For you experienced bear hunters, are 225 grain partition or bonded bullets coming from a 338 Win.Mag. at 2700/2800 plus fps. adequate for the big browns? I would like to stay with 225 grainers for flatter trajectory on other game.
Also is a 200 grain partition coming from a 300 mag. adequate? I have read here on the AR that many people use a 30-06 for bears. I wouldn't but if a 30-06 is commonly used then why not a 300 mag. at 2800 fps. plus?

I've shot all my bears with 250 gr Partitions in the .338. One blackie was taken with the 210 Partition.

I don't see why your 225 gr bullet wouldn't do the job, provided it is a premium bullet capable of penetrating tough animals (read: Nosler Partition).

The .300 WM has a bigger case and can impart more energy to the bullet than the .338 WM. In my .300 Winnie, I can approach 3000 fps with Re-22 and the 200 Partition. With this combo, I've taken 2 elk and 2 Quebec-Labrador caribou. I don't see why it can't be a perfectly satisfactory bear rifle, providing the shooter is a cool customer and can precisely place his shots. (Shot placement is where its at, no matter the calibre).

Eskimos and Athabascans in Alaska think nothing of taking on a grizzly or polar bear with a .30-06 or a .30-30 (or even a .223). So, if you're confident in your .300 WM/200 gr Partition, go bear hunting. If you prefer your .338 WM/225 gr bullet, go bear hunting.

Yes, the .338 caliber 225 gr is adequate, but I like the Woodleigh 300.

Yes, the 200 gr from a .300 Mag is adequate but if I need a 200 grain .308 then I'm reaching for my .375 Weatherby. If I need a 350 gr .375 caliber bullet then I'm reaching for my 535 grain 12.5x70 Schuler.

I purposely stated a 300 mag. and did not state what kind of magnum. I have a 300 WSM. For some reason when people hear WSM they automatically assume a small upgrade from a 30-06. My WSM walks all over my 30-06 as far as velocity, at least with 180 grain bullets. I think I can get within 100 fps of a 300 Win. Mag. with just about any bullet, but I am not certain.

Rae59,

Just buy some 231grain Lapua Naturalis monometals and watch that bear fall DOWN.

And the most accurate as well...expensive, but a killer!!!!

I used them on blue wildy, zebra, gemsbok, etc last year with Mike Kibble in Namibia.....there isn't a better 338 expanding bullet made..........

Those cartridges are all within 15 yds of each otrher in Max point blank range. A better question might be: What will you be shooting that the extra 15 yds of PBR is that critical? I'm sure whichever cartridge you select will do the job if you do your part. Just make sure your guide is OK with it.

That said, in the 338 a 250 gr. would be my choice, but I'm sure a good 225 gr. bullet would do the job.

A friend has shot a couple of mature brown bears with a 300 Wby. using 200 gr. A-Frames. The Wby. is a bit more gun, but how dead is dead?

I have the 338 RUM and it shoots the Accubond 225gr bullets at 3178 FPS. I would think they would be fine for brown Bear

There seems to be very little difference in penetration and performance between the 210, 225, and 250 Nosler Partitions in the .338. All do well. If loading strictly for large coastal bears I might opt for the 250, but few bears, especially the smaller upland variety of grizzly, will know the difference.

The 200 grain NP in a .300 magnum will also do just fine. You may run into a problem in the short magnums getting a long 200 grainer to both fit within the magazine and reach the velocity you desire, but you would have to resolve any questions there by testing in the particular gun you intend to use.

I haven't used the Accubonds on game, but weight for weight, they seem to perform as well as the Partitions.

Some might recommend the monometal Barnes bullets. When they work, they work well; at other times they simply fail to open and you're the same as shooting FMJ's at your target. I have no idea what percentage of the time this phenomenon occurs, but it is apparently enough that some users have had second thoughts.

250 grain A-Frames are a better choice than the Partitions.

Having been born, raised and worked outdoors in BC Grizzly country for goin' on 63 years, I gotta say that, there ain't NO such thing as a "small" Grizzly when you are alone and one is pizzed at you!

I carry a .338WM-250NP as my basic hunting rifle in Grizzly areas, have for many years. I carry a custom .375H&H "shorty" with 300 NPs when working in Grizzlu country or packing out meat and soemtimes carry a Browning repro 1886 SRC-.45-70 with 400 SAFs at 1850.

I have been involved in about a dozen Grizzly kills and have had a few dozen close encounters and while a .270-150NP WILL kill one, as I have seen done, I believe that "bigger is better".

