11 Best Bear Hunting Rifles (2026): Black Bear to Brown Bear, Tested

Last updated September 2026

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Most “best bear rifle” articles make one mistake early: they treat a 200-pound black bear over a bait barrel and an 800-pound coastal brown bear in the alders as the same problem. They aren’t. The rifle that’s perfect for one is the wrong tool for the other.

So this guide is split by hunt. There are close-cover rifles for bait and hounds, light rifles for spot-and-stalk black bear, and heavy magnums for brown bear and grizzly. Every pick has a live price from the retailers we track, and every cartridge is backed by SAAMI’s own velocity and energy data.

Best Bear Hunting Rifles in 2026 at a Glance

Table of Contents

Introduction: Choosing a Bear Rifle in 2026

I’ve hunted black bear over bait in thick timber and glassed for them on open spring slopes, and the rifles I carried on those two hunts had almost nothing in common. That’s the whole point of this page. Start with the hunt, then pick the rifle.

For black bear, almost any rifle that cleanly kills an elk will do the job, and a good deer cartridge with a tough bullet works too. Where people get into trouble is bullet choice and shot placement, not raw power. For brown bear and grizzly, the rules change: guides want a .338 at minimum, many want a .375, and they want a bullet that holds together through heavy bone.

If you’re after a gun to carry for protection while fishing or hiking rather than a hunting rifle, that’s a different job. We cover it in our guides to the best shotguns for bear defense, the best bear defense handguns and 10mm for bear defense.

Here’s the quick version of how the three hunts differ before we get to the rifles.

Hunt	Typical shot	What matters most	Where to start
Bait or hounds (black bear)	25 to 75 yards, often steep from a stand	A heavy, wide bullet and sights you can see at last light	Marlin 1895 Trapper, Henry X Model, Ruger American Ranch .450
Spot-and-stalk (black bear)	150 to 300 yards across a canyon	Light weight, a flat cartridge and good glass	Tikka T3x Lite, Browning X-Bolt 2, Christensen Mesa FFT
Brown bear and grizzly	50 to 200 yards, often in brush	A .338 or .375 with a bonded or monolithic bullet	Ruger Guide Gun .375 Ruger, Savage 110 Ridge Hunter .338

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Close-Cover Rifles for Bait and Hounds

Over a bait barrel or at the base of a tree the dogs have treed, the shot is most often 25 to 75 yards, often at a steep angle from a stand, and it comes in the last half hour of light. Nobody needs a flat trajectory here. You need a heavy, wide bullet that goes deep, a rifle that points fast, and sights you can still see at dusk.

That is lever-gun country, and it is also where a short straight-wall bolt gun earns its place, especially in states that limit you to straight-wall cartridges for deer and bear.

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1. Marlin 1895 Trapper: Best Bear Rifle for Bait and Hounds

• Caliber: .45-70 Government
• Action: Lever action
• Barrel Length: 16.17 in, stainless, 1:20 twist, threaded 11/16-24
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Weight: 7.1 lb
• Overall Length: 34.25 in
• Sights: Skinner adjustable peep
• MSRP: $1,599

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Handling in Brush	5/5
Weather Resistance	5/5
Accuracy	4/5
Value	3.5/5

If I could only own one rifle for black bear in thick cover, it would be this one. The Ruger-built Marlin 1895 Trapper is a stainless .45-70 with a 16.17-inch barrel, a black laminate stock and a Skinner peep sight. At 34.25 inches long it swings like a carbine and fits in a tree stand without catching every branch on the way up.

We shot ours with Hornady’s 325-grain LEVERevolution and a 405-grain flat-nose load. With the peep at 50 yards, five-shot groups ran about 1.5 inches, and at 100 yards they opened to around 3 inches, which is plenty for a bear at the barrel. It fed every round, including a few we cycled hard and upside down to see what it would do. The big lever loop is a gift in November gloves.

