Bear Load?

[OldMtnMan]

Ok, I need your opinions. I have my own but want to see what you guys say.

I have a .50 now. PRB of course. I was just going to hunt for deer but I have an urge to hunt for bear too. I'll be using Goex 3F. What would you use for a powder load?

This will be a stalking hunt, so the distance can vary. Generally, our bears aren't that big but we have some big ones too. A 500lb bear isn't out of the question but it is rare.

I've always used a .54, so i'm unsure about the power of a .50.

[hanshi]

My .50 likes 70 to 75 grains of 3F for 1700 fps to near 1800 fps.  I'd feel well armed with this load on a bear hunt.  In fact, a .45 at this velocity would suit me just fine. 

[Stoner creek]

It抯 up to you to find the best combination of powder patch and ball. All of the well intentioned advice in the world is useless until you find out what works best for you gun. That being said, shot placement is king. It抯 your gun, figure it out! I hate to be so frank about this but it抯 part of the journey here.

[OldMtnMan]

I'm just talking about what power do I need. Of course i'm the one working up the load. An accurate load is no good if it's too weak to kill the game i'm hunting.

Hanshi gave me a good idea. Thanks, bud.

[MuskratMike]

I am with the other wise men who have responded. Get the maximum load and velocity that still maintains the needed accuracy, and is a load you can handle without flinching. Bingo you are there. Building the loads is all part of the fun my friend. So sayeth the "Muskrat"

[OldMtnMan]

Ok, before this gets out of hand. I was looking for something like.........I killed a 350lb bear with such and such a load. Then I know what it takes to kill a bear with a .50.

I don't need to be told what load to use. I've been doing it for 40 years but always with a .54. I'd never use someone else's load. I just want to know what power it takes to kill a bear with a .50.

I'm not a fan of "use your deer load and you'll be fine". I know better. A charging bear is not a deer.

I know what I use for a .54. I'll just match that energy with the .50. Just making conversation but it didn't turn out well.

[stikshooter]

Takes nothing special to kill a bear ,take out the lungs and he dies quicker than a deer . The only thing to watch for is to fast a ball and your penetration is less due to flattened ball and a slower ball means less flat and better penetration and maybe a pass thru important for blood trail as long as you don"t hit a lot of bone All that hair/fat is the only thing against your round ball ,bigger ball/ bigger mass helps but your 50 is plenty . I shoot mine with a 600 grain 190FPS (cedar shaft)/Ed

[flintlock hunter]

Never shot a bear with a 50, but I always shot 90 grs. of 3 f in a 50 for deer. They don't go far if you place the shot right. I think this would be true for bear also.

[rexwolfsen]

I have killed bear with 20ga. smooth and 80 gr. 2f, .54 cal. and 90 gr. 2f, .50 cal. and 80 gr. 2f, and another .50 cal. with 80 gr. 2f

[Daniel Coats]

I'm not an expert but have taken bear in Alaska Canader and the lower 48 including a B&C Alaskan Brown. The greatest risk was not them charging me but rather them jumping out of sight and getting away or an invitation to a follow-up stalk on a wounded animal. Any load from a 50 will kill, people kill bears with sticks all the time.

That said IMO the most successful bear Hunter knows when NOT to shoot which is far more important. My favorite is a quartering away taking both lungs and breaking the far shoulder. Do that and they just spin snarl snap and die in a small area the size of your living room.

[snapper]

Not a huge difference between a .50 and .54 cal.

Fleener

[OldMtnMan]

I've hunted for bear since the 60's. In that time i've had some close calls. I used a 30-30 before turning to a muzzleloader in 1980.

My style is still hunting whatever I hunt. Bears are no different. I scout a lot looking for natural food areas that bears like. Mostly berries in this area. I do my best to sneak into the natural food areas hoping to catch a bear feeding. After exhausting all the areas with no results. I'll stake out gut piles from deer and elk kills from muzzleloader and archery hunters.

As a last resort and near the end of the season. (Sept 2-30) I try to call one in. I hate doing that because it's trying to trick the bear. I don't like tricks. I don't call elk either. However, I do want to get a bear, so I call a bit. It's pretty effective and i've called in some bears. The old boars come charging straight in towards me drolling and looking for a meal. (me) I don't have time to wait for the perfect shot. I won't take a bad shot but a straight in chest shot is all that's available before the bear is on me. These boars don't appear to have a fear of man and have been known to track a man. The DOW will verify that.

My point in all this is I can't always take the perfect double lung shot like I always do with deer and elk. I can't use a load that needs the double lung shot to work. I may have to bust through a shoulder.

Just so you know why i'm more cautious with bear loads.

[Daniel Coats]

Thanks for posting that Pete! Very good, I enjoyed reading it!

