30.06 vx. Grizzly

[remington]

I am hoping on a trip to Wyoming or Montana over the coming summer and I want to take some bear insurance and the largest gun I have is a Remington Model 760 30.06. I was wondering about your thoughts on using this caliber to stop a charge. Bullet placement, bullet selection, etc.

[kawalekm]

The total number people today in the inter-mountain west that have had a close encounter with a grizzly can probubly be counted on one of your hands. The hunting guide you're likely to hire might never have seen a grizzly in his life. I lived in Idaho for almost twenty years, and in all that time I think there was only one or two grizzlies in the whole state. I wouldn't make it a top priority. And, by the way, a 30-06 won't stop a grizzly. A 30-06 with a carefully placed shot can "kill" a grizzly, but it won't "stop a charge". For that, you need a big magnum that throws out heavy peices of lead very fast, like a .375.

[jim]

Well, you could always take away his credit card. :D Sorry, couldn't resist. A 12 Ga. shotgun loaded with slugs will do the trick and is far cheaper than a magnum rifle. A .35 Wheelen will do the trick without a doubt, .45/70 and a few others also.
jim

[jott]

I know little about guns but I have done lots of hiking some in Wyoming and I would say the chances of having trouble with a bear is fairly remote. You would be lucky to see one unless you are in a tourist area and they are after trash. I was hiking once and came up on a very large black bear and cub was about 10 foot away when we where both startled and the bear took off fast. Had my camera in hand and was no where near getting a pic. I have read about a lot of bear attacks and would not think a gun would have really helped in many of them (no time bears are surprisingly fast). Or in several cases a bear that would have probably left that area was shot at and then attacked and killed the person. My feeling is that to do any good the gun would have to be very close at hand, and any gun big enough to do the job I would probably not want to carry due to its weight. Maybe a small gun for other situations but I would not worry about bears.

[ZOOBEAR]

A 30-06 will kill anything on land with proper shot placement. ;D

[Swede]

This comes up a lot on hunting forums, and it usually triggers a pretty lively debate.

It really comes down to this; if you are charged by a grizzly bear and intend to stop it in its tracks, then you are going to have to shoot it in the head (brain) or spinal cord just behind the head. Those are the only two targets available on a charging grizzly that will put it on the ground immediately.

A 30-06 is perfectly capable of penetrating a bears skull and reducing its brain to mush. The spinal cord is no match for the round either.

Now, having said that and to echo what others have said, the accuracy of your shooting will determine whether you live or die. If you hit one of those vital areas then you will stop the bear. If you miss, you will be in big trouble no matter how large the caliber.

A shotgun blast to the head goes a long way towards convincing a bear to leave you alone, and it doesn't require the same degree of precision shooting in an emergency situation that a rifle does.

Here's hoping none of us ever have to test our opinions ;)

Swede

[RangerRick]

I took a 10 ft Brown on Afognak Island just north of Kodiak in 1983 with a .338 mag and felt at the time it was waaaaaay toooooo light.

Rick

[remington]

I am usually the one that is touting the big bores. I like big chunks of lead and I like big calibers, but right now I just don't have the money for another rifle and this is what I've got. With 180 grain Hornady Light Mag's or Remington 220 grain Core-Lokt's I am confident I could get off several shots into the bears head. I am confident in my shooting and I know the rifle will do it's part too.

[DM]

I lived in brown bear country for 25 years (Alaska) and i hunted them extensively. I "never" felt undergunned with a .338 mag... In fact i never felt undergunned with a 7 Rem. mag... (loaded with 175 NP's)

I've walked many a mile in bear country with a 30-06, and properly loaded it will do the trick, no problem... Properly loaded to me, means loaded with 200 grain Nosler partitions (NP's) or maybe a Barnes X bullet...

For me, i call the "properly loaded" 30-06 the mininum for big bears...

Personally, i prefer NP's even in the bigger bores like the .338 or .375...

It's all about good penetration with an "expanding bullet", when you need to break a bear down, and the 06 will do it with the right bullet choise!

DM

[Pitdog]

You are going to want something besides core lokts for bear, regardless of grain weight, and besides out of a factory loading and a shorter barreld rifle like a 7600, you aren't going to generate velocities fast enought to make the heavier bullets do their job to ultimate satisfaction.
Nosler Partition or Trophy Bonded Bear claw. Premium controlled expansion bullet in the 180 variety.
But like Jim said, a shorter barreled pump shotgun with good quality slugs is a better choice on the cheap.

[flatwater]

Many a black and Grizzley have been killed by a 30-30 and or a black powder. It just depends on how lucky you feel.
Flatwater

[MadTripper]

Maybe I'm way off here but I would think a .45 caliber pistol would be a safe bet for this particular situation. You can carry at least 8 rounds between the magazine and chamber. It is fairly lightweight and easily to maneuver as well as packing a hell of a punch. While it wouldn't be good for trying to hunt a bear down, I would think that pumping 5 or so rounds about the head and face of a bear would keep it from coming your way.

[DM]

While it wouldn't be good for trying to hunt a bear down, I would think that pumping 5 or so rounds about the head and face of a bear would keep it from coming your way.

