ORIGINAL: Gentlman Hunter
Hello everyone. I am new to the website and forum, but not new to hunting. I hope I am posting my question in the right place.
I will be going black bear hunting this spring in Alberta. While I have taken many deer and wild boar, this is going to be my first bear trip. The outfitter has told me that bears can get quite large this far north.
My question is : What rifle should I buy for this trip? I have read and heard so much on the topic, yet I still don't have a good idea. I have for many years used my trusted 30-30 and it has served me well. However, I have read that it may prove to be slightly less than adequete for some of the larger bears I might encounter. Others have said that the 30-30 loaded with the proper cartridge is more than enough.I would LIKE to buy a new rifle, so I am certainly open to ideas on caliber and specific model. I can comfortably shoot the big bores and have cleared the budget up to about $1k.
Black bear can be handily killed with any rifle that is sufficient for whitetail deer. I killed two that were estimated at over 300 pounds each with the 150 grain Nosler in the .270 Winchester. When I lived in Alaska, there was a doctor's wife in Fairbanks who shot Polar bear with a .270.
If you have a .30/30, and are good with it, usea 170-grain Nosler Partition or Barnes X bullet, and it will do fine, IF ranges are no more than 100 yards or so, allowing you to place your shots precisely.
At most, nothing larger than a .30/'06 is plenty. Caribou are as easy to kill as a big mule deer.
If you will later on someday hunt moose, elk, and/or grizzly/brown bear, you can't go wrong with a .338 Win. Mag.