Bear rifle suggestions please!

30-30 might have a "bang flinch" factor--but no way it's going to kick like any 308 parent cartridge.
Click to expand...

I’m asking because I’ve never shot the two within many months of each other, but I’d expect the 6mm-08 (aka .243 Win) would not kick more than a 30-30.
 
I should modify my comment to say that I've never shot any cartridge based on 308 (and I own and shoot most of them) that didn't feel like it had more recoil than a 30 30--but that was compared to just a simple 336 lever gun. I think there's a "psychological" recoil from the 30 30 that seems bigger than it is due to being fired from an uncompensated muzzle. I wouldn't be poking a bear with a 243.
 
Last edited:
A little surprised no one else had mentioned this, but a 12 gauge for sure, even a 20 gauge slug I'd fully expect to down a 400 pound bear.

Snag a budget/used 870/500 for $200, drop in a slug barrel and have at it. Any of those are minute of bear capable at 50 yards, cheap, capable, proven. Upgrade and personalize it as budget allows and double as home defense.

Multi purpose, cheap, and if you have to, get the 20 gauge for reduced recoil. I bet you know someone who would let you test fire a 12 gauge slug. Recoil won't be so bad if you are wearing winter cloths.
Click to expand...

Shotguns were mentioned in post #6 and post #10. Some here like to post without reading what was written before they posted.

I am going to agree with fourbore and suggest the 7-08. I let a 15 year old girl use my old model 7 in 7-08 for a youth hunt at school and she killed 4 deer with 4 shots. And she is tiny at 5'2" tall. I would recommend the Ruger American with just a red dot for the ranges the OP is talking about. Or just a low powered scope like a 2x7 of some sort. Hint: Leupold.

And speaking of the OP I think she has been scared off.:confused:
 
One thing I would Point that others have less directly touched on is that recoil will be felt much more with a rifle that has a butt plate much more than one that has a good recoil pad. A good recoil pad can be installed on a rifle that doesn't have one and would make it more pleasant to shoot for someone who is recoil sensitive.
 
I'm not a fan of suggesting the 30-30 and it's probably because of the same example of the other guys. Both of my Winchester 94's kick like a mule because they're so light. Yet I don't feel it so bad when I use my dads Henry 30-30, Marlin 336 or even Marlin 336 in 444. I ended up putting a slip on recoil pad on it and several other said it's not as bad. I also downgraded handloads but I wouldn't shoot them for bear.

My recommendation is a budget bolt action preferably for youth in 7mm08 or 308. She's going to zero, practice and probably set it and forget it. That day adrenaline will take over.
 
Any thoughts to a 12 gauge slug? A friend who guides black bear hunts here in MN prefers his clients to use a 12 gauge. Just a thought if you're not settled on a rifle.
 
fourbore, not trying to start anything here, but, you've not seen lead-free 30-30 ammo?
Win, Rem, Barnes, BuffaloBore etc. Plenty out there. Haven't heard from OP since this all came up. Perhaps she already bought a rifle or something else.
 
That's easy-peasy ... It's a 10mm Glock 40 long-slide pistol. It's easier to carry and shoot than most so-called 'bear rifles,' or a 12ga shotgun with slugs.
Click to expand...
Again, California. Glock 40 is unsafe in the eyes of California, so it can't be purchased.

Load up your G40 with 15+1 rds of heavy-n-fast 220gn hardcast loads from Buffalo Bore, DoubleTap, or Underwood, ... and any bear you pop will be stopped & dropped faster than shizznitz thru a goose.
Click to expand...

Again, California. Bullets have to be lead free. Hardcast is NOT lead free. And again, California, so even if she was somehow able to find the pistol, she can't use a 15 round magazine.

She also can't easily mail order ammo, nor can she drive to Cabela's in Reno and buy it legally, it would have to be shipped to a approved ammo dealer.

It is not ideal, and not something anywhere else in the country has to deal with. Her best bet is to find what legal hunting ammo is available locally, and make her rifle decision based on that.
 
Our local bear hunting club use 30-30 rifles and Ruger 357 magnum revolvers (dogs chase the bears up a tree and they use revolvers to shoot them out of the tree).
 
