Can I hunt black bear with a 257 Roberts? 115 TSX.

Perry


(edit)
Did a little reading on the internet and it looks like it is a viable, minimum caliber but a 7mm or .308 would be far preferable.

What are yalls thoughts that have actually hunted bear?

I have killed exactly 1(one) black bear, about 165 pounds with one shot at about 40-45 yards over a bait with a .38-55 Winchester, one shot.

Bullet used was a 255 grain .377 Barnes Original. Bullet enter two inches left of center in upper chest, traveled all the way thu the body and exited in the bend of the right hind leg.

Bear ran about 30 yards after the hit and piled up dead.

I think depending on the bullet used, range of shot, size of bear the .257 will work, but I feel the 7mm or .308 might be a better choice. JMO

Good Luck either way.

I have 2 friends that have killed black bear with a 243 Winchester both were one shot kills over bait. I would think your 257 would work fine.

BigB

Well guys go big or go home.I consider 180 gr. in a 30 cal a minimum.I use a 375 magnum when running with dogs and sometimes a 300 mag. in spot & stalk.I don't see guys coming on this site telling their story of losing bears due to being under gunned.Sure there are one shot bears ,most are suit case.Rule # 1 keeping shooting until it quits moving and do not admire the shot.

My wife killed a mid-size black bear with her .257 Roberts shooting 120 grain Interlocks. I shied away from her typical 100 grain TSX load thinking those little bullets might be a bit hard for the expected close range shots of baited bears. The 120s performed admirably, resulting in a very dead bear after an unneeded but fired anyway second shot through the heart/lung area.

If you're hunted close range bears and expect the chance to make a well-placed shot, I say go for it.

I'm sure there's going to be a bunch opinions here, so here's mine.

First I think your .257 will be fine as long as you make a good shot. You haven't mentioned the hunting method, spot & stalk, hound hunting or over bait. If it's a stalking hunt then plan on shooting at a reasonable range given the .257's somewhat limited power.

For me I think .30 caliber and above makes a nice dedicated bear rifle. The reason is I want a gun that will effectively take the biggest bear when conditions aren't perfect. My choice for quite a while has been a .350 Rem mag. I just bought a 9.3x62mm that I'm dying to try unfortunately the places I like to hunt near my home are on fire right now.

The reason for my caliber choice is I want the bear to go down right now. Where I hunt it just isn't fun to blood trail a bear in the thick brush that's two jumps away. Besides bears don't always bleed well with smaller calibers like they do with the bigger medium bores.

Overall I think a .257 Roberts is just fine if you are careful. I'm sure there's going to be some who say they are easy kill with their .243 and sometimes they are. I've shot quite a few through the years, half being with a bow. I don't pretend to be some internet expert but I think have a fair handle on what it takes to kill a black bear. I've found them tougher than any deer and maybe less so then an elk. A big 6 or 7 footer is a much different animal than a small 200 pound bear. Now a days I'm not interested in the small ones but I really like chasing them. I'm fortunate that where I live there are a lot of bears and some real big ones around if you look.

quote:

I've found them tougher than any deer and maybe less so then an elk. A big 6 or 7 footer is a much different animal than a small 200 pound bear. Now a days I'm not interested in the small ones but I really like chasing them. I'm fortunate that where I live there are a lot of bears and some real big ones around if you look.

When I was 20 feet away from a true 500lb bear fighting with the hounds in brush so thick we had to lay down to see parts of it.

I was glad my daughter was shooting her 30-06 and 220gr RN at 2400fps.

Would of my 257 done the job most likely.

I have all kinds of calibers available to shoot bears with for rifles I have used 308. 30-06 and 416 Taylor.

The last couple were taken with my 06 scout rifle with 220s at around 2300 short handy and very fast on target

My friend who has been in on the killing of a several hundred of bears over the last 50 plus years. Likes his Remington model 7 308 with 165 cor-loks. He has kill a couple true 400 plus pound bears running in front of the hounds with it. Before that he used a 270 with 130s.

When I am the appointed back up shooter I carry one of my 44 mags or 41 mag. With a hard cast WFN but then the range of those shots are normally very close. Feet not yards or some time inches.

If the 257 was the only thing I had I would use it.

If I had bigger calibers I would use them instead.

I've killed two black bears. Both were spot and stalk, shot at less than 50 yards, and were one shot kills that ran less than 20 yards after being shot. I shot the first one with my 1911 .45 acp and a 220 grain hard cast bullet. I shot the second one with my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag and a 240 grain hard cast bullet.

I have a .257 Ackley that I've shot dozens of deer and antelope along with bighorn sheep, caribou, and elk. I would not hesitate to hunt black bears with it.

I also have several friends that each kill a black bear almost every year with their .22-250s and .220 Swift.

