Light recoiling deer/black bear caliber for 150yards

[accumark]

I have both a 300 Savage and a 257 Bob They are classics and hard to beat for the task at hand!!! Things may change ,but time tells us which is for better or worse, newer may not always be better ? hope I am around to see

 

[mark k]

6.5x55 in a Mauser sporter would be hard to beat. Classy too.

 

[Lonesome Donkey]

243.

x 3

 

[canmic]

The 7.62x39 kills deer quite dead. Could work on Black Bear (depends on the size of the Bear, individual results may vary ) -

Ruger No.1-A 7.62x39 with Leupold VX-2 Ultralight 2-7x28mm scope

7.62x39 out to about 100 yds, it's a bit tricky beyond that distance. Shot placement is going to be super important but it's such a cheap thing to practice with

 

[rmcda]

Another vote for the .243!

 

[popper]

Light factory loads for '06 or 308 - I've seen Federal, Remington and Hornady.
Should have at least one in any of the big outdoor stores.
I like the idea of the reduced load since you can also carry a full powered ammo...just in case...

 

[Mike Webb]

Obviously some guys don't read the original post. The OP said he is shooting reduced loads in the .30/06 but may not be able to reload much longer. Some guys have suggested the 7mm magnum, 358 Win., .338 Federal etc. all of which kick harder than the .30/06 with reduced loads. For the game mentioned I think there are several good choices; .257 Roberts, 7x57, 7mm/08, .25/06, .243, 6mm Remington, 6.5x55. The .30/30, .32 special, .35 Remington even the .303 British work well but don't shoot as flat as those first mentioned if a longer shot is offered.

 

[hoytcanon]

Having guided bear hunters for 20 years, I personally don't support the .243/6mm suggestions... can they kill bears cleanly... sure... but over the years we had a disproportionate number of post-shot issues with these lighter cartridges... I would rather see a hunter step it up to the 6.5mm+ groups... JMO.

 

[James1873]

Almost seems like I should also change my aversion to lever guns.

The only reason I don't like lever guns is because of the experience I have had with maintaining them in the past, I had a couple of marlins and when hunting here in BC many days it is like someone is holding a fire hose on you while your walking around the bush, after a few days of this found the rifles started to rust up and when home from the trip it was like taking apart a swiss watch when compared to a simple bolt action or basic semi automatic.

Aren't Marlins like a one screw take down for cleaning? They also make them in stainless

 

[Gunnutz]

300 Savage, 6.5X55, 243 in that order.

708

 

[Pete W]

This will be my first year bear hunt and I will be using an early 70's 30.30.
I have been practicing non stop and hope to make my shot at approx. 100 yards.
Will be using the Winchester 150 grain Super X ammo.

 

[1899]

This will be my first year bear hunt and I will be using an early 70's 30.30.
I have been practicing non stop and hope to make my shot at approx. 100 yards.
Will be using the Winchester 150 grain Super X ammo.

You will do well.

 

[SuperCub]

Do you have experience shooting bears with .257 bob? I have one that my wife uses for deer and I'm interested how it would work on bears and calf moose?

I'm just working up a load for my 257R with 100gr NPs. I would use that combo for bear and small moose.

 

[Andy]

You have something that works, so why not just load up a whack of reduced velocity 30-06 before you're no longer able to? 200 rounds would last for many, many years of hunting.

 

[Sqr]

A savage in .277 Wolverine.

 

[Boomer]

You have something that works, so why not just load up a whack of reduced velocity 30-06 before you're no longer able to? 200 rounds would last for many, many years of hunting.

This is the correct answer, a .308/130 @ 2600 shoots flat and the recoil and blast are mild, even milder than Remington's Managed recoil stuff, that drives a 125 at somewhere around 3200. If your .30/06 is a manageably sized rifle for the terrain you hunt in, you could do a lot worse.

If however you insist on a new rifle, and are looking for something that is handier than your '06, your best options are either a traditional lever action carbine in .30/30, or a CZ 527 in 7.62X39. IMHO, a 6.5X55 is even a better cartridge choice, but it might be difficult to finds one in as handy a package as the old lever gun or a CZ carbine.

 

[peterf]

My favorite has always been the 7x57. The ammo is getting easier to find these days as well.

 

[Kevan]

My favorite has always been the 7x57. The ammo is getting easier to find these days as well.

And a 7X57 will usually shoot very well with practically any bullet weight or brand used if you are a handloader.
Really it's a very unappreciated cartridge...

 

[Warden70]

30/30, 35 Rem, 7mm-08. All short-action, fast handling, and capable of 150+ yrds.

 

[SuperCub]

I have a bolt action .30-30 (CIL 830) that I like a lot. Lots of them out there, but speculators are driving up the price for some reason.

Actually, the bolt action in 30-30 is a very good suggestion that fills the OPs need perfectly.

The 30-30 cartridge would be low recoil and the bolt rifle would have less recoil than a lever with the added bonus of finding ammo everywhere at good prices.