Black bear over bait- Why not the 257 Roberts?

[CraigP]

I have a black bear hunt scheduled for the beginning of September. This is a bait hunt in the northern part of Maine. Tell me why the 257 Roberts wouldn't work? I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't as long as I put the right bullet in the boiler room. I have small supply of the discontinued 117gr. Partition semi-spitzer that I think would work great. I've shot bear with a 35 Whelen, a 50 caliber muzzleloader and 375/338 Win Mag, so I have some experience with bears. yet when i talk to other people, including different outfitters they look at me funny when I mention shooting one with a Roberts. Let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks.

Craig

 

[Charlie-NY]

Black bears are as easy to kill as whitetails of similar weight. Just about any cartridge that is adequate for deer hunting will work fine for Maine bears. However, some cartridges are more suitable than others. Because bears often have thick coats and plenty of fat, a large diameter bullet is usually a good idea to avoid the bullet hole from plugging up and leaving little or no blood trail.

Short story:

While I was hunting black bears in Canada, the outfitter mentioned that he had a hunter coming in the following week who intended to hunt with a 22-250. When I questioned the wisdom of this idea he told me that the guy kills a bear EVERY year with the same rifle.

With the right shot placement and a quality hunting bullet you're good to go. I think your combination will work fine even though I would prefer a cartridge with a larger diameter bullet.

 

[JD338]

CraigP

Welcome to the forum.
A black bear is easy to kill but you have to hit them in the right spot.
The 257 Roberts will work just fine. With good handloads, the 257 Bob is on the heels of the 25-06. Excellent plan going with the 117 gr PT bullet.

JD338

 

[john480]

I have a black bear hunt scheduled for the beginning of September. This is a bait hunt in the northern part of Maine. Tell me why the 257 Roberts wouldn't work? I can't think of any reason why it wouldn't as long as I put the right bullet in the boiler room. I have small supply of the discontinued 117gr. Partition semi-spitzer that I think would work great. I've shot bear with a 35 Whelen, a 50 caliber muzzleloader and 375/338 Win Mag, so I have some experience with bears. yet when i talk to other people, including different outfitters they look at me funny when I mention shooting one with a Roberts. Let me know what your thoughts are. Thanks.

Craig

that funny im going on a hunt in maine too.im planing on taking 300 wsm nosler m48

 

[cloverleaf]

Craig-
People look at you funny cause the .25 "just dont get no respect". I'm just a fan of the .25. No experience with bears or the 117 but it sounds like a good plan to me. I cant load anything bigger than 100 grainers in my 250 Savage. Bet that thing will punch you through with no prob. Just my minimally educated opinion. CL

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

It will work just fine over bait or out to about 300 yards with that 117g Partition. I"ve killed 3 blacky's with my 25-06, 2 with the 115g NBT, and 1 with the 117g Sierra game king at ranges of 375 with the sierra, and 440 and 450 with the 115g NBT. 1 bear took 1 shot, the other 2 bears took 2 shots. The only other bear I've shot was with my 300 RUM/200g SMK at 200-250 yards, and 1 shot was all it took. Put it behind the shoulder and you'll have your bear, guarunteed!! Good luck and let us know for sure how it turns out!

 

[RogueRiver]

if its flat , I see no problem, if it is steep and brushy like S. OR and you need the bear to go down quickly then I would use something bigger. just my 2 cents

 

[FOTIS]

Pick your shots and your bullet wisely and you will do fine.

 

[Alaska]

No way for me.....bullet hole to small for any bear...............suggest a 30cal and above.


Bettter blood trail if tracking is needed.......the 35 Rem....is perfect for black bear over bait with the 200gr Rem SPCL.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

LOL...There not grizz or brown bears...

Tell my 3 dead bears shot with my 25-06 at way farther then bait distance that it was "to small a hole." Black bears aint hard to kill...

 

[FOTIS]

No way.....bullet hole to small for any bear...............suggest a 30cal and above.


Bettter blood trail if tracking is needed.......the 35 Rem....is perfect for black bear over bait with the 200gr Rem SPCL.

I do agree that there are better suited calibers for bear out there, however, I do not agree with the "now way" part.