I have killed five black bears over bait, all with a Rem 700 .308. Four died right there, one I shot when he was facing me and he ran a couple of hundred yards. Heard the death moan, but there was absolutely no blood. After a few hours we gave up and looked for him the next day. I criss-crossed the area in front of me for four hours the next day and finally found. I was using a cup and core bullet; not sure that was an issue or not; probably due to the fact I single lunged him and he had a lot of gas left in him.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I have killed five black bears over bait, all with a Rem 700 .308. Four died right there, one I shot when he was facing me and he ran a couple of hundred yards. Heard the death moan, but there was absolutely no blood. After a few hours we gave up and looked for him the next day. I criss-crossed the area in front of me for four hours the next day and finally found. I was using a cup and core bullet; not sure that was an issue or not; probably due to the fact I single lunged him and he had a lot of gas left in him.

Frontal shot one lung no exit hole. sounds about right.

A bears coat well hold up a lot of blood plus the fact one might have fat plugging one or both holes.

Hit them right they well die nicely don't just likely many critters they can run some distance.

quote:

I've killed two black bears. Both were spot and stalk, shot at less than 50 yards, and were one shot kills that ran less than 20 yards after being shot. I shot the first one with my 1911 .45 acp and a 220 grain hard cast bullet. I shot the second one with my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 mag and a 240 grain hard cast bullet.

One of the biggest bears shot in this area dressed out at 585 pounds was shot at about six feet with a standard 240jsp out of a model 29 smith.

He was shot as he walked in front of the hounds in a corn field as he walked by the shooter two rows away. he died shortly after taking the 240gr jsp. in the lungs.

hit them right they die nicely.

All bears ain't equal! A 450 pound bear is a lot different than a 150 pound one. In the places in PA where we hunt bears I would surely like more than a 257. We don't hunt with hounds, however.

I've killed several Colorado black bears---all with 30/06 using 180 grain "Power-Points". I killed my AK grizzly with a 375 Ruger using 270 Hornady inter-locks.

There is a little bit of "pucker" factor when you walk up on the down bear.

I thought I read you could up size to a 7mag or 308. I would.

Shoot your bear in the vitals with your 257 & 115 TXX and it will die.
I've seen enough bear killed with a 22mag to know they are not bullet proof.
Proper shot placement with a small calaber trumps poor shot placement with a large caliber, providing your bullet gives adequate penetration.

Good luck on your hunt.

Perry,

Your 257 will kill the bear without question. I do think unless you spine the bear dropping him in his tracks you will have a poor blood trail using the 115 TSX. My choice for the 257 is always the 120 NP which will give you some serious tissue damage and probably an exit.

Mark

257 will do the job just fine.Bears are not hard to kill.JMHO,OB

In my experience, all black bears and all hunting conditions are not equal.
Big black bears are very different from 150 to 200 pound bears.
The conditions where you hunt really make a difference. When you can see a big open area where the bear might run, or you have snow on the ground, follow up is easier. I've not had good luck with bear blood trails. Even killing shots don't always leave much if any blood. Lots of fat, tough hide and lots of hair make them a whole diferent ball game than deer. I have not had good luck seeing where a black bear went on a breezy day in oak leaves or laurel thickets in the rain. I have never hunted over bait or with dogs.
I have no doubt that my beloved, beat up old 257R would kill a bear, but I've helped look for too many when conditions were not perfect. I lean to bigger and heavier for bears, where I hunt and the way I hunt, and because I have those other guns. At one time I only had my Roberts, but no bear showed up, so I never shot one with it. If it was my only tool, I would use it, and limit where and how i hunted. If I had something bigger, I would use that.
Bfly

Going from 257 to 6.5mm there is a jump in both
SD and BC making goodies like 6.5x55 fine for large or small Black Bears.

I shot one bear at about 70 yards with a 154 gr bullet in .7mm Wby Mag. One shot did the trick.

I am going bear hunting over bait in 3 days, and I am taking my .416 Rem Mag. Certainly not necessary, but what the hell???

A .243 or .257 Roberts would work well for behind the shoulder shots, but if you like breaking the shoulders you need to have a pretty heavy bullet IMO.

I would recommend using something at least in the 30-06 class.

JMO.

BH63

quote:

Reply

Tree'em and others got it right.
257Rob. with that good bullet or same quality is fine. Hit the heart/lumgs. ( bear is related to the pig, they say.)
No Accubond type of "blow up" bullet.

Bear are easy to kill, and just as easy to crumple; if you resist the urge to use bullets better suited to a rhinoceros.

Yeah, I'm talking your TSX.

In other news, bear trapping season starts on Sunday.

Bears are not hard to kill, I shot my first one with a 25-35 and my last one with a .338 Win. Both died..Both were double lunged or heart shot and that's critical of course. I nearly lost a bear with a 243, another with a 257 Ackley, but for a dog neither would have bee recovered although the ran only a couple of hundred yards, one holed up the other into some real thick brush..not a drop of blood and both were shoulder shots.

