DM

"If" there's a 33 cal min for brown bears in Alaska, it's something "very" new, as there never was all the years i lived there!!

As for the origional cal question. The 30/06 with proper bullets will do all you need to do, but if i some how got magnumitis, i'd get a 7mm Rem mag.! With 175 Nosler partitions, it's up to the task of "any" animial in the U.S., includeing the big bears!!! In fact that combo will out penetrate most all the bigger common calibers with std expanding bullets. The 7 mag has less recoil than the 300 win. mag. too.

I figured out many years ago that i didn't need a magnum for any of my shooting needs, but a 7 Rem. mag. would be my magnum choise if i did.

Drilling Man

ELKampMaster

You won't go too wrong with any of those three. IMO, they are all close enough to each other to be considered roughly equivalent. Get ahold of some of your friends and try out different ones and then go with the one you like best.

They all make for nice light recoiling smallbores assuming you take care of the fundamentals.

Good Luck and Good Hunting,
EKM

Quilly

DM..

forgive me i have never had the luxury to hunt bears on alaska. but wfrom what i have read on artciles about hunting grizzly and brown bears that NOT the author suggests a 33cal min. but the guide service itself. obviously if you live up there and hunt by yourself you can do what ever you want. i am just going by what i have read in many articles on the subject.

DM

Quilly,

I've seen guides suggest 33 cal and bigger too, but i always figured that was crazy!! I've seen guys hunting with 348 winchesters! Bigger than 33 cal, but is it better than a 7 Rem. mag??????

At one time i hunted with 338's a lot, (and shot, deer, brown bear, moose, caribou, ect..) but after extensive bullet testing i saw for my self that a 7 mag with 175 NP's will out penetrate most all the big bores (includeing the 375 H&H, and .458 win Mag.) with std. expanding bullets. I found hunting with a 7 Rem. mag. to be just as effective, as long as i used the "proper bullet" for the game hunted. On big bears shot placement with lots of penetration is what your after!!

In my experence, for anything in the U.S. the 7 mag. and ALSO the 30-06 "with proper bullets" is more than enough gun, even for big bears!! Of course, you have to be able to "shoot well" with what ever you carry!!

Drilling Man

bigcountry

Wow, guys, I believe ya, but your the first guys from alaska using 7RM for big bears I have met. One of my closes friends, goes blacktail hunting on Kodiak every year, and he said he wouldn't carry anything less than 338Win Mag.

He had a close experience last year that shook him up. He had a 300Win mag and was pulling out a deer, when a kodiak was following about 40 yards back. So he shot in the air, but the bear got angry, and started charging. He said he kept still and the bear stopped 20 yards away. He just didn't feel confident in the gun to take a shot with the bear in his stance starring at him. So anyway the bear followed slowly behind and finally he dropped the deer and walked off. But the bear passed up the deer for about 50 yards and kept following, and then got about 10 feet away and started trashing about, and then turned back and started eating the deer. This guy is a hardcore outdoorsman and fatalist, a guy I go moose hunting with. But he was pretty dead set on carrying something you have extream confidense in. And he didn't with his 300Win Mag. Everyone asks why he don't shoot the bear. I guess its a big deal to shoot a bear on Kodiak without a licence.

DM

Bigcountry,

You have just told me about a guy that had NO confidence in his weapon!! What you didn't show me, was that a 300 win mag wasn't big enough to kill a brown bear!!!!

(You are allowed to kill any bear at any time in Akaska "if" that bear is killed to save your own hide!! You do have to skin the bear out and turn in the hide and head!!)

I've told the story here about the guy that shot a brownie with a 378wby several times and didn't get the bear!!~ His conclusion??? 378 wby is too small for bear!!!!!!

A 30-06 with 200 grain Nosler partitions will have no problems dropping the biggest brown bear at reasonable ranges, and a 7 mag with 175 np's is more gun that that!!!

BTW, i hunted Kodiak many times with my 7 Express Rem, along with many of the other costal islands. I knew many guys that deer hunted on Kodiak with mini 14's!!! (i don't agree with 223's for deer)

This all boils down to one word, CONFIDENCE!!!

Drilling Man

bigcountry

Well in his situation, I don't think it was worth the risk to find out.

oldelkhunter

You know I met a guy in hunting camp in Montana in 1988 and he was a Bear Specialist. Jim Keeline I believe is the name. He suggested a Brown Bear hunt in his area and when I told him the biggest gun in my arsenal was a 300 win he said no problemo. Just shoot it straight.

bigcountry

I totally agree that a 300winnie would be fine. As long as you in heavy cover in camo. But one that is stalking you, that is so close you can smell his breath. Might be a different story.

bigcountry

In fact in that situation, I am not sure if I would be confident with 375RUM. He said everytime he shot in the air the bear ran closer to him.