caliber for Bear.

R

roosterslayer

New member
I recieved the greatest news over the phone the other day. My wife told me that when she gets home from Iraq she really wants me to take her bear hunting. Now heres the problem, my wife shoots a .243 and I know that would not be best. I suggested to her that maybe a 270 or 7mm-08 would be best. What is your opinions, she is also a small woman at 5 foot and 120 lbs. I dont want her to shoot anything too big so she becomes recoil shy but I also want the cleanest kill possible for the game. Any help would be great.
 
I'm assuming you mean black bear?

While a .270 or 7mm-08 might be a better choice, the .243 with a good stout bullet(Partition, TSX, ect..) will cleanly dispatch a bear with good shot placement. If she is comfortable with the .243 and shoots it well I'd go with it. I've seen bears killed with bows and calibers ranging from 22/250 up through .338's. Quick kills all came down to shot placement, just like shooting anything.

Sounds like a good plan! When she comes home, you take her bear hunting and have a great time. I hope she scores on a dandy one. Good luck.
 
Well, my question would be how far are your shots probably going to be? I would definitely not go below 7mm-08 just because of the frontal area of the bullet, the larger the better. Unfortunately your wife is going to have to shoot something in the slightly mild range, but remember range shooting for zero is way more painful than shooting at something with your adrenaline pumping and is usually just one bullet and not 20-30. I'm assuming that you mean black bear and if your shot distances are somewhat streched out that she could use a 270 or she might try a 270 WSM which in my mind the best short magnum out right now because of its versatility. It will kick more than a 270, but your ballistics are fantastic. I would go with the heaviest bullet just for the ballistical advantage ( more surface, longer bullet). Black Bears are not really that tough, they just have fairly thick hides. In the 7mm-08 range the 140 grain or larger, providing you can find heavier factory loadings. The 270, 150 grainers are a nice choice. The 270 (.277) versus 7mm(.284), not a whole heck of alot of size difference, but I do feel that the 7mm-08 will kick the least for what is suitable for bear. Don't forget the .308, 30 caliber bullets are great for this kind of hunting. Hopefully I helped a little. Happy Hunting, Joel
 
Yes it would be black bears. I have been hunting th esame area for a couple of years and seen one last year but it wasn't what i was looking for. now this year is she wants it its all her's. The shot would have been only 30 yards from the stand. It is way to thick in there and maybe the longest shot would around 50 yards. I was thing of having her try my 30-06 with the remington reduced recoil rounds. Has anybody had any expirence.
 
No, but I've read up on them a little bit. The reason why they have close to 50% less recoil is due the lighter bullet weight and less powder in the case. They say that they don't lose alot of energy out to 100 yards, but they drop considerably past 150 or so. If I were using those I wouldn't expect great accuracy and keep my shots within 150 yards, because the lighter bullet in 30 cal. it is going to probably be a short bullet. Joel
 
roosterslayer,I would rather have a man or woman,that can place a small caliber bullet where it ought to be,than shooting a big caliber and blink or flinch and make a bad shot.If your lady can shoot the 243 accurate,then let her use it.Choose a good solid 100 grain bullet and go hunting.

PS..I hope your lady gets one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
The Barnes triple shock's work well for bear in the 243. When I was younger I spent lots of years doing in black bear with a handgun. Used both the 44 magnum and the 41 magnum. They don't deliver much different energy than the 243 at the ranges your talking about and worked well.

Shooting from a tree stand at short ranges just use the 243, make good bullet placement and you'll be surprised how well it will work.

Now if you just have to have a new gun a 7mm-08 or 308 will do fine. Even your 06 with the managed recoil loads will work good at the ranges your talking about.
 
I've killed 3 of them with a 25-06 at ranges farther then most would consider shooting at them...

That aside, a .243 w/85g xlc, or 100g partition will do the job from the muzzle to 300 yards...

If you have to have a new rifle, the 7-08 is a dandy all around game getter. Loaded with any good 140-160g bullet, there more then cappable of taking bears and elk out to any normal hunting distance.
 
