The Right Gun – Bear Hunting Tips
June 26th, 2008 at 9:48 pm (Rifles)
I recently read an article on a hunting site (Chifuti Safaris) by Craig Boddington about the choice in rifle caliber for a given animal. He mentioned the desire for owning another rifle as one of the motivating factors in rifle selection. For example, if you were hunting cape buffalo and wanted a BIG gun like say a .500 Jeffrey, Mr Boddington’s thought was to get it. You might ever only shoot one shot at an animal from the big .500 but it would work well on the buffalo and it would be your gun and souvenir of a wonderful hunt.
What about big coastal black bears like the ones we’ll be seeing in September on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska. Which gun is best? Should you get a special gun for the job or just take the old ’06?
I have my preferences and some experience. I don’t think bears are extremely hard to kill but they can be a nightmare to nail to the ground. Since bears can get lost in the thick undergrowth fast or turn hostil quickly I like big heavy bullets. Fast is pretty good but a 7mm or .280 remington, to me, is an elk gun. Elk never chew on you. I prefer the 30 caliber magnums or bigger.
Near Yakatat Alaska one fall my guide and I put eight .338 bullets in a big brown bear finally stopping him at 5-10 paces. Once that adrenaline gets going in a big bear, look out and keep shooting.
Some of the new short calibers are intriguing but I guess I’m still a .30 caliber magnum guy, for the big bears.
Micah, my daughter, shot a good black bear a few years ago and hit him fatal. However it was 4 shots later with him getting pretty close, that stopped him for good. She was using a .280 remington. That’s a great gun, just not beefy. zovirax ointment no prescription needed
I’m glad there are lots of choices out there because I like being a gun owner. Hopefully this fall I can try out my .338 Winchester Magnum on a huge black bear. When I do I hope the guy next to me has an equally lethal weapon.
Joe Oldford said,
November 21, 2008 at 9:58 am
I read your article on the experience of hunting brown bears with a .338 Winchester Magnum. As stated, “After shooting eight times, the bear finally dropped”, I was curious on what type of ammunition was being used. I have heard, from numerous of sources, that a .338WM with the “right” bullet will put down cape buffalo with one round. This was stated by Jim Carmichael, a writer employed by Outdoor Life magazine, in an article on how he killed two cape buffalo with “two” shots. So, it can be done!
Gene said,
January 20, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Would one even think of bear hunting in Quebec with a 25.06 rifle cartridge I am going to Quebec in June 09 and was wondering about the 25.06 being enough bullet
wayne mccann said,
August 18, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Is a 308 a good rifle for bear hunting in alaska.
thanks for your time: wayne
Jed said,
August 19, 2009 at 7:54 am
the 308 is a great caliber!! military invention, i believe. used a lot as a sniper rifle. if i were buying a gun to go to Alaska black bear hunting I’d get one with more beef, say a 338 or 375 H&H or the magnum 300′s. if i owned the 308 and loved it then don’t go borrow someone else’s bigger gun, just get good ammo and go. if you’re talking about grizzly or brown bear, do not use the 308. invest in the beefier calibers. as a side note–i think the 308 is my favorite caliber i don’t own. i don’t know why ’cause it’s a proven gun for most any of our common hunts—shiras moose to pigs. most black bear fall in there. good luck and let us know what’s up and how you do.
mike said,
August 23, 2009 at 8:55 am
I am going blackbear hunting over a bait site . I am about 40 yards away is my 7mm mag to fast or is it ok.
Jed said,
August 26, 2009 at 9:33 am
when i hunted in africa i shot several very small species of antelope. i worried that my 338 was too big. the trackers and professional guide often said there is now such thing as too big when it comes to killing an animal.
in your case a 30/30 may work as well but your 7mm will do a great job. if you have time use a heavy bullet and know where it shoots at close range. if you have any problem it would be with your optics. you sure don’t need magnification or at least low magnification.
shoot straight and let us know how it goes. i love bait hunting bears!
John said,
September 18, 2009 at 9:26 pm
I would like to try my Ruger 44 Mag. rifle or my Remington .35 cal. for a black bear hunt in Ontario next year. Has anyone shot a bear with one of these calibers? Any thoughts?