I think that a .338WM-250NP is about as "light" as I would go for coastal Grizzlies and I have spent a lot of time around their areas. I would not consider a .416 Rem. or Ruger with 400NPs of SAFs "overkill", either and a lot of guys I know here feel the same way.

Based on first hand experience, a 200 grain TSX out of a .300 WSM will put a brown bear down with one shot. My wife put her shot right behind the on-side shoulder, through the pump station, and out the off-side shoulder. The bear was DRT.

I shot my 91/2 ft. Brown Bear near Cold Bay Alaska with a 200 grain Nosler Partition at 2950 fps with my .300 Winny. I felt like I had a pea shooter in my hands. My next trip into Brown Bear country saw me packing a .340 Wby on a Moose hunt, today I pack a .358 STA loaded with a 270 grain North Fork when I hunt that country, and feel a hell of a lot better. Just my two cents worth. Good shooting.

4 of us went to Alaska for brown bear in 2005. We used.
1 375
1 404
1 338 225 grain
1 300 mag 180 grain

All of us took nice bears so the guys that use the smaller calibers would say they work fine.
2 of the guides carried 338 win mag.

The outfitter did recomend 338 on up.

BigB

I have the 300 RUM shooting 200gr Nosler Pertition bullets at 3050 FPS. What matters is where the bullet enters. On a side shot I go for the shoulder, front or back I go for the heart.

quote:

Eskimos and Athabascans in Alaska think nothing of taking on a grizzly or polar bear with a .30-06 or a .30-30 (or even a .223)

True, but have you seen how they hunt them??? They shoot them and hope they run off, almost always letting dogs go to chase them. The dogs keep them busy, while they shoot some more!

Anyway, i've hunted brown bears extensively as i lived in Alaska 25 years, spending a lot of time in the bush...

In .338, i prefer 250 or heavier for big bears, and NP's will do the job nicely...

As for 30 cal... 200 NP's work very well, and it's more than enough bullet for the job. You need good penetration on big bears, and the 200 NP does this well...

For side shots, i like the high shoulder shot, as it breaks both shoulders, damages the spinal cord and really flattens them! This anchors the bear, and alows you to walk up and fire a finisher. (if needed)

DM

I can't speak from experience, but I can't imagine a 225g .338 bullet from either a .338-06 or the magnum version won't do the job.

If you can get your hands on some of the new 250 grain Acubonds , I would think you might have the best of both worlds.
A good heavy bullet for penatration, and a BC of .575 to flatten things out for you...tj3006

The critical knowledge is how the bullet reacts at the velocity at which it contacts the particular game. So you have bear, velocity, and bullet. Mono-metals expand well at high velocity. More highly expanding bullets are a tradeoff between between expansion and penetration. How tough is the bear in question? What gun at what range? Velocity and bullet. It takes knowledge. Without it, a Partition is a good compromise.

225gr Accubonds or TTSX's or maybe MRX bullets get my vote. I'm trying the Accubonds and TTSX's in my 338-06AI right now.

Being used for spring bear.

While every bullet mentioned here would kill a brown bear the 275gr Swift is IMO the one to go to!

If I had a .338 WM I'd stick with the 250's . Nosler partitions do the job and a Swift does it a little better . Having spent almost 30 years in rural Alaska I'd always recommend using the biggest gun you can shoot accurately .

quote:

Originally posted by waterrat:
While every bullet mentioned here would kill a brown bear the 275gr Swift is IMO the one to go to!

Looking at that paw makes me thing 300 grainers from a 375H&H!

Or maybe 400 grainers from a 458wm.

JPK

quote:

I don't see why your 225 gr bullet wouldn't do the job, provided it is a premium bullet capable of penetrating tough animals (read: Nosler Partition).

Agree!

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:
.........The 200 grain NP in a .300 magnum will also do just fine.......

In a 300mag the 200gr Nosler Partition is one of the most explosively killing 30 cal bullets made.
The only problem is that the front core sometimes blows completely off before it gets to the vitals....The end result being a pin hole.

I have only seen this twice.
The first time was on a huge bison that absorbed 6 of these bullet through the vitals before going down...All were pinholes.
The second was a frontal shot at a nice wet coastal B.C. bear...Same thing! My 416 and a 400 Nos Partition smashed the hump then neck before things got sporty. The bear was shot high lung and it would have been quite some time before it expired.

