300win mag for grizzly/brown bears

It works just fine as long as you can hit the target/vitals. If you graze him or miss it doesn’t matter if you shoot him with a 338 Lapua or a .50bmg. It just going to get mad. shot placement is key when it comes to big animals. Also carry a handgun just is case. And last, give it time to expire. Last thing you want is get within arms reach of a grizzly waking up from a shot wound.

There was a thread on this not more than 2 weeks ago, might search for that.

In short, I wouldn't feel undergunned with a .300 WM if I were hunting other species and had a big bear encounter, but it wouldn't be my first choice for specifically hunting Grizzly.

In a defensive situation, the humane killing of the animal is not a concern, only stopping the attack. A .30 caliber bullet or three ripping through it's flesh may not kill the bear quickly, or even at all, but you don't care, you just need it to change its mind about killing you.

Whole different ball game when deliberately hunting them; you want to put them down as quickly and painlessly as possible, so use an appropriate cartridge & bullet. .300 WM could do it, but IMO, that's like using a .22 Hornet for deer sized game. A grizzly is a large, dense, tough animal. In my stable, I'd grab the. 375 RUM for that purpose.

More than enough gun. You might want to consider the ammo chosen, that's far more important than the cartridge. Some of the bullets 200 gr+ designed for deep penetration such as Nosler Partitions have proven to be enough to stop any bear if fired from a 30-06 or 300 mag. That might be more bullet than you need for deer or elk, but if hunting in an area with lots of big bear that would be my choice in bullets. Just in case.

300 winmags kick, but not horribly.
You can shoot larger calibers that are as comfortable

Id look at a 35 whelen, 338 winmag or 375 H&H if going after grizzly.

But if elk hunting in grizz country, a
300 wm sounds decent

Itll work just fine, plenty of people up here use it.

We expect pics whenever that happens

I’d feel fine with a 30-06. Any flavor of 300 mag is plenty.

Just an observation, if the rifle didn’t do the job what’s a hand gun going to do. ?

The_shooter said:

Well I appreciate everyone’s input and I now have an good reason to add another boom stick to the collection

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this changes things. I thought you had a rifle in 300 WinMag and wanted to take it out hunting but if you want to buy a new one I would recommend that you get a Savage in 338 Lapua magnum.

If you’re buying another rifle, look at a .375 Ruger. That’s what I’d take if going after a grizzly.

whughett said:

Just an observation, if the rifle didn’t do the job what’s a hand gun going to do. ?

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the handgun is not to be used as a primary, but I’m sure a bear will think twice about killing you if you put 15 rounds of 10mm into his skull/face. Sure is not a guarantee but there is a reason to have it instead of empty hands, heck even a knife to the eyes can be useful when a bear is trying to eat you. Hahaha

Your cartridge will do fine with proper placement.

The old saying is "You can kill a Brown Bear, but you cannot stop him" which is sorta general rule.

My personal rule for Brown Bear is "All Bears get 2 shots, no matter what", and its paid off a few times since one "woke up' on me, and drove home that lesson.

The best pistol for Brown bears are Rifles.

The_shooter said:

Possibly going on a hunt in grizzly country just wanted to hear a few thoughts on the 300win for a grizzly stopper

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Where do plan on hunting ? Grizzly Bear are protected here in Montana, if you shoot one he better have your leg in his mouth.

sarduy said:

the handgun is not to be used as a primary, but I’m sure a bear will think twice about killing you if you put 15 rounds of 10mm into his skull/face. Sure is not a guarantee but there is a reason to have it instead of empty hands, heck even a knife to the eyes can be useful when a bear is trying to eat you. Hahaha

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Save the last Bullet for yourself

45-70

The_shooter said:

Well I appreciate everyone’s input and I now have an good reason to add another boom stick to the collection

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A 9.3x62mm, pushing 285 gr. Norma Oryx bullets, would also be a good choice.




GR

If you are starting with a new (or new-to-you) rifle, for sure something more fun and less boring than a .300WM would be....more fun. You probably don't need any of the really big-boomer shoulder-smashers suggested though. A nice step-up from a .30 caliber would be something in .358", like a 35 Whelen, or a .350 RemMag. Neither of those will kick like the really big-boys, or even a .338WM, (I LOVE the .338) but will throw a bigger heavier bullet, which will be more effective "in real life", than magic Nosler bullets, or other expensive magic bullets. Another cool thing about the .35's is that they shoot flat enough for any ethical ranges that one would/should shoot live game at.

So, my vote would be to look into some .358 caliber rifles.

Hookeye said:

Id look at a 35 whelen, 338 winmag or 375 H&H

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.35 whelen for a grizz? Just generally curious, I dont live in brown bear country but the 35 whelen is kind of a short step up from a 30-30 no? No snark intended, just wondering.....

If you didn't stop a bear with a .300 Win and a good bullet, you very likely wouldn't have stopped the bear with anything else either.