I'm not completely sure where we draw the line between "proof" and "opinion" in this context. Sounds to me like DM has as much experience hunting big bears as your "lawyer across the hall."

The problem I see is that the floor keeps going up. I have a book at home by Clyde Ormond, called "The Complete Book of Hunting" published sometime in the early 60's. I'll have to check it tonight, but I seem to recall that the "minimum recommended cartridge" for Brownies and Grizzlies at that time was the .30-06. I suspect that if you went back to 1900, the "minimum recommended cartridge" might have been the .30-30.

I've not done any bear hunting, so I'm purely a paper warrior here, but, I really can't believe that a properly constructed .308 caliber 200 grain bullet pushing 3800 ft lbs of energy is going to so significantly underperform a properly constructed .338 caliber 225 grain bullet pushing 3500 ft lbs of energy as to pose added risk to the Guide and the Hunter.


DM: Perhaps a listing of cartridges and bullets used on the hunts you've been on or witnessed would be of some use here.