Bear rifle suggestions please!

[RifleRookie]

Hello, and thank you in advance for your time!
I have 11 acres in Cali and in the past couple years, the bears have become a bit too comfy too close to my home so I've decided to get a tag. I need a rifle but am increasingly confused as to what to get (aka the internet is making my brain hurt....it's easier to find unbiased political articles than it is unbiased gun info!). I'm trying out .308s and .30-06s....but am completely open to any suggestions!
Considerations:
- I don't want to spend a fortune because I don't need to take out a 3000lb griz from a half-mile away....longest shot I would take on my property (only place I intend to hunt) would be 50ish yards to insure a clean shot.
- I want a big enough cal to drop a bear with a (reasonably) well-placed shot, but I'm no giant (female, 5'8, 125lb.) so recoil is an issue.
- I want to be able to get off follow-up shots fairly quickly if needed.

Info would be very greatly appreciated and thank you again.

[Ben Dover]

11 acres?? 50 Yards?

Winchester Model 94 .30-30.

[Salmoneye]

Marlin 336 in .35 Remington

[RifleRookie]

Originally Posted by Ben Dover

11 acres?? 50 Yards?

Winchester Model 94 .30-30.

Yes, 50 yards(ish) on 11 acres sounds dumb....it's due to the tall/dense brush and 'canyons' on much of my property and inaccessible areas not too far off my property. I'll take no-shot over wounding and possibly losing an animal. I'll look at that 30-30. Thank you very much!

[Wyosmith]

Black bears are not hard to kill if your bullet holds together. Lots of them are killed with 170 grain 30-30s

From your post, I assume you do not reload your own ammo. Is that true?
If so I would recommend you get something that doesn't fires a bullet over about 2500 FPS. Faster is nice for shooting long range, but from your post that is un-needed. And a mid velocity rifles kicks a lot less if the caliber is 30 or under and the 35 Remington that Salmoneye suggested is excellent too.

[HiBC]

I'll give the 30-30 a "maybe".

But not an absolute endorsement.

How much shooting have you done? Do you have shooting friends,or a local shop that might let you try various guns?

Myself,or Ben Dover,can tell you what we might choose,but we don't know what is best for you.

A Winchester 94 30-30 is not the worst choice.Some prefer a Marlin 336 or econo-variant,like a Glenfield. Often the Winchester name costs more and a Marlin is evey bit as good. These rifles have a way of making a 30-30 seem like it kicks more than it should.You might handle it fine.You need to see if loading through the gate and feed reliabilty suit you.Most of these rifles work well,some need work.

Some folks prefer lever actions,some don't.

You mentioned a 308. That is certainly enough power.You don't need anything more.Itsa good bit more power than the 30-30.It will have more recoil,sort of. Most 308's are bolt action.The bolt action stock design generally delivers recoilin a kinder way. I don't know if you like bolt actions.You don't need or want a scope for 50 yd or less bear protection.You would want iron sights.

Some would recommend a police or "Deerslayer"type shotgun with slugs.

There are lots of guns that will work to take care of a problem bear.

What we internet folks can't do so well is pick a dog or a lover or the right gun for you.

Any way you can try some out?

[jmr40]

For many years the worlds record grizzly was taken with a 22. That record has been surpassed, and I wouldn't hunt one with a 22. In fact the girl that killed it wasn't hunting, but killed it in self defense. This was in the 1950's in Canada.

There shouldn't be any grizzly in CA and most black bear are in the 200-400 lb weight class although they can get bigger. But they aren't that hard to kill. A 30-30 will certainly do the job.

But I prefer modern cartridges in a short compact bolt action. The 308 is a good place to start. The 30-06 won't kill them any deader. It shoots the same bullets 100-150 fps faster which means it holds up a little better beyond 400 yards. But at the expense of more recoil and longer heavier rifles.

But realistically most modern cartridges from 26 caliber on up to as big as you are comfortable shooting will take any animal in the lower 48. Including inland grizzly. It is only when you start hunting the really big 1000+ lb bear along the coastal islands of Alaska do you need to consider something bigger.

[Mobuck]

Lever action 44 mag or 30/30 if you can handle it. At short ranges (50 yards) I feel the 44 mag from a 16" barrel is an overlooked powerhouse.
Pump shotgun with slugs is another option but will have more recoil.

[ice monkey]

There’s a few reasons I’d recommend the 30-30 for you, the biggest being recoil. I got a youth sized Marlin with a 16” barrel and put on a serious buttpad. I can hardly feel a thing. Because of that, I can’t stop shooting it! It’s fun to shoot. I’m good with it!

The second reason is because you said you wanted something fast to reload. A lever if practiced with, is very fast. Fast and handy! It swings itself and points like a shotgun - which is great when shooting at a charging predator. It carry’s well too!

I never put the safety on mine, I’ve practiced raising the rifle and cocking the hammer, and then after letting of the first round, getting the second off. Which is important when shooting at predators this close in.

Finally, the last reason I recommend the 30-30 is because the ranges you are talking about (aside from being fast handling). At 50 yards, a 30-30 is an incredibly effective weapon on bear proven 1,000’s of times over, but it has another advantage too. At 200yards, the bullets start to drop like a rock. On an 11 acre lot, that’s beneficial - trees or no trees.

The only other weapon that’s as cheap and manoverable that I can think of is the Ruger American in 450 Bushmaster. Great throw around, with a great round... that’s about two times more recoil though.

