Next month I'm going in a black bear hunt in Alberta and I'm thinking of bringing my .375 H&H along. Before somebody says I don't need such a large caliber for black bear - thanks I'm fully aware of this, I've taken a fair number of them through the years. This is just for fun and my rifle needs some exercise.

What I'm asking is what bullet and weight would you use for this endeavor? I'm not going to reload for this gun so the choices are going to be factory ammo. I want a bullet that isn't too tough so it opens up easily but will still hold together and exit. I've always been a big fan of Nosler Partitions but I'm wondering if a plain cup and core bullet like Federal, Remington Corelokt or something else would work just as well. The range will be short, it's a baited hunt so no more the from the muzzle to maybe 50 yards maximum. The bears from past experience are fairly big. My last two were both over seven foot squared with 19 inch plus skulls. So it were you, what would you choose?

Yes any thing you shoot them with out of the 375 well work just fine.

I shot bears with 308 cal to 416 they all died quickly.

A couple of the biggest bears I seen shot were killed with 220gr .308 at 2300fps. The biggest was pushing 600lbs was killed at a few feet with a standard factory 44 240sp at about 3 feet as it ran by the shooter in a corn field.

I used my 416 that bear was close to 500lbs because I could just as good of a reason to use your 375.

I used to use a factory 235gr load in the 375 on my trips to BC for Bear.

I use the .375 a lot just because......... I am assuming you will be at close moderate ranges since you are hunting in AB and I would go with a 270 or 300 grain Hornady Interlock RN or something of that nature.

Always nice when the DRT and you are not having to crawl down bear tunnels looking for them in the thick dwarf birch and hazelnut.

Nosler has factory ammo with 260 grain Partitions or Accubonds. Federal has a 250 grain Bear Claw which would be good if you can find it.

Any cup core bullet would work if you place it in the right place. I have a 375 Ruger and use 300gr. and 350gr. bullets. I figure if I wanted to shoot lighter bullets I would of went to a smaller diameter caliber.

Hey Cougarz, I'll tell you what we use and why. Mostly large medium bores shooting nos/par, Barnes ,or woodleighs. 338, 35, or 375. All work exactly the same. Big exit holes and wide wound channels. I want an exit so I use heavy bullets. It's important that we put them down quick as the vegetation is extremely dense. A few times over the years we've had to trail a poorly shot bear (it happens) and the blood trail usually doesn't start for quite a ways. With the large mediums we seem to get more blood on the ground sooner or the bear is dropped where he stands. We also shoot brown bear and that's another reason for the large mediums and premium bullets. Sure we've used other rifles like the 30-06, 7 mag or 8x57 and they work too but the exit wounds aren't as large usually. We don't use cup and core bullets very often but the nastiest wound I've seen on any of the bears we've killed was a shoulder shot on a sow brown bear from a 375 300gr RN blue box ammo. Hope this helps.

There is no such thing as bullet failure on black bear with a .375...I like big guns on black bear as the hair sucks up blood like a seve, and lays little amounts on the ground in many cases...With the .338 and 375 Ive always gotten big time blood trails...

I, personally, would opt 270 gr. cup and core bullets, such as the Win. PP or the Woodleigh, they never fail on anything with soft skin..

Cougarz,

If Remington still loads the 375 270 gr CoreLok that might be just the trick. I've seen that bullet kill a bunch of game and on a black bear I bet he'd be down and out in a few feet if not DRT.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by LJS:
Nosler has factory ammo with 260 grain Partitions .........

That one.

Hornady amo worked well on a Ontario moose Black Bear hunt I was on a game trail overlooking a swamp when a large Black Bear (450) lbs came trotting down the trail 270 gr in brisket at 20 yds blow it back 4-5 ft into a big pine bullet went end to end Kevin.

Something nice and soft like a Sierra GameKing, or a Woodleigh Soft point. Can't talk about too much gun, I got a mule deer buck and a cow elk with my 500 Jeffery in the last several years

Thanks guys for your responses. While I haven't used my .375 for black bear before I have taken more then a few through the years. I too like the medium bores, in my case a .350RM with a 225 grain Nosler partition bullet. I don't want them disappearing in the brush after the shot. In my mind for this application a bullet needs to have good initial expansion but still drive on through and exit. My .350RM does this rather well. I've never had one make it even twenty yards with most falling for the most part in place. So basically I'm looking for the same performance with the .375 H&H. Once again thanks for input you all have pretty much confirmed my suspicions.

quote:

I don't want them disappearing in the brush after the shot.

Shoot them through both shoulders it well not go far. Or place a bullet in the brain they are DRT.

anything will be fine, I'd take what shoots best.

I took about 6 animals in Africa with the WW 270 gr. Power Point. I was very favorably impressed. Largest animal I took with the PP was a zebra. Also took greater kudu, waterbuck, impala and others. I would not hesitate at all to take on extra large black bears with it.

Hard to go wrong with a 260gr Nosler Accubond, the 250 TTSX is a great bullet too.

The 260 Grain Nosler Partition would be my top choice; plenty of power and range! It has the trajectory of a 180 grain 30-06 but with a 260 grain projectile.

I think that would be plenty, I killed quite a few black bears with 105g Speers out of my 243 before I stepped up to a 270 ... Got two elk with the same load too.