Have had to laugh, going on and the OP thought CA had grizzly bears.

Impossible to take it seriously.

And no response after the 2nd one.
 
"I'm not a fan of suggesting the 30-30 and it's probably because of the same example of the other guys. Both of my Winchester 94's kick like a mule because they're so light."

I'm curious. Are your M94's pre or post 64? The reason I ask is when Winchester went to the post 64, they changed the amount of drop to the stock. The brought about two things, one good and on IMO bad. The good was recoil did not seem to be so bad. My Great grandfather's M94 made in 1911 slaps the hell out of my cheek. My post 64 made in 1980 or 81 does not do this. The bad is when I snap the post 64 to my shoulder, the sights do not line up and i have move my head around to line up the sights. The 1911 gun would line the sights up and be on target almost instantly. I fixed the problem of the post 64 by putting a receiver sight on the gun and it works well enough with that.
Paul B.
 
I'm curious. Are your M94's pre or post 64?
Click to expand...
One is 1941-42 ish, the other 1971 and there's also a 32 winchester special in the safe from 1968. I also had a 69 Canadian commemorative. At lest I think it was 69.

The 71 and 68 were the worst but I didn't shot the others much with standard ammo. I have a load with 6.5-7 grains of I think green dot pushing a 150 grain led projectile. It's like shooting a 22. Fun for plinking at the range and introducing people to shooting.
 
Like a few others, I recommend getting a 7mm-08 in a fairly light, well-designed bolt-action with a Limbsaver or other good recoil pad and a 2-7x or 3-9x scope with good optics and generous eye-relief. The 6.5 Creedmore is also a pretty good choice and is the hottest new cartridge these days, but I would prefer the 7mm08.

I set my neighbor lady up with such a rig (Remington Mod. 7) and she absolutely loves it. Last year, she shot a huge buck with it, at about 100 yards. Even a Rem 700 ADL can be a really good hunting rifle, but I'm partial to the Tikka T3 Hunter, after seeing and handling one yesterday at Kittery (ME) Trading Post.
 
After thanking TFL folks replying to her OP in advance, and stating her request for suggestions in a light, humorous fashion (grizzly from a half mile away, yeah, she knows...) I believe the first 4 responses were probably all she needed for a solution, and that's just my opinion. She also stated, if I read it right, that, "I'M TRYING OUT 308s AND 30-06s." I took that to mean that she already knows what a fair amount of recoil means on the shoulder. And she was open to caliber suggestions, so, maybe, that's why the 30-30 or a caliber from a fast handling lever gun should/might/could mean as a good suggestion. The 30-30 is plenty of black bear medicine at 50ish yards; I have no doubt about that at all.

She also stated in her OP that, "THE INTERNET IS MAKING MY BRAIN HURT." Yeah, just still might. After her only making 2 posts on this forum, I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't respond again, and I don't believe I'd blame her.

BTW, RRookie, check out the 30-30 in a lever gun. If you can shoot a .308 or an '06, you'll be OK with the 30-30 hunting a black bear, and that's nothing more than my opinion, too.
 
More to the point on a 30 30 lever--if you're looking at a "quick to bear" inside of 50--and you better be quick--then you're probably just as well off with a good lever and well-tuned in to shoot with fixed irons--though you could slap on a red dot on a conventional rifle.
 
Lets back up a sec here. How good of a shot are you under pressure, like when holding a rifle up to a bear? My neighbor flopped a black bear with a 22mag rifle, but he’s been hunting for now on 45 years. Also what other purpose might you have for said rifle?

If you need cheap, reasonable accurate for 50yards and enough to kill a black bear there isn’t much I would say you SHOULD’NT use. Maybe a Ruer American in 7.62x39? Cheap, decent shooters, cheap ammo and then he cartridge can take any North American game, if you can.
 
RifleRookie -

You can negate some recoil...by pushing forward on the rifle forearm stock with you're support hand, while having a slightly rearward pull with the firing hand.

It's best to teach you're subconscious that the firearm is not going to hurt you.

For fast follow-up shots...kinda like square up to the target (like a boxer's or football stance) while shooting offhand. An isosceles stance (weight on the balls of your feet, shoulders forward and one leg slightly quartering away).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top