Pedro Kotzee said,
September 20, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Why risk it? a 7mm Rem will not put down a Big Brown Bear, their muscle tissue is too dense. If hunting dangerous game be it Bears or in Africa, start with a 375 H&H since it WILL STOP any animal. Don’t take chances, trust me I know, been guiding for over 30 years in RSA .
Cheers
Bill said,
November 20, 2009 at 11:07 am
I have shot black bears with my 30-06 no problem, one bullet, no problem. I now use my Browning .338 magnum A-bolt for both brown and blacks. Again, one well place shot will work, but I always keep shooting until the bear is down! A injured bear is dangerous and scary to track.
I prefer NO muzzle brake, because I like to have some hearing after shooting, and the muzzle blast is far worse than the recoil.
Bill said,
November 20, 2009 at 11:08 am
I forgot to say, I live in Alaska, go bear hunting 5-6 times a year, and usually shoot 2-3 bears year, bear hunting is my favorite by far.
mike said,
December 23, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I am going bear hunting for the first time, Can you use a shotgun or do you have to use a rifle.
Bill Capps said,
February 16, 2010 at 10:52 am
I am thinking of going bear hunting for the first time this year in east Tennessee. I was thinking of shooting my .50 caliber muzzleloader. Currently I shoot 100 grains of pyrodex and a 295gr. brass jacketed hollow point. Is this enough gun and is it enough load and shell?
Thanks for any comments
The Rookie
Jed said,
February 18, 2010 at 9:01 am
GREAT!!! if you’re hunting close, say a stand the muzzle loader is a bear killing machine. I us 90 grains of pyrodex in my 45 caliber (mostly because my Hawkins kicks me in the cheek bone) and i’ve hammers a couple bears. i thinks the problem with the muzzle loader is putting up with the weather and making sure you know your equipment. you won’t get a second chance at a close bear if you have a miss fire. I like your choice! do good and let us know.
Bill Capps said,
February 19, 2010 at 10:33 am
Thanks for the info. will let you know how it goes.
mike said,
February 19, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Thanks, I went and got a 30-06 and will use that. But one more question, were in virginia is good bear hunting.
Autumn said,
April 6, 2010 at 5:59 am
I love Bear Hunting, it is awesome
David said,
June 8, 2010 at 9:47 am
After reading much and, when reading, coming across some inconsistencies I did some research. This led to a comparison of the .338 Winchester Magnum with the .300 Weatherby Magnum. The results tell me that the .300 Weatherby Magnum is a better gun for brown bear. Please look at the data below and please give any opinions on it. Below is based on the use of 250 grain RN bullets. That for the .300 Weatherby is available from Hawk bullets and custom loaders.
.338 Winchester Magnum
MV 2660 fps
100 yds 2456 fps
200 yds 2261 fps
300 yds 2075 fps
ME 3927 ft lbs
100 yds 3348 ft lbs
200 yds 2837 ft lbs
300 yds 2075 ft lbs
Sectional Density .313
Ballistics Coefficient .291/.332
.300 Weatherby Magnum
MV 2650 fps
100 yds 2433 fps
200 yds 2229 fps
300 yds 2037 fps
ME 3898 ft lbs
100 yds 3256 ft lbs
200 yds 2757 ft lbs
300 yds 2037 ft lbs
Sectional Density .376
Ballistics Coefficient .417
At first, the .338 Winchester has a very slight edge with velocity and energy. But, when you take into consideration the killing factors of sectional density and ballistics coefficient the .338 Winchester Magnum is pale in comparison to the .300 Weatherby Magnum. So, why is the .338 Winchester Magnum recommended over the .300 Weatherby Magnum.
Jed said,
June 8, 2010 at 6:43 pm
Up front! I’m not going to answer your very valid question. If I could get the right answer from the right guy I’d choose Craig Boddington as the “answer giver”. I know one other guy I’d kind of trust, and I’ll ask him to zip you an answer.
