Bear Hunting (Might use as excuse to buy new gun)

[Mitchell8]

X2

X3. American patriot round. Magnums…. Eh

[Jon B]

.308 is my favorite caliber. It will get the job done if you do your part.

[Bily Lovec]

6.8 spc.
400+ lbs.
Easy...

[TacticalCowboy]

The 270 you already have

[Chase4556]

Next question, Why do I need a magnum? What can I not kill in North America using something other than a magnum?

Well… you don’t. But your thread title is “might use as excuse to buy new gun”.

You can church it up all you need if the wife is who you have to convince. But you know you are still kidding yourself if you say you NEED a magnum to kill that bear. Your 270 will do it all day.

[bowfishin fool]

300 Wsm is my pick for the best all American round. From whitetail to moose, it’ll do it at range.


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[cram369]

280 AI


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[Texans42]

How are you hunting your bear? Spot and stalk, hounds etc?

Bears aren’t real tough, stay off front end and hover mid body and they will be down in less than a hundred yards.

If hunting hounds I’ll roll a short barreled ultra light 223(if legal) with 77 TDK


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[Tom]

black bear are soft with a broadside shot. You have the right gun in your safe.

[RR 314]

You need a magnum to kill black bears. Not just any magnum, but a large magnum. 10.57 Meteor (.416) would be my bear (pun) minimum.

On a serious note, there is minimal difference between your 7-08, 270 and proposed .308. They will all do the job. If you just want a new gun for the hunt I would go a .300 mag. of some flavor.

You stated you want a gun you can "reach out there with" and the .308 is effectively the same as a couple you mentioned. Step up to a magnum if you want magnum performance.

[Bucknaked]

Next question, Why do I need a magnum? What can I not kill in North America using something other than a magnum?

What bothers you about Magnums? You can kill one with a bow right? Why even have a rifle period?
If you go by all of these Magnum haters then go with a .17 Remington “ it will kill a thin skinned black bear also”!

[1longshot]

Any of the calibers you have will get the job done. I'd lean more towards the 30/30 myself. I really think Blake's suggestion of the 30/06 is great but if you want to stretch it out a little more then a 300 win mag would be an excellent choice. I'd also lean towards an optic with a lit reticle even if it's just a dot, a bear in a low light situation and standard duplex reticle might be hard to pick up on.

[krtnorris]

Bergara wilderness ridge in 308, or 6.5

[breadman]

killed mine with a 270, it worked well