Gee Whiz
Everywhere I go, I see this 45-70 thing and Africa. I am a young pup on this forum. Still looking around the rooms to see how things are. I have a Marlin 30-30. I have a great load I worked up for Deer. A Speer 170 gr near Max load.

I posted on the Hog forum on this site about the 30-30 and how it would do on Big Hogs. They said it would do fine on them within range. I don�t have Hogs where I live but we do have Black Bear. I have never shot a Bear with a 30-30. My friend Steve shot a Big one in Hood River Oregon area several years back.. It was a Monster. Weighed in at over 500 lbs live weight.

He had the head measured and the Boone and Crockett guy said it was a county record. He shot it with a 375 HH Mag. The Bear went into some thick brush after the shot. After 30 minutes passed he went in after it. It was dead. About 25 or 30 yards from where he shot it. The damn yellow jackets about killed him as he field dressed it. Anyways, I wonder if my 30-30 would have done the same thing. I some times think it may not be the best choice where thick brush is. Would some of you nice folks tell your story about 30-30's and Black Bears. I want to know how it did on them.

30-30 Man

I've never shot a bear with a 30-30, but have taken a couple with other calibers. I had an uncle that took a bunch of them while he was doing predator control in Utah years ago. He used a 30-30 and most of the ones he shot were treed by dogs. Based on my admittedly limited experience, they don't seem to be too hard to kill in normal hunting situation. A wounded one that is all excited and stirred up is a differnt story.

I think if you keep the range short and wait until you have a perfect broadside shot you would be successful. The 30-30 wouldn't have the need penetration if you had to take on quartering away and I don't think it could make it through the shoulder bones if one was quartering towards you. So, you would be limited by range and shot angles. If you hunted over bait or dogs, both limitations could be taken care of.

Bottom line is this, The 30-30 has taken millions of deer and other big game in the USA. But, there are much better calibers available.

Mac

Thanks Mac
I think your right. Not all the Black Bears are as big as my friends was but you have a good point about the angles of the bear. I have a 308 Win that I use for Elk hunting and I think I would be better off with it. It shoots 180 gr. Hornady loads that can average 1 inch at 100 yards.

Thanks so much.
30-30 Man

I've taken a number of black bears with the 250-3000, three of which were in rather tight quarters. I've also used the 257 Roberts. Some guys I hunt with like the 35 Rem., 300 Savage, and 6.5x55. I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to hunt black bears with a 30-30, though I'd load up with a good quality 170 gr. I'd also test feed each round to make sure they all fed properly.

A 375 is a fine choice if the following two conditions hold: 1) you can place your shots as well with the 375 as the 30-30 and 2) the 375 bullet you choose will expand properly on black-bear sized game (200-250 lbs is about average). The vast majority of hunters will not be able to satisfy the first condition, despite their adamant claims. The key is to properly place an appropriately constructed bullet; i.e., one that will expand properly in the velocity window offered by your round and expected ranges. Ft/lbs are, to some degree, beside the point.

good luck.

9.3

Yep
9.3X62, you make a good point. My friend Steve has had his 375 H-H for 20 some odd years. It's a Ruger No # 1. He is a BIG Guy, about 265 lbs. I have shot it befor and it tends to give me a flinch at first. After I shot it a few times and settle down I can shoot Well with it. I now use his Magnum recoil pad when I shot his rifle at the club house range. It helps!

30-30 Man

Thanks MarkWhite
I may just grab my 30-30 this year for Black Bear. I have never used the Nosler 170 Gr.. They dont stock it at the stores where I live. I could order it from MidWay. It's just that the Speer load took me a long time to develope and it shoots so good. If anything, My budy Steve would be close by with his 375 H-H.

30-30 Man

Black Bear have been taken with bow, handgun and many by a 30-30. A good broadside shot just behind the elbow will take the bear out. Unlike a hog, the heart is bit higher on bear. Penetrating the ribs and into the lungs is not hard. But most shots are seldom perfect. That is the main reason to go with the Nosler partition. Every angle except a full broadside requires the bullet to have more pentration.



I appreciate the work you put into your current load. Look at it this way. You a developed a great load for whitetail. Developing a second load for Black Bear should really make that 30-30 shine.



Pete

If I were to have to go after black bear with a 30-30 lever action, I'd load the 150 gr. Barnes X flat nose, it is a super bullet, I'd feel much better using this bullet on bear, although the 170 gr. Partiton would probably work too. I'd want a stout bullet for bear, in case you hit heavy bone, they are less likely to fragment and not penetrate the vitals.

I have taken black bears with 30-06, 45-70, 444 Marlin, .44 mag, .308, 7mm Rem mag, and, yes, 30-30. All the shots were under 100 yards and the only one that required a second shot was the one I shot with the 30-06 which was not ideally hit and ran about 50 yards after the first shot and needed another shot to end it's suffering. The closest was with the .44 mag with a 270 grain soft-point. None of the loads seemed any better or worse than the others.

I used the plain old Winchester 150 grain Power Point factory load in the 30-30 and it worked just fine. The bear wasn't especially big (217 lbs. dressed) but it certainly wasn't a cub. I got it just last year in Maine and was the only one in camp that wasn't using a bolt-action magnum caliber rifle. I used a T/C Contender carbine with a 21" barrel with a 2.5x shotgun scope. The complete firearm weighed about 5 1/2 lbs and was a joy to carry. The shot was at about 40 yards almost directly broadside into the heart. He dropped on the spot and never took a step. He did let out a very sad wail for just a second or so before expiring and, truth be told, it did make me feel real bad for a while but that's hunting. He did taste real good though!

Slug,

The mournfull wail you heard is what's called the "death ball" around here. Don't feel bad about it. I would much prefer to hear it, yes It is a little desparate sounding, because it means that death is VERY close. Any bears that we have heard this sound from have never made it another step and died quickly.

I have never shot a black bear, but have talked to other
hunters who have and they also tell me that before expiring,
a black bear will wail or bawl and that it is quite a sound
to hear. They also tell me that this sound can be heard from
quite a distance.