30-06 for brown bear
 

Please, I need all the help I can get [fast] my brother has just called me and asked if I was interested in a brown bear hunt, all expenses paid. [GOD I LOVE AMERICA] of course this got my attention, The only rifie that I own that I would consider taking is my 30-06. my 7mm-08I believe to be extremely to light for the task at hand. mind you I have never hunted such a beast before in my life. if the 06 is up to the task, what type of factory ammo do you suggest. I do not handload as of yet. I hope this question has not been asked before, if so please accept my apology, for I am new to the forum. Thank you for your time, I will be looking forward to your replies. DAKOTA NUT.:)

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

The lightest that you would want to use would be a 30-06 and a premium 180 grain bullet.
Some like the big 200+ grain bullets but bullet design is more important than weight. My cousin hunts them with a 30-06 and uses 180 grain winchester silvertip. Winchester makes 180 silvertip, 180 grain fail safe and 180 grain supreme partition gold. The partition gold produces about 2599 foot pounds of energy at 100 yards and 2223 foot pounds of energy at 200 yards which would be what I would use.

I don' t think most ammo stores carry anything more than 180 grain 06 bullets.

I' m no expert on this but I hope this helped.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

In my opinion there' s better guns for brown bears.......but the old ' 06 is up to the task, I have immense respect for that old cartridge.

Look for ammo from a company (Remington or Federal or Hornady) that uses either 180 grain or larger Swift A-Frame, Trophy bonded, Bitterroot, or (yes believe it or not) Hornady round nose bullets.

Possibly other fine bullets will be as good such as the Grand Slam, Fail Safe or Barnes bullets.....but I' ve had little experience with them. I wouldn' t recommend a bullet that isn' t bonded such as Nosler' s partition or Ballistic tip.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Just a little more food for thought on which bullet to use.

The Federal 180 grain Nosler Partition produces about 3315 pounds of energy at the muzzle, 2880 at 100 yards and 2495 at 200 yards.

While the Fed. 220 grain speer hot cor sp. has 2835 at the muzzle, 2215 at 100 yards and 1705 at 200 yards.

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RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I have a couple of friends that go to Alaska every couple of years for browns. My one buddy swears by the 30-06 and the other swears by the 300 Weatherby. In 30-06 try Winchester 180 grain silverpoints... I hear they work well on Moose, browns, and grizzles. Hope it helps.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

i concur with the aboce go with the 180gr or above. make sure you buy one that was designed for it. and good luck with your bear hunt

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Dakota,
Numbers game -- It all depends on your tolerance for risk and how picky you are about your personal safety.

Here is a post I went back and picked up for you. The author was " Big Country"
---------------------------

Quote:
I am by no stretch an authority on bear, but I can relate a story concerning a 30-06 on big brownies.

About 15 years back, a guy that brokers hunts all over the world asked me to reload some 30-06 rounds for him to take to Kodiak Island after a coastal brownie.
I suggested that from what I knew that he did not want to use that caliber.
He insisted for sentimental reasons. (he has literally a house full of animals from all over the world, taken with this particular pre 64 model 70 in 30-06.)
Anyway, I loaded up the hottest load I could using 220 grain noslers.
He came home with a bear that went 1150 pounds.

And swore he would NEVER try that again. He claimed the bear was feeding broadside at 110 yards when he poked the first one into the front shoulder. When he racked the next round into the chamber, the bear turned towards the sound, and came on in at a full run. He hit the bear in the brisket with two, and in the face with one, then the guide popped him once in the head at twenty yards to stop the bear.

No doubt many big bear has fallen to a 30-06, but given a choice, I know I would try it with no less than a .338 win mag.

Well, I am gonna try it with a bow, but someone is gonna be there with a big bore!

--------------------------
Your call! Will there be someone like the guide " right there" to back you up?

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I would use something bigger,but that' s me! If you must use the 30-06 bullet choice would my only worry...[:o]

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I wouldn' t go with anything bigger unless you are going to be bear hunting with any regularity. I would carry a backup handgun if I could...Something that has a caliber that begins with a 4 or larger... Or I guess bear spray isn' t a bad idea.

As long as you stay aware of your surroundings I' d say you would be as safe as one can be.

Too many bears have met thier end by a 30-06 for it to be that bad of a choice. It isn' t the best, but it' s better than alot of other guns.

Another thing to think about is the quality of the gun you will be taking. It isn' t a model 710 is it?