I’ve killed brown bear only twice and got lucky both times. What a trophy! The second brown I got a fast 6-7 338 bullets in and he died not instantly, but with out excessive danger. The first bear I (we) shot, I think we used nine 338 bullets, most at 30-10 yards. The bear again lost, but I learned fear and less dignity. The outcome would have been different if I’d used a 300 weatherby or a 416 rigby, a 22-250 or a 500 jeffrys. Since the last bear, I’ve purchased smaller faster and larger slower, guns. Brown bears, grizzly bears, polar bears and yep the #1 bear killer of humans, the black bears, scare me. If I ever go after the big size bears, I’ll go bigger and it won’t be with a 300 weatherby or a 338 win mag. Maybe a 375H&H
See hear for the story on my first brown bear: http://bearbums.net/2010/03/19/fall-brown-bear-hunt-1994/
Gary Winterton said,
June 8, 2010 at 8:27 pm
.338 Win, or .300 WBY which is the best caliber for bear? In all of the discussions around this subject one of the most important elements of this equation is proper bullet selection! All the power available is for not if the bullet selected is incorrect for they type of animal being hunted. In my opinion bullet selection in this discussion is more important than splitting hairs between .338 and .300 caliber. Having said this, my personal choice would be the .300 WBY with a Barnes TSX 180gr bullet. I am a big believer that hydraulic shock, coupled with proper shot placement makes a tremendous difference when killing large powerful animals. Happy Hunting!
Billie said,
August 5, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Hello, I’m twelve years old and I’m going hunting black bear with my grandfather up in western washington. I know the good ol’ 30-06 is a nice gun for huntin’ but my grandfather said that his dad shot a beefy black bear 8 times with it before it whent down. I’m a little worried about this as I can’t squeez off more than four of those bullets without flinching. So I was wondering if I should just take the 06 or take a bigger gun like a .400 marlin? Thanks!
steve said,
August 9, 2010 at 3:43 am
It also depends on what you can shoot without flinching. I’ve hunted Buffalo in our Northern Territory in Australia. Some grow to be a big as Cape Buffalo, and ours are mean. If you only wound one look out. You’ll never outrun one.
I’ve seen them taken stone dead with a well placed shot with a 6.5×55. I’ve also seen them run off with a 338 lapua magnum that its muscle just absorbed. Its ok to argue hydrostatic shock from a 3000ft per sec screamer, but we all know that these sorts of animals, including the big five, can take a lot of rounds and they keep coming just on adrenalin. Its certainly the case with lion.
Ive shot the 300 win mag and the Weatherby mags and think they are viscious to shoot. I’d rather go a bit slower and heavier and use a 375 H&H or a 416 Rigby. In a 10 lb rifle I think the recoil is manageable…much more that the 300 mags in an 8lb rifle.
We load up with a medium weight softnose and the rest of the magazine has heavier Woodleigh weldcores. So if the animal is charging, as it will and your first shot is not fatal, the next four will be. You should also be able to get off four rounds in five seconds…That takes a sweet action. We use Mauser actions or the older Brno’s are nice. My mate has a Mauser in 9.3 x 54. One can vary the mix of rounds and thats a sweet rifle. To me, the 375 H&H is hard to beat if you want one to cover all you will face. Just be smart about what you stack in the mag. It might save your life.
Jed said,
August 9, 2010 at 8:40 am
Hi Billie,
Thanks for the comment and question. Hunting black bears is a rush. With the best, big rifle a black bear can still stand a heck of a wallop and keep coming or going. I’ve had the same experience your grandfather had and it amazes me.
Truthfully there’s nothing wrong with using the 30.06 for even the beefyist black bear. Use a 180 grain tough bullet, like the Barnes X and get used to shooting the .06 and you’ll do great.
Make that 1st shot count ’cause bears are sneaky and fast.
It sounds to me like you’ll have a riot. Let us know how it goes.
Luke said,
September 12, 2010 at 6:37 pm
I’ve found out by my personal experience 30-06 is to small and 50 cal muzzle loader, not enough follow up shots. I’d reccomend a pump or semi auto. but im pretty new to black bear hunting so ill ask:
12 gauge w/ rifled slugs VS. .338 for black bear with in 75 yrds? looking for some insite.
Jed said,
September 13, 2010 at 9:27 pm
Hi, Thanks for asking the question. I’ve hunted bear many times and killed them with bows, muzzle loader and rifles. I’ve never killed or hunted them with a shoot gun slug, but I’ve been backed up by a guide who carried a shot gun.