[bob in the woods]

I hunt bears [ black ] every year, and have been successful most years.  Last year I shot 3, one in the Spring, one in the Fall, and another during the Summer. The Summer bear had broken into a neighbour's home down the road, and she called me to deal with him. As I suspected, he was a 2 year old male.  No bear is a push over. They are unpredictable. Most will run away, or at least try to when shot, but others won't.  I have had them stalk me, and that will turn your blood cold because they are absolutely silent. I just caught the movement of one from the corner of my eye while sitting against a tree on a deer trail.  For the last number of years I have used my smoothbores, usually the 10 but sometimes the 20.  I've used rifles in .50 , 54 and .62 cal and they worked  ie the bears died.
That said, I absolutely want penetration enough to have an exit wound. Bear bones are tough, and you need to get through the fur, hide and fat to reach the vitals. My .50 liked /preferred a charge of 80 gr of 2 F and would shoot into an inch to inch and a half at 50 yards with that load.   3 F opened the group to around 2 inches and that is what I used for bear.  More is better IMO.  I would not and did not hesitate to shoot the 2 bears I got with that load.  But.....the largest bear I ever shot was taken with the 10 bore. I was sitting on a rock about 7 feet up and it walked right under/ beside me.
When I shot, the entire load with wad went through upper back, both lungs and clipped the heart. The paper cartridge remnants and ball were deep in the dirt and smoke was coming from the hole.  If you figure that the Chambers N E fowler has a 46 in barrel, you'll see how close he was to the muzzle.  That bear went a good 30 yards into the bush and had turned around on the path facing back. Luckily he died while I reloaded.  Good reason not to follow up too soon.      So, figure out the accuracy you need, and shoot the largest charge that will give that.  I wouldn't go less that 70 gr 3F  I've posted some photos of a few of the bears I've taken with  my flintlocks , just to show I'm not talking through my hat 

[canadianml1]

The last black bear I shot just west of Timmins Ontario 6 years ago got double lunged at 60 yards with a 45-70. I was shooting from a tree stand. It took off at Mach 1.0 toward my stand, traversed 60 yards and collapsed dead. What I remember most about the experience is how glad I was to be up in a tree stand................because  there is no way I could have cranked another round into the chamber for a second shot in time to avoid getting run over and maybe chomped. The bear's speed really startled me! 

I don't think I will ever hunt bear from the ground........................ever!

Be safe.

[OldMtnMan]

No kidding. It's scary how fast they can move. Plus, one swipe would wipe out an old goat like me.

Thanks for the posts guys. Good to see so many bear hunters here.

[bob in the woods]

My hunting buddy shot a bear a couple years ago, and he was in a tree stand. The bear spun, and then ran and climbed the tree next to him in less time than he could  count to three. !   It got about 15 feet up , stopped, hung a few seconds and dropped dead.   My secret for hunting bears is to preferably not have them know I'm there before I shoot.   

[Daryl]

Pete - pretty good advice has been given, I think.  I'm with Bob on powder charge (of course) & I would also use 2F in about 85/90gr. - whatever shot best.  In most round ball barrels, the larger charge would likely do better at longer range, 50 to 100yards.  75/80gr. 3F would about match the 2F loads, velocity wise, but likely the 2F would be more accurate.
The 2 to 3 year olds are better eating, but as LT. James Forsyth said "when hunting the spotted buck, be prepared to meet a tiger."

[smokepolepaul]

Don't know if this will help or not.  You might want to take a look.

http://namlhunt.com/traditionalmldata1.html

Good hunting and God bless.

Paul

[OldMtnMan]

Don't know if this will help or not.  You might want to take a look.

http://namlhunt.com/traditionalmldata1.html

Good hunting and God bless.

Paul

It's a good thing we know the PRB works better than what ballistic charts show us for fpe. It's pathetic. My load doesn't look like it would kill a squirrel but I know it's easily good for deer. Probably a bear too with a carefully placed shot.

Thanks.

[smylee grouch]

In 2017 I was on a baited hunt in Alberta, two tags. Didn,t like the bait set up so found a fresh trail above a creek. A 225 lb. bear came by my made up ground blind, he didnt see me and I shot him at four yds through the lungs with a .610 ball, 120 gr. 1&1/2 f swiss, bear ran down the slope and died in the creek. A second bear, 300 lbs. came right up to my blind an hour and a half latter and after a 20 min,. stare down he turned broadside and I shot him at eight yds but hit one of the branches in my blind and hit him through the liver, he didnt run but walked 30 yds and laid down. I couldnt find any more patches so I used some paper towels for patches and finished him off at 10 feet, the paper towels burned a nice 3 inch square in his hide.

[OldMtnMan]

Wow! You beat me easily with a 4 yd shot. 20 yds is my closest. I bet that got your heart going a few beats more. 

[smylee grouch]

Pete, the one at four yds. was a calm shot but that second bear was alot closer at first, right across the blind, 1&1/2 gun barrel length away when we had our stare down. I didnt want to shoot him there in case I didnt kill him right out because if he would have fallen into my blind we would have had a real rodeo for sure. 

[MuskratMike]

I would have needed the rest of the paper towels to clean up the mess in my shorts!

[OldMtnMan]

Understandable.

Bears love muskrat for lunch.