I was over a buddys place the other day to check out his trophy room, it was pretty impressive to say the least. He had a mount of a 500lbs black bear that he killed in the same woods I hunt. he said he used a 444 and dropped it w/ one shot. man, I wouldnt want to come face to face, in the laurels w/ that thing, w/out a big gun. I got to thinking what would be the perfect CQC (close quarters combat) gun for big black bear in tight cover. I was thinking a 4570 marlin guide 18 barrel but its 7lbs w/out a scope, a browning blr in 358win would be nice too, its got a 2" longer barrel, but I think its a shorter action and its lighter, than a guide gun. I was also thinking about a AR 15 in 450 or 50 beowulf but the brass is kinda expensive and scarce.

what would you guys consider the best gun for this task?

There isn't a black bear in the world that can't be dropped with a 30-30, 35 rem or .32 special. I killed one back in the late '80's with a 32 special at 15 ft. It never twitched.

For close quarters? 12 gauge slug gun.

like said...12 gauge slug with ghost rings or an eotech would be bad news for mr, bruin if all your doing is bustin thickets and pushing...

me? i went with a 7600 in 35 whelen. cant use a semi here...i dont like hunting with lever guns for a couple reasons...and wanted a heavy hitter and a fast follow up...

got a 2.5-8x36 VX-III on her...i primarily bust thickets..but i do a little sitting and could be glad i had the scope....i can also swing and shoot with a scope on low power and send lead where i want it...so i'll never wish i didnt have the scope...other than in the rain and snow when its heck trying to keep it clear....

recoil on the whelen isnt horrible which is nice...and a 225gr accubond cruising at 2600fps is putting out almost 3400ft/lbs of energy...i know all the energy is useless when it blows right through and into the dirt...but, its nice to have a pile of energy and a bullet that'll get through anything infront of it...


the barrel on my 7600 is 22"..but could easily be chopped into a carbine...i have half a mind to chop and port mine...just for the ultimate brush buster that packs a major punch but hardly and felt recoil...but even at 22" its not a bad gun..i think weight is still probably 7-8lbs with a scope..maybe a hair more with a scope and loaded...but, i wouldnt wanna shoot the whelen from anything lighter lol...i like the remington pump guns because they handle so fast for me..probably because i do alot of shotgunning and they feel like a shotgun (pretty identical to a 870 20ga) so that was my choice!

Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70.

Tom

It would be tough to beat a Marlin 1894 in 44 magnum-shooting the hard cast 300 grain heavies. Very lightweight, fast handling and totally effective on any sized black bear. Tom.

I had that gun, did a nice job on two good sized hogs and a huge doe. It did not stabilze 300gr xtps or 270gr hardcast bullets well, though. I think it had a 1-32" twist barrel. 240s worked great though. Those guns have gone way up in value, I bought mine lightly used for around 250$ about 7 years ago but sold it. shoulda held on to it, they go about 600$ now and the winnys are worth even more. nice handy little gun w/ a short bolt.

A hard cast 240 grain bullet would do just fine. That is what I use in mine. I have tried the 300's but found them to be just a little bit too long for my 1894's. But I have a couple of friends who shoot the 300's with no trouble.

I am not sure where you are shopping but excellent condition used ones can be found with some regularity for prices between $400-$550. I have bought and sold three in the last year. I can pick them up here in WV for around $400 most of the time. then I resell them on the net for a $50-$100 profit. Tom.

Here is a link to a few 45-70's and a couple of 35 Remingtons for a pretty good price. I have bought one 1894 from these guys, and they are great to deal with. They did not have any 1894'2 listed. but they get them pretty often. Tom.


http://www.ktpguns.com/interior.php/pid/28

Thanks tom, I just spent all my$ on my 1st AR so "funzalo" on anything else. Ill be getting another levergun someday though.