Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
I am planning on Black Bear hunting this year, in Nantahalla National Forest, it will be a7 day pack in.
I am taking my .44 sidearm and my choice of rifles is my
.300 WSM with the 180 grain bullets.
Or
My 30-30 with 170 Grain.
Yes, the bush is thick in certain places BUT the area I will be hunting is mostly flat with open shots to around 300 yards.
The place I hunt in forms a natural horseshoe, the bears enter in front one end to drink in the pond and eat all of the berries that grow by the pond. I have never shot at a black bear before, I mostly sit here and nail deer, it is a far packin (about 6 miles) and the deer here are very very common all throughout the day.
Last year I was amazed at how many bear I saw as they came in and ate, sat around for about an hour and then left, at least 2 or 3 times a day I would see one.
My .300 holds 3 in the mag and 1 in the chamber for a total of 4, right now it is scoped in for 300 yards but I would be knocking it down to around 50-100
I saw the 30-30 discussion and the .243 "varmint" discussion. I can tell you, if you have never fired a .300 it is not a "varmint" gun.
I want some good opinions, I have 3 children and am happily married, problems can come quick 6 or so miles in the woods, I'd like this to be a one shot deal as far out of a shot as can be taken so I have ample reload time if needed.
I personally do not like the 30-30 for large game, I have heard and seen, and read some pretty awful stories...
Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
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RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
WHAT??? you gotta be kidding me!!!! thats like comparing apples and oranges. atleast with a 30-30 vs 243 they are somewhat in same power and performance category.........
Id go with a 300 WSM and not even think about the 30-30, what kind of bullet is that for your 30-30?? i am unfamiliar with a 175 grain bullet intended for the 30-30 except maybe cast lead bullets. or if you are loading your rifle one at a time or shooting an encore then you might beable to handload sierra 175 grain match kings for it.
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Location: A flat lander lost in the mountains of Northern,AZ
Posts: 3,171
RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
you must be a small guy if you are this scared of a black bear aka honey bears, maybe you have no business with them??. I would take either rifle, a good shot through the boiler room with either will put the bear out just a 300 wsm I would think would be a little more promising in putting in down quicker. If i had the choice i wouldnt hesitate and just use the 300 wsm. Ive shot four altogether, 3 were killed with a 308 and none required a second shot and the other with my bow which expired with a single arrow through both lungs. From my experiences after the bear is shot they run off or spin in circles biting at the wound i really dont think you will have to worry about one coming after you even with a poor shot, just be quick on your follow up shot and make it better then the first, but if you think you are gonna make a poor shot you have no business hunting them yet untill you are confident enough that you will make a good first shot. the only time i might favor a lever gun in 30-30 with open sights, would be if i was trailing a wounded bear this is where it could get a little hairy. just bring both you wouldnt be the first guy taking multiple guns on a hunt. you never know you might need a back up. good luck
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Genesis 9:3
Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.
RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
In NC you can only take 1 weapon with you hunting, even a rifle and pistol is "illegal" but I dont care if I have to stick that pistol where the sun dont shine, its coming wiht me.
I am a very good shot,
Your statement "you must be a small guy if you are this scared of a black bear aka honey bears, maybe you have no business with them??."
Last year in NC the average weight of the bb killed in the mountains was just over 300lbs and on the TN border the had one that weighed close to 600.
No one in the world can gaurantee a "great" or even "good" shot. You could shot hundreds of shots a year and that one critical shot you could fubar.
Yes, at 150lbs, I don't want to be pissing off a 600lb bear.
The bears there are large; the largest black bear ever taken in North Carolina came from Craven County and tipped the scales at 880 pounds. "It's not uncommon for male black bears in the coastal plains to grow to be 500, 600 or 700 pounds. We're talking about a very healthy group of bears,"
RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
I'm going to chime in here. I think the issue is that the two guns that you have presented for your hunt could not be any more different for the type of hunting that you are going to do. The 30-30 has an effective range of approx.125yds and the .300 has about 400yd range. Basically one is a staple gun and the other is a framing nailer.
I am sure someone somewhere has taken a BB with a 30-30 however it isn't recommended and I am not sure if it is completely ethical. If you have any kind of open shots you will want the .300. If you are fearfull I would suggest not hunting this animal as it could affect your actions. If you are just being cautious get open sights on your .300 and go bear hunting.
Tom
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RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
Take the .300. The two that you mention really are not in the same category - like Desert said apples and oranges. You may be getting more speed out of the 30-30 but will it really matter if you are hunting 50 yards? I've shot2 black bear, onewith a .30-06 (180 gr Nosler Partition) and one with a .300 Ultra Mag (200 Nosler Partition). The one with the30-06 went about 40 yards. The one with the .300 took 2 steps and dropped. Both were hit in about the same spot - double lung.
Your fear of black bear is a good thing. That way you will be more cautious and concentrate more on taking that 1st shot - the one that really matters.
RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
Yeah, something about the word bear instills respect. My dear ole pal stabbed one with a bow last year at 30 yards, lets just say he will be using the 7mm mag this year. The bear regretfully got away (regretfully) and he now realizes that it was unethical. Not to mention difficult, we have a bunch of browns out here. Take the .300, EJ
RE: Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
There is nothing wrong with using a 30-30 for black bears in heavy brush, but if you have longer shots you should carry the .300. It will have a lot longer range than the 30-30. As long as you don't have to take long shots the 30-30 is a good gun for black bear, because it is light weight and easy to manuever in tight quarters. My ex father in-law uses a 30-30for bear all the time and never had a problem.
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Okay we heard about the 30-30, now how about .300 or 30-30 for Black Bear and up
