.300 Win Mag for Griz
- Thread starter Old Ugly
- Start date
It depends. It's certainly enough if you get a nice broadside shot 75 yards away from an unsuspecting bear.
The problem is that if you are going to go into grizzly country and annoy big bears, you should be prepared to stop an unexpected charge by an angry bear. In that instance, I'd prefer something with a larger and heavier bullet, preferably in a caliber that started with a 4.
As always, you should carry the most powerful rifle that you can hit with.
The problem is that if you are going to go into grizzly country and annoy big bears, you should be prepared to stop an unexpected charge by an angry bear. In that instance, I'd prefer something with a larger and heavier bullet, preferably in a caliber that started with a 4.
As always, you should carry the most powerful rifle that you can hit with.
Grizzly or Browns? Inland grizzly aren't all that big nor hard to kill. Their cousins living along the coast get much larger
But for either, properly loaded, your 300 is more than enough. Most Alaskan guides will tell their customers a 30-06 loaded with either 200-220 gr Nosler Partitions are all they need. Google Phil Shoemaker, one of Alaska's top Grizzly guides and read some of his recommendations. Here is a link to his website.
http://www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com/What_to_Bring.html
The Alaska Fish & Game did a study several years ago on which guns/loads they would recommend for stopping large bear attacks. Their results put the 375 mag in 1st place for those who could handle the recoil, but the 30-06 and 300 WM were in a very close 2nd place tie. They beat out rounds such as the 45-70, 444, and 350 mag. Guns larger than 375 generated much more recoil, with very little real gains in performance
The extra bullet speed of the 300 gives you a little more effective range over a 30-06, but up close it didn't offer any advantage over the same bullet a little slower. For that reason, along with the 30-06's lower recoil, and greater mag capacity they listed the 30-06, loaded heavy, as the prefered rifle for most people to stop a large bear attack.
Read the results here.
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr152
But for either, properly loaded, your 300 is more than enough. Most Alaskan guides will tell their customers a 30-06 loaded with either 200-220 gr Nosler Partitions are all they need. Google Phil Shoemaker, one of Alaska's top Grizzly guides and read some of his recommendations. Here is a link to his website.
http://www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com/What_to_Bring.html
The Alaska Fish & Game did a study several years ago on which guns/loads they would recommend for stopping large bear attacks. Their results put the 375 mag in 1st place for those who could handle the recoil, but the 30-06 and 300 WM were in a very close 2nd place tie. They beat out rounds such as the 45-70, 444, and 350 mag. Guns larger than 375 generated much more recoil, with very little real gains in performance
The extra bullet speed of the 300 gives you a little more effective range over a 30-06, but up close it didn't offer any advantage over the same bullet a little slower. For that reason, along with the 30-06's lower recoil, and greater mag capacity they listed the 30-06, loaded heavy, as the prefered rifle for most people to stop a large bear attack.
Read the results here.
http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/gtr152
Back about the turn of the century (18-1900, not this one) one of the best back up guns of the time was the 30-40 Krag with its heavy 220 gr slug. It was quite effective.
The velocity of this bullet was about 2000 fps, but its design met penetration.
So I can't understand why a '06 which pushes the same bullet at 2400-2500 fps wont work,
OR
as the OP ask, why wouldn't a 300 WM pushing the same bullet at 26-2700 work.
Sure the 375 H&H would work, but would it be better, I don't think so, simply because of the recoil people aren't going to practice with it enough to be able to shoot it properly.
Even the 300WM is gonna have a bit of recoil with this bullet,
The 06 is better, easier to shoot therefore I believe to be more effective. Also do to its less recoil, you'd have the ability for faster follow up shots.
The velocity of this bullet was about 2000 fps, but its design met penetration.
So I can't understand why a '06 which pushes the same bullet at 2400-2500 fps wont work,
OR
as the OP ask, why wouldn't a 300 WM pushing the same bullet at 26-2700 work.
Sure the 375 H&H would work, but would it be better, I don't think so, simply because of the recoil people aren't going to practice with it enough to be able to shoot it properly.
Even the 300WM is gonna have a bit of recoil with this bullet,
The 06 is better, easier to shoot therefore I believe to be more effective. Also do to its less recoil, you'd have the ability for faster follow up shots.