The Trapper runs from $1,306.99 at Palmetto State Armory when we checked, with Sportsman’s Warehouse at $1,329.99. That’s real money next to a Henry or a Rossi. What you’re paying for is stainless steel inside and out, a cold hammer-forged barrel and a rifle that doesn’t care about sleet. For more .45-70 options, see our best .45-70 Government rifles.

Best For: Bait and hound hunters who want one short, weatherproof rifle that hits hard inside 100 yards.

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2. Henry X Model: Best Value Lever Gun for Bear

• Caliber: .45-70 Government
• Action: Lever action
• Barrel Length: 19.8 in, blued, 1:20 twist, threaded 5/8×24
• Capacity: 4 rounds
• Weight: 7.4 lb
• Overall Length: 38.6 in
• Sights: Fiber optic, drilled and tapped
• MSRP: $1,129

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Handling in Brush	4/5
Weather Resistance	3.5/5
Accuracy	4/5
Value	4.5/5

The Henry X Model is what a lot of hog and bear hunters wanted Henry to build for years: a black synthetic .45-70 with fiber optic sights, an M-LOK forend, a short Picatinny rail and a threaded 19.8-inch barrel. Henry lists it at 7.4 pounds and 38.6 inches, so it’s a little longer than the Marlin, but it carries well.

Those fiber optic sights are why it’s on this list. Over a bait in the last minutes of light, a bright front bead is easier to pick up than most people expect, and the rail lets you hang a weapon light for tracking. Our test gun ran 325-grain FTX loads into about 2 inches at 50 yards off a bag, with no feeding trouble.

When we checked, Brownells had it at $860.99, which is a lot of rifle for the money compared with the $1,129 MSRP. Wipe it down after a wet sit, because this one is blued, not stainless.

Best For: Hunters who want a modern, light-ready .45-70 for bait and hounds without paying stainless prices.

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3. Rossi R95 Trapper: Best Budget .45-70 for Bear

• Caliber: .45-70 Government
• Action: Lever action
• Barrel Length: 16.5 in, black oxide, threaded 5/8×24
• Capacity: 5 rounds
• Weight: 6.7 lb
• Overall Length: 35.5 in
• Sights: Adjustable buckhorn rear, drift-adjustable front
• MSRP: $1,060.99

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Handling in Brush	4.5/5
Weather Resistance	3/5
Accuracy	3.5/5
Value	5/5

The Rossi R95 Trapper is the budget way into a short .45-70. Rossi’s spec sheet for model 954570161 lists a 16.5-inch barrel, a five-round tube, 107.2 ounces of weight (about 6.7 pounds) and a threaded muzzle. It’s lighter than the Marlin and it handles just as quickly.

The trade-offs are the ones you’d expect. The action felt gritty for the first box or two and smoothed out after that, and the buckhorn rear sight is slow compared with a peep or fiber optic. We’d put a small red dot or a low-power scope on it for bear. With a dot, it grouped 325-grain loads around 2.5 inches at 50 yards.

When we checked, Palmetto State Armory had this exact 16.5-inch Trapper at $832.99. Our card filters out the 20-inch and 22-inch R95 rifles that share the Trapper name in some listings, so what you see is the short rifle.

Best For: Budget-minded bait hunters who want .45-70 power in a short rifle and don’t mind adding their own optic.

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4. Ruger American Gen II Ranch: Best Straight-Wall Bear Rifle

• Caliber: .450 Bushmaster
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 16.10 in, 1:16 twist, threaded 11/16-24 with Hybrid Muzzle Brake
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Weight: 5.8 lb
• Overall Length: 37.6 in
• Trigger: Marksman Adjustable, 3 to 5 lb
• MSRP: $769

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4/5
Handling in Brush	5/5
Weather Resistance	4/5
Accuracy	4.5/5
Value	5/5

Several states restrict deer hunters to straight-wall cartridges in parts of the state, and bear hunters in those same woods often end up with the same rifle. The Ruger American Gen II Ranch in .450 Bushmaster is the one we’d buy. Ruger’s spec sheet for model 46922 lists a 16.10-inch barrel, 5.8 pounds and a three-round magazine, plus a Picatinny base and a factory Hybrid Muzzle Brake.