[emcon5]

I am not particularly recoil shy, but I sold a Winchester 94 in 30-30 because it was simply unpleasant to shoot. Never could put my finger on why, it didn't have a recoil pad, but I shoot a lot of old military rifles with steel butt plates that were more pleasant to shoot.

I would look at some of the entry model bolt guns, but unfortunately most of them do not come with iron sights. You really don't need a scope at that range, but you could use a red dot, and there are a few options that are quite affordable.

Think Savage Axis, or Ruger American Rifle, .308 is fine.

I also wouldn't rule out a shotgun. A 12 Gauge with slugs would work just fine on a bear at that distance. There are a couple "tactical" models that come with rifle sights (rather than just a bead of a bird gun) that would fit the bill nicely.

Example: https://www.big5sportinggoods.com/st...02/_/A-3996477

[old roper]

If your living Ca are you required to use non-lead bullets.

[SBH]

You have a handicap right out of the box, what old roper said about the lead free ammo. I am sure that lead free is made by someone for most calibers. Buffalo Bore makes a lot of stuff but it is not cheap. What Mobuck says about the 44 mag being a good caliber is true and it will not beat you up like a 308 will. Find your lead free ammo and availability for the calibers mentioned and make your decision. I would go with the 44. To me the only thing better than a 44 mag is a 45-70.

[Rifletom]

I live in Ca and in 30-30, look for lead free from Barnes. If you have a .308, same thing; Barnes ammo. VOR-TX. You can always get a slip on recoil pad for the 30-30. I'll get back to you on ammo.

[Rifletom]

RifleRookie, the two I mentioned are made by Barnes as VOR-TX loaded ammo.
30-30 comes in 150gr. .308 Win comes in 130gr, 150gr and 168gr. You will do rather well with any of these on Ca black bears.

[kenny53]

308 will do the job.

[RC20]

The only Grizzly Bear in California is on the flag (let alone a 3000 lb one)

I think you should work on getting well informed before you buy a gun.

A single bear (bag limit) taken once a year is not going to reduce the numbers on a property.

I would start out with a 22 and what shooting entails and then decide from there.

[Don Fischer]

Winchester mod 100 in 308. Just looked on guninternational and they run from around $600 up to around $800.

[Dufus]

Since you are already talking about recoil issues, I don't think you could handle a lever gun in 30-30 or 35 Rem.

Browning makes the BLR available in 243 Winchester.

Nosler makes some of the best factory ammo using the 90 gr Accubond and 85 gr Partition.

You won't have to sorry about copper fouling with these as you would using a monolithic bullet.

Your rate of fire would not be near as fast by using a bolt gun.

A larger caliber would be better, but the animals you are going to shoot at are not that large although they can still be deadly.

Unless you have friends, a bull mastiff would cost more that a decent firearm.

[T. O'Heir]

"...I'll give the 30-30 a "maybe"..." Yep. Far too much felt recoil for the power of the cartridge. More about the rifles than just the cartridge though. Too light.
Simply unpleasant to shoot is exactly why I sold the M94 I had years ago.
Anyway, the same rifles and cartridges used for deer will do nicely for Yogi. That'd be .24 calibre and up. So a .243 Win with 85 grain and up bullet weights(A Barnes 80-grain TTSX BT or 85-grain TSX BT if the law says no lead. The 80 grainer is made for deer sized game too. Most lead cored 80's are not.) will do. Without excess felt recoil.
"...bears have become a bit too comfy..." Remove the food and water source(s). Yogi thinks with his stomach.

[Erno86]

The 338 Winchester Magnum is big medicine for bears --- But I was reluctant to take my "safe queen" custom FN Mauser - 338 Win Mag, when I went bear hunting in Western Maryland last year; so I settled on taking my Model 75 synthetic SAKO - 30-06 - 180 grain Barnes TTSX bullets. I saw some bear spoor when I went...but no live black bears.

[Drm50]

Due to recoil issue I would have to say 243 or 7mm/08. The Brn Bar or Win 100 would be
good choices but a little pricey. A entry grade bolt action would be a lot cheaper. Blacks are
not that hard to kill. Where I hunt in Canada a lot of them are shot with 22s. Just remember
when picking rifle it will recoil in direct proportion to its weight, reguardless of cartridge.

[bn12gg]

30 06 my .02. David.

[std7mag]

I'm gonna go a different route, mostly due to terrain.
Ruger Amerecan Ranch in 450 Bushmaster.

[2wheelwander]

A little surprised no one else had mentioned this, but a 12 gauge for sure, even a 20 gauge slug I'd fully expect to down a 400 pound bear.

Snag a budget/used 870/500 for $200, drop in a slug barrel and have at it. Any of those are minute of bear capable at 50 yards, cheap, capable, proven. Upgrade and personalize it as budget allows and double as home defense.

Multi purpose, cheap, and if you have to, get the 20 gauge for reduced recoil. I bet you know someone who would let you test fire a 12 gauge slug. Recoil won't be so bad if you are wearing winter cloths.

[GeauxTide]

Think Savage Axis, or Ruger American Rifle, .308 is fine.

I'm also in the camp about the recoil of the 30-30 in lever guns. Their stocks are thin without pad. Like Old Stony also said, CA requires lead free, so the 308 will give you many more options.