I came on some great photos while surfing the net for information on hunting brown bears. What sort of rifle does one use to hunt something this big? .338WM? 375H&HM?

Bigger is better!

338 is probably the most popular here in Alaska, both with guides and individual hunters. Some guides tote 375 H&H's, some 458's, etc...

YOu want to see some big bears here you go. Ron
http://community.webshots.com/user/dan_grace

The wife has two brothers still in Alaska. One carries a .338 Win. Mag. and the other a .358 Norma Mag. when in Brown Bear country. Of the three Browns I've taken two were with a .300 Weatherby and the other a .340 Weatherby. When and if I ever go after one again I'm taking my .375 Weatherby Magnum. Lawdog

The .338WM is one of the most popular cartridges up here. However, my advise would be to use the biggest gun you can shoot well or are most proficient with. I would use my .338WM any time, but that's the only big game rifle I own and practice with.

The following AK F&G page has a wealth of information on hunting, firearms recommedations, etc. Once you look at the page (below), click on the "INDEX" at the bottom of the page for more information about Alaska hunting.

http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/wildlife/geninfo/hunting/huntak7.htm

[ 06-26-2003, 05:49: Message edited by: Ray, Alaska ]

I just use my 338 Win. Mag., though, I might take my 375 H&H out this year.

Give me a 416 anyday over a sub 40 cal.

Every caliber mentioned so far wouold be sufficient. I used to carry my 300 Weatherby when I lived North to the future and never had a problem bringing down a bear. Though today I might bring my 375, just because.

Doug

I took my Brown Bear near Cold Bay with a .300 Win mag, using a 200 grain Nosler Partition bullet got a one shot kill. My next trip on a Moose hunt in 1999 saw me with a .340 Wby. My trip this year in Bear country will see me with a .358 STA. The more you see the big bears the more you respect them, or at least that is the way it was with me. Good shooting.

I'm going in 2 years, I believe, and I'm using a BIG caliber--.58 cal. muzzle loader, round balls and real BP.

Something one shoots accurately The one difference between hunting dangerous game, and the deer species is, you want dangerous game not to die eventually, but to be imobilized at the shot. A shot that takes out both shoulders and makes a large wound in between is preferred. The rounds capable of doing that reliably start at the 338 win mag pushing a 250 gr, and go up from there. Smaller bores are capable of such penetration, but when the bullets are made stoutly enough to achieve that level of penetration, the wound channels become small, and the entrance and exit holes aren't large enough to produce a blood trail.

Many folks have found that a 416 is noteably more effective then the smaller bores. Some folks tote 458's, and some folks carry even larger bores.

I agree with Paul. I think a .338 cal. is minimum. I'd never hunt the big bears with anyone that used something less. Were I a guide, I'd make sure a potential client was aware of that. No 300 or 7mm Mags. here. A acquaintanc of mine who used to live about 100 miles from here told me about a neighbor of his who wounded a grizzly that was rumaging around on his homestaed. The guy shot the bear at close range with a 300 mag. (don't recall if it was a Win. or Weatherby)with 180 gr. bullets. The bear took off for a 5 acre patch of willows & alders. My friend eventually went in after the bear with a .45 Cal. Sharps. He found the bear in the center of the 5 acres and finished it off with 1 shot. Turns out, the guy hit the bear twice but one shot just blew up on the shoulder & didn't penetrate. Luckily, no one was hurt.
You guys can use those 300 Eargensplittenloudenboomers on bears if you wish but not with me. Bear in Fairbanks

[ 06-27-2003, 23:41: Message edited by: Bear in Fairbanks ]

The problem with the bigger guns is that most guys (admit it) are not comfortable shooting them. I have shot .308, 30-06, and now the 300 win. I think that I'm good with my first magnum and don't feel that anything else is required. However if I was going into an aspen thicket looking for a wounded bear I would leave my scope gun behind and carry my 444 marlin. "O" and most importantly have a cup of tea before you go into that thicket. Let the bruin lay down, stiffen up, and bleed off all that adrenaline before the coup de gras.

Hey Bear, was that Dan, the owner of the Bull Shop? If so the guy was using 165gr BT bullets, not a good choice. I fell comfortable with my .300 Win mag and 200gr Partitions, used 180 on the grizz I shot last fall, and had satisfactory performance, but next time will be using either 200 or 220 grain Partitions, they shoot very well from my Ruger. In the thick stuff I'll tote my Marlin with 420gr bullets. If you can shoot it well, a 375 H&H would be a good choice, especially if it was a guided hunt I was paying high dollar for.

The bottom line is as follows: Regardless of what cartridge one is most proficient with, one has to use a bullet that won't fall apart or expand too soon at close range. In a .30, I would use 200 to 220-grain bullets. The added benefit would be a slower velocity, which in turn won't make the bullet expand too fast within 'bear hunting ranges." If the bullet does not expand too soon, the result will be deeper penetration.

If I was hunting bears with my .338WM, I would use 250-grain bullets, all the way to 300 grains. In fact, a good compromise would be using Swift's 275-grain A-Frame, and a potent pill would be a 300-grain RN Woodleigh.

Both the .338WM and .375 H&H do very well and are ballistically close to each other with bullets from 250 grains to 300. The real advantage of the .375 H&H is when bullets heavier than 300 grains are used, because of the extra case capacity (more powder). With a .375 H&H, if bear hunting, I would not use bullets under 300-grains in weight.

