Is .308 enough gun
 

About a month ago I inherited a Remington model 742 in a .308 chambering. It has previously sat in my grandmothers attic for about 20 years. It's going to be a beautiful gun (I say that because I'm having it stripped down and re-blued in the off season. I took care of a lot of rust myself but it's worth it to have it totaly reblued). My grandfather imbedded in the walnut stock a 1904 Morgan silver dollar. The scope is a Bauch & Laum 3x9x40. I took it to a friends house to try it out. He said "I can't imagine the scope would be on!" His comment was WAY wrong! The rusted on scope shot perfectly. 3 weeks later I killed a button buck from 75 yards with it. I've been using Rem Core Lockt 150 grn cartrages. It did a hella number on the deer leaving a drenching blood trail and obliterated it's lungs and heart. I was estatic. Now comes the question. Next year I'm going on abrown bear hunt I'll have enough money saved up to purchase a new rifle prior to the hunt if needed. Should I get a new rifle or just use my .308 One friend said I should get a the 30-06But I kinda feel that it would be a waste of money. If I get a new rifle what are some good options. Just looking for advice. Thanks.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Yes the 308 is enough. I prob use a little heavier bullet then a 150grn like a 180 and prob use one with a little better construction then a corelok, with factory ammo I prob get a bonded bullet or a Winchest CT bullet which costs more then the coreloks but are usually more reliable.
The only issue you may have with the 308 is if you are shooting extremely long ranges like 400+ yards. You may wish you had a larger gun but anything in the 300ish yard range or less youll be fine. Just practice some longer shots if thats what youll bedoing.

30-06 would def be a waste of $ if you have a 308. If you want to go up to a Magnum or short mag in a larger caliber ie.. 300 or 7mm or 338 or something like that would be worth the $ but still wouldnt be NEEDED.

Good luck on trip.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

The 308 Win is my favorite caliber, but I would not recommend it for the big bears. My choice for brown bear is the 375 H&H mag with open sights or a low power, 1.5 x 5 scope.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

The 308 is a dandy round and one of my favorites for deer and is a good round for elk and such if used within it's limitations. On large animls such as moose or elk I'd keep shots 200 yards and under with a well constructed 180 grain bullet.
Can you kill a Brownie with a 308 ? Sure ,but a brown bear is a tuff customer and depending on time of year the bullet has to punch thru fat ,muscle and rib cage bone at the least. It has to deliver alot of energy so a shot IMHO with a 308 would have to be in the 125 yard range max.
For the great bear I believe it is a marginal round for all but the experienced marksman/hunter. I believe a 30o mag is a better choice with the 338 and 375 H & H my top vote getters for bears.

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On Brownies?

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I wouldn't be afraid to use a .308 on any North American game, provided I was using the right bullets.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

You would use a .308 on a Grizz or Kodiak!:eek:

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Right bullets? Currently I'm using Rem. Core Lockt 150grn. Is there a better alternative?

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I dont think when hunting a grizz you ask the question is XXXX enough gun? Its not like its a deer and you can get away with a "light for the game" gun. If a deer runs off and dies it doesn matter, but a grizzly might kill YOU then run off and die. I think the question for grizzlys is not "is this ENOUGH gun", but it is "is this PLENTY of gun?"

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

My minimum onBrownies and above is .338 Mag! I use BLR .358!

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I agree RH. If I had to tangle with a large bear and was armed with a .308 Winchester, though, a Swift A-Frame would be a good choice - as well as a Barnes X. But if you have the money to purchase another rifle, get a .338 or larger. A .416 Rem Mag wouldn't be too much gun, IMO.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I personally would be more than a little nervous on a big bear hunt with a .308. I would want a.338 as minimum, and larger sure would be better.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I love my .308 but if I were to spend what a bear hunt costs I would want to have as much mariginal as possible on my side.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I would trust my .308 with a 180 grain bullet when taking down a brown or black bear. Though, tackling a kodiak brown with the extra weight and skeletal structure I would use my .338 Lapua. With any other 30 caliber like the .308 and up, shot placement, correct weight of bullet, and setup is key to taking any big game predator.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

You're better off using a .308 that you can shoot well than some giant howitzer that you're scared to death off. A lot of people make the mistake of buying a .458 recoil monster for brown bears and then they can't shoot it worth beans. I don't think I'd recommend anything smaller than 30-06 for browns, and preferrably something like the .300 or .338 Win Mags. If you're recoil sensitive though, just stick to what you're comfortable with.

