ORIGINAL: ipscshooter
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.
All this talk got me interested in bear rifles etc.. So I did some research and found that a 375 H&H loaded with 300 grain round nose propelled at 2500 FPS produces 4100 ft lbs of energy, WOW!!!! I do agree that learning to shoot a bigger caliber would take lots of practice so you wouldn't jerk while pulling the round off.
It did mention in the article that several hunters had killed bears with 7mm mags, which I knew was possible. However, it did note that several bears charged back and had to be shot 3-4 times depending upon shot placement and the bear. I could be wrong, but I feel if I have a well placed shot with a rifle that delivers 4100 ft lbs then I have a little better chance than with something with less energy. Either way, it is a personal choice and I am just saying what I would go with.
