What rifle/caliber for brown bear?

ChuckHawks has an interesting article on this subject. The 30-06 with 180-220 grain bullets is the minimum. If you cannot shoot anything heavier accurately use the 30-06. A gut shot bear with a 458 mag is not going to get the job done. He goes on to say that " In a survey taken a few years ago, it was found that the most popular caliber with Alaskan professional hunters and guides responsible for "backing-up" their clients was the .338 Winchester Magnum. With typical factory loads using 225 to 250 grain premium bullets the .338 Win. Mag. has a ME of about 3860-4046 ft. lbs. and a maximum point blank range (+/- 3") of about 270 yards. These can be taken as ideal ballistics for hunting any of the great bears. Recoil energy runs about 34 ft. lbs. in an 8.5 pound rifle."

http://www.chuckhawks.com/grizzly_cartridges.htm

No comment about calipers and brown bears, but have tried a Past shooting pad to help with the recoil?

My last trip to Alaska with my Son we both took our 375 H&H's & it did it's job quite soundly! J/S
And the recoil is more a push than a quick hit like the 338's or the Ultra Magnums I have shot. IMHO.

Not that any of us ever make a bad shot :roll: but I have been told and would agree that a bad hit with a big bullet is better than a bad hit with a smaller bullet so shoot the biggest you can handle with confidence JMO

GRAMPS

I lived in Alaska for several years and hunted/killed Brown bear. Caliber was 375HH, but that was just me wanting plenty of reserve so to speak. The '06 is quite common there and ammo always available and does the job just fine IF you can shoot under some pressure. Guide I knew years ago wanted his clients to be able to hit a 12" pie plate at 100yds. off hand for 5 shots. Fish and Game(F&G) did some studies on various calibers and the "big boomers" as 375HH, 378Wby, 458WM, etc. definitely has sufficient energy to penetrate and kill, but in the event of follow up shot being necessary in a hurry, recovery time from recoil may give you a serious problem. It is said that upon being charged from Grizz/Brown(same bear, Brown just larger due to diet)and the charge takes place some 15yards away, unlikely whatever caliber you use will stop the bear in it's tracks. Knew some hard core hunters that very much favored the old 35 Whelen and often referred to as the "poor man's magnum." Choose wisely.

The Inupiat Eskimo hunt polar bear with .243's. I asked how many times he (old man-elder)shot the bear, he said"once or you don't go home."
gramps

I remember reading an article about a Kodial Bear guide, old guy who had maybe the most experienced Bear gun. He told the author that he had used a 30-06 early on, but sometimes that didn't kill the bear quickly, then he got a 375H&H and that was the end of slow killed bears. He was shooting back up most of the time, sometimes at charging bears.....

I am not an experienced hunter with bears...but I want a .338 when the time comes for me to pull that trigger

Gramps, I see your in Woodbury and I live in Murfreesboro, do you every go down to the OK Corral in Woodbury to shoot?

You can't judge which gun will have the most felt recoil by the caliber alone. I had a rem 700 ADL in 270 that hurt when shooting it. I got a Sako 270 also with syn stock and it has about 1/3 less felt recoil. I traded the 700 for a 35 Whelen with a heavy laminate stock and it kicks less than the 270 Rem did. I also have a Savage 30-06 with syn stock and my Browning 338 Win with a walnut stock is much easier on my shoulder. The Whelen is built on an old Rem 721 receiver wth a 23 in barrel and is the sweet heart of the bunch.

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to carry a properly loaded 30-06 on a bear hunt, brown or black. Just load it with rounds best suited to the task and it will most certainly get the job done cleanly and quickly.

Bob

The bears have to eat too so its ok if you want to hunt with a smaller caliber.

dad11345 said:

The bears have to eat too so its ok if you want to hunt with a smaller caliber.

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I snorted coffee out my nose when I read this.....TOO FUNNY 8)

1Ruger, I waited too long. Do it! Checking the data, Barnes 180 can be pushed past 2700. Nosler 180 goes past 2700 and 200 past 2600. TSX, TTSX, Partition, or Accubond are all good strong bullets.

Best wishes,

Jack

Either will work, if you hunt in thick bush use the 45-70, if more open country use the 06. If you have a problem the Guide will deal with it.

Why is it that people always try to make apples out of oranges? If you don`t want to use a caliber up to the task, maybe you should confine your hunting to video games were there are no real life consequences.

Either of the calibers you speak of is entirely adequate. The grizzlies in the lower 48 almost became extinct and credit for that can be indirectly given to the '94 Winchester in .30/30....The big Alaskan bears are larger, but there isn't one that can survive a well placed hit with either a .30/06 or a .45/70. I'd load a good 220 grain bullet in the '06, or even the 200 grain Speer spitzer should make a good showing. In the .45/70, a 405grain or larger with a good sized meplat at 1500 fps or more ought to do the trick. IMHO...I want to take one with my compound bow one day..

While I think your question was answered, I'd suggest finding an Alsakan based forum to querry. Maybe a guides assoc..Try an email to Wild West maybe, etc..

dad11345 said:

Why is it that people always try to make apples out of oranges? If you don`t want to use a caliber up to the task, maybe you should confine your hunting to video games were there are no real life consequences.

Click to expand...

Did I miss the post where somebody recommended a .223? There has been sound advice given in this post, and both the calibers the OP asked about are appropriate.

The whole idea of a forum is for folks to express their opinions and take away what they want from the decision. Your post is your opinion and so is mine. The 223 comment is interesting though.

I have an old 1960s era Remington Model 700 with double crossbolts rechambered to .404 Jeffery and carrying a 4X Leupold and a muzzlebrake. I would feel pretty good with it in my hands while in brown bear country, especially if I were planning to harvest one. I load it with 400-grain Swift A-Frames to the old standard of 2150 FPS. Really makes a nice hole in big animals. I would prefer it to my old Remington Model 721 (1956) .300 Holland & Holland Magnum, and would certainly leave the .223s and the .30-06s at home, if I owned one. My only Ruger rifle is a Number One in .270 Winchester made prior to the time Ruger began putting all the silly writing on their firearms. It is a great rifle and quite accurate, especially that first shot out of the barrel at a deer on a cold morning. I let my sons and grandsons use it now.