A shot gun slug would be plenty of gun to kill a bear but I’ve seen many a smart old bear figure out I’m sitting in the tree stand and he sits out there at 200yds till dark. A well sighted in .338 would take care of him out there and in close. That would be my choice.
However, that 30.06 question I have to disagree with you. Get a heavy well made bullet in the old .06 and it will handle the big boy also. I would feel comfortable hunting up close or out there with the .06 or the .338. My present favorite bullet is the Barnes TSX in a good heavy for caliber such as a 180 to 200 grain for bear.
Have fun and get out there and get the old boar!
Craig Sauers said,
November 9, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I have two modern rifles, a .270 Win cal. Model 70 and a sporterized Swedish ’96 Mauser in 6.5 X 55 mm. Nothing wrong with the Model 70, but I really prefer the Swedish and I shoot her well. I think she’s just fine for even big black bears anywhere. The ’96 cocks on closing which marginally slows follow up shots, but she feeds beautifully and the trigger pull is the nicest of any gun I’ve ever shot. She still has military wood, but she is a well worked conversion that always draws interest from other hunters, something that doesn’t help with the bears but still I like it. So what do you think of me using this gun for black bear?
Patrick said,
November 14, 2010 at 9:32 am
Well i just would like to know if my 30-30 would be good for bear hunting here in pa. ive been useing the Hornady Lever Revolution.
Jed said,
November 14, 2010 at 10:05 am
Hi Craig, Thanks for your question and thanks for stopping for a moment on bearbums.net! I love bear hunting and I enjoy talking about it/them. You asked a multiple choice question. Should you use your .270 model 70 or your Swedish Mauser in 6.5 X 55 mm. Please allow me to tease you about your comments and perhaps your personality.
In a subtle way you demonstrate your passion for hunting, guns and gun ownership. Multiple times in your brief comments you call your Mauser “she”. Then you go on to give “her” a personality with very descriptive adjectives. “she feeds beautifully”, “she is a well worked conversion”, and she “draws interest for other hunters”, etc. You’ve described “her” well, and expressed the personal feeling most of us have for this sport and firearm ownership. Good job. Are you a writer?
Your question. My answer and my opinion. No one can argue with the .270 as being a great caliber. I think most .270′s in my life have kicked hard for the caliber. However the .270, as a caliber, has likely killed more bears than any caliber other than the .30-30, or the .30-06.
Ten to twenty years ago i would have said both your calibers are a tad to small for black bears. Now I have a more modern opinion. Your Mauser is basically a beefy .243 with a 55mm projectile. If you stick with a well build, on the heavy end, bullet. On the Mauser or the .270 and you have a good bear gun. I like Nosler partition bullets or Barnes TSX bullets. Go with these bullets and you’ll get the kill. Sight the gun in for right on at 35 yards and know where it shoots out to 200 yards.
A warning. One of my shooting buddys named a rifle of his “Shirley”, and got into deep domestic (wife) trouble.
Let me know how the bear hunt goes, or holler and I’ll help you find a dandy bear hunt. Thanks again for the question and the comments.
Craig Sauers said,
November 23, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Thanks for the reply and confidence building. Didn’t mind the tease about the rifle’s feminine qualities; I’m well aware of my proclivities. I fish saltwater and run a boat that I always call she or her too. Just tradition, and my wife doesn’t mind, much. I take it though that you would not use either of my rifles on the bigger bear. Since I’ve never hunted them, I have no clear idea how hard they can be to put down. The thing about the 96 is that my Uncle Ed had her made for me. One day – do you mind a story – when Ed was near 90, I had reason to call one of his old friends, a man who was about 20 in 1960, but maybe 10 years older than me. We called him Billy. At one point he told me that he had offered to buy one of Ed’s old shotguns when Ed was done with it. I assumed he meant the very nice Parker double and told him that I wanted it. “No” he said, “I want the Remington 20ga.” I was surprised as that gun was not very distinctive at all, a hardware store gun, but Billy said that some of the happiest days of his life were hunting pheasant with my uncle 50 years ago. Same reason why I like my Mauser. It just makes me happy.
