Bear Rifle Suggestions?
- Thread starter Wookie316
- Start date
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Holy cow....why is it whenever somone says "bear" the instant reaction is to over-gun?
Black bears are
A: Not huge animals....we're not talking grizzlies here
B: Not hard to kill.....deer are tougher
I've taken a ton of blackies (four just this past fall). All of them with a .44 mag (yes, a PISTOL cartridge!), 7/08 and/or a 30/30
As stated above...any deer cartridge is plenty.
Black bears are
A: Not huge animals....we're not talking grizzlies here
B: Not hard to kill.....deer are tougher
I've taken a ton of blackies (four just this past fall). All of them with a .44 mag (yes, a PISTOL cartridge!), 7/08 and/or a 30/30
As stated above...any deer cartridge is plenty.
- Location
- Saskatchewan
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
IMHO a medium bore with a mid-sized cartridge is an excellent choice, and if you already have a bunch of .338 components you might as well stick with that. In that respect, you could down load the .338 Winchester to better match your velocity requirements and save your custom build for something else. If we discount the small bores and discount the cartridges with very high velocities, it is pretty tough to find a poor black bear cartridge provided bullet choice is restricted to only those designed for big game and when loading to moderate velocity, there is little reason to choose a premium bullet.
However, when you are considering the build of a bear rifle, there are many factors more important than which cartridge it is chamber for. I would want the OAL of the rifle to be on the short side, and when a rifle is to be used in close cover I prefer the LOP to be on the short side to prevent it from hanging up on my coat when I'm in a hurry. If you are going to scope this thing, a low power variable is probably the best bet unless you like the scout scope arrangement, which when mounted in QD rings is my own preference. There are times when nothing is better than iron sights, and your bear gun should be so equipped.
However, when you are considering the build of a bear rifle, there are many factors more important than which cartridge it is chamber for. I would want the OAL of the rifle to be on the short side, and when a rifle is to be used in close cover I prefer the LOP to be on the short side to prevent it from hanging up on my coat when I'm in a hurry. If you are going to scope this thing, a low power variable is probably the best bet unless you like the scout scope arrangement, which when mounted in QD rings is my own preference. There are times when nothing is better than iron sights, and your bear gun should be so equipped.
I've killed bears with with cartridges that range from .223 to .375 Ruger....
Any good deer cartridge is a good back bear cartridge.
Hmmm, my buddy shot a 7'9"er out of your neck of the woods. In B.C. no baiting/head in the bucket. You don't need a cannon but I like something 338ish when I'm looking for Bears.
Any of the 308/30-06 family of cases 25 cal and up are all u need for black bears.
If u are comfortable with having more velocity all the power to you, there is something to be said about having confidence in the rifle/cartridge combo you are using that helps.
Just don't go thinking because there are those here that promote the use of smaller rounds like the 243 and smaller even though they will get the job done when everything is right is the right choice for everyone.
If u are comfortable with having more velocity all the power to you, there is something to be said about having confidence in the rifle/cartridge combo you are using that helps.
Just don't go thinking because there are those here that promote the use of smaller rounds like the 243 and smaller even though they will get the job done when everything is right is the right choice for everyone.
now if you want a nice round try 8mm/06 , yes it's a wildcat sorta , but everyone always misses this one , it's a fine cartridge shoots nice and flat works up close or if you must reach out and touch that critter , works there as well , plenty of killing power etc...
I too have noticed the TSX bullet to be unbelievably messy in a fast 338.
If you want clean exit holes I would go to a 225 or 250 Nosler Partition. The exit hole will be no larger than the size of a Loonie.
FWIW patching a bullet hole is not a big deal, but (being a first timer) the mess you make of the cape will be far more significant.
To be honest I pretty much destroyed my first two capes.
Try to take someone with you that knows what they are doing. If it is physically possible you might even want to make arrangements to take the bear to the taxidermist whole. Then have the taxidermist show you how to cape the animal properly.
Good luck!
If you want clean exit holes I would go to a 225 or 250 Nosler Partition. The exit hole will be no larger than the size of a Loonie.
FWIW patching a bullet hole is not a big deal, but (being a first timer) the mess you make of the cape will be far more significant.
To be honest I pretty much destroyed my first two capes.
Try to take someone with you that knows what they are doing. If it is physically possible you might even want to make arrangements to take the bear to the taxidermist whole. Then have the taxidermist show you how to cape the animal properly.
Good luck!
I too have noticed the TSX bullet to be unbelievably messy in a fast 338.
If you want clean exit holes I would go to a 225 or 250 Nosler Partition. The exit hole will be no larger than the size of a Loonie.
FWIW patching a bullet hole is not a big deal, but (being a first timer) the mess you make of the cape will be far more significant.
To be honest I pretty much destroyed my first two capes.
Try to take someone with you that knows what they are doing. If it is physically possible you might even want to make arrangements to take the bear to the taxidermist whole. Then have the taxidermist show you how to cape the animal properly.
Good luck!
Good info. The guy I hunt with has hunted bears for years now. He showed me how to do the cape correctly. It's not that hard once you have been shown the correct way right from the start.
Yup, the 210 TSX out of a 338-378 does big time damage. For my first Bear I went to the taxidermist and got a drawing for skinning. Worked great. For your first one you may want to leave the skull and paws for the pro. After you've done a couple its no big deal.I too have noticed the TSX bullet to be unbelievably messy in a fast 338.
If you want clean exit holes I would go to a 225 or 250 Nosler Partition. The exit hole will be no larger than the size of a Loonie.
FWIW patching a bullet hole is not a big deal, but (being a first timer) the mess you make of the cape will be far more significant.
To be honest I pretty much destroyed my first two capes.
Try to take someone with you that knows what they are doing. If it is physically possible you might even want to make arrangements to take the bear to the taxidermist whole. Then have the taxidermist show you how to cape the animal properly.
Good luck!
- Location
- new brunswick
45/70 shoot a bear every year with my stainless guide gun,short easy to carry and one hell of a punch .
.303 Brit
I almost peed my pants laughing so hard!!!!
For me, my sportered .303 brit would follow me hunting bears. Lotsa punch and jsut fun to hunt with. Canadiana at its best!!
But if ya wanna have the bear look at you with a "why the hell did you shoot me with that" look on its face, the 45/70 or any of those big bores will give out a hellova "KA-SMACK" when the bullet hits. Fun fun!!
I almost peed my pants laughing so hard!!!!For me, my sportered .303 brit would follow me hunting bears. Lotsa punch and jsut fun to hunt with. Canadiana at its best!!
But if ya wanna have the bear look at you with a "why the hell did you shoot me with that" look on its face, the 45/70 or any of those big bores will give out a hellova "KA-SMACK" when the bullet hits. Fun fun!!
You hit that one on the head.
I've got no less than 4 308s, but just bought another 338 wm and lust after a 45-70. All my moose to date have been harvested with 308 or 3030. All my blk bears have fallen to the bow.
