.50 Enough for Bear?

[ryoung14]

A bit marginal, according to this:[url] http://www.beartoothbullets.com/rescources/calculators/php/thornily.htm?v1=178&v3=.490&v2=1600[/url]
Plug in a velocity consistent with the range you're likely to shoot one at to get a better feel. A score of 100 is needed to "cleanly take" black bear.

Would probably be OK if you passed up the big ones; but that's not normally how it's done.

This is just a numbers game from my perspective....I've no experience with shooting bear.
Bob

 

[sachem longrifle]

I am fairly new to muzzleloading, having only got into the sport last summer. I purchased a Lyman Great Plains Rifle in .50 caliber and shoot round balls out of it. The load I've worked up uses 80 grains of FFFg. Off the bench, I zeroed the rifle in at 75 yards and can consistently shoot a 2" group of 3 shots. My grouping averages around 4" without the bench.

Anyway, my wife's cousin has offered to take me on a black bear hunt this spring. Will my .50 be enough or do I really need to find a .54? I'm worried that I won't have time between now and the hunt to find another rifle, work up a load, and really get proficient with it.

Yes. Over bait or at close range a 50 cal prb will kill a bear

 

[Stumpkiller]

The .50 will kill bear.

Will it be "enough"? Depends what your partner is carrying for a rifle and whether you can outrun him.

 

Yep. The .50 will kill a bear. So will a .40. But the question really should be what is the ideal bear rifle? Flehto mentioned +/-200 lb bears--in central PA the average adult male bear weighs over 500 lbs and bears upwards of 800 lbs have been killed in PA! Down heayah in Lousyanna our (protected)bears are more like 250 lbs. So, it sorta depends on where you are hunting, in part. I'd rather have a .54 or .58 "loaded for bear". Stupidly, I sold my .58, but it would have been a real bear stomper.

 

The .50 will kill bear.

Will it be "enough"? Depends what your partner is carrying for a rifle and whether you can outrun him.

When carrying a .50 after bear your hunting partner should always be a short legged fat man!

You don't have to outrun the bear, just outrun your partner.

 

[Halftail]

[/quote]

When carrying a .50 after bear your hunting partner should always be a short legged fat man!

[/quote]
Wanna go on a Bear Hunt Ghost? :winking:

 

[JiminTexas]

I suppose it depends on which end of the gun you are standing. If you are on the smoke and muzzle blast end then .50 is more than enough. If you are on the recoil end then .50 isn't nearly enough.

 

[Flint311]

Yes, a .50 cal will kill a bear, with the load you described. I did it with the same cal. and load this past Sept. on a 500 lb. black bear. I did hit only one lung and it went 40 yds. but, it had better penetration and the rb held together better than a .30-06 with some bullistic tip bullet another guy was using. As stated, shot placement (which I have to work on abviously). I'm going to build a .54 flinter for bear, only cause I have the rb's for one, oh, yeah, and the wife gave me the okay to build one more! :grin:

 

[Rat Trapper]

I've had success on both black bear and deer with archery equipment. Lots of critters have been killed with a 22 long rifle, however those that know better use bigger. When it comes to a ML, if it was my hunt I would go with a conical and a heavy charge of powder. Bears have a heavy hide, tougher bones and lots of fat. That heavy hide and fat can prevent good blood trails. One should also remember, bears that are not "dead", can hurt ya.

 

[Dickert54cal]

I have not had the chance to read all posts on this topic so excuse me if I repeate someone---May I humbly suggest you either purchase or make a life size target of a bear (broadside) and practice at 20 yards and move your target out 10 yards at a time. On your target use a marker or paint the area where the lungs and heart are located. I would find my confort zone where 100% of my shots are lethal. Once I place a single shot outside that area thats my limit. I would never want to simply wound a creature. I live and hunt by this rule. If I may coin some phrases I like:
1. Clint Eastwood: A man has got to know his limitations.---shooting a target will do this.
2. Mark Baker: Aim Small -- Miss Small-- shooting a target will do this.
3. ????: One shot---one kill With a bear you may not get a second shot. ---again target shooting
If you are still reading this you missed the point---get out there and shoot at a target!! :grin: :rotf: :thumbsup:

 

[tg]

I would not hesitate to use a .50 with a strong accurate load on bear at reasonable ranges, I do think it would work better than a calculater and mathematics...

 

[Dickert54cal]

One of those very first calculators were pretty heavy--If you could just calculate the correct trejectory and drop it from say a treestand you just might bag a bear!!! :haha: :hmm: :grin:

 

[Bountyhunter]

Have you tried the Hornady Great Plains Bullets? They work real well in my 66" twist Hawken. I presume that you have a 60 or 66" gun. If so, it might just do real good with some of those short fat Great Plains bullets. If it will handle them, then you can up your power factors greatly, and take the speculation out of it. That GP over a heavy load of FFg will train that bar to lay down and roll over. At any rate, I would also carry a premeasured charge of powder in a container like a pill bottle in my pocket, and I'd blow that barrel, and dump that powder and ram a ball down without any patch and be ready for a fast followup at close range.

 

[d.thomson]

Holie #@&*$ thats a big apple feed bear :haha:I bet by the look of him he is crring enough lard on him to keep you in patch lube till the bears come home.Wow.DaveT.

 

[jimpickens]

495 round ball and 70grains of powder should be sufficient for black bear depending on the terrain may need more griz or Kodiak.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I shot my .50 this pm into an oak pallet target stand at 50 yards. I was trying some Lee REAL 250 gr. slugs using a 7.62 Russian rimmed caseful (about 62 grs) of 3f. One slug went thru not only the planking (3/4") but thru the 1&1/2" X 3" cross piece underneath and knocked a large hole and lots of splinters out. also knocked the pallet down onto the ground, I had to prop it up again. that would stop any black bear with good shot placement. no doubt a shoulder shot would break the shoulder and probably spine also. A chest/lung or base of the neck shot would be a pass thru.