alaska black bear hunt. which round?

[Josh11]

I'm planning a black bear hunt up in alaska next sept. I am wondering what round to go with. I was thinking 260 rem. Do you guys think a 6.5 bullet is big enogh for black bear.

 

[areaone]

Might be fine for some of the 250# in the lower 48, but I would think a 30 cal or larger for Alaskan Bear.
You can't kill'em too dead. I used a 338/06 to kill a 6'6 sq Black bear in British Columbia, shot square in the chest, took out the left lung and part of the heart, entered in the front and exited the rear of the bear, he ran 100 yds in a dead run(the opposite direction from me ;D) before he died. Shot him with a 210 gr Nosler, about 100 yds out. Regarless of the Caliber, It is the Bullet that does the job. I believe those Alaskan Blacks are normally larger and tougher than those in the lower 48.

 

[KevinThomas]

My best friend lives in North Pole, and routinely uses a 375 H&H for deer. Not a question of whether it's enough gun for deer, but of having enough gun in case of bumping into a brownie. I'd be inclined to use that same logic on choosing a black bear gun, if hunting in an area where their territories overlap.

 

[hedditch]

I agree with Kevin Thomas. Unless you have someone by your side with a big gun, you are under gunned with a 6.5. If you jump a brown bear, ( a grizzly living south of the Alaska Range), and his adrenalin is pumping, you can take out the heart and that bear will go 300 yds. If you do jump a brown bear it will probably be at less than 30 yds and chances are it will come after you. Now, the brown bear lives south of the Alaska Range and North of the Alaska Range, they are Grizzly Bears and much smaller but they can still eat your lunch. Deer hunting takes place south of the Alaska Range where the Brown Bears are big. I, too, lived in North Pole, Ak. Small world.

 

[M700]

Hunters often shoot black bear with their deer rifles, and it works. My son took a nice Washington bear with his .30-06 and for the heck of it I shot one with a .375 H&H. I've got nothing against your .260 at all, I think it's a great cartridge. Personally I'd grab a .30 something, and use "premium" bullets that ensure good penetration. Am thinking I'd grab my the old .30-06 and load it with 180 gr Nosler Partitions. Nothing real fancy there - but it has been working just fine for a very long time.

My son's 2010 bear, taken with the old .30-06 rifle:

Mine, taken with a .375 H&H, Ruger Number One - not necessary - but it was rewarding to see him simply drop at the shot, 306 yards distant:

Might want to figure out if you're going to be in real open country, or up close and personal. Up close, I'd want the bigger rifle for sure.

Enjoy the hunt - it should be AWESOME! I love trips to Alaska. Take a fishing rod...

Guy

 

[bozo699]

My best friend lives in North Pole, and routinely uses a 375 H&H for deer. Not a question of whether it's enough gun for deer, but of having enough gun in case of bumping into a brownie. I'd be inclined to use that same logic on choosing a black bear gun, if hunting in an area where their territories overlap.

I have to agree with Kevin's philosophy, A 260 can easily kill a black bear, I kill them all the time with a .243 and a 7mm-08 but the worst animals I have to deal with is another black bear, wolf, or a cougar all of which my little .243 can easily take care of,....I don't live in Alaska but if I did or if I was hunting up there I think bigger would be better, .338 wm and up would be my choice.
Wayne.

 

[M700]

One thing I forgot to mention - tracking.

Bears tend to be tough to track. Their fat & fur can prevent blood from leaking from a small bullet hole. I like the idea of opening up a big bullet hole - and a good .30 cal bullet will expand & penetrate, providing a very good exit wound. The blood just poured out from the .375 exit wound.

Alaska - the silvers will be running... I've never hunted there, but have made several trips to fly-fish for silvers in September. Too cool. We always see big Alaskan brown bear while we're fishing. They're worthy of respect, no doubt. Here's a couple of Alaska photos to pique your interest:

Alaskan taxi:

Silvers:

Swans & mountain:

Brown bear track next to my size eleven boot:

Surf bear:

Two young brown bears near a fishing cabin:

Haven't seen any black bears in Alaska in years. I think the brownies ate them!

Enjoy your trip! Looking forward to seeing your hunt photos.

Guy

 

[wboggs]

Your .260 will do the job if you are very patient and take a fairly close spine shot. Look up the bear anatomy and you will see you aiming point. You have to be close enough to carefully place the shot and the animal has to be in the right position. The 140 Nosler would be my choice. As mentioned by others, you must have a very competent back up in case the unexpected happens.
If you want to move up in caliber, 7MM Mag, or .30-06 on up with BarnesX or Noslers will do the job nicely.
In my younger years I took many bears in Alaska and Canada. Used everything from a .30-06 to .378 WBY. Most important is bullet placement, followed by a toughly constructed bullet. Good hunting and respect the bears. Bill

 

[bheadboy]

