? bullet for brown bear

juddroy

A friend of mine is going to Alaska this fall to hunt these bears that weigh up to #1000 .He wants to come over to do some reloading,but doesn't know which bullet he should go with for max.penetration and weight retention.He will be using a 30.06 10-twist so probably not over 200 gr.

1KYDSTR

180 grain Nosler Partition has been doing it for many years with a good track record. My main reccommendation though, would be to move to a 338 bullet ala the 338 Win Mag or 340 Weatherby. Frontal mass really helps on an animal that size. Anchoring the big Bruins is the key, and 30-06, which will not "stop" like a 45 something, while it has done this countless times, is assuredly light for the task at hand.

toolsforfools

50 cal or when you shoot it with the first 30-06 and make him or her upset use the second round on yourself.[:D][:D]

bpost

Having lived many years in Alaska let me give some free advice.

Tell him to purchase federal premium ammo loaded with 180 grain bullets. If he is new to reloading the chance of a mishap and a bad round is too great. Factory Premium ammo will be the lowest cost of any of his gear.

Also; After sighting in have him shoot several boxes OFFHAND. Some while standing with his foot on a bucket and possibly kneeling too. The tundra, willow, alder and black spruce groves may offer nothing to use as a rifle support. I shot EVERY single animal I killed in Alaska offhand. There was no other shot available when it was trigger time.

My .02 worth.

juddroy

He is not new to reloading and neither am I ,but I have better equip. He just isn't sure which bullet to use,and yes he plans on a lot of offhand practice

Michibay

I recently came accross a write-up that was done in 1983 by the U.S. Forest Service. They went through extensive testing of caibers and bullets to find out what would be best for their crews to carry in the coastal areas of Alaska. Based on the study...their #1 issue rifle was a .375 H&H customized to a 20" barrel with a peep sight.

In all I believe they tested 36 combinaions of caliber and bullet weight. Their testing was done at 15 yards using material they felt would be similar to a large bear. They measured penetration, bullet expansion, velocity and energy.

KEEP IN MIND...this was done in 1983...but some very interesting results came out of the study. A real big surprise was that the 30-06 using a 220 grain bullet came out with a very high recommendaton...even higher than certain combinations of a .338, 300 Win Mag and 7mmMag. The .338 with the 300 grain was ranked high and so was the 200 grain...but the 250 grain 338 was ranked lower. The 220 grain 30-06 ouperformed the 300 Mag with 180 grain.

The whole idea of this study was to find out what would best stop a large bear at 15 yards! The 458 win Mag was #1 but they felt recoil was a hinderence for many of their employees. Interesting they said at the time...they wished better loads were available for the 45-70...NOW...we know they are!

This study was about 19 pages long...its title: Safety in Bear Country: Protective Measures and Bullet Performance at Short Range. Authors: William Meehan and John Thilenius

Its GREAT READING!!!
Michibay:)

bpost

quote:Originally posted by juddroy
He is not new to reloading and neither am I ,but I have better equip. He just isn't sure which bullet to use,and yes he plans on a lot of offhand practice


In that case I would not feel hindered if they were loaded with 180 grain Nosler Partitions. I have several recovered from game. Even those bullets hitting heavy bone went deep. The base stays intact pushing the front to great depths in tissue. I would also not go any where near max loads. The idea it to assure absolute function. A hot load might just make for sticky extraction at exactly the wrong time.

I used 46 grains of IMR4895 for all my loads while hunting with a 30-06. They were not the fastest bullet in the north but they sure killed stuff dead.

thetarheel

The Barnes Bullets are excellent bullets for penetration,expansion, and weight retention.They have several weights to choose from depending on which shoot the best from your rifle. If I were going to shoot any of the large bears I would definetly be shooting a Barnes Triple Shock or X Bullet in the heavier weights for the chosen caliber.

tsavo303

+1
you will get better pentration with the Barnesquote:Originally posted by thetarheel
The Barnes Bullets are excellent bullets for penetration,expansion, and weight retention.They have several weights to choose from depending on which shoot the best from your rifle. If I were going to shoot any of the large bears I would definetly be shooting a Barnes Triple Shock or X Bullet in the heavier weights for the chosen caliber.

Geri

I would opt for the barnes X. 200 gr. in a 35 whelen. Only one ever recovered was from a moose. JMHO

nononsense

juddroy,

Large, heavy bullets moving at moderate velocities will do more damage to big game than than any other combination. I agree that you can use the Partitions and the Barnes bullets but I have been using some of these as the best bullets for what you're looking for:

http://www.northforkbullets.com/308-200.htm

If the 200 gr. is too much for your friend to handle simply drop down to the 180 gr. by the same manufacturer. Look at the pictures of the expanded bullets. Nice folks to work with supplying a better product.

Also go to the Barnes website and check on the 'new' MRX bullets with the tungsten slug in the base of the bullet:

http://www.barnesbullets.com/prodmrx_new2006.php

You're looking for energy not velocity, that's why some of the guides carry a 12 ga. loaded with slugs. I do have some experience with the short barreled .375 H&H which turns out to be a very good concept for the brush and thicket hunting in Alaska.

Best.