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Re: .358 cal. for Black Bear?

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28 November 2004, 14:19
Thebear_78
Re: .358 cal. for Black Bear?
At 358 velosities for blackbear you can't go wrong with the regular Hornady 250gr RN. I use it in my 35 whelen at 2400fps and its a real dandy big game bullet. Extremely accurate too. You aren't going to find a black bear too big to be killed by that bullet.
28 November 2004, 16:25
Allen Glore
You would probably be just as well off with the 225 Nosler or the 225 Swift A-Frame. I have used both in 35 caliber and presently use the 225 Swift in my 350 Rem. Mag. You can get the 225's to about 2450 from a 22" barrel.
28 November 2004, 17:21
Ray, Alaska
The A-Frame, at least the .338-caliber ones, may be a little too tough, since they are designed for at least 95% weight retention. However a NOS Partition of approximately the same weight should work very well at those speeds, and still provide more than enough penetration. Keep in mind, however, that I am not an expert. I am just telling you from my own experiences with the .338WM and A-Frame bullets. A .33-caliber 250-grain A-Frame at nearly 2,700 fps is devastating on moose and bears.
29 November 2004, 10:01
Ray, Alaska
Quote:

Two weeks later when taking caribou and moose with the same load I discovered why the "failure." My fault entirely, to strong a bullet for the velocities achieved, and too little expansion.



Very interesting stories. That's what I was thinking about when I responded to the post and mentioned Swift A-Frame bullets. The A-Frame works very well at the velocity told by the original poster, but such velocities would limit the shot's range. If the bear is close, lets say within 100 yards, the bullet would do a good job. For that reason alone, I feel that a heavy and softer bullet such as a Nosler Partition, Hornady, Speer GS, etc. would be a better choice than an A-Frame, just in case he has to shoot a little farther than lets say... 150 yards.

But a tough bullet such as the 250-grain A-Frame has quite a wide range of performance (from close to a far distance) when launched from a little under 2,700 fps and up.
01 December 2004, 14:40
fgulla
358owner

I have a new model 81' lightweight in .358win and i love the rifle and caliber.While i have not killed anything with it, i have done a bit of research on this great round.There are a couple of guys over at huntamerica.com who use the the Speer 250gr hot core in the .358 and they report awesome performance on elk and everything else they shoot with it. Im pretty sure that they have never recovered a bullet yet with excellent expansion and the animals either drop at the shot or don't go far.I have yet to hear anything bad about the 250gr Speer, especially at the 358's velocity's and these guys feel that this bullet was made just for the 358.I would look at this bullet or the 225gr Nosler partition but in the end there would probably be no discernable difference between the two and the Speer is much cheaper.Which ever of these two is more accurate is what i would use, let us know how you do.
01 December 2004, 15:07
358OWNER
Thanks for the input guys. With all the great options that are now available for this caliber I will have my hands full trying them all. But I think that is just as much fun as hunting with that inevitable perfect handload.

Happy Hunting.
06 December 2004, 12:42
LAWCOP
Quote:

358owner

I have a new model 81' lightweight in .358win and i love the rifle and caliber.While i have not killed anything with it, i have done a bit of research on this great round.There are a couple of guys over at huntamerica.com who use the the Speer 250gr hot core in the .358 and they report awesome performance on elk and everything else they shoot with it. Im pretty sure that they have never recovered a bullet yet with excellent expansion and the animals either drop at the shot or don't go far.I have yet to hear anything bad about the 250gr Speer, especially at the 358's velocity's and these guys feel that this bullet was made just for the 358.I would look at this bullet or the 225gr Nosler partition but in the end there would probably be no discernable difference between the two and the Speer is much cheaper.Which ever of these two is more accurate is what i would use, let us know how you do.



YOU CAN add me to the list of never recovering a 250gr Speer.
Between a buddy of mine and myself shooting the same load in the BLRs we have over 80 white tail, 20 mulies, 4 bear 6 elk,
AND
not one bullet to recover.
So either it is "poor" bullet performance
OR
it is "great" performance.
08 December 2004, 09:58
Jerry/AK
I've recovered one...but after it passed thru the neck of a running Blacktail buck. I happened to notice the bullet's impact in the ravine bank behind the buck and dug it out of the dirt. Nice mushroom. Of course, the buck had piled up instantly.
Jerry/AK
09 December 2004, 04:53
IRONWORKER
Since one hunter wrote about a 45/70.Oct/04 I shot my first Black bear on a Guided hunt in Klamath national forest in Northern California .I used a 300RUM with 200 gr Nosler Accubonds.He was treed about 80 yds away.His profile was my shot he was looking at me and the dogs barking at him.Put cross hairs on his shoulder,POW now his back was facing mehe was hanging on with one paw[looked like a monkey] plus his hind legs,guide said shoot him again cycled the bolt and a round falls out to ground cycle bolt again raise rifle cross hairs on back just below neckPOW!! Bear is rockin,but still hanging on Guids says AGAIN! rumage thru my pants pocket for another round. Raise rifle and aim same place POW!!! Bear flips end over end 100 feet into a creek.It was an experience of a life time,guide said my rifle really tore him up first shot shattered his shoulder.Next time I'll try and shoot him behind the ear,I'm sure I could of done this with a lesser rifle. < !--color-->