Proper Bullet for 357 magnum bear hunt

[Hunthigh1]

I will be carrying my Ruger Service Six (4inch) chambered in .357 for the rest of shed antler season here in Idaho. My hope is that if I spot a black bear during these outings, to attempt to stalk so close that i can take him with that revolver.

What would you consider the best bullet to shoot for this? I currently have a few Buffalo Bore 180 Grain CastCore rounds that I used to pack in it when travelling griz country in montana. Should I stick with those?

I will not be taking any shot farther than 30 yards.

Thanks in advance

 

[elkguide]

With a .357, I would want to be a LOT farther away than 30 yards!

I personally don't think that that is enough gun for something that can bite back.

A .41 Mag would be the minimum that I would carry for a black bear.

 

[elkguide]

One further note.

When I was working as a guide in grizz country, the outfitter required the guides to carry as a minimum a pistol with a 6" barrel in .44 Mag.

His comment was that while you probably won't kill the bear, you will at least get it's attention.

 

[go4thegusto]

A 357 Mag will punch through the vitals just as effectively as an arrow or countless calibers. Don't bow to the "must be bigger" nonsense. If you own it, shoot it. Look at Grizzly Ammo loads also. The Punch load is impressive. They are machined from brass and will whistle through a black bear or penetrate a skull in a more hairy situation. Good luck!

 

[PJG]

Do a little research on the Underwood Extreme Penetrator (nothing like typing that...HA). Some pretty interesting tests with that bullet, especially considering the shape of the bullet.

 

[muleman]

A .357 Mag will kill a black bear. However IMO it is not the best caliber for the job. As mentioned above bullet construction will be important. Based on info from BB the 180gr would give you about 700# energy at 30 yds out of your 4" gun.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=396


Here is an interesting article on the topic. It even includes an anecdotal .357 Mag black bear story.
http://www.shootingtimes.com/handguns/handgun_reviews_handguns_for_dangerous_game_021511/


Take a look at the energy column from several popular calibers.
http://www.ballistics101.com/357_magnum.php
http://www.ballistics101.com/41_magnum.php
http://www.ballistics101.com/44_magnum.php
http://www.ballistics101.com/454_casull.php

 

[muleman]

Here is another bear / handgun article with an anecdotal .357 Mag Black Bear reference.
http://www.americanhunter.org/articles/2014/8/13/packing-pistols-in-bear-country/

 

[jmden]

I shoot a 185g Beartooth Bullets hardcast, flatnose gascheck bullet out of a 6" .357. There's a well known and proven recipe with 16g of H110 and this bullet. 16.2 g has me doing about 1365 fps. About as much energy as I've seen out of a .357. Went through 8 gallon milkjugs (severe damage to first three) and dug way into berm behind it. Might consider alternating every other round with something like an XTP to 'cover the bases'. Could be that you run across something where an expanding bullet is more appropriate. Start low and work up as always with reloading...

 

[muleman]

Here is an oldy but goody from 1995. It talks a little about bullet selection . It also has an anecdotal .357 Mag story.

http://www.foggymountain.com/handgunning-bear-hunt3.shtml

I prefer the 431 rule over the 421 rule in the 1995 article.

 

[jmden]

Thought I should mention that I might be ok with a well selected bullet(s) and the .357 for hunting bears, but would prefer a larger, more powerful round for bear hunting--two different things, although hunting could become protection. When in doubt...use enough gun! When in bear country (esp. griz country where reasonable to do so), I carry a .50AE with handloads (cast and Hornady XTP-MAG) that develop upwards of 1800 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy. Also, carry bear spray in those situations. Options are good but would default to gun in a split second--way too many screwy stories with bear spray. Neither is a perfect solution and much depends on the individual person in many ways. Have not met up with a griz but can't remember the number of black bear encounters--most run, but have had a couple that really raised the hair on the back of my neck where I/we were being checked out as prey, little doubt about it.

Had a run in last year with a smaller black bear while on a multi-day hike with the family (along with dozens of crazily, aggressive goats, porcupine, deer--it was a zoo). I carried a pistol and my wife and oldest child carried spray--too bad for the youngest with no protection...! My youngest spotted the bear right off the trail in some berries and said 'baby bear!'. I turned at this, of course, and not seeing anything stepped towards her and saw an approx. 90lb bear that had been on the other side of some trees from us. It was moving away and I was completely unconcerned at this point given it's distance and direction. Didn't really even think of my pistol as in an instant it appeared there was little concern. I glanced over at my wife and she had her bear spray out and she was ready! Good job hon! Kinda neat to see.

 

[Hunthigh1]

Thanks for the various opinions. After a few summers in Alaska, maybe I have become too casual around black bears. When i Worked up in Alaska, I was issued a 12 GA with slugs for grizzly protection. . . hell of a lot different than a 357.

