Which rifle for black bear?

[mcseal2]

I know both will do the job if I do mine, just curious which one people with experience would recommend. I will be hunting in CO this September. I have not done this hunt before or hunted bear before. From what I'm hearing it sounds likely shots will be in or around thick oak brush.

I have a Rifles Inc 300 win mag with a 4-16x Huskemaw scope shooting 180gr Nosler E tips at 2900fps. It shoots them well and I've taken a variety of game with it over the years.

My other option is a Browning X bolt Hells Canyon Speed in 270 win with a Huskemaw 3-12x shooting Hornady 145gr ELD-X factory ammo at 2880fps. I haven't owned it as long, but I've shot it a lot preparing for a muley hunt last year and it also shoots really well.

Both rifles are about the same weight, accuracy, and have similar scopes and triggers. I have confidence shooting both. Velocities and BC are pretty close between them. It's mainly a decision between best terminal performance in a brushy environment, would you prefer a mono-metal 30 caliber bullet, or a more fragile .277 bullet?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Elkhntr08]

Either will do just fine if you do your part.
Bears are not hard to put down.

 

[Don Fischer]

Either one will cut the mustard! For myself I wouldn't choose either set up. I'll never fire a magnum again, just don't care for recoil! And the 270 is certainly more than adequate but just never been a big 270 fan. Not a thing wrong with it though. Used a 30-06 hunting about four or five years ago. Just never been a big 30-06 fan either. Well killed three elk with it with three shots, shut my mouth!

I doubt any need for a mono metal bullet. If in fact you went with the 300 Win mag I have always though the 200 gr bullet was designed just for it. As for a 150gr bullet being to fragile for a bear, I doubt it. Then again if you feel the need to question it, don't do it!

The rifle could be pretty much whatever you want. Your not comfortable with it it's probably not gonna work as well as you'd like. I an a bolt action guy. I simply learned over the years that they were who I was. Like somewhat shorter barrels than most though. My 25-06, 6.5x06 and 30-06 all have 24" barrels but over the years I have pretty much learned I do best in most places with the 22" barrel. For some reason just seems handier to me. Especially in heavier cover where I normally find myself. Get out and away and I like the 24" barrel there problem is I seldom stay out there! truth be known probably choosing the 22" barrel over the 24" barrel is nit picking created by personal choice" I don't care for the scopes either but still simply a personal preference for me. My rifles with 24" barrels all have 3x9 scopes on them and I hunt with them on 3x and sight in at 6x. Oh exempt the 30-06 from that, it's my elk rifle, normally fairly close cover and I have a love affair with the Redfield 2 3/4x Widefield on it I got brand new many years ago. Third rifle I've had it on and most used scope I ever owned.

My 22" barreled rifles all have 2-7x scopes on them. Easier to find the 2-7x ones than even a fixed 4x around here. 2-7x is quite a bit smaller and simply looks better to me on the rifles. I could say it's lighter but that is splitting hairs! I hunt with it on 2x and sight in on 6 or 7x. Never have shot an animal with one on over 2x! Something I figured out over the years is most people that hunt have no real idea how far the shots they take are and if they can see much past the end of the barrel feel the need for 9x! I know the longest shot I ever took with anything was 330 measured yds. Used my 6.5x06 with a 2-7x scope and could see the deer just fine. Was fooling around one time with my 25-06 and for some reason put it on 9x and forgot about it. Got a chance at a deer about 30yds+/- and once I found it in the scope, couldn't see anything else between it and the deer so ended up bouncing the bullet off a sage bush branch and missing. Couldn't believe that really happened. With the scope on 2x I'd have seen that branch! My son killed his first deer with my Rem 660 in 308, long time favorite rifle of mine, it was the next to last rifle I had that old 2 3/x Redfield on. His shot was maybe 220 yds and deer fell so fast he didn't see it fall! Point is for most hunting situations 2x is plenty!

Now if I had to choose one of the two you mentioned it would be the 270 hands down and that 150gr bullet is more than up to the job. At this point in my life deciding which cartridge, rifle and or scope to use is really not much more than nit picking. I'll never shoot a magnum again for no other reason than I don't like recoil. I always get bolt action rifles cause I always have. And if all I could have for hunting scopes was one it would be that old 2 3/4x Redfield and not finding it, a 2-7x variable.

 

[Cburket42]

I shoot a 270 win with 117 gr hammer hunters and have taken a few CA black bears with that combo over the last 4 years for what its worth. One was a huge old boar that ran 30 yards and tipped over after a double lung shot. Good luck this year

 

[Ron.C]

Flip a coin. either will work. You mentioned "brushy environment". Wouldn't even be a factor for me. You have no way of telling what either bullet will do if it clips a branch/bush.......

 

[farmermail]

I would use the eld-x vs. mono for bears.

 

[mcseal2]

Flip a coin. either will work. You mentioned "brushy environment". Wouldn't even be a factor for me. You have no way of telling what either bullet will do if it clips a branch/bush.......

I agree on the bullet clipping brush. I was more thinking about tracking a bear after the shot. Am I better off with an exit wound from the E tip, or a quick energy dump from the ELD-X? I’ve read that bears sometimes don’t leave a good blood trail with their fat and longer hair.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I would carry the 270 just to use the ELDX. I shot a bear with one this spring and the blood trail was huge (no exit). Every other bear I’ve tracked were shot with accubonds or ttsx, there was little to no blood.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I’ve read that bears sometimes don’t leave a good blood trail with their fat and longer hair.

I've literally killed hundreds of bears. They oftentimes don't leave much blood, especially when hit in the paunch. But, black bears are wimps when it comes to being hit by a high-power rifle and when hit through the lungs, they won't go far at all, if anywhere.

