Kodiak,

I think that for anything other than a grizz, your remington 30-06 would be fine. I think the 30-06 is a bit light for grizz, but I would wager that more bears have been killed with the 30 caliber rifles than anything else. If you want a big bore, I think the 45-70 is a great choice. I was looking into the 444 as well, but a friend of mine, as well as the gun dealer I was talking to, mentioned that there are more bullet options in the 45-70. I do own a remington 30-06 adn it is a great gun. Never did buy the big bore gun, so it is all second hand from here.

beej