SAAMI’s reference load for the .450 Bushmaster is a 250-grain bullet at 2,250 feet per second, which works out to about 2,811 foot-pounds at the muzzle. That’s more than a standard 405-grain .45-70 load and close to a .30-06 at the muzzle, in a rifle that weighs less than six pounds. It won’t carry that energy as far, but over a bait it doesn’t need to.

Ours shot 250-grain FTX loads into about an inch and a half at 100 yards with a 2-7x scope. When we checked, Sportsman’s Guide had the Ranch at $629.99. If you’re in a straight-wall state, read our Ohio straight-wall rifle guide and best .450 Bushmaster rifles too.

Best For: Hunters in straight-wall states, and anyone who wants a very light, very short bolt gun for bait sits.

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Spot-and-Stalk Black Bear Rifles

Glassing clear-cuts, avalanche chutes and green spring slopes changes everything. Shots stretch to 200 or 300 yards, you carry the rifle for miles, and a black bear that looks huge in the spotting scope is often a two-year-old at 150 pounds. This is a light-rifle, good-glass game.

Any cartridge that cleanly takes elk works here. The rifles below are the ones we would actually carry up a mountain for a spring bear, from a 5.9-pound carbon-stocked Christensen to a sub-$600 Ruger.

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5. Tikka T3x Lite: Best Overall Spot-and-Stalk Bear Rifle

• Caliber: .300 Winchester Magnum
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 22.4 in or 24.4 in depending on model, 1:10 twist
• Weight: 6.4 to 6.6 lb
• Stock: Black synthetic
• Finish: Blued or stainless

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Portability	5/5
Weather Resistance	4/5
Accuracy	5/5
Value	4.5/5

For spring bear on open slopes, the Tikka T3x Lite in .300 Win Mag is the rifle we’d take. Sako’s own spec table lists the .300 Win Mag Lite at 2.9 to 3.0 kilograms, which is 6.4 to 6.6 pounds, with a 569 or 620 millimeter barrel depending on the model. That’s a magnum you can carry all day.

The bolt is the smoothest in this price range, and the trigger breaks cleanly. Ours shot 180-grain Nosler Partitions into about three-quarters of an inch at 100 yards, and a 5-shot string at 300 yards stayed inside 3 inches. It kicks, and you’ll feel a 180-grain magnum in a rifle this light, but it’s manageable off sticks.

The only Lite in .300 Win Mag stocked by a trusted retailer when we checked was the stainless version at Sportsman’s Warehouse, at $909.99. The photo above shows the blued rifle, which has the same action and stock. Our card screens out the Superlite, Roughtech and .300 WSM rifles that turn up in the same search. For a deeper look, see our Tikka T3x Lite review.

Best For: Western spot-and-stalk hunters who want a light magnum that shoots well enough for a 300-yard shot.

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6. Browning X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite: Best Adjustable-Fit Bear Rifle

• Caliber: .300 Winchester Magnum
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 26 in, 1:10 twist, threaded M13x0.75
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Weight: 7 lb 2 oz
• Overall Length: 46.75 in
• Stock: Vari-Tech composite, adjustable length of pull and comb
• MSRP: $1,219.99

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Portability	4/5
Weather Resistance	4/5
Accuracy	4.5/5
Value	4/5

The X-Bolt 2 Hunter Composite is Browning’s updated hunting rifle, and the Vari-Tech stock is the reason it’s here. You can change length of pull and comb height, which matters more than most people think when you go from a T-shirt in April to a puffy jacket on a cold May morning.

Browning lists the .300 Win Mag version at 7 pounds 2 ounces with a 26-inch barrel. That long barrel gets the most out of the cartridge, and ours put 180-grain Federal Trophy Bonded loads into under an inch at 100 yards. It’s long in the truck and long through alders, so it’s a rifle for open country, not thick timber.

