Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

Okay so many of you know already this year I am aiming for a Black Bear.

I will be taking (after careful consideration and asking the knowlegeable people here)

My Winchester .300 WSM

And my Scope ( Click for details)
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=204727

The shots will range anywhere from 300- 50 ( I hope not!) yards

At 300 yards exact I can fit 4 shots into the 6 inch circle (Sometimes I have a few strays, but at least all hit on the 3X3ft target), so Im not the best shot in the world, but Im A-okay.


Normally I shoot the standard Winchester Supreme 180 gr. Ballistic Silvertips at targets.

When going to the ammo store today I asked the guy about bullet prefernce for Black Bears, one guy said stick with silver tips, the other said get the hollow points.



As he explained, bears have thick skins and the silvertip might not expand and he couldn't see shooting a bear with a piece of plastic.


Okay fellow hunters, let's hear your thoughts.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

The guy has no clue.If anything the ballistic silvertips will expand more than you might want them to.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I'm with stubblejumper - He's clueless. Common sense should tell him that rapid expansion on a thick skinned animal equal horrible penetration. You want to look into your deeper penetration bullets. I personall shoot my Elk loads at Black Bears-- Nosler Partitions and Hornady Interlocs.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I would go with a Barnes X, Nosler Partition, TBBC, Swift A-Frame, or Win. Failsafe. Good luck.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I would stick with the ammo you are shooting. I have killed several black bears. Black bears are not all that tough to kill. IMHO they are no tougher than whitetail deer.
I also think your are more than accurate enough to take a shot out to 300-yards.

Good luck,

Wolf Killer

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

You should go with a smaller power scope,10 power is the smallest power u can set it on and i think that is to much incase of thick woods..just my two cents tho!

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

Is this a troll? Surely you aren't serious? Come on, a 10x40xpos scope for a lil ol 300wsm? Do you realize how hard it will be to hunt with a scope which features 10x as its smallest power? I hope you are just kidding and trying to waste everyones time and the sights bandwidth here.

As for the ammo, your local ammo jockey must've been the one that also recommended scopes too you? That scope is a POS and you would be better off with a papertowel tube, some celophane and a black marker (dont forget the duct tape mounts). Silvertips and hollowpoints for bears? Gimme a break, IF you truly are serious and just are new too the sport then do yourself a favor and TELL that ammoclown behind the counter that you want some Federal Premium Vital Shok 180grn Triple Shocks. Aint a blackie alive that can absorb them unphased. And while you're at it, you might wanna practice some more before attempting a 300yd shot if all you can do is manage to keep the flyers on a sheet of 3x3. The animals deserve more respect than that!!!

Scopewise, aint a huntin 300WSM around that merits more than a 10x or 12x max power scope at best! A 3x9, 3.5x10 or a 4x12 is the MOST your lil shortie needs!
RA

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

Whoa,Whoa,Whoa!!!
We are talking about black bears,not Kodiaks,or Grizzly or Polars.Even a 400 lb black bear can be killed relitively easy with a 30-06 and 180 core-loks.Shot placement is the best means of killing one.
I would rather have a exposed lead tip style bullet,than a balistic tip,but on a black bear it will work fine exspecialy the 180 BLT out of the 300 WSM(CXP3 rating).I shoot most bears with the same loads I use for deer/elk/antelope.
I shot a 5 point bull elk 2 years ago with the 180 gr Power-Points (300 WSM)from winchester(the silver box),and it was a loooooooooooooong shot.the bulet entered just in front of the right shoulder,between the shoulder and the brisket 1/2 down,it went through there and exited out behind the 5th rib on the left side.He reguiered a follow up shot cause after he was hit hestarted running.
To me that is plenty of penetration and deadly on any black bear that walks.
I would use the bullet you are using unless you are going to try a break down shot(Straight through both shoulders).The most efective shot I have found on blackies,it to shoot through the oposite sholder,1/4 almost braodside shot is the best so you can angle your bullet THROUGH the vitals and out the other shoulder.
If you don't like the bullet you are using,try the 165 Boattail solid base Nosler Partion from Federal.

As for you scope YOU have WAY TO MUCH SCOPE.If you have even a remotely close shot 50 yds you are well up a creek with out a paddle.Put your scope on 10x and look at your T.V. from your couch and see how much feild of veiw you have.I would say go with a 3-9 or 4-14 x 40 or 44 mm scope but 10-whaterx44 mm is way to much.
I would also keep your shots under 200 yds so you can get a definate fix on where the bullet hit end exited.
Just my opinon.
BBJ

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

Surely you jest!
That isn't a hunting scope. Do yourself a favor and don't fall for that "tactical operations/whisker shaving accuracy" BS. Go buy a quality hunting scope. I'm afraid that the folks who sell that kind of garbage have no idea about the real world (hunting or tactical operations.) Buy yourself a leupold 2.5-8, or 3-9 and go practice until you can keep all your shots flyers included inside that 6" circle.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

Grendle:

