
in a 308 i think blue box fed or win pp would be fine in a 180 grn. the 308 isn't fast enough to blow up bullets. i tried win pp in 175 grn 7 mag. took two decent bears and recoverd both bullets. didn't look gread but the bears were dead. both at close range. heavier bullet weight for the calibre makes cheaper cup and core bullets look good.
dgradinaru
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- British Columbia
The 150 will do just fine out to 200 yards. Im not to worried about how far the shot will be. 150 can kill almost any big game- i think they have a velocity of 2850fts the blue fedral box which is a pretty good load. Its your choice. I my self use 140gr in the 6.5x55 cal and will be able to take moose down with it to.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
I have used the Federal Blue box 150gr. .308 for 8 or so whitetail and mule deer. Based on penetration and expansion that I observed, and the two bullets that I actually recovered, I would feel confident recommending them as OK for black bear.
But if it was me, I'd use 180's to be more certain of an exit hole, which is very handy when you need to track a bear that didn't die quick enough.
I would not put the Sierra Game King in the same category with Accubonds or partitions. Game kings are accurate, but no better at retaining weight or penetrating deeply than the Blue box federals. If I was buying ammo for my .308 to hunt bears with, it would certainly be 180 grain, and probably Nosler partitions or Accubonds. The $10 more for a box of shells would make me feel better, but probably won't kill most black bears any better than your plain 150's.
But if it was me, I'd use 180's to be more certain of an exit hole, which is very handy when you need to track a bear that didn't die quick enough.
I would not put the Sierra Game King in the same category with Accubonds or partitions. Game kings are accurate, but no better at retaining weight or penetrating deeply than the Blue box federals. If I was buying ammo for my .308 to hunt bears with, it would certainly be 180 grain, and probably Nosler partitions or Accubonds. The $10 more for a box of shells would make me feel better, but probably won't kill most black bears any better than your plain 150's.
What might be adequate for a 250-300 lb bear might not prove so adequate if one double that weight shows up. You're only going to fire one (hopefully) or two shots at game so why cheap out on the ammo?
Yup.
black bears arent tough. Hit them in the right spot and dont rush them. i shoot them with 165g 30-06. never had a issue. i would not feel undergunned shooting my 30-30 either.
any one that tells you a 308 with 150g wont take a 7ft black dont know what they are talking about.
hit them right and hit them once.
any one that tells you a 308 with 150g wont take a 7ft black dont know what they are talking about.
hit them right and hit them once.
Yes, it will work well.
But If I walked into the store to buy ammo, I would rather buy the 165 or 180. The 150 has a lot of velocity and can blow up on a major bone. Been there, done that.
On a good shot behind the shoulder, the 150 will blow his lungs out the nose. But a shoulder shot might not penetrate into the boiler room. I would buy the 180 blue box.
But If I walked into the store to buy ammo, I would rather buy the 165 or 180. The 150 has a lot of velocity and can blow up on a major bone. Been there, done that.
On a good shot behind the shoulder, the 150 will blow his lungs out the nose. But a shoulder shot might not penetrate into the boiler room. I would buy the 180 blue box.
150 blue box .308 have worked for me in the past. I have also used 150's with a 30-30 as well. Funny how there seems to be no difference when the bear goes down. Now when I bump it up to my 375 H&H there is a bit of a difference. The hole is a bit bigger.
Every hunters rule should be.... Make your shot a good one. Give that bullet the best chance to find a kill zone and it should do its' job.
Every hunters rule should be.... Make your shot a good one. Give that bullet the best chance to find a kill zone and it should do its' job.
#1 son's GF took two decent black bears and a grizzly, last spring, with 150 gn Nosler solid base (for those who remember them, I have a couple thousand stashed) loaded to about 2700 fps in 308 in a Win Ftrwt carbine. Short answer is if the 150 goes where it belongs it works flawlessly, even on grizzly.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
You'll be fine with that combo.
The 150 grey and blue box is fine IF you put it in the boiler room. It will kill any game in North America efficiently at moderate range, (<=200yds) IF you hit it in the heart/lung area. The problems can arise on the heavier game if you do not hit the boiler room as mentioned in earlier posts. If you are not prepared to wait for, and make a clean shot, then you should run something more appropriate for punching through shoulders. (Or don't go)
PS. The Game King is not a shoulder puncher. It will make a real mess of the boiler room though
PS. The Game King is not a shoulder puncher. It will make a real mess of the boiler room though
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- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
Bahaha!!!
My thoughts exactly.
The benefit with a bigger bullet/gun is that the exit hole is gonna be larger on a sub par shot, and tracking will be easier.
I'd prefer a better shot, and less tracking, but thats just me.
As one of the above posters said, Black bears are not tough. They are more like a pig in structure than anything else. 150 gr bullets out of a 308 will do just fine. Don't forget most of a blackies vitals are covered by his front leg when standing still, so wait a bit for him to reach forward or take a step if you want the heart shot. Placement trumps caliber and power every single time. Have fun and good hunting.
I don't recall anyone recommending a magnum in this thread, but using a decent bullet is just common sense. If you hit the shoulder instead of behind the shoulder, there's a lot of muscle, bone and fat to punch through. I've seen conventional bullets come apart at close range on much more lightly built deer.
