is a 7mm big enough

[DJBAD]

i know this may sound like a stupid question but is a 7 mm mauser good enough for bear hunting?????

[bigbulls]

Yes.

It is plenty enough gun for hunting black bears with room to spare. If I were going after a grizzly I would want something bigger but it will get hte job done there as well. Many people have taken much larger animals than black bear with it and did so very effectively.

[Bugeaters]

this is personal preference. but if i was going to go bear hunting i would want a little more knockdown than a 7mm. i want to be able to put at least a 180 grain bullet in him. and i don't think you get a 180 grain bullet in 7mm.

[stubblejumper]

The 7mm mauser is a very good cartridge for black bear.

[windriverhunter]

Just about any gun will kill an animal if you just shoot it in the right spot, so i think the 7mm mauser should do the job just fine.

[Rangerlab]

It will do fine. Esp. if shots are close over bait.

[Vapodog]

The 7MM Mauser (7X57) is a fine black bear cartridge.......especially if handloaded...but fine as is!!

[eldeguello]

ORIGINAL: Bugeaters this is personal preference. but if i was going to go bear hunting i would want a little more knockdown than a 7mm. i want to be able to put at least a 180 grain bullet in him. and i don't think you get a 180 grain bullet in 7mm.

No, you're right, no 180 grain bullets. But there are lots of 175-grain 7mm's, which seems to me to be close enough, (and which were sufficient in the knockdown area to permit W.D.M. Bell to kill over 800 African elephants with!!). If you want 7mm bullet weight, Barnes makes a 195 grain 7mm bullet!! The problem here is "Will your barrel twist stabilize this pencil-length projo??".

[DM]

A 7mm 175 grain bullet will easily out penentrate a 180 grain 30 cal bullet of the same construction!!

The 7mm Mauser is more that enough gun for blk bears and even animials bigger than that, if you pick the right bullet for the job. A 150 Nosler partition, or decent quality 160 grain bullet is plenty for blk bears!!

Drilling Man

[Sharp Shooter]

I think it's plenty big. A 7mm will put any big game down.