35rem bullets recommendations for Black Bear

Mount Sweetness

Mount Sweetness

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Southern Ontario
I currently shoot factory 200gr Leverevolution.
My black bear gun is a Rem760 pump, I’m considering handloading this round now and would like your opinions on the ultimate bullet.

Is the 35rem cartridge able to handle a 225gr Barnes TSX?
How about a 220gr Speer, seems like a popular choice, but will I get much expansion?

Looking for a bit more penetration on big bears.
 
I would stick with a cup & core bullet... the .35 Rem does not get the speed to take advantage of the TSX... a 200 SP is perfect on deer and bear... take your pick, there are lots to choose from. I use Speer, Hornady and Rem Core-Lokt.
 
I just killed a 350+lb bear this past weekend with the 200gr LEVERevolution, this bear absorbed atleast four bullets at rather close range.
The penetration on such a tough massive animal was not what I would have hoped for.
There’s no way this bullet gets through a mature boars shoulder at any range.
 
not enough speed for a TSX or TTSX bullet. However, the Speer 220gr was made for 35 Remington, 358 Win and even the 350 Rem Mag: I reload and use it for all 3 of these rifles. Perfect expansion for the applicable speeds, good for anything in North America. Try and find them will be a chore......
 
Mount Sweetness said:
I just killed a 350+lb bear this past weekend with the 200gr LEVERevolution, this bear absorbed atleast four bullets at rather close range.
The penetration on such a tough massive animal was not what I would have hoped for.
There’s no way this bullet gets through a mature boars shoulder at any range.
Click to expand...

I have heard mixed reviews about the LVR factory loads and their effect on game... I don't use factory ammo, but I have loaded the FTX bullet for bears and deer, the performance was OK, but I have gone back to standard SP's. The Speer 220 is a good bullet in my .358 Win rifles, for .350 Rem Mag I use the 250 Partition almost exclusively. You might also try the Hornady 200 RN, it has been stupid accurate in a few of my .35's and worked fine on a bunch of deer, the 200 RN opens up fast, but travels straight... might be a good choice if you are pushing the range.
 
Speer 220, Sierra 200 grain and Hornady 200 RN all give good results in the .35 Remington. I have found the Hornady FTX to be a little soft up close. Stretch things out past 100 yards and they come into their own.
 
I agree with the post above; the Barnes TSX will need more velocity to open up properly. Stick to the cup and core bullets for this cartridge. The ones mentioned above are all good choices. You can also use the Speer 180 gr Hot Cor. This bullet does provide a little more velocity and provides great expansion and penetration at normal ranges for 35 Rem.

On another note...were you aiming for penetration of the onside shoulder and trying to get to the vitals? Or aiming through the vitals to break the offside shoulder?
The latter is the best option on bears.
While bears are not overly difficult to harvest cleanly and quickly, as with any animal, you will run across individuals that possess a greater will to live. And any bear that is aware of you, of heightened alertness or already has their adrenaline up, can be more difficult to harvest with just one shot. As always, shot placement is everything.

For larger bears at longer ranges (100 yds+), I prefer cartridges with more energy (i.e. 358 Win, 338 Federal, 308 or 30-06, etc.)
Past 100 yards, the 35 Rem is going to start running out of energy quickly...
 
I aimed for the onside shoulder thinking the 200gr would penetrate through into the chest, but the bullet stayed in the arm.
Big 350+lb boar within 50 yards.
All my other bears have been one shot kills with this gun, all heart shots though, back behind the arm.
Now I know not to f around with the shoulder, but I was shocked by the lack of damage.
This bear took four 200gr bullets and none of them exited, that surprised me as well, I thought I’d have an exit wound or two but they just didn’t have the energy.

Pm me your email address if you’d like to see pics.
 
I used 200 gr interlocks over 41 gr of leverevolution powder to take a smallish black bear last fall.
The were a few aerobics at the shot but ended up ten feet from where he was standing.

This load grouped the best in my Marlin.

Also the first time I’d used a hand load to take an animal
 
This is my first reloaded 35 Remington, 200 grain Hornady RN kill shot - was expecting better performance. This bullet went into an 80 pound wild boar, front quartering shot under 50 yards, ripped through the esophagus and lodged in behind the front shoulder. Barely touched any bones, not sold on the RN's yet but might try them on deer this fall.





Retained weight is 131 grains
 
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The Speer 220 gr is magic in the 35 Remington. Designed especially for that cartridge, it is very accurate, and performs far beyond what you might expect on moose, caribou, and bear up here.

Ted
 
Mount Sweetness said:
I just killed a 350+lb bear this past weekend with the 200gr LEVERevolution, this bear absorbed atleast four bullets at rather close range.
The penetration on such a tough massive animal was not what I would have hoped for.
There’s no way this bullet gets through a mature boars shoulder at any range.
Click to expand...

LVR revolution are garbage, I lost a nice bear on a 10 yard shot. At close ranges/high speeds, they are just a large varmint bullet, even in 45-70, and will splash on bone....
 
I had a Hornady 200 rn bullet grenade on a rib at less than 100 yards on a deer I took down.

Greg is giving great recommendations.
HIs experience speaks for itself.
 
Hard Cast my man......... ow yehh.

i use it in the 375 BB on big deer, an find it does it job well! penetration no issue for you, an will expand enough........ thoughts?
 
Hey Guys, I have been hunting deer with the 200 Hornady Spitzer for decades with never a failure, handloaded in the 35 Rem., 358 Win. and 350 Rem Mag, all bolt actions. All the shots have been pass throughs with good expansion except one where
the bullet broke apart, I would not hesitate at all for use on Black Bear. The Rem. 760 is one of the few guns where you can take the 35 Rem to new heights and use pointed bullets. One bullet I want to try for giggles is the Barnes 180 TTSX not that it is+ needed for my deer hunting but it would be better for larger game like moose.
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