Ammunition for bear hunt

[ElevenBravo]

Thanks for all the replies. I do wonder though, is 3000 fps really necessary for Barnes bullets? Barnes has said that their bullets open reliably at 1800fps, it sounds like 3000 fps may cause over expansion. It would be terribly difficult to get 3000fps out of a .308 win without dropping down to a 150 or a 140gr bullet.

 

[H&Hhunter]

3000 FPS is absolutely not required for Barnes TSX or any other kind of Barnes X bullet to work effectively. I've been killing game with Branes X, TSX, and TTSX bullets at all kinds of velocities less than 3000 FPS. I've killed a large number of game with various Barnes X bullets with the .308,.30-06,.358 Win, .375H&H, .404 Jeffery and the .470 NE at muzzle velocities from 2100 FPS to about 2800 FPS with no issues with bullet performance at all. Barnes bullets work just fine at lower velocities.

 

[fragout]

HuH hunter is correct in regards to Barnes tsx/ttsx bullets. It will do just fine through your 308 rifle if your rifle shoots them well.

My 308 hunting rifle shoots 165gr sierra game kings extremely well, so this is what I use to hunt most game with too include black bear, elk, moose, and bison.

 

[stiab]

I've killed a large number of game with various Barnes X bullets with the .308,.30-06,.358 Win...

Good info, what's your .358 Win rifle(s)? I just sold a Savage, still have a Ruger that I have not shot yet.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Had a pre 64, M-70 until somebody offered me WAY to much money for it. Now I have a stainless Ruger 77, Hawkeye

 

[stiab]

Had a pre 64, M-70 until somebody offered me WAY to much money for it. Now I have a stainless Ruger 77, Hawkeye

My situation exactly. I had a Savage 99 in .358, but there was a large profit margin in it, so had to let it go. Have the NIB Hawkeye now, but one of those (new but w/o the box) sold for $1K on Gunbroker the other day. I'll be keeping this one though.

 

[TimSr]

My brother shot a 200# black with a 180gr Nosler Partition at 50 yards from an '06. Entarnce wound small, exit wound bigger, blood spray acorss the grass, and bear made 3 steps.

I can't speak for new copper solids and all those newfangled bullets, but I can say without reservation that a Nosler Partition will expand reliably, even at relatively low velocity, and they consistantly work exactly as they are advertised and were designed to do. The soft end opens easily, while the hard end keeps it together. If it were me, I'd get some 180gr partitions, and load them up for both your guns.

 

[ADKWOODSMAN]

Buddy of mine and I have used the .308 Winchester round out of 18 1/2 in. model 7 Remington's for many bears. We use 165 sp Hornady reloads at about 4 percent below max.

Many of our bears have been around 350 lbs.