Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

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Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby weatherby460 » Sun Oct 24, 2021 5:57 pm

Going on a Manitoba black bear hunt. What bullet is recommended from a bolt action 450 BM gun? Leaning towards Bear Creek Ballistics 240 HV. Thanks
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby Hoot » Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:38 pm

weatherby460 wrote:Going on a Manitoba black bear hunt. What bullet is recommended from a bolt action 450 BM gun? Leaning towards Bear Creek Ballistics 240 HV. Thanks


Welcome aboard Weatherby!

Would you hunt a 400 lb black bear with a 30-06 pushing 200gr bullets? The 450b can push the 200gr Barnes XPB over Lil Gun powder, at the same velocity as a 30-06 and with a lot more frontal area than a 30 cal. That equates to a greater TKO factor. Consider the 200gr XPB. it is my go to deer round and they grow 'em big up here, Actually the black bears up here are nothing to sniff at either and I'd use the same load.

Image

Good Luck with your hunt.

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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby s4s4u » Sun Oct 24, 2021 8:15 pm

I'd likely use the 240 XTP-MAG or the 300 as I already have them and have seen what they can do from a 460 Smith. Those Barnes pics look pretty impressive and the no lead angle might be nice for the meat. I also have some 300 grain SST-ML Hornady bullets that I'd like to try. Haven't found any data specifically for them yet tho.
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby Hoot » Sun Oct 24, 2021 9:02 pm

s4s4u wrote:I'd likely use the 240 XTP-MAG or the 300 as I already have them and have seen what they can do from a 460 Smith. Those Barnes pics look pretty impressive and the no lead angle might be nice for the meat. I also have some 300 grain SST-ML Hornady bullets that I'd like to try. Haven't found any data specifically for them yet tho.


I have shot those 300gr SST-ML and not with great success. IIRC, the best I could get for a 5-shot group at 100 yds was around 2 inches. While that's fine for hunting, I am afflicted with Bench Restitus and demand MOA from anything I'll shoot more than once.

These were using AA1680 from my 20" 1:24 AR platform"

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and

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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby Al in Mi » Mon Oct 25, 2021 4:59 am

weatherby460 wrote:Going on a Manitoba black bear hunt. What bullet is recommended from a bolt action 450 BM gun? Leaning towards Bear Creek Ballistics 240 HV. Thanks


Excellent bullet, would not hesitate to use it on a big MB bear !!
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby coyote wacker » Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:36 am

There's only one bullet I would punch a bear with ..... Cutting Edge Bullets 452" Flat Base Raptor 250 gr. if you don't like the round point or are not using a AR get a pointed tip that can be installed.....https://cuttingedgebullets.com/452-250g ... ase-raptor

Last year shot a 460 lb. dressed black bear at 60 yards didn't even take one step with a CEB 250 gr Raptor behind the shoulder....wife and I have shot over the past 10 years 14 bears with CEB Raptors not one went more than 20 yard....

I don't care what a bullet cost, only need one CEB to harvest a game animal with.....you can use any one of the cup-core bullets or other inferior solid copper bullets to practice with there OK to punch paper and not much of anything else.....
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby weatherby460 » Thu Mar 24, 2022 4:59 pm

I'm expecting the shot to be around 50 yards. Any other recommendations?
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby weatherby460 » Thu Mar 24, 2022 4:59 pm

I'm expecting the shot to be around 50 yards. Any other recommendations?
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby Al in Mi » Thu Mar 24, 2022 5:05 pm

270gr Barnes if they are back to making them.

Maker has a couple also.
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Re: Best bullet for a 400 lb Black Bear?

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:21 pm

We have a member up in Alaska shooting bear with the Speer 300Gr deep curls. I think he’s posted a few times about it. Search 300Grain Speer Deep Curl
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