I'm looking at going Black Bear hunting, I'm hoping for a color phase , with John the Greek and was trying to decide which bullet be would best? Not that I think it would matter, I think both would do fine and I've used both in the past, but I thought I'd ask. Hey, hunting season is over and I'm bored

Heres the setup. Hunting bear over bait, from a tree stand, the shot would be around 50 yards +/-, rifle 30-06. Which bullet would you use? The 200gr Nosler at 2500fps or the 180gr X at 2750fps?

Do your load development and pick the one that shoots the best in your gun. Not that I think you will have much of an accuracy difference at 50 yards. Performance will be about identical I think.

I'd go with the 180 gr. Barnes, more penetration and bone breaking ability, odds of a good exit hole are better.

Haven't shot many bears have ya Bartell. My goodness. I've seen 130 grain partitions go lengthways through 6' black bear. Now I'm a huge fan of two holes, but lets shake out the cobwebs shall we. A 200 grain partition at that speed will have a tough time getting stopped and will probably perform more reliably than the 180 gr X at the speeds listed.

I suppose i would first find out which bullet shot the best. Then flip a coin. For more open country i would opt for the 180 or a 168 for that matter. Hunting from a tree stand in thick cover the 200 would be tough to beat.

I like the "two-in-one" capabilities of the Nosler. At that range/velocity, the fornt core will in all likelyhood expand violently, causing extensive tissue damage while the rear core will punch through giving you the exit hole. Having said that however, pick the one your rifle shoots best. jorge

Chuck,

I have used both. I took a 200# bear last June using the 200gr Nosler at a measured 2500fps. The shot was about 40 yards, I shot it in the left shoulder and knocked it down. It got up and I shot it in the right rear leg as it was running away, it made it about 30 yards and left a good blood trail.

With the the Barnes X I've taken a bunch of deer, I took 6 and a 29# bobcat last fall. I shot one deer at 30 yards, the longest at 200 yards plus and the bobcat at a 144 steps. Based on that I don't see the preformance of the x at 2750fps being a problem. Then again I've only taken 2 bears, but neither of them was that hard to kill. I understand with all that hair you want to brake them down fast and have the best blood trail possible.

You are getting way too worked up on which bullet is better. Nosler partitions and Barns X bullets are both good bullets. Lets say we are all shooting at a big freaking elk standing broadside at 200 yards. That is a typical range for elk. Some are shot closer (I shot an elk at 12 yards once) and some are shot further away. If you put the stupid bullet where you want it to go, (thru the ribs and thru both lungs or heart) both are perfectly fine. Hell, so is a ballistic tip. I don't shoot Ballistic Tips on elk because I know that I am human and can flinch or screw up a good shot when I have one so I shoot a partition because I know it will go through a shoulder bone if I am a little off. Anyway, both bullets are fine if your gun will shoot them. I've never been able to get a Barns bullet to shoot for me so I shoot partions for elk. BT's for deer and antelope. It is very simple for me... What shoots best for me is what I hunt with.

Either one will work fine.

There will be no difference if shot placement is good. They will both equal a dead bear.

Either one would work fine.I would probably use the 180gr partition myself.

My post was a little abrupt, I'm sorry. My point was that how can you really go wrong with eigther. This is one of those situations were I see gun/hunting articles leaking through. Black bear really aren't that tough and their hide and bone structure aren't impenatrable. I do like two holes and to be honest, if it was me I would go with 165 grain partition or X or FS or A-frame...... I'm actually an X fan and have seen some impressive results with these on Bear. Pick the one that shoots and have at it.

i do belive a 165 gr bullet will do fine for a black bear at that range . so no need to go crazy with theese big clunkers . as for peneration take this bullet and shoot a 1/2" piece of steel at 100yrds you will see the quater size hole in the steel so how much peneration do we need ? the choise is yours . but please enjoy your hunt .. Bob

Hunting that close over bait with a tree stand, you can kill a black bear with a .243 really, really easy.
Shoot both bullets, find one that shoots well for you, load a bunch up and go hunting!! A .30-06 is more than enough.
We're not talking about griz here. You don't have to break some load bearing bones to try and put them down immediately. Nice things about bear...they will let you know when you hit them by the way they move and act after getting hit.

Madgoat,

Please elaborate on the relationship between how/where a bear is shot and its behavior. I don't have any experience with this but would like to know more. Although, I bet I could tell the difference real easy between one getting shot in the eye and one shot in the ass.

When they're hit in the head, the fall down! Compared to most big game animals, bears really let you know when you hit them.
A lot of times they will claw or bite the area where the bullet entered (especially if the shot is not immediately a lethal one). I have seen bears shot in the lungs and shoulders do this. When you got 'em, the hair on their entire body shakes or stands on end (for a split second), like they were suddenly "electrocuted". It is really easy to see in the fall when they're fat. It is like shooting a bowl full of jello (get the ripple effect). I have yet to shoot one in the buttocks (now that I have typed this, I'm sure my next hunt is doomed) so I can't tell you what they do then...have you ever seen your dog drag himself across the yard???

MG

I have two one-shot kills of black bear with a .30-06. The first was a huge black in British Columbia. The distance was about 50 yards, and I used 180-grain Barnes-X bullet. It entered just aft of the left shoulder and exited through the shoulder on the right side. Bear took several steps and dropped. The second kill, I was experimenting with Speer Grand Slam bullets, and used the 180 grain bullet. The bear was quartering toward me at a distance of over 200 yards. The bullet entered inside the left shoulder and ended up in the right leg. We recovered the buller. It had mushroomed perfectly.

The rifle is a Remington Model 700 Mountain Rifle.

In my opinion, you don't need a bulet as heavy as the 200 grain partition for a baited black bear hunt. If your gun shoots them more accurately than it does the 180 grain partition, go for it.