ive got a maine black bear hunt set up for 2012 and im thinking about buying a new rifle for it.. i have 2 weatherbys now, one in .270 and the other in .243. i know the 243 is probably a bit too small but with the right bullet the .270 should work fine. But i alway love an excuse to buy a new rifle and ive been looking at the ruger no 1 in .373 h&h mag . Im sure it would take a black bear just fine but is it too much overkill? i shot a friends and fell in love with the gun but im wondering if its practical for north american game.. im also planing a plains game hunt in south africa so im sure that rifle would work well there too . thanks for any info!

It is definitely a good bit over kill for just a black bear but it would give you options for larger game if you ever decide to go brownie or cape buffalo hunting.

anyone else?

African plains game comes in an awful big size range to make that call...Most spring bear guides like .30 caliber or better, with a 12 gauge slug gun being highly recommended for bait hunting, where ranges are pretty short. I use a .45-70. I believe in buying for what you are hunting, not what you hope to hunt.

.375 is way to much for black bear, the .270 weatherby will do the job

I don't know how big your bears are over in Maine, but condsider the 300WM, which I have taken 4 of my 5 bears with. They don't make it too far after being hit with one of those, and after skinning him out it makes no difference. Tracking a wounded bear is fun if you end up finding him, but many are lost. That said you may have excellent shot placement and the .243 could drop him on the spot. If your paying big $$ for the hunt I'd err on the side of bigger caliber..my 2 cents

the bear in maine arnt any larger then the rest of the world.. smaller if anything. largest ive seen taken with my own eyes was in the 450s range which is a huge black bear in my eyes. i have a liking for the 375h an h but i do feel its overkill.. a well placed shot is far better then fire power. i was trying to get an excuse to try and convince the wife on letting me buy another rifle haha

has anyone worked with the .300 h an h?

A .375 would be good for Water Buffalo in Africa.

A 30-30 has taken more black bear than you can count. They aren't that tough.

If you want to buy a new gun. Don't use a black bear as an excuse. The .270 is fine.

Take a look at a .35 Remington (Marlin 336 is a good example). It'll take down your black bears with no problem, plus it doubles as a great deer rifle. Muley Hunter also pointed out the .30-.30...can't go wrong there either.