Here's some good information from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game:

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=huntalaska.firearms

AK Jeff

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

308 is a dandy round. I've loaded and shot deer with everything from 150 gr to 190 gr bullets. My Howa likes heavier 180 gr bullets but handles 165 almost as well. The only advantage a 06 has is there is no gun shop anywhere that doesn't have a couple of boxes of ammo around, the 308 isn't quite as wildly accepted (and I have no idea why)

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

So umm, yeah...I've never hunted for grizzlys and I LOVE the classic 308. Is it enough gun to put cleanly put one down, sure. But your not dealing with an animals size when you bear hunt, you have to take serious consideration that the think will figuratively and literally tear you apart if provoked and given the chance. Seeing that shooting the think is probabley sufficient provacation I'd want alot more gun than the 308 or 30-06!!! The 300s and 338s would seem like a reasonable place to start. Maybe you can find someone with a 416/458 ("whatevers") and judge the recoil yourself.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Pretty good article, Jeff. There are a lot of folks who would do well to heed that advice. But for those who can handle a the recoil of a larger caliber, at least for six or eight rounds, the extra performance sure doesn't hurt!

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Roskoe, I've heard that in some regions according tohow the food supply has been for the bears that year, that a Gun Shot is called the "Dinner Bell Theory" to the bears!
Gun shot to them is dead game, come and get it!:)

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

bigpapa

I do not know if you got this question answered totally... Most evryone was comenting on the caliber

I really belive if you are taking what could be potential dangerous game take them with a dangerous bullet - a proven bullet - therefor I would recommend a Nosler 165 grain Partition... BC .319

2700 fps from the muzzle - 2672 fpe at the muzzle
2415 fps with 2137 fpe at 100

This bullet will not break up and it will penetrate. The mushroom is positive and the weight retention is outstanding.

I believe the 308 will do the job - bullet placement is a key factor - the Nosler will provide the performance you need. This gun should be considered marginal shooting Alaskan Browns. The experiance of the operator is really the key.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I wouldn't go hunt cape buffalo with a 300 magnum just like I wouldn't hunt brown bears with a .308. Just the same reason that a .375 H&H is the legal minimum in most of Africa the .338 should be a personal minimum for the large bears. Basically if you are going to hunt dangerous game then you need to step up to the plate and learn how to shoot a heavy recoiling gun or stick to non dangerous game.

The .308 will kill anything that walks this earth but there are reasons that larger cartridges were made.

If I were (I wouldn't) to hunt brown bears with a .308 I would use either trophy bonded bear claws, Barnes X bullet or Swift A-frames all in 180 grains.

Honestly if you have the money for a new rifle and if you can handle the recoil and shoot a heavy recoiling rifle accurately then I would step up to a .338 Winchester mag, .338 Remington ultra mag, .350 Remington mag, .375 H&H and other similar cartridges.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

If you know how to place your shot, and have the skill to do it.... sure. [:-]

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:D:D:D:DBefore you can empty your .308, he will have you forlunch and then die!:D:D:D:D

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I'll have to go along with the Alaskian Game Dept. on caliber recommendations.

Too many hunters have read all about "dangerous game" in the hunting rags or watched so many movies, they think you can't hunt Africa or Alaska with anything less than a 375 H&H or 458 magnum. If I were going on a hunt that I knew would have me facing charging grizzlies at 20 steps, sure I'd pack a .458, that's no where typical bear hunting conditions.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

In Bear country when you shoot an elk or deer and the Bear relates that to as "The Dinner Bell", heis going to maul you to death for that animal. In the high country when you go with pack horses, you better have at least a .338. Grizz's love horsemeat! Most guides will not take you with less than a .338 up to the high country.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I took this small black (360+lbs) with a Winchester .30-30 "Carbine", but I will sure not use it on a Black the size in the post above!