Onyx said,
December 3, 2010 at 12:21 am
I am fresh off the city streets when it comes to hunting but have done a lot of camping and handgun shooting. I am wanting to begin hunting for boar, deer, elk and then plan on going up to alaska to hunt the same. My question is what would be a quality, long lasting, versatile rifle purchase everyone might recommend for a starter. I am not looking to be cheap but do not want to have to purchase 2-3 different rifles to enjoy a variety of hunting trips. Opinions and explanations are all greatly appreciated.
The New Rookie
Jed said,
December 4, 2010 at 3:19 pm
Dear Rookie
Great to hear from you and hear your perfect question. Likely, because of the lack of everyday hunting opportunities, other hunting related hobbies have developed, over the years. One of these hobbies is the debate over the “best all around rifle” for a given person or task. This question, is your question, and is widely debated and hashed over.
My opinion for you. A nice 30:06 with a stainless action and barrel, and composite stock. The Remington 700 series or Winchester model 70 or the Browning A bolt come to mind. These rifles can be picked up used for a good price or new for not much more. They will last, if taken care of, to be used by your great grandchildren. This caliber has a large choice of ammo available, that can be tweaked to fit game from coyotes to elk, moose, sheep, goats, and bear etc.
If you get going and develop an addiction for rifles, like I have, then you can spread out and get into the gun a month club. ‘Bad addiction!
Good luck, and let us know about your first hunt, or holler and we’ll help you find a suitable hunt.
jake faber said,
January 28, 2011 at 1:12 am
read an article a few years ago and the autor was a grizz guide from alaska and stated use a gun your comfortable with. he killed grizzlys with a 30-30 and so did his whole family and a few clients. a well placed 243 is better than a misplaced 458. get a good bullet. hell, use an 30-06. load up some 220 grain hornady round noses or a 180 tripple shock or partition. when i get my chance at a maryland black bear it will be with my 270 and a 150 grain roundnose core-lokt and i will appologize to no one. my backup gun will be a .45 on my hip. if i gotta track it through thick stuff; ill go back to the truck and get my 870 and load up with those 3.5″ lightfields. i have a 200 yard range in my backyard. i shoot daily. im confident in my abilitys. i know where the bears are, and i know i can get the job done. if you have any questions feel free to email me @ jakefaber243@yahoo.com or if you happen to get a black bear permit in marylan email me; i can and will help with your questions and may be able to help you out with a good spot in public land.
Jeff said,
February 7, 2011 at 11:26 am
Going on a brown bear hunt and thinking of taking a 30-378 wby mag loaded with 220 grain partitions. Is it enough gun? I shoot it well.
Jed said,
February 8, 2011 at 12:16 pm
hi, I’m excited for you. The most demanding, and most rewarding hunts I’ve been on, are my brown bear hunts. Both brown bear I’ve harvested took multiple shots from my .338. I think your gun choice is great. Still, respect this animal. He’ll be a beast!
Is this the Alaskan peninsula or one of the islands? This spring or a fall hunt? Who are you going with? Please let us know how it goes. Good luck and have fun.
Eric said,
March 11, 2011 at 4:09 pm
The .308 was used by the military as a sniper rifle on a Remington 700 platform. Still used to this day. What you have to consider is there’s military accuracy and power, then there’s hunting accuracy and power. Remember a persons head is the same density as a head of lettuce. Bear is a whole different subject. I would recommend a minimum of a 30-06. A 7mm mag matched with a soft tip would be a great choice. Full metal jacket would just piss it off because of the low penetration size. Another thing to keep in mind is a bear can still attack up to five minutes after it’s heart stops. Knock-down power is what you want.
Hal Stathers said,
June 27, 2011 at 7:17 pm
Hunted Black bear since I was 12. 81 now. I use a 12 gauge with Federal Maxum
SSG 10 balls per load. One bullet may not stop a bear but one barrel full of hot steel
Does the job even in the brush. You just learn to wait until he gets close enough,
Shoot then change underwear. Note….I do not hunt bears for fun. The black bears the most dangerous animal in the BC bush as they are not hunted, are garbage fed, and no longer afraid of people. The early summer 3 year old male is a beast to be reconned with. If he decides you are on the menu ……you had better be loaded “for bear”. This is serious business now not a casual sports outing.
