Calibre for black bear hunt in Ontario

hawkmp9

hawkmp9

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
86   0   0
I am heading on a black bear hunt in northern Ontario.
I have a Marlin 1894c in 357magnum I would like to use with either federal 170gr hammer down ammo or pmc Bronze 158gr flat nose sp. Bears will be baited and shooting will be under 50 yards.
I was hoping for some actual black bear hunters to chime in as to whether it’s a suitable calibre.
If not no worries I’ll take my .270win
 
Last edited:
Nothing against the 357, however if it were me I'd use the 270win given the choice between the 2, best to have the penetration, but take the 357 up too, lots of places to target practice and grouse heads.
 
I guide for bear... I won't say I would be upset to see your .357, but I would not be thrilled. Take the .270 with 150 grain loads. Keep in mind that there are bears and then there are BEARS... Sub-200 bears can be treated like a whitetail deer, Plus-400 bears should be shown some more respect and you never know which will show up... Your .270 is the more appropriate choice.

This applies no matter how many responders show up after this post telling you that a .223 is a good choice and your .357 is "overkill."
 
Over bait you will be good with your 357, I shot a spike moose last yr @ 100 +/- with the PMC 158gr flat nose sp, complete pass through, went 15yds.
 
I’d take the 270. Bears arent that hard to kill if you work with a bit. A high velocity fast opening bullet well forward on the chest and they usually fall on their chin. Vary from that plan much and get a runner and your day is going to take a turn for the worse. They might be easy to kill quickly if you do a few things right, but they are hellaciously hard to find if they run.
 
Dogleg said:
I’d take the 270. Bears arent that hard to kill if you work with a bit. A high velocity fast opening bullet well forward on the chest and they usually fall on their chin. Vary from that plan much and get a runner and your day is going to take a turn for the worse. They might be easy to kill quickly if you do a few things right, but they are hellaciously hard to find if they run.
Click to expand...

Quoted for truth!! They often do not leave much [if any] of a blood trail when wounded, even fatally.
This makes them hard to follow up if they run. I spent about 2½ hours looking for
a nice black bear that my partner shot. He only went 90 yards, but he was well
hidden under some blowdown. We were relieved when we finally found him. Dave.
 
Just one more to add here- bears aren't overly hard to kill, but they are notoriously hard to track...

I'd take the .270 for the added insurance. Nobody's saying the .357 won't work, but you might as well use the best option you have at your disposal.
 
In a survival situation use whatever you have but this is not a survival problem. Would the .357 work @ 50 yards, sure it will but why use it when you have a 270 Win. As others have said, a wounded bear that has taken off into the bush can be very difficult to locate, especially in the dark. Been there, done that, no fun. Use your .270 Win.
 
I think the opinion is pretty clear.
I had done my own research and you guys all confirmed the 357 isn’t ideal.
Thanks for everyone’s input.
The Marlin was bought as a backup deer gun so that’s ok.

I’ll be taking my Pre ‘64 Model 70 featherweight and using federal red box 150gr.

Thanks again for all the replies :)
 
hawkmp9 said:
I am heading on a black bear hunt in northern Ontario.
I have a Marlin 1894c in 357magnum I would like to use with either federal 170gr hammer down ammo or pmc Bronze 158gr flat nose sp. Bears will be baited and shooting will be under 50 yards.
I was hoping for some actual black bear hunters to chime in as to whether it’s a suitable calibre.
If not no worries I’ll take my .270win
Click to expand...

How did you do on your HUNT ? did you use the 357 to kill a bear ? OR ? RJ
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom