Which .44 Bullet for Bear?

[Dinny]

I'm trying to find a lease in NE North Carolina where I can hunt bear. If I do, I plan to hunt with my 445 SM levergun. Which .44 bullet will work the best for bear? I plan to PC the bullets and keep them between 1600fps and 1800fps depending on weight, etc.

Thanks, Dinny

[Loudenboomer]

I don't powder coat. I like the profile of the 265 Ranch dog. It would serve you well in this application. What ever shoots well in your rifle with a well proportioned hunting meplat in 250 to 300 grain range will be fine.

[Tripplebeards]

Any boolit that will kill a whitetail will kill a bear. They are thin skinned game as well. Just use a boolit that will pass all the way through so you have two bleeder holes. It's very common for bear fat to clog up the entrance and exit holes leaving no blood. I shot one and cut off the top of the heart valves with a Rocky Mountain gator 100 broad head years ago. It made a huge 3" to 4" slit in and out. The bear made it a 150 plus yards before expiring and I and my guide only found about three drops of blood along the way. Fortunately the bear just stayed on its main walking path and eventually dropped over, bit a chunk out of a huge log that stayed in its mouth when we found him. I loaded up devastator for my 77/44 to use black bear hunting for my friends hides hunt. He never saw a bear to test it. I would pick what ever boolit will make the biggest hole in and out and transfer the most shock so little tracking will be needed. Not many bear drop where they stand after being shot. The last one I took was a 350lb male with my 300 RUM and a 200gr nosler partition full throttle load. Way overkill needed for the job but you never know if a 600 plus pounder will walk in. It was a perfect broadside lung shot. He showed up About the last couple minutes of daylight. The 7'2" blackie did a somersault, got back to it feet and made it another 45 plus yards through brush and thickets. The trail was so small he traveled through that I had to crawl on my hands and knees with my rifle in one hand and my flashlight in the other. I found the bruin laying flat out on the other side of the thick brush I crawled through. It made seven loud curdling/ gargling blood roars before it expired so at least I knew what direction to start looking for him. When I skinned that bear it looked like a coffee can sized hole in and out of its ribs but only made a bullet size hole in and out. It bled internally. I dropped a 250 lb sow with a double shoulder shot out of my 300 RUM with a 180 gr swift scirocco. Brake both shoulders and it won't go far...if at all. With bear I always say keep filling it full of lead till it doesn't move or leaves your sight. The last thing you want is to track a wounded animal that can hurt or kill you.

[725]

Haven't killed a bear with it, but I like the looks of the Lee 310.

[sharpsguy]

I would use a Keith style bullet at 1250 to 1300 fps. Hardcast, not soft. You want complete pass through penetration of both shoulders to collapse the lungs. The EXIT wound gives this. Otherwise, shoot him on the forward edge of the ear. Lights out, guaranteed.

[Tripplebeards]

I also loaded up some lee 310's for the job as well. I told my little hunter to use which ever boolit he felt more comfortable and accurate with. We were hunting over bait so the farthest shot would have been 40 yards. If It were me Id want my boolit softer than harder so it mushrooms and expands for a bigger exit and entry hole along with some energy transfer just in case you miss the shoulder bone. I would never tell you to take a head shot. Seen too many confident shooters blow off jaws or take a non fatal meat chunk out of its neck. You wouldnt be able to save the skull to get measured or mounted as well. Its just not a good idea with bear unless it was charging and your trying to drop it before it drops you. Save head shots for a tac driving varmint hunting. Aim for the boiler room and it wont make a difference what bullet or caliber for that matter you choose to use. The are hunters that kill them with a 243 every year...but i wouldn't. Im guessing your running them with dogs? If so any big heavy boolit will knock bear right out of the tree with a solid shoulder shot.

[dkf]

A Lee 310 or Mihec 305gr with a gas check get my vote.

[dale2242]

I would go with a SWC of 265-320 gr or any boolit of that weight with a large meplat ...dale

[bdicki]

Study bear anatomy. We always split them 50/50. half way up and down and half way back and forth.
https://i.imgur.com/EmKTv5V.jpg

[maglvr]

240gr on up, hard cast with a WFN, in the boiler room = bear steaks on the plate! ;-)

[Tripplebeards]

240gr on up, hard cast with a WFN, in the boiler room = bear steaks on the plate! ;-)

Black Bear has to be the best tasting wild game on the planet!

[Texas by God]

Welcome to Cast Boolits, Dinny. Good luck on your quest.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[dh2]

I am 100 or more miles south of you, But going along the same idea, I am using a 444 Marlin so I am pushing it a bit harder, I am using a NOE 432-278-WFN I got on a group buy, I think this heavy slug with the wide nose will stop any bear , pig or deer that the Carolina's have to offer. I am using a single shot rifle so I have to make my first one count.

[1kshooter]

I have the 265 and 300 grain vs of these and the shoot amazing out of my new and old marlins so fully second the ranch dogs

[Gtrubicon]

Anything I’ve ever shot, well placed with a 44 mag worked.

[hockeynick39]

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=43-300R-D.png

[Driver33]

Our state record bear is 880 pounds from Hyde county.

[500Linebaughbuck]

any cast boolit(not a hp) that weighs 250-300gr. i use 280gr wfn gc with a charge of 2400. (ruger sbh 44 mag).

[6pt-sika]

I've killed two bear in my life both in Madison County VA . The first was done in at 9 lasered yards from a treestand , shot that bear in the head with a Mountain Molds 432-375GC bullet out of a 1-38 Micro Groove 444 Marlin . Needless to say Mr Bear dropped right there . The second was at 70 yards behind the shoulder from the same treestand with a LBT 433-340GC bullet again from a Micro Groove 444 and again the bear was dead on the spot .

[Dinny]

Thanks everyone for all the info. I have a real good selection of bullet recommendations to work with and find an accurate load. Now all I need to do is find a place in NC to hunt.

Thanks, Dinny

[Blanket]

any bullet with a wide flat nose over 240 grains will kill a bear out of a 44 mag if hit right. I like my hunting bullets to be about 1-16 tin-lead

[MT Chambers]

290 grain GC LBT bullet made short work of large Ontario black bear.

[Nathanj]

225862
44 mag
Lee 310 GC PC'd with HF yellow
1 shot, bang flop

[Dinny]

Nathan,
Your 44 load made short work of a nice bear!

Thanks, Dinny