Hunting Black Bear With The Ruger AR 556 In 450 Bushmaster
BY Herschel Smith
6 years ago
We discussed this earlier, and a reader sends this my way.
I have been involved in shooting probably 100 bear or more in my life so I have seen what works well and what does not. You would expect that bigger is better, but I would argue against that logic. Many magnums (IE: 7mm Rem. Mag, 300 WSM, 28 Nosler, etc.) are what people show up with because of this thought. These rounds tend to penetrate through and through and then dump the rest of their remaining energy (typically a lot) into the tree or hill behind the bear. There’s a good time and place for them, but it is not hound hunting. On the other side of the coin, I have seen a bear shot with 44 Mag, 45-70 Gov. and 32 Special, to name a few. All of these do a much better job at killing these predators. Why? Because the round is so much bigger in diameter, the shock of the bullet going into the animal is much more traumatic. Also, because they are going slower, they will actually be caught within the animal, capturing 100% of the energy that the bullet left the barrel with, transferring into killing power. With this logic, I knew that the 5 rounds of Hornady 450 Bushmaster with a 250 gr bullet from the Ruger would be devastating on a black bear. If you disagree, that is okay, but personal experience has really proven this to me.
I have absolutely no doubt this round will kill any game in North America within 100-200 yards. Beyond that I would want something with a higher BC to prevent the loss in velocity and to ensure an ethical kill. Then again, my eyes can’t see 400 yards anyway.
But this hunter clearly likes the heavy bullet with the high exit muzzle velocity. He also seems to like the Ruger AR 556.
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On November 8, 2018 at 1:00 am, TheAlaskan said:
” I have seen a bear shot with 44 Mag, 45-70 Gov. and 32 Special, to name a few. All of these do a much better job at killing these predators. Why? Because the round is so much bigger in diameter, the shock of the bullet going into the animal is much more traumatic.”
Slugs
On November 8, 2018 at 5:39 pm, MoralFracas said:
My first experience with Bears were Brown Bears on Kodiak. My guide said that at 300 yards you’re first shot needs to be a really good one. He said if you can break any of the front shoulders that would be great. “Bears get pissed up here” he said and they tend to hone in on the shot better than a human, and come running. The second shot definitely needs to break shoulder so the animal can’t keep running at you. They joke about the 3rd and 4th shot but when a bear can run at 35 mph through alders you only have seconds to make any follow up shot count. Then well..that’s where the joke comes in regarding the 4th shot. Or, its the guide who wears running shoes. We used a .416 Rigby with a Vietnam era sniper scope my buddies uncle used in the war. My carry was a .454 Casull. I still never felt “safe” which of course added to the “hunt experience”. Lol. 12 gauge slug was another guide favorite up close. Never got on a good one but I’ve got two Black Tails up on my wall. Great country, good times.
On November 8, 2018 at 6:32 pm, Gryphon said:
Black Bears here in Virginia tend to stick to Wooded Areas, so using a High-Velocity Long Gun if you are going Into the Woods after the Bear wouldn’t be My Choice; I have a 12-Gauge Mossberg filled with Slugs, and a Firecracker Shell in the Chamber. If one comes out of the Woods to the Buildings, it would be a Close-In Defensive situation, and I think the Big, Slow, Hollow-Point Slugs would be most Effective without the Danger of a Penetration (or a Miss) going into the Neighbor’s Yards…
Want the best “Bear Alarm” available? a Horse (or a Dozen or so) in the Backyard, they seem to be able to Smell a Bear a Mile Away, and Run right to You (if they Know You have a Gun).