I think i will carry the pistol for the remainder of my shed hunts and if the absolute perfect opportunity for a black bear presents itself, I will put on a stalk and attempt to take him with the .357 loaded with buffalo Bores. . . I have had a heck of alot of close encounters with brown and black bears in both Alaska and Montana. I Shot one black bear at 15 yards in Montana as it came running head first into my cow elk call.

I feel confident that a properly placed 357 at a proper distance will do the job without a doubt.

I just need to be damn close! Should be a hell of an experience if the opportunity presents itself. I doubt it will, as i rarely see bears in the areas that i pick up antler. . . I will revive this thread for your interest if it goes down!

 

[Hunthigh1]

Not to sound like a puss, but i have always had a tough time shooting 44 magnums well. . . I shoot this .357 2x better than any pistol i have ever handled. . . Thats got to be worth something!

 

[muleman]

Not to sound like a puss, but i have always had a tough time shooting 44 magnums well. . . I shoot this .357 2x better than any pistol i have ever handled. . . Thats got to be worth something!

Definitely worth a lot. If you can't hit it, you can't kill it.

 

[PJG]

I went back to carrying a 9mm for the back country. Everyone is gonna read this and laugh, but after spending time training for self defense a couple things that I have learned that should be consider are, 1) how fast can u get the 1st shot off, how accurate are u on multiple shots. Statistics have shown that inside 21 ft, you have to get a hit off in a second in a defensive situation. Yes, this is based off of a human a smaller object than a bear. But, at the end of the day speed and first shot hits are the most important regardless of caliber. I can shoot any caliber accurately, I can't shoot the big calibers fast.
This isn't for everyone, I know that but it's something to consider.

I know this is a little off topic.

I hunt the Montana Idaho boarder.

 

[muleman]

I went back to carrying a 9mm for the back country. Everyone is gonna read this and laugh, but after spending time training for self defense a couple things that I have learned that should be consider are, 1) how fast can u get the 1st shot off, how accurate are u on multiple shots. Statistics have shown that inside 21 ft, you have to get a hit off in a second in a defensive situation. Yes, this is based off of a human a smaller object than a bear. But, at the end of the day speed and first shot hits are the most important regardless of caliber. I can shoot any caliber accurately, I can't shoot the big calibers fast.
This isn't for everyone, I know that but it's something to consider.

I know this is a little off topic.

I hunt the Montana Idaho boarder.

I've never felt more vulerable than when hiking with a 9mm in bear country.
The rest of the story; I was hiking to a glacier in April and came upon a large blood trail being drug up the trail into the brush.

I felt very under gunned, ill-prepared, and foolish.

 

[Felix40]

I say go for it! I haven't ever killed a bear but I have done a little handgun hunting. I'm from Texas so hogs have been a pretty serious target. I've killed three hogs with a 45 acp with the biggest and farthest being around 175# and 25 yards. I used to alternate ammo from FMJ to Hornady critical defense. My goal was to always take head shots but that only worked out on one pig. The other two I got full penetration through the body with my first shot and made a quick second shot. Neither one ran out of sight. I also had a situation where I had to stop a 200# plus hog (had been hit bad) with a 380 using critical defense ammo. One shot to the head did it. Just to be clear, hogs are built to take a beating. They have heavy bone, thick fat and hides, and dense muscle.

All this to say...I think you have plenty of gun and you are shooting better ammo than I ever did. The 357 should outpenetrate a 45 by a bit. I don't know about your area but where I hunt in Colorado a 300# bear would be big. I say you are good to go. I want to see pics though if you pull it off.

 

[jmden]

Might be worth considering the Taylor Knock Out (TKO) Factor in the overall equation in this choice. I'm sure there's many opinions about it as well: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_KO_Factor

 

[muleman]

I prefer Thornily Stopping Power (TSP) over TKO.

TSP provides a reference chart that indicates the value need to cleanly harvest under any condtition. The way I interpret TSP, is that it factors in some safety margins. It is important to restate that the TSP value represents a clean harvest under any condition.

Here is the TSP value (at the muzzle) for the original poster's Buffalo Bore load out of his 4" revolver.

Common sense, actual experiences and learning from others will go a long way too. I am not a bear guide nor have I killed one with a handgun. So I have to base my decisions based on other trusted people. I try to learn from experiences of people like Wayne Bosowicz.
http://www.foggymountain.com/handgunning-bear-hunt3.shtml
It the article Wayne switches to a .41 Mag after .357 Mag didn't perform for him. I wonder how the bear would have reacted with a stout180gr hardcast load; instead of the 158gr JHP load he emptied into the bear.

Good luck with the sheds and I hope to hear a story of a handgun bear harvest.