No experience hunting griz, but our local high school is the Bears and we have two grizzlies mounted, one in the main lobby, another in the boy's gymnasium. According to the placards, both were taken on guided hunts with the .300 Win Mag. One's a coastal Alaskan bear, the other one was taken inland, and there is a noticeable difference in the size of the two animals.
black mamba
New member
Should be just great. I would use the 200 grain Swift A-Frames or Nosler Partitions at 2850 to 2900 fps. Either one should break down the shoulders of even a large brownie.
"I suspect a 35 Whelen with a decent 250-280 grain bullet would work just fine -- 'mo betta' than the ought six, perhaps."
Sundog, I like the way you think.
Think the 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2600 to 2700 FPS depending on what the rifle likes and think dead bear. My .35 Whelen has a 24" barrel and will push the 225 gr. TSX at 2710 FPS. I've shot that bullet almost lengthwise through a cow elk at 150 yards aand I've never seen an animal go down so fast. Barnes does not make a 250 gr. TSX and frankly, I don't see the need. The rifle is a custom Mauser with a 1 in 14" twiste that I picked up at an estate sale. One of those deals where it was love at first sight and the love affair hasn't stopped yet.
I also have a Remington M700 Classic and Ruger M77RS in .35 Whelen so yoi know what I like.
I would not feel poorly armed in big bear country if all I had was a 30-06. Dunno what the standing is in the books on inland Grizzly Bears is today
but a fellow in Canada was crossing a gully on a log wearing a large back pack when grizzly Bear ecided it wanted to cross too. There was no way for the man to turn around risking a potentially fatal fall so he shot the bear with his M94 Winchester carbine 30-30 killing the bear. When the skull was measured, it tied the then current world record but B&C would not allow it because of the bullet hole in the skull. If truth be known, I wonder just how many of the great bears have been killed with firearms considered too puny to do the job? IIRC, "Old Ephraim", a cattle killing Griz was killed with a 25-35 Winchester. Yeah, I know. Not my choice as well.
It was mentioned that the 30-40 Krag with 220 gr. bullet at 2000 FPS was a good bear gun. I have loaded the .308 Win. to 2310 FPS with W760 and the 220 gr. Hornady round nose. I kept hearing thata the .308 didn't do well with the heavier bullets. So much for that old wive's tale. That's only 90 FPS slower than advertised velocity for the 30-06.
No matter what you're carrying, you still have to put that bullet in the right place.
If I were lucky enough to get a chance at one of the great bears,I'd probably leave the .375 H&H at home and take either the .35 Whelen or 30-06 depoending on which one was the lightest in weight, Recoil has nothing to do with it. I consider the kick of the .375 to be a firm push more than a sharp blow. I'm more concerned about the roughly two pound difference in weight.
My .375 weighs 9.5 pounds with scope, the .35 Whelen 7.5 pounds with scope and the 06 at 7.25 pounds with scope. Which one would you rather carry at the higher elevations?
Paul B.
Sundog, I like the way you think.
Think the 225 gr. Barnes TSX at 2600 to 2700 FPS depending on what the rifle likes and think dead bear. My .35 Whelen has a 24" barrel and will push the 225 gr. TSX at 2710 FPS. I've shot that bullet almost lengthwise through a cow elk at 150 yards aand I've never seen an animal go down so fast. Barnes does not make a 250 gr. TSX and frankly, I don't see the need. The rifle is a custom Mauser with a 1 in 14" twiste that I picked up at an estate sale. One of those deals where it was love at first sight and the love affair hasn't stopped yet.I also have a Remington M700 Classic and Ruger M77RS in .35 Whelen so yoi know what I like.
I would not feel poorly armed in big bear country if all I had was a 30-06. Dunno what the standing is in the books on inland Grizzly Bears is today
but a fellow in Canada was crossing a gully on a log wearing a large back pack when grizzly Bear ecided it wanted to cross too. There was no way for the man to turn around risking a potentially fatal fall so he shot the bear with his M94 Winchester carbine 30-30 killing the bear. When the skull was measured, it tied the then current world record but B&C would not allow it because of the bullet hole in the skull. If truth be known, I wonder just how many of the great bears have been killed with firearms considered too puny to do the job? IIRC, "Old Ephraim", a cattle killing Griz was killed with a 25-35 Winchester. Yeah, I know. Not my choice as well.