 

[Yoteassasin]

Either one with the fastest copper bullet that is accurate in the gun . And shoot low no shoulder shots pleaseeee

 

[204_ruger]

I just bought a new rifle for a bear hunt next spring. A Browning Xbolt Hells Canyon Speed Long Range 280AI. Put a Leupold VX6 HD 4x24x52mm TMOA reticle scope on it. I am going to work up a load. Bullets i am going to try. Are the ELD bullets in 162 gr 175 gr or 180 gr. I thinking about using my 300 wby. And a ELD X 200 gr. But the 280AI is all the gun I need.

 

[2531usmc]

I've literally killed hundreds of bears. They oftentimes don't leave much blood, especially when hit in the paunch. But, black bears are wimps when it comes to being hit by a high-power rifle and when hit through the lungs, they won't go far at all, if anywhere.

You’ve literally killed “hundreds of bears”? Really?

 

[chanson_roland]

Either one will cut the mustard! For myself I wouldn't choose either set up. I'll never fire a magnum again, just don't care for recoil! And the 270 is certainly more than adequate but just never been a big 270 fan. Not a thing wrong with it though. Used a 30-06 hunting about four or five years ago. Just never been a big 30-06 fan either. Well killed three elk with it with three shots, shut my mouth!

I doubt any need for a mono metal bullet. If in fact you went with the 300 Win mag I have always though the 200 gr bullet was designed just for it. As for a 150gr bullet being to fragile for a bear, I doubt it. Then again if you feel the need to question it, don't do it!

The rifle could be pretty much whatever you want. Your not comfortable with it it's probably not gonna work as well as you'd like. I an a bolt action guy. I simply learned over the years that they were who I was. Like somewhat shorter barrels than most though. My 25-06, 6.5x06 and 30-06 all have 24" barrels but over the years I have pretty much learned I do best in most places with the 22" barrel. For some reason just seems handier to me. Especially in heavier cover where I normally find myself. Get out and away and I like the 24" barrel there problem is I seldom stay out there! truth be known probably choosing the 22" barrel over the 24" barrel is nit picking created by personal choice" I don't care for the scopes either but still simply a personal preference for me. My rifles with 24" barrels all have 3x9 scopes on them and I hunt with them on 3x and sight in at 6x. Oh exempt the 30-06 from that, it's my elk rifle, normally fairly close cover and I have a love affair with the Redfield 2 3/4x Widefield on it I got brand new many years ago. Third rifle I've had it on and most used scope I ever owned.

My 22" barreled rifles all have 2-7x scopes on them. Easier to find the 2-7x ones than even a fixed 4x around here. 2-7x is quite a bit smaller and simply looks better to me on the rifles. I could say it's lighter but that is splitting hairs! I hunt with it on 2x and sight in on 6 or 7x. Never have shot an animal with one on over 2x! Something I figured out over the years is most people that hunt have no real idea how far the shots they take are and if they can see much past the end of the barrel feel the need for 9x! I know the longest shot I ever took with anything was 330 measured yds. Used my 6.5x06 with a 2-7x scope and could see the deer just fine. Was fooling around one time with my 25-06 and for some reason put it on 9x and forgot about it. Got a chance at a deer about 30yds+/- and once I found it in the scope, couldn't see anything else between it and the deer so ended up bouncing the bullet off a sage bush branch and missing. Couldn't believe that really happened. With the scope on 2x I'd have seen that branch! My son killed his first deer with my Rem 660 in 308, long time favorite rifle of mine, it was the next to last rifle I had that old 2 3/x Redfield on. His shot was maybe 220 yds and deer fell so fast he didn't see it fall! Point is for most hunting situations 2x is plenty!

Now if I had to choose one of the two you mentioned it would be the 270 hands down and that 150gr bullet is more than up to the job. At this point in my life deciding which cartridge, rifle and or scope to use is really not much more than nit picking. I'll never shoot a magnum again for no other reason than I don't like recoil. I always get bolt action rifles cause I always have. And if all I could have for hunting scopes was one it would be that old 2 3/4x Redfield and not finding it, a 2-7x variable.

And this is why I'm never giving up my Leupold 2-7x VX2 Ultralight

 

[stv117]

30-06 Springfeild
7mm Remington Magnum
300 Winchester M

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Black bears are way easy to kill. They are closer to a big coyote than a small brown bear. We kill them with 223’s and 243s every year.

 

[Aggie_Angler]

Been using model 70 30-06 and ELD-X with success. As mentioned repeatedly, it doesn’t require a lot to get a boat down.

 

[Robobiss]

Out of the two choices, definitely the .270 but I wouldn’t feel like I even “need” the .270, either.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

You’ve literally killed “hundreds of bears”? Really?

Yes, I've been responsible for the killing of hundreds. At this stage in my life, around 300 of them.

 

[Ron.C]

I agree on the bullet clipping brush. I was more thinking about tracking a bear after the shot. Am I better off with an exit wound from the E tip, or a quick energy dump from the ELD-X? I’ve read that bears sometimes don’t leave a good blood trail with their fat and longer hair.

trailed more than a couple bears here on Vancouver Island. You are correct, the hair can absorb some blood, but from my experience, you will always find some blood when its well hit. Focus on double lung and they don't go far.

 

[Yoteassasin]

This whole hole plugging up nonsense is non sensical . I've had bears squirting blood out of them more often than slim blood trails . And every slim blood trail has come from a shoulder or wannabe neck shooting deer hunter . Infact the quickest kill I've ever seen on a black bear was a 80gr .243 from a new hunters gun . He was so dead he never moaned perfect low elbow shot and an absolute bloodbath