On the other hand, it may be fun to go out and buy another gun. But you may be better off using a gun that you know and are used to.

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RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Fellows I really appreciate all of the responses to this question. After my wife and I read the responses, we have decided that a new rifle may in order here. I am leaning toward the 338win mag. At the moment the 06 is the largest rifle that I own,which by the way I shoot well because I have had the rifle for years. I have taken alot of hogs, deer, black bear, and unwanted critters. So I feel comfortable with it. And no it is not a mod 710.Could anyone give advise to what loads would be sufficent with the 338. I will be looking forward to your responses.THANK YOU DAKOTA NUT.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Dakota,

You' ll like the 338WinMag. I have two of them. Lots of power without bad recoil (make sure the gun stock fits you and that your thumb is AWAY from your nose and you' ll be fine). If you get a chance, then take your " fav" 30-06 with you and go to a place like Cabelas, have them lay out 4,5,6,7 338' s for you. Compare them to your " fav" . Throw them up to your shoulder with your eyes closed. When you open your eyes are you looking right down the sites? Which feeeeels best? Have them take a fish scale to the trigger to measure trigger pull on your " fav" and then on the others. Some otherwise good rifles come new out of box with trigger pulls of 8-10 pounds when they should be 3 to 4 pounds - remember cold fingers could be a fact of life. Some triggers are easily adjustable and others require work by a gunsmith. If you are going for the spring hunt then I' m betting you don' t have much time to get ready.

Premium Ammo, 250 grain noslers or Bear Claw Trophy Bonded (Federal) - its expensive but do your final sight in with the stuff you' re going to kill with. If you clean the rifle before arriving to hunt take a " fowling" shot to recreate your sight-in conditions before you go hunting.

Scope: Assuming it will be a variable, make sure the " low" setting is no bigger than 2 or 3 so you can " find him in the scope" if things get up close and personal. African hunters Dangerous Game Rifles (DGR' s) if scoped at all are commonly 1.5 x 5 for this very reason. North American hunters as a whole would be loathe to go with less than a 2x7 (fine) -- 3x9 (okay). However, going for a 6x18 would be a very poor choice. Your guide isn' t going to let you take that long of a shot anyway. If your scope has a wide range of eye relief you will be able to install it with extra room between it and your brow (scope eye). On a 338 Win Mag use " loctite" on the mounting screws - they can shoot loose - bad. Go Leupold if you can.

Sight In: Magnums some times sour the honey moon at the benchrest during the sight in process -- worst place in the world to get beat up and develop a flinch. If you aren' t going to have the whole summer to ease into things, then CHEAT -- fold up an old padded gun case and put it between your shoulder and the butt until you get it sighted in. When you find your brownie don' t worry you won' t feel any recoil at all.

Rain: Alaska is notorious for being wet, wet, wet and muddy - consider synthetic stock (and maybe stainless?) and don' t forget the see through, flip up scope caps -- for $20 they are priceless. GOOD, QUIET rain gear (top and bottom) plus thin neoprene gloves (cheap) are handy if your hands are going too be wet anyway.

Love to see folks tackle something besides deer and move up to some major adventure -- good for you! Pack your mental toughness and go get ' em! Mrs. Dakota, thanks for your support -- good idea on the rifle!

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

dakota nut 5, I have no doubt that under the proper circumstances a well placed round from a 30-06 would do the trick! However, it looks like you are already considering what I was going to suggest! This is the perfect time to buy a new rifle!! I think a 338 win mag or maybe the ultra mag would fit the bill perfectly! Let us know what you do!

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

The 338 Win. Mag. will fit the bill just perfectly. I would try some 250 grain Federal Nosler Partitions. Perfect setup right there.

Also, I laughed when I read about using 180 Ballistic Tips out of the 30-06!:D Too funny.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I would go with a 340 Wby. Mag. using Weatherby 225 gr. Barnes XFB, Federal 225 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, or Weatherby 250 gr. Nosler Partition. If you go with the 338 Win. Mag use Federal 225 gr. Trophy Bonded Bear Claw HE, PMC 225 gr. Barnes XFB, Rem. 225 gr. Swift A-Frame, Win. 230 gr. Fail Safe, Federal 250 gr. Nosler Partition HE. Good luck. ;)

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RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Loads for big bad brownies in the .338 Win Mag will include the same recommendations as the .30-06. Find a good bullet first. I strongly suggest one of the bonded bullets in 225 grain or 250 grain style. Hornday' s round nose bullets however are a well kept secret.....they are a fabulous bullet in performance. All in all I like the Swift A-frames for the task.
Loads for 225 grain bullets might look like 71.0 grains of H-4350 to get 2800' /sec. Loads for 250 grain bullets might look like 74.0 grains of RL-19 to get 2700' /sec

Either way, the .338 is one fine big game gun and will serve you well elk hunting as well.....GREAT CHOISE

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

.338 is a great choice. Wish I had one of those!
I think you' ll be very pleased with a 338, it' s much better on bears than the 30-06.