All that glitters isn't gold, Bear have a heavy fur coat that sucks up blood like a sponge and many are lost as the blood trails can be meager especially in damp piney forest ground, that kind of ground also sucks up blood like a sponge. For that reason alone I like a larger bore caliber like a .338, 9.3x62, 35 Whelen or something on that order, one that makes two big holes and leaves lots of blood on the ground..As to lighter calibers the 06, 35 Whelen, and the 300 Win. work well with proper bullets..Common since ditates as usual. Lots of folks use a 243 or something on one bear and declare it suitable because it performed for them, a common mistake on bear IMO, and sooner or later if they shoot a lot of bears they will pay the price...Just my opine.

Atkinson makes a good point, I guess. Little guns work most the time on bear. Not all the time.

Personally I like your choice, but maybe not your bullet. I would go with something a little quicker like the partition or the Accubond. If you move to a bigger caliber I would definitely stick with cup and core and something soft like a Pro hunter or a 30 cal B-tip. I have found at least with MN bears they are pretty soft, even when they get over 300lbs. Elk bullets will go through, but you are left with smaller exits and a lack of real expansion pressure on the organs. most importantly, as always, make your shot. Bears can be a bit tricky with that jet black hair as evening comes on. That shoulder can seem hard to locate.

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Canada:
Atkinson makes a good point, I guess. Little guns work most the time on bear. Not all the time.

Yeah, there are no extra credits, bonus points, free inches of skull or rounding up to the next squared foot options handed out for using the smallest thing you can find. Bears are easy to kill; but if they do run they are a real bitch to find.

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Canada:
Atkinson makes a good point, I guess. Little guns work most the time on bear. Not all the time.

Yeah, there are no extra credits, bonus points, free inches of skull or rounding up to the next squared foot options handed out for using the smallest thing you can find. Bears are easy to kill; but if they do run they are a real bitch to find.

That's what dogs are for

quote:

Originally posted by TREE 'EM:

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:

quote:

Originally posted by Brian Canada:
Atkinson makes a good point, I guess. Little guns work most the time on bear. Not all the time.

Yeah, there are no extra credits, bonus points, free inches of skull or rounding up to the next squared foot options handed out for using the smallest thing you can find. Bears are easy to kill; but if they do run they are a real bitch to find.

That's what dogs are for

If you have one, and its legal where you are. It isn't where I live. What's even better than a dog is not needing one.

I just got back from a baited black bear hunt in Saskatchewan. 75 or so yard shot with a .30-06. Through penetration of the chest using a 165 partition. Had a good blood trail and ran maybe 50 yards.

I don't think you will have any trouble with a .257 Roberts on a black bear. Shoot him right and he will die in short order. After cleaning him, I really don't think you need a tsx bullet, they aren't built all that heavily. I'd describe them as being rather human like once you get the hide off. The bones are not real heavy like the brown bear.

Don't over think it, most good deer hunting rounds will work fine on a black bear.

quote:

Originally posted by perry:
Can I hunt black bear with a 257 Roberts? 115 TSX.

Perry


(edit)
Did a little reading on the internet and it looks like it is a viable, minimum caliber but a 7mm or .308 would be far preferable.

What are yalls thoughts that have actually hunted bear?

Yes, I would use a Partition, but that's just me. I've killed black bears with a 243 shooting a Speer 105g spitzer as well as with a 45 ACP shooting 230g hardball.

One more for Nosler Partitions. I like the quick opening and then driving on through to exit. Two holes especially on a bear are better than one.

Most of all make a good shot and have fun!

Yes you can.

17 black bears.

finally I can give advice as a person who has actually killed a black bear. I have been on 5 BB hunts. I shot mine at about 40yrds and hit directly on the shoulder and exited behind the off shoulder. it ran 30 yds.

Have fun. When you get a bear let us know, if the 257 does not work please let us know what you would have done different.

For some reason I really enjoy hunting black bears and thinks bears in general are amazing animals. Have fun being in bear country.

The most fun part of black bear hunting is trapping and shooting the bait.

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
The most fun part of black bear hunting is trapping and shooting the bait.

You REALLY like donuts!

Perry

quote:

Originally posted by perry:

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
The most fun part of black bear hunting is trapping and shooting the bait.

You REALLY like donuts!

Perry

I don't care who you are, that's funny!

quote:

Originally posted by perry:

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
The most fun part of black bear hunting is trapping and shooting the bait.

You REALLY like donuts!

Perry

How do you get the holes in yours? Or does someone do it for you?

quote:

Originally posted by Dogleg:
In other news, bear trapping season starts on Sunday.

Are you required to use foot snares or can one use actual foot hold bear traps.

Foot snares; although I suppose culverts would also be OK.

If one has the proper trapping lic. area what is the bag limit.