30-06 vs 7mm rem.mag.

[Muzzlelover]

IF you were going to shoot brown and grizzly bear(I know that a 338 or 375 would be waaaaaaayyyy better BUT since I'm probably never going to alaska this is just out of curiosity)would you take a Remington 742 in 30-06 or a Remington 700 in 7mm rem mag?(No,I am in no way a remington dealer,spokesperson or advertiser.)Thanks.

 

[Abel]

I wouldn't use a 742 to paddle my boat! But I would shoot a Griz with a M700 in 7-Mag with the right bullet at the right range. Rather have a 300 Win Mag as a minimum though.

 

[shootr]

Think I'd go 06 with 180s or 220s depending on anticipated range.

 

[C-grunt]

I'm a 7 Mag fan but I don't know if they make a bullet heavy enough to make me feel comfortable shooting a brown bear.

 

[joed]

I'm a 7 Mag fan but I don't know if they make a bullet heavy enough to make me feel comfortable shooting a brown bear.

One of the reasons I dropped the 7mm RM in favor of the .300 mag. When I looked at tullets and considered recoil the decision got easy.

And to be honest I'd want a bigger bullet then .30.

 

[C-grunt]

One of the reasons I dropped the 7mm RM in favor of the .300 mag. When I looked at tullets and considered recoil the decision got easy.

And to be honest I'd want a bigger bullet then .30.

Actually I looked up the SD of the 175 grn 284 bullets and its pretty comparable to 200 grain 30s. I'd still want at least a 338 Win Mag if I was hunting a 600 plus pound animal that could hunt you back.

 

[jmr40]

With proper bullets there is little difference between the 2 rounds, but I'd still take the 30-06 loaded with either 200 gr Partitions or 180 gr Barnes TTSX bullets.

BUT!!!!!,

no way I'd take 742 after large bear in any caliber. Of your choices I'd take the bolt rifle in 7 mag and load it heavy. I'd want the ruggedness and reliability of a bolt gun for this reason.

 

[Kachok]

While the 7mm is no slouch I would opt for the heavier bullets the 30 cal can throw. Neither is my first choice for brown bear but I think a 220gr Partition or 200gr TSX can take nearly anything that walks with good shot placement.

 

[Gtscotty]

jmr40,

That is a hell of a picture, I get chills just looking at it. 30-06 for me,unless I was restrained to your rifle choices... then I think I'd find somewhere else to shop.

 

[sixgunner455]

Bears the size of a freight train ... I'd take either of the calibers, but neither of the rifles. CRF in a bolt gun, and I'd try to learn to shoot a .375 H&H.

Think I'll stay in Arizona.

 

[BluegrassDan]

I'd stay away from the Remington 742. Get something that'll hold its value and not break down on you.

 

[gspn]

Thanks JMR40...no I'll have bad dreams. I'm going to check my closet for grizzly bears before I turn out the lights.

 

[kludge]

Do you have these two guns already or are you thinking of buying something?

 

[hardluk1]

If a close encounter is the worry then bear spray followed with selling or tradeing the 742 for a short barreled 12ga full of slugs.

 

[mdauben]

would you take a Remington 742 in 30-06 or a Remington 700 in 7mm rem mag?

I think like several other posters, I would chose the .30-06 over the 7mm, but the 700 over the 740. Neither caliber would be my first choice for brown bear, however.

 

[firedawg60]

When I saw the title, I immediately thought 30-06 with heavy bonded or Barnes bullets. But when seeing the two choices of rifles, I like others def say go with the 7mm 700. Load up with some 175gr partitions or equivalent.

 

[Jaag]

I'd go with the 7mm stoked with the heaviest bullet possible in the Remington 700. I would use the 742 for things that cant kill me.

 

[brnmw]

The main issue for me would be to go with the "Bolt" gun (Dependability). As for caliber either one would be fine. (Just remember good shot placement but that goes for any cartridge.)

 

[beatledog7]

Between the two, I'll take the Big 7 loaded "for bear." But I doubt one round would do it. The potential need (or a legal hunter's desire) to take down one of these ginormous bears is why God made the lever-action 45-70 and the 405-grain bullet.

 

[d2wing]

I recently read a link posted in another thread about bear calibers. It was a bulletin put out by the Alaska dnr ranking rifle and pistol cartridges and shot gun shells. Actually the 30-06 in either 180 or 220 grain was ranked very high, better than all mags except the really big top 4 or so. The 7 mm was ranked a few spots lower. I have both, a couple 06 semi autos, a 742 and 7400 as well as
A 7 mm in a 700. Tough call but a charging bearis really fast. Providing the 742 is in excellent condition and the action is not galled or the action jails are not chewed up and the gun is clean and properly lubed for the weather I would take the 742, or better a 7400 or newer. However is there is any doubt go with a bolt
30-06. A bolt 7 MM would be a good choice with the heaviest sturdy bullets that both penetrate and expand and hold together.
Bigger is better but the main factors they cited were size, penetration, expansion, energy and retained mass. Bullet construction is very important as well as caliber and velocity. But don't forget that shot placement and rapid follow up are also big factors.
No matter what you shoot you are going to need practice with it and learn to keep your nerve.

 

[d2wing]

The article mentioned the 45-70. It is somewhat dated as improved actions and loads are available now. It varied quite a lot by load and bullet construction but with good bullets and a modern load it was effective.
Shotguns were way down on the list but were better than light deer cartridges
And pistols.
Sectional density was not mentioned as by itself is not a factor. For instance in a 7mm and 30-06 with the same weight and comparable construction the 30-06 ranked higher. More mass per caliber is generally better, but bigger caliber is better all else being equal and close on S.D. If SD was important than we would shoot .22 cal spears.

 

[Art Eatman]

I've read beaucoup discussions about cartridges and big bears. I've proposed that there is a big difference between hunting a Brownie and stopping the charge of a Brownie.

In hunting, generally, the hunter--commonly with a guide--has control over the situation and can more often than not shoot an unsuspecting bear. An '06 or 7mm Mag with a proper bullet would work quite well.

Stopping a charge is vastly different ball game. The consensus among Alaska folks is that such a problem is better solved by cartridges of the .338 Mag sort of power. .375 H&H and suchlike.

 

[d2wing]

I agree Art, the article I mentioned was about emergency weapons for Bear attacks, not hunting rifles. There might be some correlation. The elephant guns were the favorites by far if you can handle one.

 

[mach1.3]

I agree Art. Shot placement is a nice talking point when shooting bears at distance but stopping a charging griz or Kodiak is all about fire supremacy and probably multiple shots. It's difficult to control your breathing when a bear is charging you.

Oh, bring extra underwear.

 

[adelbridge]

inside of 230 yards there is very little difference between the two. Bullet construction is more important than caliber choice until you get out past 250 yards where the 7 mag is going to start to shine. I have a 7 mag A-bolt and a .30-06 BAR (similar choices) and for deer I go for the 7 mag. Even if the 742 runs flawlessly you still have to worry about operator error i.e. not closing the bolt all the way or the noise the bolt makes when closing for a manual reload. You always hear talk of going with a heavy for caliber loading for dangerous game but you are always robbing Peter to pay Paul playing that game. Equation is mass X velocity squared so the end result is always similar energy at the expense of a slower rainbow delivery. Shoot what your gun groups the best and work on shot placement.