There are many big Bears in Alaska killed every year with 7 mags and 30-06s probable more than with the big boomers


They are not armour plated stick a good bullet in the boiler romm and game over

Even big bore revolvers work well

An informative read on the subject.

http://www.cabelas.com/story-123/bod...ig+Bears.shtml

Thanks for the article.

well i ain t gonna hunt no grizz. but jwp475 is right an ought to know..
an 06 with the right rnd ,placed in the right place ..i believe it ll get the job done..like i said though ..
i ain t hunting no grizz or big brown..i ain t hunting something that might be able to reach out from behind a bush an slap my head off,,before i even know hes there.slim
ps if i lived in alaska or something ive no doubt, id sooner or later take on the challenge..but from a north carolinean perspective..
it ain t gonna happen..i totally accept the superiority of wood game an predators,to my skills.. they prove it to me every day ,in my walks in the woods..

Deer to big bears, gotta love the .458 SOCOM, SBR or CAR length, 250-500 gr. Seven to eleven rounds in the mag, MOA accuracy, and 100% reliable.
If it is under 200 yards, it is game over if the shooter does his/her job:



Larger than big bears, break out the .470 Rhino. 7 rounds in the mag and .470 Nitro Express performance.


Bolt guns are fun, but they are not the only option.

__________________
Join the N.R.A.
On the 8th day, God created HKs.
Beware speaking with a sharp tongue as you are apt to cut your own throat.

I won't disput your claim, because you are obviously spending a lot more time in their habitat than am I.

I realize that a .243 or 25-06 will kill brownies deader than snot, too, if you pick your shot carefully. However, were I ever to hunt the things, I would go on the assumption that it just may be the bear who decides when I pick the shot. I don't want to have to rely on a gun that "can kill a big bear" to deliver a single crushing CNS shot should the need arise. For that, I want something that will shoot through clear one from basically any angle.

__________________
"Too much gun always beats the alternative."
Elmer Keith

I once posted on this topic some years ago as I remember! However, here we go one more time down that yellow brick road of calibers. Gentlemen, I only know one man who hunts all things with a .375H&H model 70 Winchester and he lives in Wyoming, hunting mostly elk.

The .35-Whelen was indeed the Poor Mans .375H&H back in those days! It killed a train load of grizzly bears and that is a fact. It's biggest let down was not a good bullet selection and those bullets used were not the best compared to todays by a long shot.

I was told years ago, "Son if your gonna hunt the big bears, get yourself a model 70 Winchester in the .375H&H caliber" this man was a legend in his day and master guide too, up in a place called Alaska. I followed his advice and glad I did so believe me, he knew what he was speaking about in spades.

I carried a .300 Win mag in a Belgium Browning rifle for over 20 years but it was certainly not the best big bear gun by a long shot. I don't care of you loaded it up with 220 grain bullets, it will NOT stand toe to toe with the .375H&H for big bears.

However, carryign a .375H&H around those mountain benches leaves a lot to be desired when you get past the age of 45 years and this is where my .338 Win mag came into place. I could use those 200 grain bullets on mule deer and 225 grn on elk. Bears you say, well I got a couple of rounds for them as well called the 275 grain Swift A Frames and they work like Ben Hogan used to put on the greens.

I now use a 7mm mag for mule deer hunting and 150 grain bullet! My elk hunting has come to using a custom .338/06 and my Big Bear hunting gets the attention of my .416-Remington mag in model 70 Winchester, it just don't get any better gents.

Another vote for the 416.

+40 caliber shock and penetration with a lotta range. The new 416 Ruger Alaskan with its standard length action and 20" barrel is lighter and more compact than the magnum length 416's.

I'd hate to feel the recoil on that Cannon.

It's really a nice shooting rifle, with practice you become accustomed to it.

No messin' around, a 416 will git 'er dun.

I am saying that a 30-06 properly loaded is plenty to put the brakes on a big bear up close and personla. I am not advocating a 243 or 25-06 or any other small bore if I would not go below 30 caliber


This is what a profesional Bear Guide has to say about a properly loaded 30-06

458Win]

I've put this on before but it is from last fall and shows a boar that a client wounded and that I had to follow into some thick pucker brush with my 30-06 using 220 Partitions @ 2500fps.
While I would have preferred to have been carrying my 458 - I didn't have it at the time and had no doubt that a properly used 30-06 is still enough if the shooter is up to it.

That is an awesome picture and a good note about how deadly a 30-06 is when loaded properly with stong, high SD bullets. I don't know if velocity would have mattered much when you are probably talking under a 100 yards. Again, awesome picture. Scotty

__________________
Semper Fi

A very intimidating animal.

In my younger days, much younger mind you, I used to hear all those stories about hunters who used the 30-06 and the 35-Whelen to hunt those big bears back in the 50's. Well, I once got a world of advice from a real legend in his day and this guide made it plan to me, get yourself a model 70 Winchester in the .375H&H for hunting those big monsters of the woods. I followed his advice and glad I did do so. I am sure I put a smile on the face of Morris, when I brought that .375H&H home with me.

Despite owning a 375H&H, 416Rigby and a 35 Whelen, Ol' Man Jack harvested his 13 grizzly bears with the following cartridges: 30-'06 -- 10, 270 -- 2, and 300 Weatherby -- 1.

Whenever someone talks about using a really big cartridge on bears, when it is patently obvious something smaller will do the job, I just have to wonder about the logic. I guess when the object of the hunt just might hunt you back, it is reassuring to know you have way too much gun. The thing is, if you put the first, well-constructed bullet from the boring old '06 where it needs to go, you'll accomplish the same thing. I'm not sure what rifle I would carry on a brown bear hunt, but I can assure you I'd have a substantial sidearm and a very alert guide!

__________________
Ask me about QDMA.

you pretty well sumed up my thinking on the subject,there brother..slim

Well those bears I was referring to were in fact called BROWN BEARS! Now in those days, for many hunters the cost of owning a .375H&H in a rifle like a model 70 Winchester was cost prohibited simply put, they were expensive and hard to come by in those days. Thus the "Poor Man's" .375 came about in the form of the 35-Whelen and it worked.

No doubt it was NOT a .375H&H and it could not match the horsepower or kinetic energy for those who like things politically correct, nor the bullet weights of the .375H&H but nonetheless the 35-Whelen and the 30-06 using 220 grain Winchester Silver Tips worked.

Now if someone asked me, what would you take on a Brown (Grizzly) Bear hunt? I would reply to them, nothing below a .375H&H magnum in my model 70 Winchester. The real fact is, it would be my .416 Remington mag with 350 grain Swift A Frame Bullets. I don't believe in giving the odds to something what would like to dine on your carcass ever!

Once the cartridge is "enough" what makes anyone believe that bigger is going to "git-r-done" better or quicker"? This is a mistaken assumption. If one were useing a 22 Hornet then yes a large caliber would indeed be better. A body shot from ANY caliber can not be expected to stop a close range charge consistently. This means that the central nervous system must be taken out. Gayana a very respected African guide uses a 9.3X62 as his back up rifle for Lion, Buffalo and even Elephant

Enough is enough and then it is shot placement, shot placement, shot placement and nothing else

Very good post and very logical

Logic seems to be in short supply these days

Not enough gun or shot placement issues??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gdIPW1ifIs