When we checked, Sportsman’s Warehouse listed it at $1,049.99, below Browning’s $1,219.99 MSRP. The photo shows the Hunter Composite with its factory brake. Our full Browning X-Bolt review covers the action in more detail.

Best For: Hunters who share a rifle, wear heavy layers, or just want a stock that actually fits them.

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7. Bergara B-14 Ridge: Best .30-06 for Black Bear

• Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 24 in, 1:10 twist
• Capacity: 4 rounds
• Weight: 7.7 lb
• Overall Length: 44 in
• Model: B14L501C
• MSRP: $999

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4/5
Portability	3.5/5
Weather Resistance	4/5
Accuracy	5/5
Value	4.5/5

The .30-06 has probably killed more black bears than any other cartridge in North America, and the Bergara B-14 Ridge is our favorite modern rifle to shoot it in. Bergara lists the .30-06 Ridge, model B14L501C, at 7.7 pounds with a 24-inch barrel and a four-round magazine.

The Ridge uses a heavier barrel than a typical sporter, and that’s the trade. It’s heavier to carry, but it’s steady off a pack, and the extra weight takes the sting out of 180-grain loads. Ours shot 180-grain Barnes TSX into about 0.8 inches at 100 yards. SAAMI’s reference 180-grain .30-06 load runs 2,690 feet per second, about 2,893 foot-pounds at the muzzle, which is plenty for any black bear.

When we checked, Palmetto State Armory listed this exact Ridge at $900.99. Our card filters out the Wilderness and B-14 Hunter rifles that share the search. For more rifles in this cartridge, see our best .30-06 rifles.

Best For: Black bear hunters who want a very accurate, easy-shooting .30-06 and don’t mind a little extra weight.

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8. Christensen Arms Mesa FFT: Best Lightweight Bear Rifle

• Caliber: 7mm PRC
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 22 in, stainless, 1:8 twist, threaded
• Weight: From 5.9 lb
• Stock: FFT carbon fiber
• Trigger: TriggerTech
• MSRP: $1,499.99

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Portability	5/5
Weather Resistance	4.5/5
Accuracy	4.5/5
Value	3.5/5

Christensen lists the Mesa FFT line from 5.9 pounds, and the 7mm PRC version has a 22-inch stainless barrel with a 1:8 twist. That fast twist lets it shoot the long, heavy 7mm bullets the cartridge was designed around. For a hunter who counts ounces on a 3,000-foot climb, this is the rifle.

SAAMI’s reference load for the 7mm PRC is a 180-grain bullet at 2,950 feet per second, about 3,479 foot-pounds at the muzzle. That’s the same velocity and energy SAAMI lists for a 180-grain .300 Win Mag, from a cartridge with a better-shaped bullet for long shots. Ours grouped 175-grain loads around 0.9 inches at 100 yards once the barrel settled.

When we checked, Sportsman’s Warehouse had the Mesa FFT in 7mm PRC at $1,299.99. We also cover this rifle in our Christensen Arms Mesa FFT review and in our best 7mm PRC rifles.

Best For: Backcountry black bear hunters who want the lightest rifle they can get without giving up reach.

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9. Ruger American Gen II: Best Budget Bear Rifle

• Caliber: .30-06 Springfield
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 20 in, spiral fluted, 1:10 twist, threaded 5/8-24 with brake
• Capacity: 4 rounds
• Weight: 6.4 lb
• Overall Length: 41.75 in
• Trigger: Marksman Adjustable, 3 to 5 lb

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4/5
Portability	4.5/5
Weather Resistance	4/5
Accuracy	4/5
Value	5/5

You don’t need to spend four figures to hunt black bear well. Ruger’s Gen II American in .30-06, model 46913, comes with a 20-inch spiral-fluted barrel, a factory brake, a Picatinny scope base and an adjustable trigger, and Ruger lists it at 6.4 pounds.

We put 540 rounds through Ruger American Gen II rifles for our Ruger American Gen II review, and the .30-06 version shot 180-grain loads into about an inch and a quarter at 100 yards. It isn’t as refined as the Tikka or the Bergara. It is a rifle that will kill every black bear you point it at.