Charlie said,
July 5, 2011 at 11:13 am
My Brother and I (are aging) early 60s, we have a bear hunt on our bucket list. He has a Rem. 308 auto and I have an origional 1884 45-70 trapdoor. I also have an M1 Garrand. We are looking for a place to go, neither of us have any bear experience and really don’t care if we kill one, but want the danger experience. We don’t want to rob a bank to pay for the trip. We live in Missouri and could go any direction but we don’t have a clue on how to start the process. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks, Charlie H.
Billy said,
August 29, 2011 at 2:21 pm
i go boar hunting and use a 300win mag and a beowulf 50 cal and they rock hogs but can i use either for bear?
Jed said,
September 3, 2011 at 9:27 pm
Thanks for the question about bear hunting! Those are a couple, knock the socks out of a boar loads!! I love big guns and these are both BIG, but in different ways. The beowulf 50 cal was designed to smack bad guys (people) at close range even if they were hiding inside a car. This bullet won’t let something silly like a window or a car door stop it. At close to moderate range it’s a great, maybe over great, gun for a bear. The problem would be predetermining the range with a bear. Bait hunts are quite predictable making this gun very adequate. The same would go for treed bears, like we hunt with hounds. Wide open spot and stalk hunt are another story and here I’d back off with this caliber if you have a choice. If you inherited the gun from your great grandpa, (you didn’t) risk it. Other wise the 300.
The 300 win mag is one of my very favorite calibers. It shoots big, fast, far and only kicks pretty hard. It’s almost impossible to go wrong with a 300 win mag on bears. My favorite load might be a reasonably heavy Barnes Triple Shock. Maybe 180-200 grains depending on the size of a bear I was expecting. The biggest black bear I ever killed, I shot at 100yds, on Vancouver Island with my 300 win mag. 7′ 6″, and the 300 killed him dead!!
There you have one old guys opinion. Now let me know when and where!!!
sea bee said,
September 18, 2011 at 8:16 pm
ballistics say one thing truth is something else. truth is statistically the 30 magnums and the 7 magnums are the worst bear stoppers. 20 yrs worth of stats show the 458 mag, the 378 and 375 mags are the best followed by the 338 magnums, heavy 45-70′s then 30-06 220s and 308 200s. The biggest caliber you can shoot is the best for you. Mine are as follows Marlin 45-70 with max loads and a 338 win mag with a high power scout scope on it for extra eye relief. Both put out well over 3500 ft lbs.
Dave said,
December 2, 2011 at 12:04 am
Great comments from everyone. What a great forum!
Some friends of mine recently moved to Washington and want me to go camping with them in the upper Cascade Mountains where there are a handful of Grizzlies and tons of black bears. None of us are hunters, but we are experienced campers (though not around bears), and I consider myself to be a pretty good shot due to considerable trigger time at the range.
My main concern, then, is defense in the very unlikely event of an attack or a too-close encounter which can’t be corrected by some other means.
I’ve read numerous articles about optimal rifle and cartridge for bear, and I do like the idea of having a semi-auto chambered in something like .338 magnum. However, to be honest I’m not all that enthused about going out with anything in the .30-range of cartridges given the stories I’m hearing about 3, 4, or even 8 shots being necessary to take the animal down.
I suppose my questions would be: What cartridges in the .40-range and beyond do you recommend which would ensure a bear could be taken down quickly (assuming an accurate shot)? I’m concerned that the farther upward I depart from .338 magnum, the more I’ll start getting into unbearable (excuse the pun) recoil. Also, how does sectional density really factor in? Should I just go with the largest commonly-available caliber I can find that also has the highest possible SD? Or would I be worse-off having a gun with plenty of stopping power but too much recoil? Finally, how important do you think the semi-auto feature is when a bear is charging, there isn’t much time to act, and you may need to place several rounds very quickly under great stress? So far as I can tell, the semi-autos really aren’t available in anything larger than .338 magnum! Based on what I’ve heard, I’m inclined to believe that they should be.
Thanks in advance for your targeted responses!
Jed said,
December 5, 2011 at 9:45 am
Dave, Thanks for squirting these interesting questions and comments our way. As you can tell from our bearbum.net site, we’re hunters, so the answers I give you will be slanted by my experience, which is mostly hunting. You’re also getting my opinion, not a consensus of many, or a given specialist. Just me. Most of your questions will be answered in the form of stories and examples.
