Whats your Black Bear Caliber?

[Ron.C]

I've shot about 20 black bears and used 30-06, .50 muzzleloader, 303 savage and now use a 7mm-08. Hunted with guys that shot bears with .270, .308, 7mm Mag, and 300 win mag.

Not one stands out as working any better or worse than any other.

 

[Seak_angler]

Good old .308 & .270 for me

 

[AndrewMT34]

Usually a 6.5 PRC shooting 147 eldms... Seriously considering trying my 223 this year.

 

[Nykki]

Whatever I was carrying or had available at the time. I usually have a rifle with me when in the woods or on the boat.

 

[Qholum37]

7mm for me mostly. Rem Mag for years but 7PRC now.

 

[Luke S]

I've lost track of how many bear kills I've been a part of, maybe 20? Smallest caliber was a 6.5 Grendal. Also used 308, 358 Win, 30-06, and 375 Ruger. Basically any deer cartridge will work. I'm sure a .223 would do just fine (it's been done). But a bloody exit is nice for tracking. I'm not saying it will kill the bear faster, just that if the bear runs into the brush an exit is nice. On black bears (up to a respectable but not obese 6 footer) a 6.5 Grendal mafe exits and left good blood trails except when it hit a shoulder. It demolished shoulders but didn't exit. The .308 exited every bear except a grizzly with an angling away shot (not a shot I'd take on an unwounded bear). Bigger caliber exited with all readable shot placement on black bears.
So to conclude. I don't see any reason to go above 6.5 Creedmore/308 for black bears. The 358, 30-06 and .375 didn't kill faster. You can go smaller if you want and many would argue for a 6mm ARC or .223 on the theory that you'll shoot it better, practice more, etc. I see that as more of a long range argument. In close brush I'm confident I can shoot any reasonable caliber well enough that it won't matter. In that scenario I like a guaranteed blood trail. So the 6.5 Grendal to 308 class calibers would be my choice.
More important than caliber is knowing bear anatomy and putting it in the vitals (bears are not deer).

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I shot several with my dad when I was younger, I used a 270 for all of them.

If I was going hunting for them today, I’d take something basic, probably my 308 or 6.5 creedmoor.

 

[StuckoYota99]

270win

 

[Elkhntr08]

When I’m not hunting with my bow, which the majority of the time, I carry a Remington 673 in 300 saum. Short, light, points like a shotgun and packs a punch.

 

[Maidenfan539]

7 SAUM with 168's. My buddy shot a nice one with a 6.5 PRC w/156's last year.

 

[MT-nuffgun]

6.5 creed last year, going to use a fast twist 243win this year

 

[Backofbeyond]

In the past it’s been .30-06, 7 RM, .30-30, and 1 with a .300 PRC.

This year I plan to take a .300 RUM, and depending on how load dev goes a .22-250 with 77 gr TMK.

 

[AlbertaFisher]

270, 300wsm, 30-06, but custom building a 325wsm Hope to use it this spring. Black bears aren’t that hard to kill though. Usually you can get pretty close to em

 

[yellowbeard]

243 or my bow

 

[medvedyt]

375 ruger, 45/70, 9.3x62, 300 win mag, 308, 30-06, 270 win and 7x64 all worked and im pretty sure many others can work, the mini caliber here is the 243 win and i know a few ladies and youngs that did well with that caliber on moose, caribou and bears (grizzly and black) placement is important and the key for sure.

 

[NorCal 707]

257 Robert's 115 Ballistic Tip, 270 wsm, 308 Malin Express, 308 win, 338 win mag. Killed the most with the 308 Win and 168 grainers.

 

[Honyock]

270 Win 150 Gr Nosler Partition and 6.5 Creed 143 gr ELD-X

 

[Eagleye]

300 wsm for me. Bang flop! I prefer the anchoring shoulder shot opposed to letting them run downhill and then rolling 500ft more of elevation before stopping in the canyon bottom.

 

[2muchhp]

444 marlin, 280gr Swift a frame for projectile.

 

[Honyock]

If you’re a certified badass, you use a single shot 22 pistol and leave a powder burn on the bear’s temple. My grandfather was in California working in the sugar mills during WWII as part of the war effort. He had never hunted bear and they were running them with dogs. He got tired and stopped and leaned on a culvert to rest. A bear stuck his head out of the culvert and he shot him in the temple at point blank range. My grandfather’s story was all bravado and I asked him why he used a 22 pistol and his response was “that’s all I needed”. My grandmother’s version was all he had with him was the 22 and it scared him so bad he turned white and passed out.