When we checked, Palmetto State Armory had it at $573.99. Our card leaves out the Predator and Patrol versions, which have different barrels and stocks.

Best For: First-time bear hunters and anyone who wants a capable, light .30-06 without spending much.

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Brown Bear and Grizzly Rifles

Coastal brown bears and interior grizzlies are a different animal: heavier bone, thicker hide and fat, and a real chance the bear comes toward you after the shot. Guides in Alaska tend to want a .338 or a .375, and a bullet built to hold together through a shoulder.

This is also where the retail shelf gets thin. Plenty of fine dangerous-game rifles exist, but only a couple of .338 and .375 rifles are actually stocked by the big trusted retailers we track, and those are the two we list below.

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10. Ruger Hawkeye Guide Gun: Best Brown Bear and Grizzly Rifle

• Caliber: .375 Ruger
• Action: Bolt action, Mauser-type controlled round feed
• Barrel Length: 20 in, stainless, 1:12 twist, threaded 5/8-18
• Capacity: 3 rounds
• Weight: 8.1 lb
• Overall Length: 41 to 42.5 in
• Muzzle: Removable Ruger Muzzle Brake System with matched weight
• Stock: Green Mountain laminate

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	5/5
Portability	4/5
Weather Resistance	5/5
Accuracy	4/5
Value	4.5/5

The Guide Gun is the rifle we’d hand anyone going after a coastal brown bear. Ruger’s spec sheet for model 47125 lists a .375 Ruger with a 20-inch stainless barrel, a Green Mountain laminate stock, 8.1 pounds and a three-round magazine. The action uses a non-rotating Mauser-type controlled round feed extractor, which grabs the case rim as soon as it leaves the magazine. When you’re working the bolt fast and hard, that matters.

The .375 Ruger was built to match the .375 H&H in a standard-length action, and SAAMI’s numbers say it does better than match it. SAAMI lists a 270-grain .375 Ruger at 2,840 feet per second and a 270-grain .375 H&H at 2,680, which works out to about 4,837 and 4,307 foot-pounds at the muzzle. Ours shot 270-grain loads into about 1.5 inches at 100 yards with the brake on.

The removable brake is a big deal on a rifle this powerful. Ruger includes a matched muzzle weight, and swapping between the two doesn’t change the point of impact for a given load. We shot it with the brake at the range and wore hearing protection. We’d hunt with the weight, because a brake next to a guide’s ear in the brush is not a friendly thing to do. When we checked, Sportsman’s Warehouse had the Guide Gun at $1,399.99.

Best For: Coastal brown bear and interior grizzly hunters who want a .375 that feeds every time in bad weather.

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11. Savage 110 Ridge Hunter: Best Value .338 for Big Bears

• Caliber: .338 Winchester Magnum
• Action: Bolt action
• Barrel Length: 20 in, stainless, medium contour, threaded
• Weight: 8.58 lb
• Magazine: AICS detachable
• Sights: Iron sights, drilled and tapped
• Trigger: AccuTrigger
• MSRP: $899

Category	Rating
Stopping Power	4.5/5
Portability	4/5
Weather Resistance	4.5/5
Accuracy	4/5
Value	5/5

Savage built the 110 Ridge Hunter for close encounters, and the .338 Win Mag version, SKU 32506, is the one that fits a big-bear hunt. Savage lists a 20-inch stainless barrel and 8.58 pounds, with iron sights, an AccuTrigger, a LimbSaver recoil pad, a length-of-pull adjustable stock and an AICS detachable magazine.

The iron sights are the feature we’d point to. If your scope fogs on a coastal hunt or takes a hard knock in a boat, you still have a rifle. The weight helps with recoil, and SAAMI’s 250-grain .338 Win Mag reference load at 2,645 feet per second carries about 3,885 foot-pounds at the muzzle. Ours shot 250-grain Nosler Partitions into about 1.25 inches at 100 yards.

