bear hunting ammo choice - help pls

Ian Sa said:
I have no probelm driving to pickup ammunition. It's just that every site I've checked says they are out of stock.
Greenbob gave a link to bass pro shops (there is one in Concord) and they say they have .308Win 180grain corlokt in stock.
I'll take that advice, buy a few boxes, and sight in my rifle with this cartridge. With a little luck I'll have myself a nice bear rug this year.

Thanks to all, I appreciate the help. And if lucky I'll upload a pic or two after the hunt :)
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Do not rely on the website from anywhere to tell you if the ammo you want is in stock or not. Pick up the phone and call, or stop in. Thats the only way you'll really know what they've got.
 
Your .308 is more than enough gun for black bear hunting, anyone that tells you differently has not done much hunting or is really afraid of bears!
 
Years ago when private flying and guns across the US border were less problematic we landed in Northway AK to clear Customs. The agent asked me "You got a gun, we got bears here"? Told him I had a Remington 788 Carbine in 308 and without a word he sent me on our way. I've shot moose and black bear with that caliber and never thought that I needed more gun. Tend towards the heavier bullets (180 grain) and load to less than max velocity. They expand nicely based on recovered bullets and more important, stay intact.

I've grown more timid with the years and am probably a lot slower with a gun so I take a 45-70 or a slugged shotgun as protection for grizz.
 
scout_289 said:
....load to less than max velocity. .
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..and that is exactly the problem for us non-loaders. Specially those of us who have to shoot at close range due to dense bush/marsh.

More I think about it, more I lean back towards the old trusted RN Core-Lokts for bush hunting. Don't have any short-range experience with premium bluets like TTSX, NP and Oryx. I suspect they are not designed/loaded for optimum performance at shorter range.
 
Home3 said:
I suspect they are not designed/loaded for optimum performance at shorter range.
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I would think quite the opposite. They are designed to work effectively at a wide range of velocities, and still hold together. Half the point of them is that they wont blow up when a deer pops up at 30 yards and all you've got is a 7mm Rem Mag or whatever on you. A cheaper bullet would leave a shallow crater-like wound, while a premium bullet will hold together.

Besides, 308 doesn't really have the kind of velocity that people worry about bullet quality, especially with a 180 grain pill. Still, a quality bullet is highly recommended. Think about it, you spend how much money on a rifle, scope, license, tag, transportation, ect.... Then buy the cheapest bullets you can find? That doesn't make much sense...
 
.308 is fine for bears, I've killed many with a stubby Rem 600 in .308 over the last 25+ years.

Any of your common 150+ grain bullets will work, with your 165 grain BT's probably being your best all around .308 hunting bullet.

Plain (inexpensive) 180 grain offerings from Winchester, Federal and Remington are also well proven, reliable, effective big game killers.

That "Zombie" stuff is for shooting targets and beer cans at the range, not for anyting that's still living...which I guess means it might be okay to use on actual zombies...
 
Killed 2 black bears now both with a .270 running 140gr Nosler bullets (same as I use for moose and deer). Both bears dropped within 3 steps. Seriously, Ontario black bears are pretty easy to kill. Pick a bullet for your .308 that you would shoot deer or moose with and put the bullet in the boiler room. Dead bear.
 
Oh Hell, go buy a couple boxes of any 308 with 150 gn hunting bullet or heavier and have at 'em, blackies are not hard to kill............no rocket science required here.............hit 'em right and they are dead, just remember all animals live within the front 1/3 of the body and putting holes elsewhere is futile, even with a .375..........The kids significant other has 3 blackies and a grizzly with her 308, using 150 gn Nosler solid base bullets, all dead one shot.
 
Winchester silver tip dragon slayers are a solid bullet in 180 gr.
Bears , moose , deer all tip over when hit in the right spot by them.
My buddies 7600 shoots 3 leaf clover groups with them , so their accurate enough also.

Go get a bear !
 