I would mount a Zeiss Conquest 3-9x40,or 3.5-10x44.;) Good luck.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I am a big fan of the Swift A-Frames for big boned heavy skinned animals. They do not expand all that well, but penetrate deeply and will break bones and keep right on trucking. They are known for maitianing on average 90% of their weight. I have shot several moose and caribou with the A-frame, have never not had a bullet pass through, and its a bone crusher. My second choice is the Nosler Partition, better expansion than the A-frame, but not quite the penetrating ability. A black bear has thick heavy bones and a tough hide. Get a heavy penetrating bullet and shoot him in the shoulders. You break those bears DOWN! Worry about lung shots with no meat damage on your elk. Break that sucker down is the motto most bear hunters up here seem to have. I even know one guy who has shot a few grizzly bears that claims that shooting them in the hips is even better than the shoulders. Shatter the pelvis andTHEN put a killing shot into them.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I'll agree with everyone else, bullets are the least of your worries. Just get a premium bullet with controlled expansion and that issue is settled.
That scope has to go. I have no idea why anyone would use that in a real hunting situation unless they were trying to snipe at deer from hundreds of yards in broad daylight while they fed from a timed feeder. You would honestly be better served by a simple fixed 4 power but I think a 3x9 is what you need. But I get the feeling that you don't trust your shooting ability enough and feel more powerfull optics would help. Trust me, it won't. It only gives the impression of helping. 90% of accurate shooting is up to the shooter and 10% is up to the equipment. Get a few full cases of ammo and head out to the range. Shoot from the prone, sitting supported, sitting unsupported and offhanded but stay away from that bench. Only use that bench to zero the rifle. If you use to practice you'll become dependant upon it and won't be able to shoot in the field.
Now about that 300 yard shot you're hoping to take. Forget about it, only a very young and foolish black bear would venture out into a field during broad daylight. I suppose that it does happen but it doesn't happen very often. Most black bears love deep woods, the deeper and darker the better. If you want a big bear, get in the woods. Expect short shots from 20 to 60 yards.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I use my 30-06 for black bairs and I've been very happy with the Nosler Partitions and Failsafes in 180 grain. Great penetration without the fragmentation.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I will take it from your post your are fairly new to hunting. The 300 WSM is more than capable as a black bear round. I would choose one of the following loads that are available for your rifle. Winchester loads the following ammo that is acceptable for black bear: 180 gr. Accubond, 180 Fail Safe, & 165 gr. Fail Safe. Federal has the following loads: 165 & 180 gr. Nosler Partitions, 180 gr. Accubond, 180 gr. Barnes TSX, & 180 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. The above are all controlled expansion bullets and will work well on the largest blackies. If your rifle shoots the Winchester 180 gr. Ballistic Tips well you may want to try the Winchester load with the 180 gr. Accubond. This bullet will look similar to the BT and it's core is bonded so it will penetrate deeper and hold more weight. Most any hunting bullet will take a black bear with at broadside shot. You must plan and be ready for shot angles that aren't perfect when hunting. The controlled expansion bullets will provide the penetration you need when shot angle isn't perfect. The conttolled expansion bullets are a must if you like to put the bullet through both shoulders and drop the animal on the spot.

As for your scope choice I wouldn't use the scope for hunting. In the $300 price range there are two scopes I've used and would recommend. The Bushnell Elite 3200 3-10X40 available from Cabelas for $299 & the Leupold VX-II 3-9X40 for $299. If you look around you can get these cheaper. You will be much happier with one of these than the scope you are looking at for hunting. My other suggestion is practice until you are confident you can make the 300 yard shot or limit yourself to a lower effective range. Just because a rifle and caliber are capable at 300 doesn't mean the rifleman is capable. Good luck and good hunting!!!

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I will say that the prices for scopes are darn good at that site(sportsmans guide).3-9 redfield scopes for 99 bucks seems like a good deal!

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

a 10-40x50 mm scope for BEAR HUNTING ???? [1] maximum scope for serious hunting bear,moose ,caribou and deer = 2.5-10x40 mm !!the 50 mm i find too big and ackward for "HUNTING" ..unless u are a sniper by ocupation ..

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

I would have to say that the scope is a little too powerful, but then again the topic of the post isn't scopes...it's bullets. I don't know all of the offerings for the 300WSM, but I do know that a wounded bear isn't something that you want to track a country mile. Your best bet is to shoot a bullet that is fairly heavy for the caliber. I would start at the 180s in the 300WSM. I would look for a good bullet like the Nosler partition, the Trophy Bonded, the Barnes X, and the Failsafe for starters. Buy a few different kinds and see which ones your rifle likes best. I don't think you could go wrong with any of those. I would even try the 20 grain bullets too. They may havea little more drop at longer ranges, but in realistic hunting situations (inside 400 yards) no 300 magnum has enough drop with any bullet to really make much of a difference between the 180s and the 200s, and I would feel better with 20 more grains of bullet weight. As a side note, I would reconsider the scope. The 10-40 is OK for varmint hunting, or even antelope hunting, but I've never heard of a hunter taking a shot at a black bear from 400 yards away on an open prairie. I think that you would be better served by something a little more practical.

RE: Let's talk bullets for a minute.
 

hy TOM ur right let's talk bullet;s i shoot 180gr.WINCHESTER SUPREME ACCUBOND in my 300wsm ..for all north american game ..the 16 of sept. i will be in CANIAPISCAU hunting caribou .before i shot 150gr. WINCHESTER SUPREME BALISTIC SILVERTIP .but the bullet would fragment too easy when it hit bones [bullet initiates rapid fragmentation] ok for varmit hunting ..i hope i answered ur question ..take care ..