Black Bear bullet?

[65Whelen]

Would like to hear your thoughts. After ten years of applying for a bear tag my number finally came up. So, I'll be working up a bear load. What bullet to use? I've got two Grendels an 18" and 14.5, longest shot will be at most 75 yards.

[Dinny]

Are you still hunting or hunting with dogs? For still hunting I like the 129gr ABLR, for treed bears I like any bullet. Brain shots don't need expansion or plastic tips, etc. Last November I shot a bear in the head on a still hunt. That shot didn't really need a 35cal Barnes TTSX, but it was extra insurance if I missed the head and needed expansion.

Thanks, Dinny

[A5BLASTER]

120 gold dot are 129 ablr. Cns system hit and it's good night mr. Teddy bear.

[kmon]

120 gold dot are 129 ablr. Cns system hit and it's good night mr. Teddy bear.

Those and I would add the 125gr partition to the list

[65Whelen]

No dogs, hunting out of a stand over bait. I'm thinking a tougher bullet maybe a solid that will provide good penitration. That Nosler 125 Partition has a lot of possibility.

[kpswihart]

I've taken several brown and black bears. They are not particularly hard to kill with good first round hits. Get them excited and it can be a different story. Any decent hunting bullet put through the heart / lungs will be adequate. Personally, I'd shoot a 129 ABLR as I have a good load worked up.

[diggler1833]

Anything that will expand and penetrate well should do the trick. Never tried it on bears, but I had great experiences with the 120gr Barnes TSX/TAC-X on several 250+ lb hogs. Blew through the shield, shoulder, and into the spine, dropping them in their tracks kind of experiences.

Good luck.

[rickt300]

I was impressed with how the 140 gr. Sierra Gameking expanded and penetrated at Grendel velocities. If your shot distance is under 200 yards that bullet would work. The 129 gr. Hornady SP could be the perfect bullet. One of the bears I shot dropped and the other ran 30 yards and dropped but I was shooting a 30-30 on one and a 308 on the other. I really don't think they are that hard to kill.

[1Shot]

NEVER USE A SOLID as in non expanding FMJ on bear unless you can hit CNS or like in Africa have a back up guy with nerves of steel.

Out of a stand over bate any 120 to 130 gr hunting designed bullet will get the job done if you put it into the heart/lungs. Please study the correct anatomy location of the heart and lungs of a black bear. Their heart and lungs are located a bit lower and further back behind the front shoulder than most people think.

[A5BLASTER]

NEVER USE A SOLID as in non expanding FMJ on bear unless you can hit CNS or like in Africa have a back up guy with nerves of steel.

Out of a stand over bate any 120 to 130 gr hunting designed bullet will get the job done if you put it into the heart/lungs. Please study the correct anatomy location of the heart and lungs of a black bear. Their heart and lungs are located a bit lower and further back behind the front shoulder than most people think.

No body said anything about useing a FMJ bullet. Where did you read that?

[kmon]

This one was not a small bear taken with the Factory load SST, worked for him.

https://www.65grendel.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-12087.html

Use the custom search tool in the announcements forum and you can find several other threads on black bear with the Grendel and some for elk as well.

If I were going on a black bear hunt with either of my Grendels they would have like I talked about above Gold dot, LRAB ot Partition, the more we ask of a cartridge then better we need to feed it IMO

[1Shot]

"No body said anything about useing a FMJ bullet. Where did you read that?"

65Whelen " I'm thinking a tougher bullet maybe a solid that will provide good penitration."

[Dinny]

Black bears don't need solids for penetration. Arrows shoot right through them. Save the solids for Africa.

Thanks, Dinny

[A5BLASTER]

"No body said anything about useing a FMJ bullet. Where did you read that?"

65Whelen " I'm thinking a tougher bullet maybe a solid that will provide good penitration."

A soild and a fmj are 2 very diffrent bullets.

When he said soild he is talking about a all copper bullet.

[1Shot]

My statement was "NEVER USE A SOLID as in non expanding FMJ"

I guess I am just too old and have read too much about European hunting and Africa hunting. Any FMJ is usually called a SOLID.

It was not stated by 65Whelen his intention to use a MONO metal expanding bullet. To assume that was his meaning of "a tougher bullet maybe a solid" would be just as incorrect as my assuming that SOLID meant any FMJ.

I here by do apologize for such a heinous assumption and hope anyone who got their boxers in a bunch over my heinous assumption can manage to get them un-bunched and sooth any chaffing caused.