A little off the subject, but I thought they made the 180grain nosler partition with Elk, Moose, And grizzly in mind? That' s what they say anyway.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Another quick note. Federal offers factory Nosler Partition High Energy 250 grain bullets at 2800 fps and 4350 fp of energy out of the muzzle for the 338. My 338 groups those bullets well and I plan on using that setup for spring brown & black bear soon.

Good luck on the hunt!:)

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

what about the 35 whelen?

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

The ' 06 is certainly capable of killing brown bear. One of the largest ever taken was killed with a M95 Winchester in .30/40 Krag. Use premium bullets of 200 or 220 grains, and place your shots exactly!!:eek:

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I got a 35 whelen just prior to moving here to alaska and if I had it to do over again would have gotten a 338 WM. The 338 is very popular and ammo availablity is much better than the 35 whelen. This is not a big deal to me because I reload but on the odd chance I was away from home and needed 35 whelen ammo I' m sure I would be screwed. You can find 338 and 30/06 ammo at most places and either would be up to the job. As one person stated above, it really likes to rain up here. Did I mention it rains almost every day. Get a nice stainless 338 win mag with a 1.5-5 or 2-8x very good scope, or another good choice for the big bears is the 45/70 or 450 marlin lever action. They are nice and compact and would be good for the thick brush often encountered while hunting brown bears.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Just skimming the thread so far -- interesting correlation:

Most of the " Yeah, go get a Coastal Brownie with your 30-06 --- great round --- it' ll do it good" votes appear to be coming from the lower 48 and with a high concentration coming from east of the Mississippi. (Not counting any " geo-secretive" posters)

Not one such entry from Alaska (so far). The Alaskan posts all seem to " encourage" using a " tool" that is a bit more in line with the task, with the 338WinMag mentioned frequently and the 45-70 Guide Gun as an obvious consideration.

What do you think? Is there a possiblity that the Alaskans are applying a bit less theory and have a bit less emotional attachment to granddaddy' s deer rifle and instead are simply using more first hand experience with HUGE fanged critters that BOTH dwarf whitetails AND can hunt you back? I think so. :D

P.S. Not taking anything away from you fine folks East of the Mississippi who responded on the " go with something stronger" side. Some heavy duty hunting camps in my Elk hunting area from Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and Mississippi -- all pretty well gunned to the task at hand.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Well, first the question was, " I have a 30-06, will it work?" And the answer is yes is will kill a bear but it isn' t by any means the best suited to the job.

Then we threw " I think I' ll buy another gun for this" , that adds a whole new dimension onto the question since now you choice of gun is only limited to how much you want to spend.

I think most people agree that you should use the best caliber you can come by. The .338 is pretty versatile. If NEF made them in they' re handi rifle, I would have one right now.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Well, I spent three years in Alaska, as much of it as possible hunting bears. But, here I' ll go back to Bob Ruark' s advice " use enough gun" , but change that slightly to " use as much gun as you can shoot well" . If you have been using your ' 06 for years, and can hit a silver dollar with it at 100 yards, like old Bell could do with his 7X57, then I' d have to say, don' t go to a bigger gun now, unless you have time enough to become pretty proficient with it before going hunting!!

I once observed two Texans who flew into the Copper River valley to shoot brown bears. Both were armed with the .375 H&H. The flying service dropped them off on a nice beach, and they went up to a little higher ground to pitch their tent, so they could start hunting the next day. That evening, as they sat in front of their campfire waiting for dawn to come so they could legally start hunting, they heard some sounds coming from the alder bushes about 50 yards away. All of a sudden, they saw the barrel-keg sized head of a brown bear staring down at them from over the top of the 7 feet-tall alder bushes! Our heroes scrambled into their tent, loaded their rifles, and spent the next five days inside the tent, waiting for the plane to come get them, and did not budge from the tent until the plane arrived. The pilot told me he was amazed to see, when he returned to get the hunters, that there were no tracks in the snow leading away from the camp, and he thought something horrible had happened to his clients until they told him they had decided that their .375' s were way too small to shoot anything as big as that bear, and were just hoping he would not come to their tent to welcome them to the neighborhood!!

