What is a good lever action gun and caliber for hunting deer and bear?
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at
4:21 pm
piedra.francisco asked:
What is a good lever action gun and caliber for hunting deer and bear? Im looking for something cheap and something that will take out a bear but that i can also use for deer hunting and not damage the animal hide to much. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
What is a good lever action gun and caliber for hunting deer and bear? Im looking for something cheap and something that will take out a bear but that i can also use for deer hunting and not damage the animal hide to much. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Tagged with: Caliber • Deer Damage • Hunting Deer
Filed under: Recreation
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I don’t know that I would even recommend a lever action.
Why not a bolt action or semi-auto ?
There are a lot of good used / cheap 30/06’s & 308’s on the market….
Look at Marlin. They make the best lever actions around, in a variety of calibers.
The new .308 Marlin is made for a lever action, and is big enough for black bear.
I like the .45-70 – it’s big enough for any bear walking.
And the old, reliable .30-30 is a great choice, too.
The 30-30 Winchester, 32 Winchester Special, 45-70, 308, 30-06…Pick one.*
Marlin is the answer!!
If you are talking about black bear, you’ve four possible choices, the Model 336 in .30-30 WDF, the Model 336 in .35 Remington, the Model 444 in .444 Marlin, and the Model 1895 in .45-70 Gov’t. All will handle deer just fine, and all can handle black bear, with the .35 Remington and .45-70 being better choices.
If you are talking big bears, such as Alaskan and Canadian Brownies and Grizzly, then you need a Marlin Model 1895 in .45-70. The rifle is not terribly expensive, but the ammo you will need is not cheap. For the large and toothy critters, use Garrett Cartridge Company’s 540 gr Hammerheads, 420 grain Hammerheads or their 350 grain Woodleigh Core Weld JSP’s.
Now if you can swing the cost, the top of the line for lever guns suitable for dangerous game, you can consider a Winchester/Browning Model 1886 in .45-70 Gov’t. Great rifles but a bit on the heavy side and they cost three or four times as much as a Marlin M-1895.
Doc
I have taken a few deer and a few moose and a few bear in Saskatchewan Canada, and took them all with a Winchest model 1894, in 30-30 cal.,I wouldn’t have any other rifle in the bush with me, unless in heavy bear country then I would go with a Remington model 870,pump action in a 12ga. cal.
for a bear you pretty much need a 45-70 for a clean ethical kill. but that might be alot of overkill for just a deer. i guess a 30-06 would be ok.
what kind of bear black or grizzly. i would say for a grizzly you want a 45-70.
You are asking a lot. There is a pretty good difference in how much power you need to kill a deer and a bear. Also, if you have enough power to kill a bear, you are going to mess up the hide somewhat. Also, any gun that is good, reliable and of sufficient power to use for hunting bear is going to cost you a few bucks. I don’t know of a single rifle that will do all that you want. If I were you, I’d be looking at one of the .45-70 lever guns. Plenty of power for bear or deer. By carefully selecting your bullets, you can minimize the damage to the deer hide. Take a look at the Marlin Guide Gun.
30-30 Winchester.
i would recommend a 30-30. however, for deer a simple 270, 243, or 22-250 will do, however i would not waste money on a lever action. bolt actions are the way to go.
Marlin 30-30 will do everything in your question.
you should buy a marlin 45/70 guide gun, with a large grain hollow point you wont have any problem taking down a large animal, with a well placed shot, note, head shots on a bear is only going to make it angry, just like any other animal, go for the vitals, believe me, a 385 grain hollow point through the heart will stop him in his tracks
I like the Browning and Marlin lever actions. The Browning comes in 30.06,.270, .308, 7mm08, and all will kill deer and black bear.
Yes, the 30.30 brans in unimportant, as modern lever guns all are quite good, even foreign built weapons and do take a camera with you, you can photograph your trophy, if your ever lucky enough to get one!
Get a Yellow boy. It uses a .45 LC which is the same ammo as the .45 LC Ruger Vaquero. So if you are in bear country you can use the same ammo in your six shooter and riffle with the same results. The only down fall is its price and ammo selection. The 30-30 is also a great lever action rifle. I would get the new mossberg 464 30-30 lever action if money is an issue. I have heard great things about the 464 and believe an article is on the mossberg in one of the news stand magazines. Price list under $600.00 for the mossberg and a yellow boy is around $1200.00
30/30 marlin
I would totally recommend the Marlin Model 336C as it is the perfect solution for any bear/deer hunting expedition. It has proved its efficiency over the years so you won’t be taking any risks. The price for it is quite good in comparison to newer models that do just about the same. I would also like to recommend the 30/30 Win. caliber as it will be more appropriate for your needs.