I gotta new 45-70govt.ruger#1-will the 300gr.factory hollow points be the load to use inside 100yrds.at 1880fps.?Would 405gr.be any better?What would you shoot for a bear/deer load?Still hunting only....No bait or dogs allowed.
What is the lowest speed you would push a 400-500Gr.bullet to hunt bear with?1400fps.?Anyone got any experiance with black bears and 45-70?They live in the same woods i deer hunt and are legal to harvest.I dont want to suprise one at close range and have the wrong loads chambered..

Winchester has loaded a 300gr @ 1850 for 100 years !! It's excellent for deer. I found some of those 300JHPs a bit too fragile for under 100 yds so I've gone to Winchesters Partition which works fine and that would be fine on black bear also. Forget the 500 gr for the 45-70.If you prefer the 405 ,the factory loads will do the job or handloads to 1800 fps[with higher recoil of course].If you don't mind that higher recoil a good choice would be the PMC 350 which I hear is very effective and very accurate.

You might want to consider the PMC 350 grain 45-70HA ammo or the Conley Precision Cartridge 405 grain JSP 45-70 load.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=213718

http://www.cpcartridge.com/45-70marlin-P.htm

For factory ammo,The Winchester 300 grain Nosler Partiton Gold is hard to beat or any Nosler bullet for that matter.Many a Bear has fallen to Winchesters Partition Gold in the 45-70.In fact that is Larry Weishuhn's favorite load for his 45-70 Guide Gun for Black Bear..And he has shot quite a few.

Can't argue with success...

Jayco

The Nosler is the bullet if you want to use a 300gr. load. I got excellent penitration on bear with it. I did an unscientific test with some plywood scraps with the Nosler and I think it was 300gr. Hornady's. The Nosler won hands down. I found the 350gr. Hornady's acted like solids, this might have changed since this was several years ago. with the 350's I shot a bull elk in the brisket at about 40 yds and it lodged in the meat of the off-side hip.

I was using a 18.5in. Marlin GG at about 1950fps, best accuracy in my gun, with the 300gr. Noslers. The 350's shot best at 1850fps. Recoil was stout.

There has been a sad story in NJ.A young black bear ,150 lbs ,went to a campsite early morning and woke up a couple of campers sleeping on a tarp in their sleeping bags.A typical curious young bear probably smelling food.Campers in a nearby tent videod the event .No damage was done but the officials killed the bear !!This in a state that has stongly resisted a bear season despite growing bear numbers.This is also a state where if you have squirrels in the attic you can't kill them but have to remove them to another area !!! About 35 miles from me. Insanity is rampant in NJ ! This was shown on NBC-TV in NYC.

read this this will help you decide

http://www.rathcoombe.net/sci-tech/ballistics/methods.html#solids

mete whay is that a sad story sounds to me like the bear got what he had coming.

They have way to many bears so shooting one that shows no fear of humans is a good thing.

Better yet woudld be to have a hunting season and cull them out early.

But in this case even if they had a season it a good thing to get rid of this bear.

I guess a 3 to 4 year old bear is young plenty big enough to attack and kill some one.

This is a bear that's 1 1/2 years old , on his own for the first time ,curious .If you see the video it's obvious that it wasn't "attacking" though the media will probably list it as an attack.

Thanks boomstick you da man!!
Thats the best test for bullets i have ever seen ! You get first prize for ending the bullet argument!Big Time!
One thing forsure about bears and humans,when in the wilds far from help and its hand to claw combat the bear is at the top of the food chain!
yuppies & bunnie huggers dont understand that fact!The bear always wins.....Thats why i try to carry a big enough gun or bow&knife.....People and bears dont mix.......thats why they call it wilderness
If you are scared of bears stay in the city Please!A fed bear is a dead bear!Black bears have killed humans for no good reason/unprovoked and I dont see them as a big stuffed Teddy Bear!Viva bears-outlaws of the wild!!