going hunting for the first time

and i wanna know what gun i should get....

bear hunting.

thoughts?

well,,,

How much money do you got?
How much do you want to spend?
How fancy do you want to be?

In the olden days my answer would be to get a military surplus German WW2 8mmx57mm mauser bolt action rifle...
Mine cost 80 bucks in 1976.

Nowadays the going thing is a military surplus Russian WW2 7.62mmx54mm mosin nagant bolt action rifle...
They are available for about 99 bucks.

Both of these guns are about as powerful as the tried and true 30.06.
Thats plenty for bear, deer, elk and Zombies!

A shotgun will drop anything, assuming you don't mind getting that close....

"AK-47" is typically 7.62 mm x 39 mm
.308 is 7.62 x 51
Mosin is 7.62 x 54
.30-06 is 7.62 x 63
.300 Winchester Magnum is 7.62 x 67

If you're going after bear, I recommend carrying a .300 Win Mag or a .30-06, preferably magazine fed (M1/M14), and a large handgun (.45ACP, .44 Magnum, .357 Magnum). .50AEs and .500 S&W can be difficult to handle, not to mention magazine capacity is small.

There's a video on Youtube of a Redneck gone pig hunting. He stumbles onto a 350 lb pig and puts one .50AE into the animal's rump. Enraged, it turns around. He fires five more rounds. The pig tries to get up and come after him. He fires one last round into a place he's told to hit by his guide. The pig drops dead. He was firing a Desert Eagle .50AE, which only holds seven rounds. He was out of ammunition and less than ten feet from the pig.

Don't make that mistake or it could be your life. And don't try to do a head shot on a deer.

What kind of bear? Handgun or long gun?

Handgun or rifle, shot placement is #1. The proper weapon is the one you shoot the most accurately and are the most confident in.

PLEASE!! Do not go out and purchase a 300 Win Mag two days before the hunt, and then after the first shot, you can no longer hit a barn when you are standing inside it because you have such a bad flinch.

If you are good with a 300 Win Mag, and have practiced with it, it is an excelent cartridge for bear. But if you flinch from the recoil. it is worthless.

If you are going for black bear, use whatever you would for deer. Bigger bear, take more care with your shot placement,

hammer6 said:

bear hunting.

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Where are you going? There's no bear season in Florida.

There's a big difference between a 250 pound Arkansas black bear, and a 650 pound Pennsylvania black bear.

I'd recommend a .300 Winchester Magnum caliber, preferably in a bolt action Remington 700 BDL.

This caliber also works very well for long-range shots on deer, elk, and moose.

P.S. let us know what you decide on.

(posting a pic of your gun will earn you "extra points" with some of the forum members (like me). :lol:

Some friends of our family, whom I've known for more than two decades, are avid hunters. They have quite a collection, and recommend the old tried and true 30-06 as my first hunting rifle.

Wiki says: "One reason that the 30-06 has remained entrenched as an extremely popular round for so long is that the cartridge is at the upper limit of power that is tolerable to most shooters.[16] [17] Recoil energy (Free recoil) greater than 20 foot pounds (27.1 joules) will cause most shooters to develop a serious flinch, and the recoil energy of an 8 pound 30-06, firing a 165 grain bullet at 2900 ft/s is 20.1 foot pounds (27.3 joules). Recoil shy shooters can opt for lighter bullets, such as a 150 grain. In the same 8 pound rifle, a 150 grain bullet at 2910 ft/s will only generate 17.6 foot pounds (23.9 joules) of recoil energy.[18] Young shooters can start out with even lighter bullets such as the 110, 125 or 130, and recoil tolerant shooters can choose from a number of heavier bullets." - Source

I would say go mosin nagant all the way. They can be easily found and sell for $90-$120 not to mention a strong round. I would recommend you use a 200 grain bullet perferably soft point. The mosin's are known for accuracy, cheap pricing (surplus), as well as their ease of maintence. When you buy one the seller typically includes the bayonet, 2 ammo pouches, and the tools for the rifle.

My best suggestion to you would be to go to your local shooting range that allows for rental of rifles. After firing a few different calibers and styles of rifle you will know which you are comfortable with and which will be the best choice for you as well. If your lucky and ask politely you might even find some strangers will allow you to fire their rifles to see how they shoot.



"Handgun or rifle, shot placement is #1. The proper weapon is the one you shoot the most accurately and are the most confident in."
I only disagree with this statement as caliber for a humane kill is also a factor. You could in theory kill an elephant with a .22 would that would be grossly inhumane.
:::EDIT::: I would like to say not disagree but caliber is also very important. Sorry, sometimes things don't sound condesending until you hear/read them a few times. :::EDIT:::

smokeyburnout said:

I would say go mosin nagant all the way. They can be easily found and sell for $90-$120 not to mention a strong round. I would recommend you use a 200 grain bullet perferably soft point. The mosin's are known for accuracy, cheap pricing (surplus), as well as their ease of maintence. When you buy one the seller typically includes the bayonet, 2 ammo pouches, and the tools for the rifle.

My best suggestion to you would be to go to your local shooting range that allows for rental of rifles. After firing a few different calibers and styles of rifle you will know which you are comfortable with and which will be the best choice for you as well. If your lucky and ask politely you might even find some strangers will allow you to fire their rifles to see how they shoot.



"Handgun or rifle, shot placement is #1. The proper weapon is the one you shoot the most accurately and are the most confident in."
I only disagree with this statement as caliber for a humane kill is also a factor. You could in theory kill an elephant with a .22 would that would be grossly inhumane.

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I take the Mosin from time to time for coyote, what a blast, but would really love to have a BAR in .308.

smokeyburnout said:

I would say go mosin nagant all the way.

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I disagree. It's a fine gun, but the slow speed of follow-up shots really isn't acceptable for dangerous game.

KBCraig said:

I disagree. It's a fine gun, but the slow speed of follow-up shots really isn't acceptable for dangerous game.

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!

Tell that to the Germans. I'm sure they will concur.


:banghead:

KBCraig said:

I disagree. It's a fine gun, but the slow speed of follow-up shots really isn't acceptable for dangerous game.

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I take it you've never fired one. If your that concerned with follow up shots you should be hitting the range more often to practice.
As far as hunting dangerous game, I seriously doubt on his first hunt they will have him goin out to hunt lions in Africa. Chances are he will be going for deer, moose or pig and the mosin would more than enough to take any one of those. I have shot my mosin quickly at the range at 100 yards through iron sights and with a little practice you can consistantly hit all 5 well within a 5" group.