 

[blazer]

i agree with a bigger bullet but i also agree with shot placement as well i've taken 3 grizzly bears and 8 black bears with my 7 mm rem. mag i use 175 grain nosler partions for all my species hunts. alot of the local boys think i'am crazy for using this size of bullet on bears but it's proven well for me i've shot these bears at close range and over 300 plus yards. but when my shot placement was well done the bears didn't go far at all. hunting over bait is a chicken @$%# way to hunt bears so i think your gun and bullet size will do good enough if the shot is placed well

 

[TScottW99]

i agree with a bigger bullet but i also agree with shot placement as well i've taken 3 grizzly bears and 8 black bears with my 7 mm rem. mag i use 175 grain nosler partions for all my species hunts. alot of the local boys think i'am crazy for using this size of bullet on bears but it's proven well for me i've shot these bears at close range and over 300 plus yards. but when my shot placement was well done the bears didn't go far at all. hunting over bait is a chicken @$%# way to hunt bears so i think your gun and bullet size will do good enough if the shot is placed well

Blazer,

Again, judging a hunter from another area of laws and ethics is not a good idea. Too many differnt laws and ways of the land. What is legal in one area is not legal in another.

Also, this is one heck of a nice forum. So far in 24 hours you have flamed and trolled twice that I have seen. The bigger forums are better for that behavior. This forum is a helpful one and alot less judgemental.

My .02

 

[Richracer1]

hunting over bait is a chicken @$%# way to hunt bears so i think your gun and bullet size will do good enough if the shot is placed well

Opinions are great and everybody has one, but this one is over the top. If you don't like or do it, so be it, but do not berate others if they so choose to legally hunt over bait.

 

[blazer]

opinions are great and thats the beauty of it all, and he asked for some thought so i threw some thought out there.

 

[JDMAG]

He asked for thoughts on caliber selection, not how you feel about baiting.

 

[Guy Miner]

I was kind of wondering about the same thing - I regularly take mule deer with my .25-06, but coincidentally my son and I have a Maine bear hunt scheduled this year too. The guide recommends .30 cal and up - so my son is practicing with a .308 BLR and I'm of course planning on using my .45/70 Marlin. Seems like a perfect application for the lever guns with the modest ranges involved.

Have never hunted bear over bait - figure it's got to be a little like goose hunting w/decoys - lots of waiting, quiet & still - then shooting well. It will be interesting. Normally I'm a spot & stalk mule deer hunter. This is going to be different for sure! :grin:

 

[tjen]

The 257 will work fine and use a heavy bullet that will run through 100% of the bear. Great place for a old CORELOKT RN.

It is better to use a bigger diameter bullet if you can because bears have long hair, and lots of fat that like to clog up the wounds and leave a iffy blood trail. Two holes are better than one hole and two bigger holes are best.

In your 308win a 180gr corelokt RN or a Partition in either 165gr or 180gr would work fine and the only better cartridge than a 308win for black bears is a 358win only because it has a bigger bullet cause they both have the same case capacity.

 

[FOTIS]

120 partitions...

Cartridge : .257 Roberts +P+
Bullet : .257, 120, Nosler PART SP 35643
Cartridge O.A.L. L6: 2.775 inch or 70.49 mm
Barrel Length : 22.0 inch or 558.8 mm

Predicted Data for Indicated Charges of the Following Powders.

Matching Maximum Pressure: 55000 psi, or 379 MPa

or a maximum loading ratio or filling of 105 %

These calculations refer to your specified settings in QuickLOAD 'Cartridge Dimensions' window.
C A U T I O N : any load listed can result in a powder charge that falls below minimum suggested
loads or exceeds maximum suggested loads as presented in current handloading manuals. Understand
that all of the listed powders can be unsuitable for the given combination of cartridge, bullet
and gun. Actual load order can vary, depending upon lot-to-lot powder and component variations.
USE ONLY FOR COMPARISON !

130 loads produced a Loading Ratio below user-defined minimum of 90%. These powders have been skipped.

