Bears...
 

I'm from mississippi but curious anyway as to why most gun magazines say a .300 Win mag won't kill a large bear??

RE: Bears...
 

I have never found the answer to this either, I guess so the .338 Win Mag can get more publicity. The .300 Win Mag will take anything in NA, no ifs ands or buts about it.

RE: Bears...
 

The 338 win mag is a fine and powerful cartridge, and will add a little insurance over any 300 mag. The 300's will likely do a good enough job of any game in north america, provided tough and heavy bullets are used. I would feel at ease with just my 45-70 and some heavy cast LBT type bullets at 1800-2000 fps. They will out penetrate any 338 or 300 , and break more bone while doing so.

RE: Bears...
 

I'll do you one better, my 500 S&W with a 400 Gr. SJSP at 1800 fps will outpenetrate the ole' .338. btw my 500 is a rifle.

RE: Bears...
 

the magazines are just covering theirselves incase someone is a lowsy shot. they know as well as we do that the 300 could easily down the bear they are just scared of the lawsuit

RE: Bears...
 

I think a .300 Win Mag Loaded with 180 grain plus Swift AFRAMES or TBBC's Or Failsafes would be fine on any Grizzly

RE: Bears...
 

Yeah. out of all the calibers, it seems the .300 Mags, are used by the worst shots, they just cannot handle the gun, and still take it hunting.

RE: Bears...
 

Josh, just curious. Do you recall which gun rag ran the article?

RE: Bears...
 

I have seen Guns & Ammo say it several times, especially when they were talking about the .338 class of cartridges, they claimed the 300 mags to be inadequate.

RE: Bears...
 

I have not had a G&A subscription for decades. Interesting. They used to take the position about "get a bigger gun" alot. So perhaps no surprise. I would want (personally) a larger bore for the big bears but in fact hunters on the board have even used the 7mm Rem Mag. You would need a good bullet with high sectional density, and there are lots of good bullets in the 7mm and 30 calibers. I just tote a 45 70 when I am around bears. To heck with the small bores.

RE: Bears...
 

Chuck Hawks is also very biased against the .30 Cal magnums, he hates them for some reason. And yeah, when I'm in bear country I'll be toting my 45-70 or 500 S&W Handi Rifle.

RE: Bears...
 

Was the article discussing killing power, or stopping power. I have read alot about dangerous game rifles, Few have mentioned 30 cal. or even 338 caliber. Most writers and PH's recommend 375 cal. and up. The question is do you consider grizzly as dangerous game? Tom.

RE: Bears...
 

The article was discussing adequate grizzly cartridges.

RE: Bears...
 

3 1/2 inch 12 gauge will take care of a grizzly just as quick as most centerfire bottlenecks... least at close self defense range....

But then again there's nothing like watching Fred Bear peak out from behind that boulder and stick that Kodiak with an arrow from the ole recurve...

as far as gun magazines.. especially G&A... take most of what you read with a grain of salt...

RE: Bears...
 

Rootsy, you are right about Fred Bear. However did you know that there was a guide with a 375 H&H standing behind Fred.

RE: Bears...
 

Well, the 30-06 kills them fine so the 300 WM should too.

RE: Bears...
 

I can see why they say the 300 win mag is a little light for big bears. I passed up a shot I probably would have taken if carrying a bigger rifle. I was carrying my 300 win mag shooting 180gr partitions, griz at just about 200 yards quartering towards me. THe bullet would have had to break that front shoulder and still penetrate into the lungs. There was a heavy draw about 30 yards from the bear. I have a lot of faith in the 180gr partition, but at the same time have seen it stopped dead in its tracks in a moose's shoulder and spine. I didn't want to take the chance of it making it into the heavy brushy draw with only a busted shoulder. Even with a flat tire a bear can cause a lot of damage as long as the engine is still running.

Had I been carrying my 338 RUM with 225gr TSX or 250gr Partition gold, or even my 375 H&H, I would have been more comfortable taking that shot. Two years ago my buddy hit one 3 times with his 300 win and the 180gr partition, nocked it down twice, and it made it into some really thick tag alders. We gave it a couple of hours and followed him in. We looked the rest of the day but never found him. I'm sure it was dead somewhere in those alders, but with hardly any blood trail to follow we couldn't find him. He was dripping wet just having gotten out of the river. Would things have been different if he was usuing a bigger gun. Maybe, maybe not......but I would like a little more insurance in those kind of situations, especially without any backup. Before next hunting season I will be carrying a 338 RUM again.

If I was set on using the 300 win it would be with 200gr TSX, 200-220gr partition, or 200gr Northfork.

RE: Bears...
 

Guns&AMMO

RE: Bears...
 

If you are talking about Brown or Kodiak bear, they get pretty big. It wouldn't make sense to go undergunned. If you are planning to go hunting in Alaska, your guide will tell you what to use. If I were going after bears on Kodiak Island, I would use a 375 H and H mag. Jeff Cooper says the 35 wheelen is a perfect brown bear cartridge. And for brush hunting the 45-70 is a good choice as well as the 444 marlin.
However, Teddy Roosevelt shot Grizzlies with a 30 06 and he used the 150 grain army bullets

RE: Bears...
 

I have a few hunting buddies that hunt bears with their 300 Winnie's and I seem to recall they do just fine. It's amazing what premium bullets placed in the right spot can do. I've hunted them with less . . .

RE: Bears...
 

Heard of people hunting Grizz with .410 Slugs, better them than me.:D:D:D

RE: Bears...
 

I cannot for the life of me imagine why they's say such a fool thing! I knew a doctor's wife once in Fairbanks Alaska who used to kill large bears with a .270 WIN using the 150-grain Nosler Partition bullet at a MV of 2800 FPS, usually with only one shot.

For many years, the heaviest brown bear taken in Alaska, which weighed in the vicinity of 1,600 pounds, was killed by a fellow named Harold McCracken around 1916 with a Model 95 Winchester in .30/40 Krag caliber.

So anyone who says a .300 Magnum won't kill big bears is full of it. The type of bullet one uses and shot placement are a lot more important than bullet diameter!

RE: Bears...
 

God help us all if a .300 Win Mag won't take down ANY bear !!

RE: Bears...
 

I would have to say if a bow and arrow can kill a grizzly, I have no doubt with my 30-06.