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Elde,
What a great story! Two green horns, in the middle of the wilderness, on an unguided " do it yourself" hunt for the the biggest carnivores on the N/A continent! What a classic. The " steel" in your hands is one thing, and of course the " steel" in your mind is another. Best neither fail when it comes showtime with the big boys!

What would have they done if they had shot and killed something? With no expertise there to guide them would they have known what to do with it? Sounds like they could have had their favorite deer rifles in their hands and it would have netted the same result -- frozen with fear. All things considered - given they apparently realized they were in WAAAAAAY over their head -- their staying in camp was probably a pretty smart idea. I' m sure they were embarassed, but at least they returned home to their families in one piece.

Man' s gotta know his limitations! (Dirty Harry) And if you don' t know your limitations -- hire a guide!

Look at the size of that thing, I don' t think we' re in the local deer patch anymore Todo! (Dorothy)

Never Go Undergunned (mentally or firearms),

EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I' m scratching my head wondering what two Texans (non-residents) are doing hunting grizzly bear without a guide. Since no guide was mentioned in the story, it is obvious they were hunting illegally.[:o]

When was it you spent three years in AK?

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

ELKampMaster, I really appreciate your responses. As well as all the others. Just wanted to let everyone know that I did go to the gun shop and bought A 338 sako. Shot it for the first time today,oooooouch. I must admit it is a handful, I have never shot a rifle that powerful before, never needed to. Nothing around here needs more than my 06. But to be honest, I am a little shakey thinking about those big powerful bears. And I feel like I need all the gun I can handle for them. I will be shooting everyday that I possibly can between now and next fall, when the hunt takes place in ak. To get to know my new cannon. I did notice as was said earlier in this post, that most hunters in the lower 48 did vote for the 06 while the rest voted for a bigger caliber. Didnt want anyone to feel like their advice was not taken into consideration. But my life could be on the line here, thats why I chose the 338. Dont worry, I will have mastered that cannon before this fall.By the way I am shooting 250 grain bullets[noslier partition] and feel very confident in the set-up. Keep the advice coming, to a greenhorn every little bit helps DAKOTA NUT 5.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

dakota nut 5,

First of all, congrats on the new rifle. I don' t own a Sako, let alone shot one yet, but I' ve heard many good things from them from other posters who praise those guns. On the recoil issue, I don' t know what Sako has for a buttpad, but I would install a 1" decelerator pad. I got one on my semi-custom Model 70 338 Win. Mag. and it does wonders in the recoil department.

Those Nosler Partition' s 250 grain bullets will put a bear in his place fast with good judgement and proper shot placement. Did you get those High Energy Nosler' s?

Just remember, if you do get a bear in your sights, keep shooting until he ain' t moving, and even when he ain' t moving, shoot him again. Alot cheaper to stitch a bear hide than yourself.:D Good luck!

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RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Dakota,
A few thoughts about recoil.
I also have a Sako in 338. First it is much lighter than my other 338, which means it will be great for hiking up and down terrain and you will be more tempted to carry it in your hands instead of slung on your shoulder, BUT the lighter rifle in the same caliber/cartridge choice WILL recoil more. So if I don' t miss my guess your rifle is light. One thing you can do is load up the magazine versus single feeding at the range -- that will add a few ounces.

Some of the African big bore shooters have a gunsmith add removable weights (typically a putty like substance with lead shot mixed in or mercury tube setups) in the hollows of the stock. This makes the gun heavier and tamer for practice and then when show time comes they remove the weights, double check the zero -- and when they are out hunting of course recoil is no issue at all.

Also the decelerator pad mentioned by Bearhuntr is a good idea, EVEN if it came with a basic recoil pad. Pachmayr' s Decelerator' s have two advantages, they are truly DESIGNED to reduce recoil and they came in varying thicknesses to help in FITTING the rifle to the shooter. As you move up in power this last item is CRITICAL. Your thumb must be away from your nose (1/2" ).