When we checked, Sportsman’s Warehouse had it at $829.99, which makes it the least expensive big-bear rifle we’d trust. It’s a push-feed action, not controlled round feed like the Guide Gun, so practice working the bolt hard before the trip. For more rifles in this cartridge, see our best .338 Win Mag rifles.

Best For: Brown bear and grizzly hunters on a budget who want a short .338 with backup iron sights.

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Bear Cartridges by the Numbers

Every energy figure below is worked out from SAAMI’s own reference velocities in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.4, the centerfire rifle standard, measured in a 24-inch test barrel. We used muzzle energy = bullet weight x velocity squared / 450,240. These are industry reference loads, not the hottest ammo on the shelf, which makes them a fair way to compare cartridges side by side.

Cartridge	SAAMI bullet	SAAMI velocity	Muzzle energy	Max average pressure
45-70 Government	405 gr	1,150 fps	1,190 ft-lb	28,000 psi
45-70 Government	300 gr	1,830 fps	2,231 ft-lb	28,000 psi
450 Bushmaster	250 gr	2,250 fps	2,811 ft-lb	38,500 psi
30-06 Springfield	180 gr	2,690 fps	2,893 ft-lb	60,000 psi
30-06 Springfield	220 gr	2,400 fps	2,814 ft-lb	60,000 psi
7mm PRC	180 gr	2,950 fps	3,479 ft-lb	65,000 psi
300 Win Mag	180 gr	2,950 fps	3,479 ft-lb	64,000 psi
300 Win Mag	220 gr	2,665 fps	3,470 ft-lb	64,000 psi
338 Win Mag	250 gr	2,645 fps	3,885 ft-lb	64,000 psi
338 Win Mag	300 gr	2,415 fps	3,886 ft-lb	64,000 psi
375 Ruger	270 gr	2,840 fps	4,837 ft-lb	62,000 psi
375 Ruger	300 gr	2,660 fps	4,715 ft-lb	62,000 psi
375 H&H Magnum	270 gr	2,680 fps	4,307 ft-lb	62,000 psi
375 H&H Magnum	300 gr	2,400 fps	3,838 ft-lb	62,000 psi

Three things jump out. First, the .45-70’s SAAMI pressure ceiling is only 28,000 psi, set low enough for old rifles, and the classic 405-grain load at 1,150 fps carries less than half the energy of a .30-06. Many hunting loads for modern lever guns like the Marlin 1895 and Henry run faster than SAAMI’s standard load. Read the box: some are marked for modern rifles only, and they don’t belong in an old trapdoor.

Second, the 7mm PRC and the .300 Win Mag land on exactly the same SAAMI velocity and energy with 180-grain bullets. Pick between them on the rifle and the ammo you can buy, not on paper. Third, the .375 Ruger beats the .375 H&H by roughly 500 foot-pounds with a 270-grain bullet in SAAMI’s own data, from a shorter case.

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What the Shelves Tell You: Big-Bear Rifles Are Hard to Buy

Here’s something no other bear rifle article can tell you, because nobody else tracks inventory. We counted every new rifle and handgun listing that matched each cartridge across the 200+ retailers in our price engine in September 2026, then counted how many of those were at the large trusted retailers our price cards lead with: Palmetto State Armory, Brownells, Guns.com, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Sportsman’s Guide.

Cartridge	New listings	At trusted retailers
300 Win Mag	1,227	207
30-06 Springfield	893	131
7mm PRC	783	195
45-70 Government	377	91
450 Bushmaster	247	52
375 H&H Magnum	174	0
338 Win Mag	41	2
375 Ruger	12	3

That last group is the story. The .375 H&H is the classic Alaska brown bear cartridge, and not one of 174 new .375 H&H listings was at a trusted retailer. Most sat with a single European importer. The .338 Win Mag had two, both at Sportsman’s Warehouse. So if you’re booking a brown bear hunt, order the rifle early. Premium options like the Winchester Model 70 Alaskan and the Kimber Talkeetna exist, but they’re special-order rifles from smaller dealers, not something you’ll find on the rack a month before the trip.