Good luck with that, ooooh, and save the last round for yourself so you won't have to suffer so much... ;D

DM

[Pitdog]

.45 acp is a great and proven manstopper. Just too slow to do much to even a bear's head. If it's all you got....then do what you can.
Condolences to the survivors ;D ;)

[Weezin]

I'm with pitdog, a 45 is to light for bear. Thats my going to town gun.
I do a fair amount of fly fishing in bear country. The weapons of choice for bear protection are my 45-70, 12 ga. with mag slugs or my 30-06.
More times than not I grab the shotgun. On a sling it doesn't interfer with my fishing and I not as likely going leave leaning on a stump at the edge on the creek as I would with a rifle.....

[jjspirko]

Odds are if a shot from a 30-06 dosen't stop a grizz a shot from a 338 in the same spot under the same circumstances will not either.

First let me say I agree with kawalekm as your odds of seeing let alone being charged are very very low. Your guide will probably be carrying something with a stout kick for back up anyway.

Second with 760 you should be able to sling 5 rounds into a grizz if needed in about 3 seconds. If that don't at least change his mind then my view is it is simply your time to go. :o

[flatwater]

You don't need a gun at all , you just have to run faster then the guide and hope the bear slips on what you left behind :o :o :o :o
flatwater

[remington]

;D Yeah, I'll pick a slow guide LOL.
jjspirko- I've also got a 10-shot clip that actually works for the gun (most don't) so I've got double the firepower!

[DM]

Read the regs, i don't think a high capacity mag. is legal for big game hunting....

If you think you will need it, stay home as your not conifident in yourself or your rifle enough to be in bear country...

It only takes "one" 30-06 round in the "right" spot, and the bear is done, provided your using good ammo in the first place!

DM

[RangerRick]

As this isn't to be a bear hunting trip but more just a vacation I'd say a big gun won't be warranted. *I served for 3 years as a BSA Troop Leader in Anchorage, AK. *We were very active in the outdoors arena and bears/moose were always a danger consideration. *In particular, on field trips we frequently picked blueberries and the *salmon berries which grew as big as your thumb. *Naturally, these were a favorite fare considerably competed for by most every critter around including brown bears. *Of course young boys and bears arn't a good mix but life in Alaska is a bit different and berry pickin is serious stuff. *Consequently, when we went huntin berries all the kids including my daugthers would wear a cow bell, communicate loudly with each other and generally make lots of noise so the wild life knew what was where. *We scout leaders when in the woods with kids always carried a big pistol (.41 mag was my favorite) and Remmington 870's loaded with alternating buckshot and slugs which is an excellent close quarter load I would recommend for a walk-about. *Of course, as in everything to each his own.

Rick

[mike82934]

I have to echo what a few other people have said...having lived in Wyoming for fifteen years and been in the backwoods quite a bit, I have never even seen a bear, much less been charged by one. I've found scrapes from them on trees, but that's it.
The only one I've come across was a black bear in Colorado while I was out hiking, but he was much more interested in running away from me than attacking.
That said, if you're really fearing for your life and don't know that a .30-06 will be enough:
Go buy a .500 Raging Bull or Desert Eagle, wait till he gets close enough to maul you, then stick it betwen his eyes and fire. :P

[edward_4576]

The only bears I've ever seen have been at the zoo and on TV. But after reading this thread I did some digging and came up with this article.

http://www.sportsafield.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemi d=27

Give it a read it's pretty interesting.

[remington]

*Read the regs, i don't think a high capacity mag. is legal for big game hunting....

*If you think you will need it, stay home as your not conifident in yourself or your rifle enough to be in bear country...

*It only takes "one" 30-06 round in the "right" spot, and the bear is done, provided your using good ammo in the first place!

*DM
1. If you read the post you will find that I said "vacation"
2. I am perfectly confident in myself and my rifle but, maybe that shot went awry, maybe I flinched, either way it is better to have more than enough than too little.
Now sit down and get oof my back! ::)

[DM]

1. If you read the post you will find that I said "vacation"
2. I am perfectly confident in myself and my rifle but, maybe that shot went awry, maybe I flinched, either way it is better to have more than enough than too little.
Now sit down and get oof my back!

I'm just getting you ready for when the bear attacks you... ha ha ha

Maybe you should carry two guns, just in case?? One may fail, don't ya know...

DM

[remington]

Yeah, that could happen. (hope not but Murphy is my closest friend it seems) A good handgun is always nice. My personal favorite is the FA Model 83 Field .454 with 300 grn. Buffalo Bore loadsin it but...

[mike82934]

Okay, to be on the safe side, maybe just opt for the 577 Tyrannosaur. The 950 JDJ would be even better, but I don't know if you want to haul that much weight around. ;)
(I'm just joking around with you, don't take it personal :P )

[remington]

Funning accepted! Their was an interesting link on here about a few guys firing a .577. Oh man I was rolling!! BOOM!! gun goes flying. BOOM!! guy falls down BOOM!! so on and so forth. There was another of a guy that fired a (I think) 600 Nitro handgun. Does anybody know where these are. Good for a little laugh. ;D

[dannistim]

I lived outside Fairbanks just north of the chatanika (sp?) and all I had was a remington 7600 30-06 carbine. I used the starting load in Lee's manual for Hvarget powder, a 220 gr. nosler partition bullet and while I never shot a bear my neighbor did using my rifle and some of my handloads he watched me load (he was a desperate subsistance trapper having bear issues & all he had was a .357 mag carbine). This bear was old, mostly toothless, senile, and wedged in the front door of his scapwood cabin made purposely narrow for just this situation. YMMV