I say use the .30-06. Especially in a brushy setting. My wife has been shooting a .30-06 for many years killing many deer & elk. She has passed on bears being unsure. My wife is nearly the same height/weight as yours. The recoil is not that bad with much more punch on the other end. Although most bears fold with a good shot you need to account for less than perfect results and take precautions accordingly. Thankfully my wife passed on those bears because she may have rushed up to it like a deer or elk since she had never been told to wait. Even more important in brushy areas. Good Luck on your decision.
 
I use a 338 win mag. I am hunting for Black Bear on Saturday. The larger calibur is not for the black bear, it is for the brown's that are still awaiting for the moose to deliver their calves and the salmon to run.

Loren
 
The average bear taken in Minnesota is 150 lbs. That's no bigger than a deer and most wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer with a .243.

Two problems exist. First, the chance at a 500 lb or larger bear is always there. In the rare case that a big one comes strolling in, I'd want a larger caliber. And, she should consider using a larger gun... just in case...

The second problem is that a bear's bones are heavier than a deer's. While a .243 might bust down a deer just fine, it may not break down a bear in the same way.

Here's what I did for my wife's first bear. I taught her to shoot open sights. Then, I handed her a 12 gauge with slugs and sat her 12 yards from the bait. A bear came in, she had no idea how the gun would kick and so she pulled up and shot the bear. This might seem mean but as we all know, when shooting at game, you never feel the kick. I asked her if it kicked and she said she never felt it. She shot it twice and it was dead on the bait pile.

Try to get her into something bigger one way or another. Small calibers are for pro's, not novices.

Randy
 
12 gauge with some sabots and heres why. I have no problem with rifles use a 30-06 myself for bear and deer when not using a bow but at the ranges you will shoot on a baited hunt a shotgun is a great choice. A bigger hole in a bear is a good thing they just don't bleed much. The newer shotgun loads don't kick much either. If you must have a rifle for some strange reason use at least a .270 caliber.
 
If you go into the 30 caliber range you might think about a 35rem. Good nock down and it dosnt kick all that bad "remember I am a large person". Marlin has a 35rem lever action that I have used on feral hogs and it does a wonderfull job on them... BUT, the shotgun route would be cheeper and serve just as well.
 
i agree with r buker you wont something to bust a bear down and ya if you are bating you never knowe how big of boy is going to show up i would suggest a 30 cal wether it be a 308 which is what my 55 year old mother shoots or a 30-06 is good too most people can handel those two cal 180 grain spitz-sp i think will give you good penetration and be a good diameter to deliver good shock I don’t know much about the 7mm-08 author than according to the reloade book the 308 and 30-06 can shoot a 180 grain sp at 0.483 ballistic coefficient with about 10-15 grs. more powder and 7mm-08 shoots max 175 grain sp 0.465. And 308 is going to be about the same on powder. The 308 and 30-06 are well rounded guns or you can try the shot gun it may be a good one id your close
 
I've killed 6 personaly and watched many others get shot and I'll tell ya this, bears don't die hard, they can't take a bullet nearly as well as a deer.
Lately we take kids along to be shooters when we get the bear treed, the rifle is a NEF 243. shoulder shots take them out well. You might want to get a 260 or 7mm/08 just to buy a new gun, but the 243 and good 100 gr bullets will work fine.
RR
 
But, you are treeing them with dogs and if you have one that runs, you can use the dogs to track it down. We can't. If we have a runner, we'd best be good trackers because as mentioned before, bears don't bleed all that well.
 
There have been recent stories from coast to coast about bear hunts gone wrong and someone getting hurt. Some with dogs some without. So I say go .30 caliber and knock em out. You can't compare a bears demeanor to a deer. When was the last time you heard of a deer maiming or killing a hunter with a gun. How about looking for a wounded bear in 3-4 foot tall cover. It is hard to argue though when the record grizzly was shot with a .22. Still I don't want to be the one to try repeating it.
 
I killed my first B bear with a 243 at 200 yards,good bullet and shotplacement makes the 243 more than addaquate for b bear at close range.
 
While many black bears have been killed with a 243, I don't think it is to be recommended for this task. Try something in the 30 caliber like a 308. You could even try the "reduced recoil" types loads out on the market.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
My wife deosn't want me to buy another rifle, and she also suggested using my 30-06. So i think that will do it but with the managed recoil rounds. like i stated before the farthest shot would be 50 yards but more like 30 yards so i think that round will do fine. Thank you for all the posts.
 


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