Since you have until next fall, consider " backing off" on the ammo a little bit. Bearhuntr is right, if you have the Federal 250gr High Energy (HE) rounds they are on the high, high end. These would be a good place to end up and not necessarily a good place to start. Consider starting with 200s, then 225s, then regular 250' s, and then 250 HE' s (though not all rifles shoot these hot rounds well). In the coming months you want to turn this rifle into your old comfortable friend and a gradual " courtship" could be beneficial. I would recommend against a " give me your best shot, I can take it" sight in approach.

Just to pre-empt any possible flinch development take someone who knows the basics of gun handling with you to the range. With the rifle on the bench, you the shooter looks away while your helper " loads" the gun and puts it on safe. The only catch is your " loader" is instructed to sometimes put a live round in the chamber, and sometimes leave it empty -- you don' t know the difference (in the beginning make it majority empty). If you are " jerking" your shots it will be painfully apparent on the first dry fire.

Finally, when I found myself sighting in four rifles at one time for elk season (mine, one each for the two boys, and then the camp rifle) and since we lean towards the bigger stuff it was getting a bit obnoxious (no better place to get slapped around than at the bench rest). I shelled out the $25 and bought a strap on shoulder pad (goes on the shooter not the rifle). Ah, much better where were we.

It is just like moving up from high school football to the NFL: bigger, more power, extra equipment, more technique. Completely doable though, my two boys shoot 338' s for elk and they are 160 lbs and 20 years old. Some make take this " list" of items to say, " see, just one more reason NOT to use a magnum" -- No doubt if you aren' t willing to go thru a little bit of " spring training" then you won' t play in the NFL. Many of these folks upon their first negative experience with recoil retreat back to ol' faithful and put the rifle up for sale without ever exploring what they were doing wrong. Poor Coaching.

BTW - by considering yourself a " greenhorn" (as far as Brownies go) you are way, way ahead of the game -- no disabling pride, no negative attitude -- you' ll do fine.


Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

bearhuntr, otis, and ELKampMaster, thanks for the advise. The answer to your question is yes, they are highenergy nosliers. That is what the gun shop recommended. And yes the rifle is fairly light, but that is the one that felt right. I wish I was hand loading but im not, however I am going to try my hand at it for my 06 to see how well I do.Do not worry that rifle is HOME, it is not going anywhere. I just cant get over the power that thing has[WOW] I have never shot anything that big before. I may have found a new way to remove stumps from the pasture. HA HA HA! ELKampMaster, you are right, this is definately a huge jump up to the big boys. Today at work I was telling everyone about this cannon, but I dont think they believe me so this weekend some of them are wanting to try their hand at it. You see, we have never needed anything like the 338 here so its like seeing the grand canyon for the first time. I really do want to thank everyone for their help. DAKOTA NUT 5.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

bearhuntr, you' re right, under present laws!! The flying service pilot who told me this story said it happened in Territorial days, before Alaska statehood, and the laws requiring nonresidents to have guides! I don' t know!! It is possible that it was just one of those Alaskan " tall tales, like iceworms and snowsnakes" , which I noted can actually be better than Texas tall tales. One time the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce sent a delegation to Seattle to try to raise some funding for the upcoming Alaska Purchase Centennial. When they returned, a couple of them were interviewed on a TV news program in Fairbanks. The reporter asked them " How did they treat you in Seattle?" One of them answered " They treated us swell. Why, they even believed everything we told them!!"

I was there eons ago! I hope Alaska hasn' t changed too much! I was there from Jul. 1963 to Oct. 1966.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Dakota,
Please do me a favor. At your little get together don' t ambush your friends with recoil! You' ll already be the center of attention given your " big stick" magnum so I' d encourage you to enjoy your moment, but play fair.

If you follow these threads for very long you will see a large contingent that hate magnums. Many just don' t want to change anything for any reason; however, some I' m sure have had a negative personal experience with more recoil than they were prepared for or coached for. I' m hoping you won' t add any new members to the " hate magnums" club. Your friends will be more " in awe" if they come " away from it all" with an appreciation for its power rather than " hurt" and carrying a hatred for anything bigger than a 30-06 and labelling you as crazy.

If you' d be so kind, pick up a box of 200 grainers. You shoot first with the 200' s so they get some idea what they are up against. Then for each one check for stock fit and let them have a shot. Take a pair of heavy leather gloves so if any of them are tall and lanky (like myself) then you can " lengthen the stock" by wadding the gloves against their shoulder so their thumb won' t be resting on their upper lip/nose. Even with 200' s if their thumb is touching their nose/lip they won' t be happy and it' s not fair.

