I have the oppurtunity to go on a black bear hunt. I want to use my 7mm STW. This is a hunt with baiting and tree stands, so I imagine the shots won't be too long. I currently use a 139 gr. Hornady SST for whitetails and that is good medicine. Should I switch bullets, and if so, what should I use?

Your 7mm STW with Hornady SST should do rather nicely and considering people shoot black bears from treestands with bows one could argue that you are actualy overgunned if that were possible good luck on the hunt.

I am sure that Stubblejumper will suggest using Ballistic tips Seriously, though, he has lots of great experience with the 7mmSTW and will have a valuable opinion.

Personally, I would use the 160gr. or 175gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claws. Since range is short, no need for hyper velocity and these bullets will really penetrate a black bear from ANY angle.

I have used the 140gr partitions for black bear over bait and the results have been very good.You can use a heavier bullet if you desire but they are not required if you use a premiun bullet like the partition,failsafe,tbbc or barnes x.

Not that MOA will be of great concern, but, the 175gr Hornady alway shot great in mine. Used on hogs though, not bear.

As your rifle is sited in for 139 gr bullet
I would use 140 gr partition. this will give you good penatration , but you need and most important is to put the bullet in the right place and it will do the rest. good luck

I have shot 5 black bears, all with a .308. You sure don't need a 7mm STW...

If you use one, don't shoot light bullets, and if you do, avoid a frontal shot. Bears have a pretty thick layer of muscle on the front of their chests.

The SST is ok for thin skinned deer, but @ 7mag vel. especially up close, I want a bullet that won't come apart on the bears thicker hide, fat & heavier muscle. If you want to stay w/ 140gr, go to the partition, accubond or bearclaw or NorthFork.

That sst bullit is on the soft side for bear
a nosler blistic tip is a little more heavy
jacket and shoots almost the same I would try that but both will work I think just dont hit
shoulder blade with that sst. good luck and have fun.

Thanks for all the replies. I am using the 7mm STW because that is the only rifle other than a 22-250 that I own. Some of us don't have the luxury of choosing between which of the dozens of guns we own to use. I didn't plan on using the SST, and was thinking more along the lines of an Interbond or something of that nature. Keep the replies coming, I need all the help I can get.

A friend and I each killed a black bear with my 7mm Rem. with the 175 gr. Nosler partition. It penetrates completely and leaves a decent exit hole (1" to 1-1/2") for a blood trail if you need it. I like having 2 holes in any critter, but they must also be well-placed. A bear can have a lot of fat and fur that can plug a small hole. I am not a bear expert, as I have only killed 2 black bears, but I no longer believe the statement that they are as easy to kill as a deer. Both of mine did not want to give up.

If you reload and want to use a light bullet,load down several hundred feet per second. Point of impact change at 25 yds. is nill. If you want to use heavier bullets load as usual. Don't worry about POI changes at baiting range.You couldn't change it much if you tried.

140g partition= no problem and dead bear!

I would use a 160 Nosler Accubond or 160 Partition. I don't know what kind of STW you have but mine drives those 139 SST's over 3400 FPS and they have a hard time holding up on whitetails at 100 yards. I say the 160 because your shots will be close and it will drive deeper at closer range then the 140 Partition.

My STW is a Savage 116 that I handload for. I have my 139 SST loaded down a bit, driving at 3150 FPS. I know this is low for the STW, but it has served me well. I am thinking about moving up to a 160 or so...please keep the advise coming. Thanks!

murftj I would go with the 160 the bigger bullet is going to drive deeper into the vitals at closer range and hold up better if you do hit the shoulder. Besides the last thing you want is that SST to come out the other side and leave a hole the size of a silver dollar in your new bear skin rug. You might even want to take a look at the 175 partition as well. If you are hunting over bait I would say the longest shot you would get would be 50 yards tops. Now if you were going to be hunting out west and you were going to have longer shots 200 to 300 yards I think the 140 partition would be fine.

Well,
if that is the only rifle you have, go with it since it will certainly kill your bear and then some.
I assume you shoot the bear for its hide as a trophy???
I then would be far more concerned by a too rapid expanding bullet at those stupendous velocities and ripping the living hell out of your trophy, which is counter productive since the hide is the main reason you go bear hunting. I have seen customers shoot their bears with 7mm Mag. and .300 Win. Mags and what lighter frangible bullets do to those pelts makes you cry, sometimes a wasted tag.
Pick a 160 or 175 grainer, at slower velocities and stouter construction. Believe me you really do not need that for the penetrationn on a blackie, but you will then at least have something to bring to the taxidermist.
The .30-30,.308 Win, .270, 35 Rem,30-06, .358 Win. class of rifle is just about right for treestand work, if it is in a short handy rifle with LOW POWER scope ( 1.5-3X) with COARSE CROSSHAIRS. One of the most popular rifles amongst the bear camp clients where I helped out a bit, was an old 30-30 Savage bolt action with a 2.5 or 3x scope belonging to one of the guides.
Many clients after a couple of days in their tree stand swapped their .300 Win. mags or 7mm mags for this handy deadly little rifle.
Remember you have all the time in the world to kill that bear on the bait barrel, since your shots are going to be between 20-40 yards.
Make sure your rifle is sighted smack on @ 50 yards.
Good luck on your hunt.

Murftj: I have killed Black Bear with my trusty old 7mm Remington Magnum using the trusty old 160 gr. Nosler Partition bullets!
These are accurate and dependable projectiles as I have used them for a long time.
Could you remind me please how much faster the 7mm STW shoots a comparable bullet than the 7mm Remington Magnum?
Good luck on your Hunt! I am headed out here in a few weeks for Spring Bear Hunting myself!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Varmitguy with all things being equal the 7mm STW will shoot all bullet weights about 200 to 250fps faster than a 7 mag.