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

That may have some merit in the Rocky Mountain West where grizzlies haven't been fair game for over 30 years, but I sure don't believe it to be true in Alaska. Almost every grizzly I've ever seen has been high tailing it in the opposite direction. Up here they're liable to get hung on a wall and they know it. There's hundreds if not thousands of people that hunt blacktailed deer, mountain goats, and caribou [feral reindeer] on Kodiak Island every year. If the"dinner bell theory"were true every bear on that archipelago wouldget shot as DLP (defense of life and property), and it'd be a pretty well know phenomenon. I think it's more likely an occasional coincidence that can be traced back to a bear's inherent curiosity.

AK Jeff

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Remember this bear that weighed in at about 1100 pounds and was shot with a .338 Win mag at ten yards head on.

Would you want to take on this bear with a .308 at ten yards?




I hope trouthunter doesn't mind me reposting this but his buddy that killed this brute had to shoot it five times with a .300 Win mag before it finally gave up the ghost.


You hear all the time that the .243 is too small a cartridge to hunt 200 pound whitetails but in this thread the .308 is an acceptable brown bear cartridge???????????? Am I missing something here?

You all can go hunt 1000+ pound predators with a .308 all you want but if I ever get the chance to hunt brown bears I will be toting my .338 RUM or possibly something even larger.

Remember there is a reason that larger cartridges were invented and these are the reasons.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

call me crazy but I've hunted bear with a bow hogs with bowie knife and shot almost every thing else with a 308. tricked savage " bolt action" but go hunt a brown with 20 yr old semi auto rem. is mmmm nut's !

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: bigbulls

Remember this bear that weighed in at about 1100 pounds and was shot with a .338 Win mag at ten yards head on.

Would you want to take on this bear with a .308 at ten yards?


Damn right. Right smack in the skull with my 180 grain, full on gonzo tool of the trade. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Anyone for bear pie????

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

[quote]ORIGINAL: Coyotestalker



Seems to me youought to stick to Coyotes, Coyotestalker!

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Rebel Hog, sorry you don't have a sense of humor. I would hate to encounter you in the woods. I might mistake you for an angry sasquatch!! Good luck, but I will stick to my .308 and .338 Lapua. I don't need anything higher, no uber-super-gonzo mega magnum calibers to keep me happy.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Now that's more like! I did'ntsee any :Dsmilies, I thought you were serious!

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

A good friend of mine went to Alaska for a brown bear hunt last year and I remember him saying that most all the guides up there carry a 45-70. Just in case the client wounds one (say . . . with a .308) and they don't want to be dinner.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

Bigbulls, your right on the money. We have a couple of macho hunters that have never ventured into the realms of the big bears. It starts out as a hunter and guide stalking the bruin and quite often situation is reversed in the blink of an eye. You’re in his domain and if he doesn’t mind you won’t even see him, but if he has had a bad morning, you’re in a world of sh--! Watch a video on browns and look closely at their posture when they walk. A bear that just meanders, sniffs the wind occasionally isn’t much of a threat, but when you see one waddle stiff legged with his back arched, he’s adrenalin is stoked and that’s trouble. The bear is on alert and you better hope it’s not you that has him agitated. Rebel Hog also brought up another excellent point. A shot is the dinner bell for the local bear population. This is one of the most dangerous and nerve racking parts of the hunt. They race to the spot for a free meal and it can get very tense to say the least. The 308 is my favorite caliber with the 7mm Rem. Mag. a strong second, but not for dangerous game.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

You fellas that go after the monsters in those pictures have much bigger cojones than me. I think that I'll stick to hunting in places where I'm not one notch down on the food chain...

I vote for a bazooka!!!!

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I think you will have to ask your guide if the 308 is enuf gun. I seriously don't think he will allow a 308 to hunt Browns, unless he is packing something very large and isn't scared to kill a wounded bear.

I would not personally trust an auto-loader on a hunt where there are dangerous game involved. A nice bolt action would be my choice with the minimum being 338, and preferably a 375.

With that being said if it was me and the shots were 150 yards or less I would probably get myself a Marlin guide gun in 45/70 with the stainless barrel/action.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

I think we're overlooking the fact that a number of large bears are killed every year with archery equipment. Certainly not what you'd chose for a charging grizzley at 10 yards, the Pope and Young book records are all killed with arrows.

RE: Is .308 enough gun
 

To be that close to a Brown, Grizz or Kodiak is to have a death wish, IMHO!:)