Powder type Filling/Loading Ratio Charge Charge Vel. Prop.Burnt P max P muzz B_Time
% Grains Gramm fps % psi psi ms
--------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------
Norma MRP 103.8 47.7 3.09 2933 98.1 55000 12863 1.130 ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N560 105.0 47.2 3.06 2903 94.4 54567 12799 1.133 ! Near Maximum !
IMR 7828 SSC 103.6 46.8 3.04 2889 94.9 55000 12417 1.123 ! Near Maximum !
Bofors RP5/NP ~approximation 105.0 46.7 3.03 2881 96.5 53978 12437 1.143 ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-22 105.0 46.7 3.03 2881 96.5 53978 12437 1.143 ! Near Maximum !
Raufoss RA15 105.0 46.7 3.03 2881 96.5 53978 12437 1.143 ! Near Maximum !
Accurate MAGPRO 105.0 49.1 3.18 2874 92.3 53535 12716 1.148 ! Near Maximum !
ADI AR 2213 104.3 46.4 3.01 2873 94.7 55000 12250 1.123 ! Near Maximum !
Somchem S365 99.5 43.6 2.82 2871 100.0 55000 11020 1.145 ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H4350 97.0 42.5 2.75 2859 99.0 55000 11527 1.132 ! Near Maximum !
Ramshot Hunter 94.3 44.2 2.87 2855 98.8 55000 11661 1.140 ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-19 101.7 44.8 2.90 2851 96.5 55000 11828 1.134 ! Near Maximum !
ADI AR 2209 101.1 44.3 2.87 2849 96.4 55000 11743 1.127 ! Near Maximum !
Winchester 760 91.7 42.7 2.77 2848 98.1 55000 11627 1.144 ! Near Maximum !
Bofors RP14 ~approximation 102.4 45.1 2.92 2845 96.5 55000 11742 1.135 ! Near Maximum !
Norma URP 96.7 42.1 2.73 2840 99.7 55000 11268 1.148 ! Near Maximum !
Bofors RP19 ~approximation 96.7 42.1 2.73 2840 99.7 55000 11265 1.148 ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 4350 100.6 42.4 2.75 2838 99.7 55000 11294 1.165 ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N550 93.8 42.2 2.74 2838 99.6 55000 11372 1.153 ! Near Maximum !
IMR 4831 105.0 44.3 2.87 2836 99.0 54913 11397 1.154 ! Near Maximum !
Raufoss RA4 99.5 43.8 2.84 2826 96.2 55000 11489 1.136 ! Near Maximum !
Bofors RP4 ~approximation 99.5 43.8 2.84 2826 96.2 55000 11489 1.136 ! Near Maximum !
Norma 204 96.4 43.8 2.84 2826 96.2 55000 11489 1.136 ! Near Maximum !
Ramshot BigGame 92.9 40.9 2.65 2823 100.0 55000 10858 1.146 ! Near Maximum !
SNPE Vectan SP 11 90.1 41.0 2.66 2822 100.0 55000 10844 1.147 ! Near Maximum !
Somchem S385 102.0 45.4 2.94 2819 97.5 55000 11409 1.155 ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon H4831 SC 103.9 46.2 3.00 2817 93.4 55000 11536 1.132 ! Near Maximum !
Rottweil R905 105.0 45.9 2.97 2808 93.7 52110 11825 1.164 ! Near Maximum !
IMR 4350 101.1 42.6 2.76 2807 95.5 55000 11307 1.141 ! Near Maximum !
Winchester WXR 105.0 45.7 2.96 2795 95.1 49319 12105 1.192 ! Near Maximum !
SNPE Vectan SP 12 105.0 49.3 3.20 2792 93.6 49118 12286 1.184
Rottweil R904 100.1 43.5 2.82 2792 95.1 55000 11118 1.140 ! Near Maximum !
Rottweil R903 94.1 39.8 2.58 2788 100.0 55000 10394 1.170 ! Near Maximum !
PB Clermont PCL 517 105.0 49.3 3.20 2786 93.4 48857 12273 1.187
Ramshot Magnum (Big Boy) 105.0 49.2 3.19 2782 93.3 48589 12263 1.190
Somchem S355 91.4 39.4 2.55 2782 100.0 55000 10369 1.163 ! Near Maximum !
Rottweil R907 93.6 40.5 2.62 2769 97.5 55000 10745 1.155 ! Near Maximum !
Hodgdon VARGET 90.1 38.4 2.49 2768 99.9 55000 10279 1.144 ! Near Maximum !
IMR 4007 SSC 90.7 40.5 2.62 2768 97.5 55000 10737 1.155 ! Near Maximum !
IMR 4064 90.6 37.7 2.44 2761 99.9 55000 10106 1.149 ! Near Maximum !
Accurate 4064 92.9 38.2 2.48 2756 100.0 55000 9788 1.193 ! Near Maximum !
IMR 7828 105.0 44.9 2.91 2751 92.5 47617 11846 1.201
Vihtavuori N150 96.4 40.0 2.60 2746 100.0 55000 9753 1.161 ! Near Maximum !
ADI AP 2214 105.0 48.0 3.11 2742 92.6 48820 11682 1.187
Vihtavuori N140 92.7 39.2 2.54 2739 100.0 55000 9682 1.155 ! Near Maximum !
Vihtavuori N165 105.0 45.7 2.96 2735 96.1 50690 10885 1.186 ! Near Maximum !
Alliant Reloder-25 105.0 46.0 2.98 2732 97.5 44413 11992 1.243
Hodgdon H4831 105.0 44.9 2.91 2728 91.9 49880 11162 1.184 ! Near Maximum !

 

[BK]

I would just out of reflex reach for something a little bigger (like my Whelen), but I think a .25-06 should do alright. Todays bullets make rifles act bigger than they used to. Note: I am just theorizing, never shot a black bear.