As you read, Dave, a medium sized brown bear I shot once, received nine shots from a .338 Winchester magnum before it died, 10 yards from me and my guide. I wish I had had a bigger gun that day, I tell you. A .338 win mag, a 416 or my 500 Jeffrey’s on given days would not prevent a grizzly from getting at you. So the logical solution is to go bigger. The best and most widely accepted advice for preventing being chewed on by a grizzly or black bear doesn’t involve a gun at all.
The 1st brown bear hunt I went on was along the coast of Alaska, and they had strict rules. One of these strict rules was “no guns discharged in camp”. That meant, even if we had a bear in our tent we weren’t to discharge a gun. Most of us play “odds” games all the time. Driving a car, motorcycle, or flying in a plane are examples. Firing a gun at night in a tent is probably, I have to agree with our outfitter, more dangerous than the bear in camp. So, though I take protective fire arms with me into bear country often, I am very, VERY, hesitant to use them. Be careful with your company. The last thing you need on a camping trip is a gun injury. Make sure gun carriers are qualified and mature enough to be trusted. Be open with each other about the gun’s role in the camping trip. When I go, no one even sees the gun, and the gun is not loaded and under my pillow. Of course, don’t accidentally bait bears into your camp either.
I can tell from your comments you agree with the above stuff. Let’s talk a little bit about caliber size.
I just got back from a hunt to Zimbabwe on the African continent. I went to hunt cape buffalo. To me this is the most dangerous animal to hunt there is. A close, very close, second is the grizzly or brown bear. I took a 500 Jeffrey’s rifle and wouldn’t again. The buffalo I shot, was killed with one shot and did not charge. This was great, however, the practicing with this huge rife was a killer. The recoil, I truthfully can’t handle well enough. If I went again after cape buffalo, and I want to, I’d hone it down and take a .416 double. What I’m saying is, bigger isn’t always better. It’s vitally important the weapon can be handled correctly in a given situation.
If I place myself in your camping situation, and could pick any weapon I wanted, I’d entertain only pistols. They are light and easy to use. The noise they make would likely provide enough protection, most of the time. This past spring I goofed around with what I think I’d prefer to have camping. It was a .410 pistol. Light, short, and at close range would deliver a massive shock. You’d want to use large shot like, 00, or BB shot. I promise, at close range this gun would put a hole the size of your fist through most creatures. Two shots would be unbelievably devastating!! I do not hunt with pistols and there are volumes of opinion on their use. There are many great close range calibers that would be fine. The .410 pistols are just my choice for close protection purposes, for anything life threatening, beast or human.
Also I wouldn’t go semi automatic. I just don’t like them. One good shot is always better than 2 quick ones. The other action types are just more solid, more trust worthy, and just better than semi auto.
Again thanks for your provocative questions and I hope this helped. I’d be glad to speak with you in person, if you’d like, or write again on the website so all can see our opinions. You’d make a great hunter-sooo take it up!!!
Then we could really discuss calibers!!
Best of luck,
bearbums
Churches said,
December 8, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Hey, I’m turning 18, and my girlfriend wants to go hunting for a bear next year. my mom lives out in Minnesota and we have been talking about going out there, I have a Winchester .30-30 and M1 Garand, I use 170 grain loads in my .30-30 but the problem I have with the Garand is I can’t use a load higher than 150 grain.. would the .30-30 be a good gun for her? I’ve never felt too much kick out of it, and is one of my favorite guns, and would it be better to use something else besides my Garand?
Jed said,
December 9, 2011 at 10:21 am
Hi, Thanks for the bear hunting questions. For close range bear hunting the 30-30 Winchester is great for smacking
a big old bear. Almost the perfect gun for a bait hunt. Three years ago I shot a Shiras moose with my 100 year old model 1894 30-30 Winchester, and it killed him dead. I cheated and use revolution plastic tipped bullets, which give this old 30-30 modern ballistics.
Now the M1 Grand I’ve not used. However other than it’s outdated clip system, if you have the 30.06 variety, you should have a bear killing machine. I’m not a fan of a semi auto but many folk use them.
Get out there and enjoy a bear hunt. Practice plenty so you both know your guns. Where they shoot and how they shoot. Let me know how you do.