I really like the bullet, but would not choose it for really big bears....If I wasn't going to shoot an TSX I would use a 200gr Accubond.

If the bush is thick (it will be) a 375 or 416 is my choice.....I spent twenty years passionately hunting these things...The ribcage is very light duty (like a big whitetail deers) and is nothing special, but the fur and shoulders are very hard on bullets.
They are not overly hard to kill, but should reserve your utmost respect, best bullet, and best caliber.

There is some logic to choosing a 30-06 over a 300mag in this particular case.

quote:

Originally posted by dawaba:
....
Eskimos and Athabascans in Alaska think nothing of taking on a grizzly or polar bear with a .30-06 or a .30-30 (or even a .223). .....

A trophy hunter is under a lot of pressure to select the right animal then get off a quick shot. This usually happens when the hunter is soaking wet, tired, and exhausted from the previous two weeks of slogging through the coastal rainforest....It really is the ugliest (roughest) country most will ever see.

I would certainly suggest packing the biggest rifle you can shoot well.....The extra margin for error may come in handy...Not all shots go well.

Eskimos shoot bears in the head...often from the truck or snowmobile and face no such pressures.

From what I have seen, in coastal BC up to the AK border and in other areas of BC, as well, this is VERY sound advice.

I am hardly an expert on Brown bears, but in '07 I used my Mark Bansner 338 & a 225gr Partition to kill my Bear. 30 yards walking straight to me, when I shot he was slightly quartering, I hit just inside the point of the shoulder, dropping it............DRT
I did give it another for insurance, as it was about 15 feet from heavy cover.

Waterrat & Cmfic1, you both have far more experience on the Browns and the far North country than I do. The proof is in your pictures. Yours and everyone's input is greatly appreciated! If everything goes well, I hope to have a picture like yours on the site in the next 3-4 years.

........ I,m also of the 275 gr. 338 Win Mag minimum load ..... However as has been well shown the 225 gr will work well .. Where I play with brown bear , there is alot of brush trees , logs , humps and holes , plus it is often pretty dim in the sunlight department .. A 275 gr Kodiak Bonded Core @ 2620- 2650 fps is my choice in the 338 Win mag ..

I should've added. It wasnt planned for me to use my 338. I wont get into the long drawn-out, but I had planned to take my 416 Rem Mag, but it shit the bed just prior to me leaving (good thing I put 2 rifles on my ATF application).
I didnt have time to work up a new load for my 338 & just used what I have normally used & that happened to be the 225gr NP.

I was fully confident with the 338, but if I had time prior to leaving, I may have worked up a load with a 250 or 275.

Although the 225 flat out worked, as it was said above, dim light, heavy brush etc. etc would warrant me to use bigger next time, (especially with the cost of these hunts).
If my next hunt is on the Pen or Kodiak I will likely take my 375 H+H w/ 300 gr'ers, if its a Boat based hunt I will take a 416 of some variation.

just my .02

I think that 250 grains better than 225 grains. Brown bear is a big animal.

Greeting,

Oscar.

Given the size and power of big bear and the recommendations of folks that have actually hunted them a lot ... I'd opt for 250s in a .338.

Would be interested in any experience folks might have had with the 9,3x62 and 286 gr bullets.

If I ever get a chance to go there, I'll probably take at least a .376 Steyr or a short case .416.

I will take my 375 H&H Magnum with 300 grains.

Oscar.

I would want 250gr premiums but if you are sold on 225gr, then try the TSX. If they shoot anywhere near as well as the 210gr in my 338mag, a real winner.

IF I had to use a 225 gr. bullet in my .338 for brown bear, you can bet your sweet bippy that it would be a Northfork. Seems like Northforks are the best kept secret on the outdoor web sites, known primarily to myself & phurley5.
IF I were going strictly for a BB, I'd look at the 240 gr. NF for my .338. I spoke to Mike several years ago about that bullet & as I recall, he said his 240 .338 bullet was designed with the large bears in mind.
Yaoughta look at the NF.
Bear in Fairbanks

To answer your question, 225 NP would do the job.

Out of the bullets I have had experience with, I would rank them 225 gr TSX, 250 A Frame, 225 gr partition, 225 gr bonded anything.

John

The 225 grain partition in a .338 win mag will work just fine. I shot a brown bear on Kodiak with exactly that combo, and it thumped him plenty good. He was about 250 yards, across a steep canyon, and he only went about 25-30 yards before piling up. Only problem was, we were in waist deep snow, and it took a couple hours to get over to him.