44 Mag for bear

[wayne24]

I am going to Maine on a bear hunt over bait this fall .Do you think the 44 mag in a handi rifle is enough gun.Max yardage would be around 50 yards. what loads would you re comend.
Thanks in advance,
Wayne

[STUMPJMPR]

Personally I would use something a little bigger.  However, you will have many people say it is adequate.  I call it marginal for black bear.  I have never shot one but have seen one close up and that is a huge animal.  If you must use the 44mag use quality bullets my cousin used some cheap bullets for deer, although they were accurate they failed to penetrate the shoulder blade of a deer at 40 yards from a handi rifle...

[1NEFsofar]

I took a 275lb sow with a .44 mag a few years back.  The distance was about 25 yards.  She ran approx. 50 yards and piled up.  I used a 300 grain Hornady HP.  Put her down just as fast as I have seen people that use larger calibers.  As always..Bullet Placement is KEY!!!  Study anatomical charts for black bear as their anatomy is different than other large game.

I used a handgun with a 6" barrel so a Handi in .44 is adequate in my opinion.

Good Luck on your hunt and let us know how it turns out.

BTW...I saw 8 bears in one night and got to video my nephew taking his bear the next. 

[handirifle]

Never done it, but read of lots who have.  I think key is HEAVY bullet, like a 300gr of good construction.  For archery, NOTHING beats a double lung shot, so I'd imagine a 44 through the lungs will do it as well.

[teddyson]

 A few years back I shot and killed a black bear here in Minnesota. I used my  300Win mag with 200 gr core lock bullets. The bear drop in it's tracks. But the yell that bear let out made me wish I had a bigger gun with me.  The guide I hunt with uses a 44mag to bear with' but said that he would not recommend it on my first bear hunt. The 44mag will do the job but shot placement will be the key. And your going to want the bear close.

[dpe.ahoy]

If you are hunting over bait, should be no problem.  Bullet placement as stated is important, as is bullet construction.  The heavy Hornady is good, Speer gold dot, 270 gr. is another.  Would be real hard to beat a hardcast Keith or Wide flat nose gas check as well, they will both go through alot of bone and muscle.  Have a great hunt.  DP.

[hunterwinco]

I would think a .44 would work fine for our bears up here.  Have you been before?  If you are hiring a guide and hunting over baits I doubt you will have to worry about reaching out 50 yards ...you will probably be more like 25 yards! -lol    Good luck to you!  Here is a link with some AWESOME pictures of our bear biologists at work recently checking dens.  http://www.crownofmaine.com/paulcyr/stories/bear-monitoring/

[safetysheriff]

I am going to Maine on a bear hunt over bait this fall .Do you think the 44 mag in a handi rifle is enough gun.Thanks in advance,
Wayne

Wayne'

the .44 mag' has killed elephant, rhino, cape buffalo, Alaskan Brown Bear, etc.   generally they are larger than black bear.    i would think that if the .44 mag' is a 'hammer' on black bear out of a 4 or 5" barrel, then your Handi' would be like hitting one with lightning if you hit with a proper projectile in the proper place on the bear.     for a jacketed bullet i'd guess a 270 gr' Speer Grand Slam is one option, as is the 300 gr' Hornady XTP.    however, i'd be very tempted, with regular rifling, not micro-groove, to use a hardcast bullet of 265 grains or more.    the penetration should be phenomenal with a gas-checked bullet at relatively high velocity (no leading with the gas check.)    i'd go with a bullet that heavy just in case you shot a Very Large bear.    otherwise a 240 gr' hardcast bullet would shoot through a pretty large black bear in many instances.     

you can go to www.findarticles.com and type in ''elmer keith''.   there i found ''heavyweight bullets in the .44 magnum'' taken from the 2001 Guns Magazine as written by John Taffin.   it was in the 5th set of articles.   it is informative in many respects.    at www.sixguns.com you can select Taffin Tests and then go to .44 mag'.    that is also very informative.   and your Handi' will deliver much greater velocity, with the right powders, than will a revolver like Elmer used.

take care,

ss'