I am a two bear man, one British Columbia black 450# and the other a Yukon grizz - the black died instantly with a 150 hornady out of a 300sav, might have been because it was a in the face head shot at 20 yds, coming toward me,

the griz was 550 yd with 300wm nos partition, at 3000fps hit twice - once from the front over the shoulder down into the mid section (i was 200ft above him) then he decieded to walk away the second from the rear, entered just above the left hip, traveled upinto the lungs and right chest bones. the sitll went 30 yd more.

take 30 or better, 180gr or more and dont be shy about over gunning - I have a friend that shot a brownie 3 times at 20-40yds with 150s from a 270win and it droped behind a log, he and the guide sat for 20 min and walked over and the bear had sneeked off, circled them and came up behind them,-- needless to say he and the guide emptied their rifles in him and he died 15yd away.

the article in field and stream headed "That damn bear aint thar" retails the story.

bob

 

[wboggs]

Poor shot placement or the wrong bullet construction is why the Brownie lived to circle them. A 150 gr. Nosler or Barnes X would have done the job if placed in the spine or brain (see bheadboy above). You should not take the shot if it is not a sure one. Having said that, I realize that hurried shots from an excited hunter are the norm. A hunter with limited time and few opportunities tends to take the poor shot and hope for the best. The best cure for that is an experienced guide or hunting buddy.
When I used to go to Kodiak Island in the 50's one of the best guides of all time used a .375 as a back up for me using a 30-06 using 220 gr Rem, HP Corelokts. It would not let me shoot at a moving bear or one further than 100yds. We were a very successful team. Bill

 

[abishai]

I am rather fond of my 375 ruger, with a 260 grain acubonds BC it makes a nice long range big bore. Any reason to buy a new gun is good one!

 

[fullersson]

I would say a 30 cal also and more likely a 375 H&H. I would think there would be a minimum allowable caliber for shooting a animal that big. Might be worth checking into. Brian Brown.

 

[bheadboy]

Wboggs, my friend was using Rem corlok, and 1st two of the shots hitin the center and left of the chest, the third not sure, but low center, the bear had reared up in front of him and the guide backed upwith a 348win

no barns at that time as you suggest,

I currently use Nos partition exclusively on heavy game.

my story was to inforce my concern for Josh to understand the toughness of the game he may encounter. i also do not know how good a shot Josh is.

Bob

 

[wboggs]

Bheadboy A 150 .270 soft point Corelokt at 2900 is a lot different from the 220 HP version from a 06 at 2400. The HP version penetrated deeper than the soft nose version in the 06 and was not offered in the .270. Your friend made poor shots in the chest, while fatal eventually, did not disable the bear on the spot. A fronal shot is difficult to say the least. You have to be lucky or very good to hit the spine, or even more difficult the brain. Bears usually rear up the get a better view or scent and you do have to make a split second decision to shoot or hope he will not charge.
Your advice to Josh is wise indeed. Mine is that chest shots do not disable the bear to prevent a short distance charge no matter what caliber you use. A central nervous system shot is the only thing that will do it. Bill

 

[bheadboy]

wboggs

right on

Bob

 

[glo]

I agree with the folks that say .30 cal or above. Alaskan critters are much bigger than their cousins in the lower 48. If you are hunting in Alaska you may run into a brownie. I would want to have a magnum size 7mm, .30-'06 or better yet .338-'06.

The .260 is a great cartridge and might well be plenty big enough; especially if its topped with a Barnes, Swift or Woodleigh bullet. However, you'll be in Alaska. I'd want just a little extra measure confidence coming out the end of my barrel.

 

[Josh11]

Thanks to all that replied. Lots of good info. My next question is, if I take a .260, and I had a backup 12 ga with slugs, would that be enough for whatever I encounter? Or should I just get a .30 of some sort? I really am trying to avoid getting one if at all possible.

 

[Dans40X]

Josh-
Where do you plan on hunting black bears in September,up here in AK?

If you are hunting the interior of AK your 260 w/ quality Swift,Barnes bullets will work fine,IF you place your shot & keep distances under 300yds.

Nosler Partitions are junk,will not stay together & should not be carried afield.

A shot placed behind the ear/neck will turn off the lights & anchor the bear where it stood.
A shoulder/heart/lung shot will allow the bear to run 40+ yards to infinity,as a bears heart beats less than 15 times a minute.
Shooting any bear in the foot w/ a LAWS rocket will only piss the bear off.
Follow up shots on bears are BS & a waste of powder/primers/bullets.
1 bound & a bear is running 40-45mph & can sustain that speed for miles & miles & miles.

 

[Jayman_10x]

Nosler Partitions are junk,will not stay together & should not be carried afield.

What? You are hereby nominated for most preposterous statement of 2011.

Apparently thousands of successful partition users are wrong but you're right. Right? Of course.

 

[Josh11]

Not too sure where in AK where we are going, the guide and I still have to run out details on the 29th. Im not even 100% sure it will be in Sept. Should be there around that time though. I could build something a bit bigger but what Im going to do is, after I get done with the hunt, I want to make it an f class gun. So a 7mm round wouldnt be too bad either. I know im going to have a weight issue while hunting, but I wont use it hunting enough to just have it as a dedicated hunting rig.