Is a 30-30 enough of a gun for a 50yd shot at a black bear?

[woman in the woods]

I am primarily a deer hunter and I have a 30-30 that is dead-on the target.  I love this gun because it offers me a shorter stock than most higher powered rifles.  My question is, is this enough of a gun to kill a black bear?  Any response would be greatly appreciated.

[oso45-70]

Woman In The Woods,
First let me welcome you to the GBO Bear hunting site, In answer to your question, Yes a 30-30 is ok with a good bullet and proper placement. I asume you will be shooting from a stand so you will have a good stable platform to shoot from. Good luck and stay safe...........Joe.........

[HipShot]

In a word, YES!

The 30-30 has successfully harvested everything this continent has to offer, and has done so for the last 110 years.

My personal preference is 170 grain corelokt for bear and boar.

[IntrepidWizard]

Been there,keep cocking and pulling the trigger.

[rookie_j]

what they said......


would much rather have a 30-30 than a bow, i think bow hunting bears would scare the crap out of me.. :wink:

[7magWoodsman]

woman in the woods,
Welcome. Yes the 30-30 will do fine on Black Bear. Bullet placement is the key with all shots but I know you are fully aware of that. There has been a lot of Bear fall to the century old .30WCF over the years, both Grizzly and Blackies. I am not recommending to take the good old 30-30 to hunt grizzly but people have done it before and more than likely will do it again.

Good Luck on your Bear Hunt! :grin:

Stay Safe. Happy Hunting/Shooting.  

[Cabin4]

I would use it. go with a 170 grain bullet.

[Daveinthebush]

would much rather have a 30-30 than a bow, i think bow hunting bears would scare the crap out of me..

 

You should try it sometime!  It really clears the mind.

[Cabin4]

Bear hunting really has to be one of the ultimate "rushes". Even with a rifle in hand I still get that unbelievable rush that can only come from hunting an animal that can kill you in a second.

[dawei]

You should try it sometime!  It really clears the mind.

I bet it REALLY CLEARS OUT THE COLIN TOO! Womaninthewoods:Seriously however the 30/30 will do the job. The Federal Premium® 170gr Nosler Partition® would be my bullet of choice.

[snowdog]

30-30 has probably taken more black bears than any other
  cartridge out there.... plenty enough power.  Son took a 250
  Lb black bear  last month  on my handloaded hornady 170 grn
  bullets.    one shot  at 60 yards  I know cause the little thief
  snuck my range finder outta my fanny pack the morning we
  went hunting.   Bear went  not quite twenty yards and dropped.
       Anyone who says it won't is reading to many magazine articles,
  and not getting into the bush.  and finding out for him/her self the
  practical truth of the matter.   they are reading a mag that is funded
 by that particular manufacturer.    30-06, .308,  7mm,  300 mag,  .243
 they are all great guns.  the 30-30 has been around long enough that
 I guess it doesn't have to be written about in outdoor life, field n stream
 or any other mags,  It's performance over the past 110 years SPEAKS
 FOR ITSELF !!!

  Enjoy Your hunt!!!

[Cabin4]

30-30 has probably taken more black bears than any other
  cartridge out there.... plenty enough power.  Son took a 250
  Lb black bear  last month  on my handloaded hornady 170 grn
  bullets.    one shot  at 60 yards  I know cause the little thief
  snuck my range finder outta my fanny pack the morning we
  went hunting.   Bear went  not quite twenty yards and dropped.
       Anyone who says it won't is reading to many magazine articles,
  and not getting into the bush.  and finding out for him/her self the
  practical truth of the matter.   they are reading a mag that is funded
 by that particular manufacturer.    30-06, .308,  7mm,  300 mag,  .243
 they are all great guns.  the 30-30 has been around long enough that
 I guess it doesn't have to be written about in outdoor life, field n stream
 or any other mags,  It's performance over the past 11 years SPEAKS
 FOR ITSELF !!!

  Enjoy Your hunt!!!

AMEN to that .

[Cabin4]

I plan to use my 30-30 mod 94 trapper on my next bear hunt. Mounted a Bushnell 3200 elite on it and its just a great little package that gives me 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards with el cheapo 150gr win power points. I plan to step up to 170's for bear and have no dought it will do the job. I will step up in bullet quality as well.

Need to try something other than my 45-70 and the -06 on a bear.

[The deerslayer]

Like everyone else said yes it will work but after looking at ballistics I would recomend federal premium vital shok with a 170 grain Nosler Partition bullet. Federal even says its ment for bigger game.

[Gowge]

As long as you're using a modern, strong repeater - lever action, bolt, etc. and NOT a single shot rifle, you should be OK if you KNOW where to shoot the BEAR and deliver the bullet(s) right on target at modest range.   I would strongly favor HEAVY, Maximum Handloads for bear...  

Standard jacketed 30 caliber bullets perform best between around 1900-2100fps impact velocity.    Too bad bullet manufacturers don't tell us this when they market their bullets.   A HEAVY hard cast bullet will also do a good job for you if you develop loads for it.

You don't have a whole lot of velocity to start with when shooting a standard (NOT Improved) 30-30, so keep the shots within reason - even if you can hit within inches at 150 yards...  Typical 30-30 flat nosed bullets drop a lot of energy pretty quick.


I think you might enjoy reading these articles, especially if you roll your own loads.   The first one tells a bear hunting story at the beginning.

http://www.sixgunner.com/backissues/paco/3030Again.htm


http://www.leverguns.com/articles/3030history.htm

30-30 HEAVY CAST LOADS:  http://www.sixgunner.com/backissues/paco/fcl2.htm

See my post lower down on the forum "Where To Shoot'em!" or click this link for some useful diagrams on where to shoot a bear...

http://www.remington.com/magazine/preview/2003_0512_where2hit.htm

GOOD LUCK!   :wink:

[dabigmoose]

The 30/30 Is still one of the most used Rifles in the villages
of Alaska. I was using one to take Caribou,Moose,Black Bear and Grizz
more than i can remember but I was subsistence hunting for my family
and the Elders. I never had a lost animal just do not strecth the range past what you can be sure of a positive hit.
Most of the bear kills were where we located a den in the winter and would
crawl down into it and shoot them that way we could see if it was a sow or boar.IF we accidently took a Female we had to move to another area
about 10 miles away ,Native rule same as fur trapping .

Bears will most likely have another way out a den and our dog teams would help if they fled the den while we were entering it.The grizz would
come back in the original entrance. Any way the 30/30 lever action
is a very worthy weapon for close range black bear.
Dabigmoose

[adam]

Hi
the federal co is loading 3030  with 170 gr nosler. i haven't yet used them on games,but i run a test and this load will outpenetrate all the other loads and nosler has a good reputation as killer. good hunt
adam