mauser06

ok my buddy gave me the invite to goto his camp with him and his family and bear hunt this year....typical PA black bears....100-800lbs i guess....who knows.....dont matter to me its my first year going bear hunting if i do go...i ahve to make sure i have the cash to go because deer season is the week after so thats half a month of no work....so i gota have money for the bills when im back......but i want to go so im saving......i will take the 3006 on my trip......i want to shoot 150gr nosler ballistic tips for deer this year....so will that drop a bear for me?? dad uses 165s for deer and i say they can open up more....so i was going to drop to 150s and see what they do.....but if i need something bigger ill shot something bigger....or a diffrent bullet......i want something that will work on bears and drop deer like a brike also......being i will come home for thanksgiving and wash my clothes and pack back up and head back to the mountains where i belong i wont have time to sight my rifle in with diffrent bullets.....so what do you guys recomend if i go?? the chance of me seeing a bear isnt even THAT good...but i dont want to have the wrong bullet to do the job if i do see one......i want a one shot kill that drops it or leaves good blood and it doesnt make it far at all being i will probably have other hunters around......thanx guys

skeeter 7MM

Mauser first off the BT isn't want I call a great choice for the likes of black bear. Yes their will be those who say I shot them with one before or my grand dad killed bears with a 22LR, etc...but bears have extremely large shoulder blades, thick muscle and hides. What you want to drop a bear is full penetration and the ability to get through that shoulder blade. Most inexperienced guys aim to far back on a bear for the perfect H/L shot, often leaving a one lung hit/liver...just like deer one these hits can go either way! Or they will over compensate and hit flush shoulder, this is a good shot on a yogi but you must have a bullet that will get through. Being you want a deer round at the same time, I would look into a Nolser Partition, Nosler Accubond or Interbond by hornady. These bullets will work both animals nicely and give you assurance that if you make contact with that solid shoulder bone of a bear you will penetrate to his vitals.

Here's my aiming tip: For the perfect H/L shot on a bear you wait until the near leg clears and aim for the opposite shoulder(broadside), this will expose his vitals and leave the most unobstructed path to them!

Quick question about your comment about your dad's 165 opening up quicker than a 150 NBT? Is this what you meant to say or is it the other way around, you would like something to open up quicker than the 165's? Not sure what bullet he is using but I will assume it is Seirra Game Kings BTSP, if so the ballistic tip in 150 gr will do similar possibly even more expansion as that is how it is designed. As you know I'm sure the BT has a polymer tip that upon impact is forced into the jacket to provide rapid expansion, thus opening quickly and creating lots of tissue damage. As such it isn't noted as the most solid constructed bullet in the world but if you aim for the lungs it is a deadly deer offering.

biggunz.45-70

Great answer skeeter!

121553

Mauser, doubt if you be encountering any 800 # blackies in Penn., maybe 3-400# range and they will let you know by the signs if they are in the area, seems like the dang things crap every 100 ft and berry trees snapped off while enroute. You'll know if the're there. I think for your neck of the woods, 165 would be a good compromise as far as deer and bear loads go. Find out what flies strait out of your rifle and go with it. I got a mod. 700, 30-06 and nozlers are good choice but I can't group them but in using the corlokts I get a tighter pattern and I had never had them fail me either, but like Skeeter said, you hit the H/L, they ain't going to go far. My answer would be 165's, unless you came out here and then I would say 180's, so start practicing now, good luck, Bobby

UncleNorby

You could try some 180s to see where they hit in relation to those 150s. Chances are they won't be much different at 100 yds. Don't know how far your shots at bear would be, but you may be able to just switch bullets.

Western MA Hunter

Go with what Skeeter said...
That's right on the money.

mauser06

121553.....there were actually 3 800+lbers killed in pa last eyar alone...plus a few more over 600 i think like 10ish over 600.....thats not a great number...but there is always that chance....expecially when theres only around 3000 bears killed here a year you never know what you may see.....i what do you guys think about hornadys SST-IB?? will that work? i want something thats going to expand really good and fast but hold together..... they SOUND like the way to go.....but are they really the way to go? in say.....165gr?? the bears wont be that big 150-300 is what most of them weigh.....im sure the ole 06 will crush it like a brick......and thanx for the shot placement.....i will use that if i can and try it on deer also.....i hate when things run off.....even if its a few feet.....theres over 1million hunters in pa.....i dont want my deer or bear making it 20 feet over the hill to meet the next idiot when i put the killing shot in it.......i really think im head shooting deer for now on....i know i can do it at 30yrds EASY.....i had a doe this year perfect perfect heart shot....run 30 yards and she was in view of some other guy when she dropped.....all he had to do was fire into the ground and it would been his deer....i couldnt see him.....i could barely see the deer when she dropped...thats why i want a good bullet.......thanx guys

noway

mauser06,
The bullet you are describing is the Nosler Partition. You should probably go with the 180gr.
Front section expands violently for maximum expansion and the rear section holds together and continues to penetrate.
Good for a light bear and also good for a heavier bear if you get lucky.
If you do run into one of the bigger ones you may not get the penetration you need with a lesser constructed bullet (which are great if you get a nice broadside presentation).

skeeter 7MM

Mauser the Hornady 165 IB should be ok for both critters. From tests I have read penetration in thick media has shown to be less than the Nolser Partition or Nosler Accubond but expansion and weight rentention is higher in IB.

BTW the IB is not called the SST-IB any longer, the SST is the same as a NBT, just so your aware you want the IB not SST!

121553

Mauser, plan on the 3-400 pounder to be realistic. An 800 pounder would be like me encountering a state record whitetail, its possible but until one comes by, I'll settle for the meddie oakers.
Also shame on you for even thinkin about head shots to minimiuz(sp) their travel when shot. You don't ever go for the head, NEVER, you'll have a higher percentage or recovery by aiming for the vitals, and as far as other hunters recovering your game, I would just suggest hunting somewhere where its not so crowed, it sounds kinda dangerous to me. Maybe take up bowhunting and it may not be so crowded, but even with a bow, they don't drop in their tracks when shot. Bobby