00 Buck or Slugs for Black Bears

One of my neighbors just saw a bear in their backyard just 15 feet from their back porch which has got me to thinking about bear defense. (The bears are everywhere I was seen 4 within a mile of my house in the last month)
The only gun I have that would down a bear is my Rem. 870 Tactical with 7 shot magazine and 18 in barrel. My question is which one of the 2 popular ammo choices, Slugs or 00Buck would be better for Bear defense.

I have a box of Remington Copper Solids for the 870.
Marlin lever in 44mag would get the go ahead on bears in our area but NJ is a shotgun state...

3 magnum shells

I use 2 3/4-inch slugs when hunting black bears (not that I have managed to get one yet). 00 Buck would likely get the job done but you need something dense enough to break bone and penetrate and slugs are just a better choice for that.

Then again, I bought a Rem 700 in 308 a year ago and these days I might just carry the 308 instead of the slug gun. Just in the past, my deer rifle was a 243 and I decided 12-gauge slugs were better then the 243 given I hunt in a swamp and any shots I get would be inside 100-yards and likely much closer then that.

Slugs, without a doubt.

slugs are a much better choice on bear then 00 buck.

I took my bear this year with 000 buck from about 10-15 yds. skull shots with 000 buck drop them right away...cant wait to get the skull back to see the entrance holes

I'd opt for 000.

slug!!!

Breneke Black Magic's. Big square shoulderd slug that punches a nice big hole and breaks bones..
Don't use Foster slugs, their worthless.

Until that day,
Darkop

Just out of curiosity, what part of KY are you in? Bear sightings up in my neck of the woods is almost unheard of. I hear you see them occasionally down in eastern KY.

It took another alaskan to get it right. Brenneke's Black Magic Magnum slugs are the end all / be all bear slug. Don't listen to anybody else.

" DIXIE SLUGS ".. Or " TRI-BALLS "

http://www.dixieslugs.com/products.html

http://www.dixieslugs.com/images/Dixie_Triball_vs.pdf

PAPI

THIS

The heaviest sabot slugs you can handle!

now thats a sexy looking slug!

Slugs 100%. You need deep penetration.

One of my African PH associates uses a 12 loaded with with 00 sized steel ball bearings to optimize penetration for charging leopard. Says it does the trick quite nicely, albeit a leopard is a deal smaller than a large bruin. Never-the-less the steel bearings would definitely out penetrate lead shot. Not sure what it would do to the barrel with repeated use however.

-Private Contractor-

I will say this, Winchester 14 pellet "OO" Magnums are awesome shotgun shells. Damn things will take your arm off but its the equivalent of 14 .32 caliber high velocity rounds with one trigger pull. .

A possible alternative to using the " Slug " or " 00 / 000 Buckshot " @ very close range.... ?

DIXIE TRI-BALL
" The .600"-320 gr. ball has 5.9 times the mass of the .33"-54 gr. #00 buckshot!
Penetration is based on mass/velocity. This becomes important on game like a
large boar hog. Therefore, based on actual facts, there is no comparison between
the Super X #00 buckshot load and Dixie Slugs Tri-Ball 3" .. "

http://www.dixieslugs.com/images/Dixie_Triball_vs.pdf


PAPI

Umm...no. I'm sure his shotgun isn't rifled and sabot slugs are ONLY for rifled shotguns.

OP go with a good rifled slug, like a Brenneke.

There was a story here in Arkansas recently where hunters had a black bear bayed with dogs. They shot it twice with 00 then on the 3rd shot of 00 the bear ran and jumped on one of the hunters. they finally seperated the bear and hunter and shot it a 4th time with 00 again and it finally went down.

The moral that I got from the story is to use SLUGS.

I appreciate all the responses I went bear hunting back in December during the one weekend it was open. I saw 2 females w/ cubs and 1 male whichj I was able to take. It field dressed at 256lbs whicha bout average size for this area. Not allowed to hunt in m y home county yet so I took this one in Harlan Co. I took him with my Rem. 870 and Brenneke Slugs. The shot was about 20 yds. I shot him in shoulder area he ran about 10 feet and dropped. Great experience. I appreciate all the responses.

I'll third this............they work - been there, done that several times.

Another +1 for Brenneke's Black Magic Magnum Slugs!

I used to carry Lightfields but after seeing what these do I carry them instead.

Brennekke's Black Magic, theres nothingelse like them.

Awesome! Congratulations. Love those Brenneke Slugs but they only work when you put them in the right place. Good Job.

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