300win mag for grizzly/brown bears

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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.....

A .35 Whelen or .350 RemMag, which share the same ballistics, will throw a 200 grain bullet at the same speed the '06 will throw a 180. Or something close to that. So, a 200 grain bullet at let's say 2700fps, compared to the .30-30's 170 at about 2100fps...that's a pretty big step! :) Just off the top of me noggin, the .350 or .35W will throw 250 grain bullets at around 2400fps. That's some serious hoss-power. The .35's will also shoot 300 grain slugs.
 
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check these ballistics out. Quite a bit more than 30-30
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Understood. Completely different animal. Like an 06 on roids. I was for sure confusing .35 Whelen with .35 Rem. I just looked it up on Wiki and donated $5 while I was there.


(ETA: I love how Wikipedia has such detailed information and illustrations on cartridges and guns, their history, notable users, origin, manufacturing histories, comparisons, etc. Just for their information on gun stuff alone is worth the $5 if it helps keep em going)
 
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I have no experience directly with the OPs issue but I was reading, forget exactly where, concerning hunting in Alaska, not for brown bears, just hunting for other game. The fellow related that in his thinking and recommendation, any rifle of the calibers needed for elk, moose etc. is going to have a whole lot more arse thumping FPE than any handgun if the need for bear protection arises.That may not be entirely correct as a blanket statement but the intention of his statement is that your hunting rifle should be chosen with that (bear protection possibility) in mind and in that case, a .300 Win Mag ought to thump a bear pretty damn good. I am kinda in the big hole line of thinking but a .300 Win Mag ain't no daisy and packs a mean punch. Choose bullets/ammo that can handle both game and if need be protection from a bear and call it a day. Maybe your second will be carrying a .45-70 with BB ammo.
 
I've heard there is some mandatory minimum caliber/cartridge requirement when entering certain areas of AK. Is there any truth to it?

Not in Alaska but on the Norwegian island of Svalbard you must carry a firearm if leaving the settlements, because of polar bears, and the minimum caliber permitted for bear protection rifles is .308 or .30-06 with a 180-grain bullet.
 
I have no complaint against the .300, I mean, it's "as good" as an '06...and that ain't faint praise. I'm just thinking that if he's shopping around, something other than a .300 would be more "fun", or have more of a "cool factor" at least. ? And, obviously, I'm a .358" fan.
 
No cartridge restrictions here, if you wanna use a .223, you can! Land of the free, home of the darwin awards lol. Fish and game *recommends no less than a 30-06 with good quality hunting bullets. Also you dont need to unload your rifle on an atv, another asinine rule I’ve heard of elsewhere. We do have a 5 round mag limit though.
 
If I were going to buy a rifle for big bears it would be a .338 Winchester Magnum
Was working on a huge sprawling farm with mega, mega acreage doing some electrical. The owner, Connecticut Corona Implant second or third home. Anyway, owner was gearing up for the woods to hunt whitetail and me and the carpenter were talking deer rifles. 30-30, .243, 7mm-08, and 06 on the high end. It was funny because the carpenter had just expressed his opinion that the 06 was more than needed around vermont and 30-30 being his pick for the dense brushy vermont woodlands. Queue the landowner walking over with his .338 Win Mag..... I got a big eye roll from the carpenter......
 
If I were going to buy a rifle for big bears it would be a .338 Winchester Magnum or a .375 H&H magnum. I've got lighter stuff covered already with the .270. Why pussyfoot around?

If I was going after them big grizz, picking a fight with one, yeah I'd choose a .338WM. (Which can also be throttled down when one wants to go after white tail deer on cousin Billy-Bob's farm in the midwest) Wish I had never traded off the one I had. But I think the OP was thinking more in terms of did the .300WM have enough ooomph to take care of a bear at close range in an emergency. And I'm sure it would do the trick, especially with a heavy bullet.

But the .300 is so BORING. A slightly improved .30-06 with a "belt". (why was the belted cartridge case invented? Because they couldn't figure out a way to put suspenders on it)

Speaking of close range, that's the last place I'd want a Nosler magic bullet. I'd much prefer a heavy for caliber round-nose bullet, something like an old 200 grain Remington "Core-Lockt" that's not going to blow up at close range.
 
Hmmmmmm, for Brown Bears I have personally used .223, .243w, 8mmMauser, 30-06, alot of 7.62x54r and a .308w.

All worked out just fine in the end, and always depended on my bullet's placement, every time.
Can't beat the voice of experience... Although I wouldn't shoot any bear with a 223. Never been that hungry I guess.
 
Land of the free, home of the darwin awards
Im gonna borrow that one.....

Was working on a huge sprawling farm with mega, mega acreage doing some electrical. The owner, Connecticut Corona Implant second or third home. Anyway, owner was gearing up for the woods to hunt whitetail and me and the carpenter were talking deer rifles. 30-30, .243, 7mm-08, and 06 on the high end. It was funny because the carpenter had just expressed his opinion that the 06 was more than needed around vermont and 30-30 being his pick for the dense brushy vermont woodlands. Queue the landowner walking over with his .338 Win Mag..... I got a big eye roll from the carpenter......
You wanna make him laugh, tell him there's someone in Hawaii shooting Axis deer and sheep with a .375 Ruger.........



Were I making the trip, I would take the aforementioned .375 and leave my .300 at home.....Were I BUYING a rifle for more general use and not knowing I LIKED my .375, then Id probably start at the .300WM, and stop at the .338WM.
I would also probably run 200gr NPs in the 30, and 250s in the .338.....
 
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