It was mentioned that the 30-40 Krag with 220 gr. bullet at 2000 FPS was a good bear gun. I have loaded the .308 Win. to 2310 FPS with W760 and the 220 gr. Hornady round nose. I kept hearing thata the .308 didn't do well with the heavier bullets. So much for that old wive's tale. That's only 90 FPS slower than advertised velocity for the 30-06.
No matter what you're carrying, you still have to put that bullet in the right place.
If I were lucky enough to get a chance at one of the great bears,I'd probably leave the .375 H&H at home and take either the .35 Whelen or 30-06 depoending on which one was the lightest in weight, Recoil has nothing to do with it. I consider the kick of the .375 to be a firm push more than a sharp blow. I'm more concerned about the roughly two pound difference in weight.
My .375 weighs 9.5 pounds with scope, the .35 Whelen 7.5 pounds with scope and the 06 at 7.25 pounds with scope. Which one would you rather carry at the higher elevations?
Paul B.
math teacher
New member
It sure would be nice to hear from someone who has actual experience with shooting a brown bear with a 30-06. I have a friend who did and his experience wasn't pretty, but then that was only one case. The 300 mag is normally considered adequate for the big bears, but some personal experience would help.
Boomer58cal
New member
Grandpa used a 220g round nose( He hated those new-fangled pointy bullets 
) 2300 fps in his 95 win 30-03 for decades. 300 win will kill anything that walks the earth.
Personally I prefer black powder for most hunting. For bear I use either my .58 with 525g bullet at 1500 fps or my .62 with a 900g bullet at 1200 fps. Your 300 Win Mag should be leathal at twice the range of these guns. You'll do fine.
Boomer
) 2300 fps in his 95 win 30-03 for decades. 300 win will kill anything that walks the earth. Personally I prefer black powder for most hunting. For bear I use either my .58 with 525g bullet at 1500 fps or my .62 with a 900g bullet at 1200 fps. Your 300 Win Mag should be leathal at twice the range of these guns. You'll do fine.
Boomer
fairview mick
New member
Grizzly Weapon
My choice is and always will be the Win Mag .338. I've killed two moose and one large black bear. Some will say "Overkill". What the hell is over kill. Practice with it a good bit at the range, as, admittedly, the recoil is substantial, but it will take any thing on the N/A continent, and quite a few African large animals.
Micke
My choice is and always will be the Win Mag .338. I've killed two moose and one large black bear. Some will say "Overkill". What the hell is over kill. Practice with it a good bit at the range, as, admittedly, the recoil is substantial, but it will take any thing on the N/A continent, and quite a few African large animals.
Micke
Westcoaster
New member
A 300wm will kill a Grizzly bear. So will a 3006, a 308, a 35 Whelan, a 9.3x62, etc. As always shot placement trumps caliber and cartridge.
I've taken two grizzlies with a 338wm. Both double lung shots. Both ran about 20 or 30 feet then dropped dead. Works fine but if all I had was a 3006 that shot well I would feel fine about it.
I've taken two grizzlies with a 338wm. Both double lung shots. Both ran about 20 or 30 feet then dropped dead. Works fine but if all I had was a 3006 that shot well I would feel fine about it.
Are you talking about hunting brown/grizzly or self-defense? I ask because, years ago, when I was stationed in Anchorage, AK and did a lot of fishing and Caribou hunting, a friend of mine was the Fish & Game guy responsible for following up on self-defense killings of bears. He told me that in a self-defense mode, he saw more one shot stops with 12 gauge slugs than any other caliber or weapon. That made sense to me because of the size of the slug, velocity, etc. As a result, whenever I was out fishing or back packing, I carried a pump shotgun with rifled slugs in it. When I went caribou hunting, I carried a .300 Win Mag, a bit big for Caribou but I felt comfortable with it in the event I needed to defend against a brownie. In addition, I really liked the .300 WM because of its flat trajectory and long range performance.
sc928porsche
New member
I have taken a few with the 300WM. I purchased a WBY MK V in 378 a few years ago and it worked well. Didnt seem to make much difference in harvest, but it sure made a lot of difference in my confidence.
A lot of bruins have been taken with the 06, but hey, I'm fond of cannons.
A lot of bruins have been taken with the 06, but hey, I'm fond of cannons.