Black Bear and a .30-.30

OntElk · 08-03-2004, 11:04 AM

Quick question. bear season opens Aug 15th. Plan to do some backwoods fishing and I'm going to bring my bear tags in the event i come across fresh sign or better yet a bear.

Bringing in my lever .30-.30 is a whole lot more convenient for various reasons than the scoped .308 which I would normally use. Too small with a well placed shot for a black bear?

bearklr · 08-03-2004, 12:15 PM

I took mine with a .270 but a 30-30 would have done the job. In my opinion there are alot of calibers that would work. However, each has different restrictions such as distance and shot placement. We have alot of members of our camp hunt black bear with 30-30's each year and we have some of the largest black bear in the world. Just make sure the shot counts, a hole through the heart will kill anything.

Western MA Hunter · 08-03-2004, 12:27 PM

That is fine. My buddy shot a nice 275lb boar last fall with his .30 - .30. He only went about 10 feet. The shot was about 65 yards. You'll be fine with it. Good luck.

KonaBoy · 08-03-2004, 12:30 PM

Nope, great black bear gun if you use premium ammo.

handloader1 · 08-04-2004, 12:00 AM

If I was going to use 30-30 Win. and had to use factory loads, the only rounds I would use would be PMC 150-gr. Starfire HP's (Barnes X), or Federal 170 gr. Nosler Partition's. Good luck.

bearklr · 08-04-2004, 06:14 AM

I agree with handloader1, nosler would be the way to go. If you are going to use a smaller caliber then the extra punch would be helpful. Personally though, I love shooting winchester cxp's.