Choosing the correct bullet is the first step, that's pretty much been covered. The second step is the proper application of that bullet. The math isn't difficult, as with all big game, shoot, then without lowering the rifle, cycle the action aggressively, so that you're ready to shoot again in an instant. If no further shooting is required, you can relax, but if you haven't rugged him with your first shot, hit him again. Repeat as required.
 
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roccoskeet said:
Winchester silver tip dragon slayers are a solid bullet in 180 gr.
Bears , moose , deer all tip over when hit in the right spot by them.
My buddies 7600 shoots 3 leaf clover groups with them , so their accurate enough also.

Go get a bear !
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just because the shoot good in your friends gun does not mean they will shoot good in every gun even if its the same make and model and the SN was one number different. your best bet is to get as many box's od as many brand/types/weights as you can and test them don't worry about if they hit point of aim as this can be adjusted when you find the right round. also look up where the vitals are for black bear and when the time comes visualize where the vitals are on the animal and place the shot a heart/lung is what you are going for. staying calm and waiting for a good shot is also important
 
Ian Sa said:
thanks all, I didn't even consider Canadian Tire.
I figured the CGN sponsors would have a wide selection but so far could find nothing other than Norinco or target loads. And few websites with 165 grain, none with anything bigger.
Funny thing is that I don't know what kind of bears to expect north or Timmins but I would prefer not to be unprepared. I want to use my .308 and I don't see why I should not provided I use the right ammo. Xeon gave links to order it above and that's what I'll do. Thanks to all for the advice.

Cheers, Ian.
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Ian... don't feel that a standard PSP Winchester load is handicapping you if you meet a large bear (500+)... it is not a "marginal" bullet for bears, it is an ideal bullet in my opinion... all 45+ of my bears were taken with archery gear, but I guided hunters to more than 250 more bears... they were shooting everything from 20 and 12 gauge slugs (I didn't allow buckshot) to .375 H&H and .45/70's... many were using .308 Winchester's out of a number of platforms... IMO standard cup and core bullets perform BETTER than many of the premium bullets... and as I said earlier the Winchester PSP's of 150-180 grains will cleanly harvest any bear that walks... rather than worry about your bullets, study black bear anatomy and place your bullet cleanly through the lungs that bear will be yours... be discerning of the animals body posture and your posture and your emotional condition (nerves)... those are the three areas where problems occur most frequently with new bear hunters.

P.S - If you are hunting North of Timmins, then you have to drive through Sudbury... stop at Ramakko's Source for Adventure and they will fix you up for ammo... they are right on HWY 69 on the left just as you enter Sudbury.
 
hoytcanon said:
Ian... don't feel that a standard PSP Winchester load is handicapping you if you meet a large bear (500+)... it is not a "marginal" bullet for bears, it is an ideal bullet in my opinion... all 45+ of my bears were taken with archery gear, but I guided hunters to more than 250 more bears... they were shooting everything from 20 and 12 gauge slugs (I didn't allow buckshot) to .375 H&H and .45/70's... many were using .308 Winchester's out of a number of platforms... IMO standard cup and core bullets perform BETTER than many of the premium bullets... and as I said earlier the Winchester PSP's of 150-180 grains will cleanly harvest any bear that walks... rather than worry about your bullets, study black bear anatomy and place your bullet cleanly through the lungs that bear will be yours... be discerning of the animals body posture and your posture and your emotional condition (nerves)... those are the three areas where problems occur most frequently with new bear hunters.

P.S - If you are hunting North of Timmins, then you have to drive through Sudbury... stop at Ramakko's Source for Adventure and they will fix you up for ammo... they are right on HWY 69 on the left just as you enter Sudbury.
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Agree 100% that a standard soft nose bullet will do the job. I've gotten into more expensive projectiles lately, mostly because my 257 Bee seems to want to occasionally vaporize a cup and core bullet. I've shot more game with my 308 than any other rifle I own, mostly with Hornady Interlocks and Sierra Gamekings. Nothing fancy, at that speed a 150 gr Interlock will go end to end on a deer at 100 yards. Even after ricocheting off a rib and turning your quartering towards shot into an end to end....
 
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