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What are you guys using for a gun with a bear on the ground when things get Western? I really want to buy a 45-70 to get an option of a little bit of range but maybe a nice slug gun is just as good.

What do you think?


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I use a 30-30 with 170gr soft points. It hasn't let me down yet. It doesn't have quite the knock down of a 45-70 but the recoil is very manageable and I can get follow up shots off very quickly.

I use a ruger carbine in 44 mag with the 240 grains slower cartridge does a number but no pass through just goes in and stays in. The caliber is not as important as shot placement imho


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Like what was said, shot placement is what matters. Staying calm, cool and collected. You can't miss what you want to hit if your barrel is touching hair. Personally I prefer a pistol. Easier to carry. And if you need a free hand to help keep a dog safe and out of the way you have the option

For the vast majority of people, a nice short rifle in a 30 call or better with open sights is best. Although shot number 1 matters most, a rifle allows a much better follow up shot if needed. A pistol is only preferred because it's always on you, other than that I haven't noticed any advantages.

I've got a rem 600 308 as well but my go to is a marlin 45/70 when the purpose is to kill the critter. Now if you've got a bear way up in a tree, a scoped rifle is nice to have. Otherwise a scope is no bueno.

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I did some trading for this one a S&W 500mag doubt I’d ever pack it to a tree. Like was said before hard to miss when the barrel is on the fur. I’ve pack a 30-30 for about 30yrs now for big game never needed anything bigger