If one would want more power than what the .338WM and .375 H&H can produce, then one would have to use one of the .416's, and with heavier than 300-grain bullets.

AKBman: Yup! Yer dead on with that one. It's been some time since I've spoken with him. He's down in Montana, somewhere in the SW part of the state I think. It's been a few years since he told me the story but it sure leaves an imprint on my feeble mind. I pucker up every time I think of it.
Egypt temporarily? Ya better get back quick. Hunting season begins in Aug. ya know & the draw results oughta be out in a few days. Bear in Fairbanks

Well, we all have our preferences. Here's what a well-known sportsman thought sufficient.
http://www.detnews.com/2001/moresports/0103/15/d11-198116.htm

Bug: Yeah! But I'm willing to bet my next retirement check that old Fred's guide(s) all had heavy rifles for backup. Bear in Fairbanks

Yea, Dan also told me that story a few years ago, I have'nt talked to him in years as he moved when I was living in Delta Jct. He sure did make good bullets, If you are going after brown bear I would use a 375hh and I think a 338 would be ok as someone already said the more you see the big bears the more you want a bigger gun. Greg

Bear, Dan is in Fairview Montana, about 2 miles from the Dakota state line, his business is as good as ever, and the family is doing real well. Here is a link to his new website.
http://www.midrivers.com/~bullshop/BullShop/Page_1x.html
I still try and send as much business his way as I can, he really helped me get started in casting my own.

I killed my Brown Bear with a 300wm 200 gr nozler partitions. One shot, he spun around a couple of times and died. After skinning him and wrestling that carcass around,next time I'll take a 338 or bigger.

Bug ---- At the Bear Bow Museum in Gainsvelle Florida they have a film of Fred Bear and the first Bear he killed that didn't have to be shot by the backup gun. The actual kill was shown. It was a huge Brown Bear that he shot at 25 yards on a beach. He was behind a large rock, shot the Bear and luckily it ran the opposite direction down the beach, falling 1/2 mile away. This was the 8th Bear he had shot, the previous 7 were taken out by the backup gun his guide packed. Good shooting.

Thanks to all who took the trouble to reply.

The Alaska Fish and Game post was good. Thier sensible approach was that the hunter should use the rifle he shoots well and a .30-06 was okay. Not a bad theory, but everyone has made less than perfect shots and the good old .30-06 looks a little light to me. Same for my .338-06.

The consensus of most posts was that a .338 or bigger was required. I'll probably never get to go Alaska again or to Russia but if I do, I'll have .338 magnum (Winchester or Dakota)or bigger and I will have practiced with it enough to shoot it well.

GA, have you been brown bear hunting in Russia? The pictures I posted were from a russian trip. I hear the prices are smoking. Ron

Naw, I'm just dreaming. I'd like to go to Africa or Russia when I retire. Looks like Russia offers near the experiance of Alaska for a little less money. Let me see if I can post the website where I found the great pictures:

http://www.image-usa.com/index.html

It's the Larry Rivers guide service. Look at the pictures of the elk too.

I got to hunt Alaska a few years ago and I think of that trip every day.

Hey, if the adrenalin is up....I would not feel recoil from a 600 nitro express! As long as you get good penetration with expansion and "shock" then....Use enough rifle...

Mike R.

I think it was Capstick who wrote that under normal circumstances a Cape Buffalo isn't htat hard to kill,"but there aren't too many normal circumstances." Same can probably be said for brown bear - hit them hard in the right spot when they don't have their adrenalin up and don't know where you are, and no problem. But when one is starring right at you from 10 or 15 yards popping his jaws, do you want to be armed with a .30-06? Or would a .458 Lott with 400 to 500 gr. Swift A-frames make you feel a little more comfortable?

You make the call.

Hi Grizzly Albert, The only brown bear I ever shot was with a 375. I think if I had it to do over again I would probably use a 338. The thinking I heard when I was up there was that a 375 was better at closer ranges, but a 338 was better at farther ranges. I don't know if this is true or not, but I do know that it's what the guides thought, they all carried 338's except one old guy that had a 300 win mag with I think 225gr bullets.
Anyhow, I practiced a lot with the 375 (hell of a groundhog gun) and got used to the recoil, at least I wasn't flinching like I thought I would, anyhow I shot my bear from maybe 50 yards, shot it 4 times to be exact because the guide said to keep shooting until he told me to quit, never felt the gun recoil even a bit! No kidding it was like shooting my 22, never felt a thing.
there was a guy up there when I was there that had a 460 Weatherby and they wouldn't let him use it, they said it would just "punch" thru the bear, don't know if I believe that or not, we recovered every bullet from mine. That's been my experience. Goodluck Joe

I think a the real under rated cartridge for big bear,especially for those folks who can't master the bigger bores is the 35 whelen!With a 250gr nosler or swift on top of RL15 pushed to 2500-2550fps with dump a bear as well as the 338wm with less recoil than a 300 mag,and is handier to carry with a 21" barrel!I personelly would take my 375 ultra with 300gr swift @ 2840fps or 416 taylor with 350gr mag tip @ 2500fps.I think the 300 mags work but if something goes wrong you don't have what it takes to clean up the mess!!!

I haven't been, but if I were going tomorrow I would think the .338-06 w/ a good 250gr bullet would be the min. I would lean to th3 .375 or .416 if hunting in close cover.