Brown Bear Caliber ?

[full_throttle]

Wondering everyone's opinion on a brown bear caliber? Is a 30 caliber with a barnes bullet going to do the job? I am thinking of taking my 300 WSM with a 180 grain barnes.

[Jamie Black R/T]

Shot placement. Shot Placement. SHOT PLACEMENT!

your fast 30 will do the job quite nicely IMO.

if it was me id be taking my .270win

[timsesink]

The fast .30 will certainly do the job though I personally would use the hunt as an exscuse to ger either a .338 mag or a 375 HH or 375 Ruger

[ACKLEY ABE]

I'd use a 338 mag, but then again I have one. I wouldn't think twice about a 180 in a big 30. It will do just fine. A good freind has taken 7 Griz........with a 30.06.

[Jamie Black R/T]

Originally Posted by timsesink

The fast .30 will certainly do the job though I personally would use the hunt as an exscuse to ger either a .338 mag or a 375 HH or 375 Ruger

discard my first post...this man is spot on.

Your WSM is useless against the unstoppable force that is the coastal grizzly. Time to go gun shopping.

[sns2]

Nothing below a .500 A-Square. It sends a 600 grain Monolithic Solid Projectile down the range at 2,500 feet per second, to create an 8200 foot pounds of energy upon impact. And the good thing is ammo is only $18.95 per round. Shot one of these at the range last year and am convinced it will do the job on a griz, and if you see a whitetail doe you might be able to get her too.

[full_throttle]

I also have a 375 RUGER, but IMO I would rather shoot the 300 WSM. Both guns shoot under 1".

[Rockymtnx]

I would take the 375. It will give you way more energy and close to another 100 grains of lead hittig them.
On those big bears you want to do some damage, and release some enegry into them. I have had a few friends take coastal grizzlies in the past couple years. These bears are tough.
I know of one other AO member that used a smaller gun and he did kill his bear. If you have the fire power why not use it?

[3Dshooter]

Originally Posted by Rockymtnx

I would take the 375. It will give you way more energy and close to another 100 grains of lead hittig them.
On those big bears you want to do some damage, and release some enegry into them. I have had a few friends take coastal grizzlies in the past couple years. These bears are tough.
I know of one other AO member that used a smaller gun and he did kill his bear. If you have the fire power why not use it?

Agree! But I say take both along. The .375 Ruger Alaskan was taylor made for this hunt! Feed it 270 or 300 grain Barnes TSX's and you're set. I'd take the 300 WSM along as a second gun and stoke it with 180 or 200 grain TSX's!

I've hunted coastal grizzlies and have waded Alaskan rivers with brown bears. Things can and often do happen very close.. but a shot might present itself on the tidal flats and estuaries as well. You're ready to go with either set up, but for me, the .375 would be my primary.

[gramps73]

I would not think twice about the Marlin 444 with the new lever ammo in a 265 grain..

[3Dshooter]

Originally Posted by gramps73

I would not think twice about the Marlin 444 with the new lever ammo in a 265 grain..

Ya, I wouldn't either! Because I wouldn't think once about it!

[BrownBear416]

300 will work fine..

338 would be even better..

375 would be perfect..

9.3x62 with 286 gr reloads would be perfect and pretty classy

[Floyd Texas]

45-70 in a lever would be pretty cool on a bear

[hal53]

Yup!...cool if you want to P him off...other than that I would go with BB416's recommendations...JMHO

[wwbirds]

If you are hunting the bear the 30-06 will be fine with good bulllet placement.

If the bear is hunting you the diapers and the 375 H & H bring peace of mind.
I had a client take an Alaskan Brown in self defence while fishing in Alaska summer 2009 with a 45-70.

[BallCoeff.435]

.458 Lott, in Ruger 77 mkII or Mauser 98.

Or .450/.400 NE - 3" double rifle.

Sure you could use a spear too, but why screw around in that situation?

[PoppaW]

Bigger the better. I would take the 375 minimum. Most likely I would take my 510. 600's at 2100-2200 would be sweet.

[Traps]

LOL, a bear is not a mythical creature. A 30-06 will do it hands down.

[ABDUKNUT]

Originally Posted by Traps

LOL, a bear is not a mythical creature. A 30-06 will do it hands down.

Makes perfect sense. Contact the Alaska Dept of Fish & Game, they have quite a bit of info on hunting their bears up there and the last time I checked they recommend the .30-06, .300 Win Mag and .338 Win Mag.

