30-06 for PA black bear

I just bought my first hunting rifle (savage 116 in 30-06). I primarily got the rifle with the intent for deer hunting, but a bunch of my buddies go bear hunting every season and I wouldn't mind joining them. The question is does pack 30-06 enough punch to drop a bear and not just piss him off?

I have a feeling that this round is right on the edge of what's acceptable and that the load will play a big role in the answer. If that's the case, can you give me some reccomended factory loads?

Thanks for any help.

30-06 will be adequate for BB. are you bait hunting, or hound hunting? If you hunt with dogs remember that you will have to tote your firearm w/ you. Could be a looong tote -

I shot a 465lb. black bear with my Win. m70 in 30-06. I was using 150 gr. soft point hand loads I don't remember the bullet maker but it was one of the less expensive brands either Hornady or Speer, I had used this load for years on deer and it never failed to pass through any deer that I shot at any angle.

When I shot the bear he was quartering toward me so I aimed right at the joint in his shoulder, thinking that the bullet would pass through his shoulder go through both lungs and exit out his rib's on the far side. At the shot the bear took off in to thick brush, we found him the next morning only 15 yards from where I had shot him. Upon skinning him I found out that the bullet never exited his shoulder it just blew up on that massive shoulder joint but what it did was to send a bunch of little bits of bone flying through his chest cavity shredding his lungs and heart.

I never found any of the bullet larger than a small piece of the jacket, the entrance wound ended about 6" in the the shoulder. even though it did the job I would consider the performance of the bullet to be a failure.
If I were to go out for bear again I would use a heaver premium brand hunting bullet like Nosler or Barns in the 165 to 180 grn range, I would have no problem with the 30-06 though.

HTH
Bob
ETA: SPELUN AND STUFF

Yea,

I think I'd feel confident hunting just about anything in North American with an '06.

Use a load with good bullets and the '06 will kill anything in North America. It is more than adequate for Black Bears.

This. With the right load and good shot placement, IMO, 30-06 will suffice for anything in the lower 48.

I hunt black bear with either a 308 or a 12 gauge slug gun. The 308 is very adequate but I tend to carry the slug gun more as I like to hunt a swamp area where I expect bears to go when hunters start shooting. There, the longest shot I can take would be inside 50-yards so no need for more range capability.

Just use a decent bullet and the 30-06 will be fine.

"Decent bullet" is the important phrase ––- the '06 is an adequate cartridge, and then some, if used with appropriate bear bullets, such as the Nosler Partition, or equally stout bullets capable of smashing bone, holding together, and penetrating deeply, all of which you should expect a bear bullet to do. Less robust bullets such as the Sierra Game King, for example, may perform perfectly on lighter, less robust critters such as deer or antelope, but are inappropriate for bears. I don't have any experience with some of the newer all-copper solids, such as the Barnes and etc., but from what I've read, these appear to be top contenders for bear bullets. Don't skimp ––- the price of a couple boxes of premium ammo will seem pretty cheap if you're faced with dealing with a lost/wounded bear ––- dead and down with the first round is a very good thing... Good luck on your hunt!

I've hunted bears with a 30-06 before and never had a shot, but I've seen what a 220gr corelokt (shot out of a savage 116 in 30-06) will do to a bear and it's nasty. The 30-06 is a prefect cartrdige because you can use any premium bullet you want, or a big fat slug like the 220gr bullets. Don't doubt your 30-06.

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