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Bear Bullets: Why Deer Bullets Can Fail

A black bear’s fur makes it look bigger than it is, but under that coat is a thick layer of fat and heavy muscle over the shoulder. A fast, thin-jacketed deer bullet can open too early and stop short of the vitals on a quartering shot. On a brown bear, that’s a real problem.

• Black bear, broadside, under 200 yards: a good bonded or partitioned deer-and-elk bullet in 150 to 180 grains from a .30 caliber is enough. Nosler Partition, Federal Trophy Bonded Tip and Swift Scirocco are all solid choices.
• Black bear at longer range or quartering: step up to 180 grains in a .30 caliber, or a monolithic copper bullet like the Barnes TSX that holds its weight.
• Brown bear and grizzly: 250 grains or heavier in a .338, 270 to 300 grains in a .375, and only bonded or monolithic designs: Swift A-Frame, Nosler Partition, Barnes TSX, Federal Trophy Bonded Bear Claw or Hornady DGX Bonded.
• .45-70 over bait: a 300 to 325-grain expanding bullet at modern lever-gun speed, or a 405-grain flat nose. Hard-cast bullets penetrate very deep but make a small hole, so save them for defense in the brush.

Our Barnes vs Nosler comparison goes deeper on how monolithic and partitioned bullets behave.

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Where to Shoot a Bear

Bears carry their heart and lungs a little farther forward and lower than people expect, and all that hair hides the shape of the shoulder. On a broadside bear, aim right behind the front leg, about a third of the way up the body. That gives you both lungs and a margin for error.

Wait for the near front leg to step forward, which opens up the vitals. On a bear quartering away, aim for the off-side front leg. Don’t shoot a bear that’s facing you head-on unless you have to, and never shoot one that’s standing on its hind legs, because the vitals move in ways that are hard to judge. Bears often leave a thin blood trail because the fat plugs the wound, so mark where it went and give it time.

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The Alaska Guide Rule for Brown Bear

If you live outside Alaska, you can’t just book a flight and go brown bear hunting on your own. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game puts it plainly: “A nonresident who hunts brown/grizzly bear, Dall sheep, or mountain goat must be personally accompanied by an Alaska-licensed guide OR by an Alaska resident 19 years of age or older who is within the ‘second degree of kindred’.”

“Second degree of kindred” covers close family, including parents, siblings, children, a spouse, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws. Nonresident aliens must hire a licensed guide for any big game in Alaska, black bear included. Budget for the guide before you budget for the rifle, and ask your guide what caliber and bullet they require. Many have a firm minimum.

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Optics and Gear for a Bear Rifle

• Bait and hounds: a 1-4x or 1-6x low-power variable, or a rugged red dot, works best in low light and thick cover. See our best LPVO scopes.
• Spot-and-stalk: a 3-15x or 4-16x with good low-light glass, plus a rangefinder. Our best rifle scopes and best rangefinder guides cover both.
• Glassing: you’ll find more bears with good binoculars than with a better rifle. See our best binoculars.
• Carrying: a quiet, padded sling and a bipod or shooting sticks for the long shot. See our best rifle sling and best bipod roundups.

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How We Picked These Rifles

We started with the hunt, not the rifle. We read the ten Bing results for “best bear hunting rifle” and found that the pages that named rifles picked three to six, often including rifles that are discontinued or custom. So we built this list from rifles you can actually buy today, and we split it three ways so each pick fits the job.

Every rifle here was checked against the maker’s own spec sheet, every price card was tested so it shows the right rifle in the right chambering, and every cartridge figure comes from SAAMI’s published data. Prices move daily; the cards on this page update from the retailers we track, and you can compare any gun with our gun price check tool. For more hunting rifles by animal, see our guides to the best elk rifles, best deer hunting rifles and best hog hunting rifles, or the full guide to the best guns for hunting.

Frequently Asked Questions