[PoppaW]

What is needed and what is wanted are two different things.

[DanJ]

I'm told you should aim to bust up the bear's shoulder so he won't be able to charge you. Those big critters can charge with their heart shot out. Good luck and be careful.

[Elkaholic6]

700 Nitro?

[leo]

If I was spending upwards of $20,000 specifically on an Alaskan brown bear hunt, I wouldn't think twice about spending $3000 on a new rifle and optics. 375 Magnum for this guy. If I was deer hunting with anything from a 257 weatherby and larger (assuming a well constructed bullet is being used)and a bear came in range , the shot angle was good and the animal was unawares . I would take the shot.

[PoppaW]

Originally Posted by DanJ

I'm told you should aim to bust up the bear's shoulder so he won't be able to charge you. Those big critters can charge with their heart shot out. Good luck and be careful.

If you want to stop a big bear, or any animal you need to have a CNS shot. Central Nervous System. If you shock or destroy the spine it will drop the animal and the closer to the brain the more likely the animal will die. Breaking a shoulder with a 243 will not save your life. The more shock and damage that can be done the better. If you have a gun that will shock the nervous system and take out a heart or lungs or liver then its even better. A 257 into a deer and it drops is not out of respect for Mr Weatherby's design. It is because the fast expanding bullet going through the lungs also had enough shock to stun or damage the Nervous System. The bigger the animal the bigger the gun needed to do this. You can make a bullet go faster to do this or go up in size, or both. The only problem with fast is it's hard to keep the bullets together and doing their job and as you go bigger recoil becomes a factor for some. If you have a 30-06 and shoot it well then go ahead but don't shoot once and admire your shot. Be ready to keep shooting. The same goes for big. If you don't shoot it well use some thing smaller. With a little practice a 375 is very easy to shoot well.

[PoppaW]

Originally Posted by ABDUKNUT

Makes perfect sense. Contact the Alaska Dept of Fish & Game, they have quite a bit of info on hunting their bears up there and the last time I checked they recommend the .30-06, .300 Win Mag and .338 Win Mag.

The last time I saw this info I think it was a study done in the 80's. They had flawed testing and bad bullets to choose from. I think one test was shooting a steel plate to see the reaction. This was the test that said a 460 did less than a 458Win because the 460 punched a clean hole through the plate and the 458 made a bigger hole and curled the edges.
If they have new info I would like to see it as it would be useful and a good read.

[huntinstuff]

Your 300 will be fine. Your shot should be behind the shoulder. There isnt an animal on the planet that will live if you shoot it in the lungs or heart. Take your time and send that bullet where it belongs

I shot a griz between the eyes with my 3006 with 180g Nosler Partition and the skull was split and splintered. It was dead before it hit the ground....at a distance of 12ft......

I hope u dont get that close but it will do the job if he charges.

Just take you time with the shot. Many many times I have had to tell clients to wait just so they can get a perfect shot on a bear. Be patient. You owe it to yourself and the bear

[steve]

Originally Posted by Traps

LOL, a bear is not a mythical creature. A 30-06 will do it hands down.

X2

Some guys get this idea in their head that once you leave AB the bears are armor plated and carry concealed weapons.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Elkaholic6

700 Nitro?

Now you're talkin smart

[BrownBear416]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

Your 300 will be fine. Your shot should be behind the shoulder. There isnt an animal on the planet that will live if you shoot it in the lungs or heart. Take your time and send that bullet where it belongs

I shot a griz between the eyes with my 3006 with 180g Nosler Partition and the skull was split and splintered. It was dead before it hit the ground....at a distance of 12ft......

I hope u dont get that close but it will do the job if he charges.

Just take you time with the shot. Many many times I have had to tell clients to wait just so they can get a perfect shot on a bear. Be patient. You owe it to yourself and the bear

No but there is some that can live long enough to kill you

Not many animals can go very far with both shoulders broke

I would rather see a grizz drop on the spot with a well placed round through both shoulders then to follow one into the thick stuff on the assumption that you have a good lung shot..

My 1 cent anyways..

[Skinnydipper]

I have both a 300 WSM and a 375 Ruger and if I was heading out specifically to hunt big bruins, I would most certainly bring the big guy. I believe both would do the job but the 375 would be more suitable for all situations not just the ideal ones.