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Rifle question

buckbuster217

*Supporting Member*
3,136
85
Byesville, Ohio
I will be the first to admit that I know little about hunting rifles, with that being said my upcoming bear hunt I am going to need a rifle, I have an uncle who has a .308 remington that he said I was more than welcome to use if I wanted, I have been doing alittle research here on the net and everything says that the .308 is fine for black bear but would like to hear from some folks on here that I trust alot more than a review I have no idea who wrote. Since my trip is going to be next year instead of this year now I may just buy my rifle instead of "borrowing" one, so please speak up and give me some ideas for this upcoming trip, I dont want to break the bank on it because in truth I dont know how much it will be used after the trip, what do you guys think? Brand, caliber, scope or not ( the outfitter said shots will be under 100 yards) and loads, Thanks in advance for your input
 
.308 is plenty powerful for any sized black bear. Any round .25-06 or larger will work great. If you are looking for a budget rifle for 300 or so bucks the Marlin XL-7 or Stevens 200 are nice rifles for the money. If you are looking to spend 400-600 bucks look at the Tikka T3, Howa 1500, Savage 10/110 or 11/111, Thompson Center Venture, Remington 700 sps, Ruger 77. For brush hunting look at a marlin model 336 in 30-30 or better a .35 Remington. I use a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington when I rifle hunt black bears.
As far as scopes go I'd put a 2-7x40 if its a bolt action. Simmons, Weaver, Redfield, and Burris all make nice value scopes.
 
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MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
6,551
66
SW Ohio
Archertl has it correct in every way. On our last bear hunt the 3 boys used a 30-06 and all had a one shot kill. I carried a Marlin 45-70 but didn't see one. If I go again would carry my 45-70 again.
Frank
 

Hedgelj

Senior Member
Supporting Member
7,145
178
Mohicanish
My only additional thought is when looking at calibers, also try tip get something that you can use elsewhere for other stuff like groundhog hunting or coyote our that will work on another dream trip somewhere.
 

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,708
191
Mahoning Co.
.308 Win with a premium 150-165 grain bullet is perfect for black bears.

As far as recommendations for the rifle/scope package give me a price range you want to be in. I'd look for a decent used rifle and spend extra $$ on a good, lower powered scope.


For a new rifle look at the Ruger American with something like a Leupold VXII 2-7X
 
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Beentown

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,740
154
Sunbury, OH
All good advice. I am a 308 fan.

Best budget rifles IMHO...

Howa 1500
Marlin XL7s
Ruger American

168 grain load going 2500ish fps will do the job just fine.
 
If you want a budget rifle...that's accurate, open sights (since shots are under 100 yards), plenty of killing power and .30 caliber, then you should consider a Mosin-Nagant 7.62x54R. This cartridge is between a .308 (7.62x51) and .30-06 (7.62x63) for power. I used to own one and with 180gr. bullets in S&B box ammo, it would shoot 1 1/2" groups with open sights at 100 yards.

Dunhams Sports sells them for $160 + tax.

Bowhunter57
 

xbowguy

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
29,632
234
Licking Co. Ohio
I would want to kill a bear with my muzzy. Shots are 100 or less and the muzzy adds a little to it. From what I've seen about bear hunting, looks like you only get one good shot anyhow.
 

rooster85

Junior Member
1,409
78
Lake County
Ive always been a fan of the .30-06 but a .308 will work just fine. If the shots will be close then a nice lever gun in .30-30 or .35 Rem would be my go to guns. Im used to hunting out west where distance can vary from 25 yards to out over 300 and I've had great success with my .270, 300 WSM and of course my .30-06 has never failed me. As for ammo, if I'm shooting factory loads then I'm an exclusive hornady fan. Good luck.
 

COB-TY

Retired to the happy hunting grounds above.
2,555
0
Ohio
I have a H&R .308 (7.62X51) with a good 3 X 9 scope. I shot one kill! All that is needed and it does not cost an arm and a leg. JMHO
 

FredT

Junior Member
262
0
SE Ohio
.308 is plenty powerful for any sized black bear. Any round .25-06 or larger will work great. If you are looking for a budget rifle for 300 or so bucks the Marlin XL-7 or Stevens 200 are nice rifles for the money. If you are looking to spend 400-600 bucks look at the Tikka T3, Howa 1500, Savage 10/110 or 11/111, Thompson Center Venture, Remington 700 sps, Ruger 77. For brush hunting look at a marlin model 336 in 30-30 or better a .35 Remington. I use a Marlin 336 in .35 Remington when I rifle hunt black bears.
As far as scopes go I'd put a 2-7x40 if its a bolt action. Simmons, Weaver, Redfield, and Burris all make nice value scopes.


Yep, this sums it all up.
 

buckbuster217

*Supporting Member*
3,136
85
Byesville, Ohio
Thanks for all the info guys, I am definately going to go with the .308, went to woodburys yesterday and looked at acouple of the savage models, now just which one to choose!