After every one has had a turn, then you can mention, that those bullets were the " fly-weights" and if they are interested in the " bear-bullets" they can have a turn but that things get a bit nastier. Some may have had enough with the 200' s and that' s fine. For those who continue, well they had a trial run and a " fair warning." Practical jokes with recoil are no joking matter.

When I was 16 and my brother was 25, one of his friends visited our ranch and we went shooting. Pistols, my 270, a 243, etc. and then his friend pulled out a 458 Win Mag. I was in awe and watched them carefully. It didn' t appear that the " kick" was killing them so I asked for a turn. My brother' s friend with a wry smile said, " sure." But before he could hand me the rifle, my brother took him aside and they conferred for a while and then the friend dug in the trunk of his car and pulled out some " special" ammunition. I paid little attention and they handed me the rifle ready to go. I remember how heavy the rifle was, and how hard it was to hold level compared to my 270. I knew this was some serious hardware. I mustered all the toughness I could and pulled the trigger.......

Big boom, big kick -- at least as much as a 3" 12 ga. mag -- it was a lot -- but it wasn' t bad -- I was still standing! I was on top of the world! At 16 I had handled an elephant gun! It wasn' t until decades later when I came to appreciate the true power of that cartridge with " full house" loads that I realized my brother had covered my back and insisted on lighter loads from his friend for me. It could have went the other way and it would have knocked me into the next county and to this day I would probably be preaching the evils of magnums and never have ventured beyond my 270.

Instead the opposite was true. Thru the years, I never met a gun or a cartridge that I was afraid of -- how bad could it be? -- I can handle that -- it can' t be worse than a 458! It is indeed mind over matter. Still glad my brother prevented a cruel joke. I am always glad to let others try the bigger magnums, but never with the intent of letting them get hurt. :)

Your call -- have fun! [>:]

Never Go Undergunned,

EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

ELKampMaster, this is good advice! But please dont take me wrong, Im not out to hurt my friends, or play a cruel trick on them. Getting some lite loads would be a good idea though. Never thought of that! And oh by the way, thank god for your brother. Thank you for the interest in my post. DAKOTA NUT 5.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

Dakota,
How did the communal 338 shoot go?
EKM

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

For us NEF fans, we have our 45-70. As far as the 30-06 goes, it will work fine as well. Barnes makes a good 250 grain bullet for the 06.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

ELKampMaster, the shoot went very well. One of my friends went today to purchase the exact rifle. I myself took a vacation day today to get to know my new cannon a little better. I did however get some lite loads for the shoot over the weekend, [excellent advice, thank you]. And I am using the leftovers for practice today. The rifle is growing on me dramitically, with every squeeze of the trigger I fall in love with this caliber even more. The very first shot stunned me, but the more I shoot the better I shoot. Today I was able to place my shots within 1.5 inches, which pleased me to no end. [thats at 100 yards] I also shot 2.0 inches at 200 yards, which for me, ego aside, is very good. I doubt that this rifle will take the place of my 06, but the 338 will be going to the deer woods with me this season. I know I dont need that level of power for any deer that walks but I feel like the more I shoot, handle, and carry it the better shooter I will become. Which is the least I can do for the animals I hunt. It is almost tax time, any suggestions on A new rifle. [caliber and brand] thank you DAKOTA NUT 5.

RE: 30-06 for brown bear
 

I found a way to deal with recoil. I was a Magnum Nut when I was younger so I soon ended up with a 416 Rem Mag. Them deer and stuff are pretty tough. Well one day when I was feeling pretty tough I took the 416 to the range and run about 40 rounds through it off the bench. After that my 338 and 300 Weatherby felt like a 243 and a 223. It was several years before the recoil of any of the little magnums concerned me at all. Recoil really is relative. If you have been pounded on by Mike Tyson then Pee Wee Hermin won' t hurt you much. Good Luck with your Hunt. Find someone with a 378 or 460 Weatherby and run a few rounds through them. Then you will really love that 338. I sold my 416 to a Gal who went to Africa and shot a lion and a cape buffalo with it, also a lepard I think. Her and her husband go to Africa one year then Brisish Columbia the next. He has a 375 H&H in some version of the model 70. I have shot that gun quite a bit. That gun however is extremly light wt for that big caliber. He has a 2X Leupold scope on it a 2x5 or something like that You can pick up the target really fast.