Bear Rifles and Calibers Boone and Crockett Lists

I just returned from 5 weeks of ministry work in Ireland and am getting over jet lag today. I thought I would list some statistics from the Boone and Crockett book records on the top rifles and calibers used by bear hunters

Grizzlies are broken down into two categories for the book. Brown bears and grizzlies are the two listings. What makes them two different categories is primarily brown bear hunters are after, well....Brown Bears. A lot of interior grizzlies are taken on a multi-species hunt which would normally include caribou, mountain sheep and moose. For that reason the most popular rifles for each species are different.  Interior grizzlies are taken with rifles that have more REACH for the other game hunted, while brown bear hunters can be more specific for the job at hand.

B&C statistics show the top brown bear cartridges as follows:

46 bears taken with the .375 caliber
37 bears taken with the .338's
23 bears taken with the various .300 mags
8 bears taken with the 30:06

B&C statistics show that grizzly bears were taken as follows:

50 bears taken with the various .300 mags
29 bears with the 7mm mag
27 bears taken with the .338 mag
16 bears with the 30:06
14 bears with the various .375 caliber rounds

It is interesting that a vast amount of paper and print has filled articles concerning what is a proper caliber for the bigger bear (I.E. Brown and Grizzly). Truth of the matter is, I have personally never shot at either one, so I am going to post a link to Phil Shoemaker's website. He has guided hunters to more grizzly and brown bears than you and I will ever see or probably even read about. I think we can trust Phil's reputation for what he considers a good rifle for a bear hunter to bring to his outfitting camp.

I will give you just a hint and then publish his link. He will not refuse to guide you if you bring a 7mm mag or a 30:06 with a decent scope and heavy for caliber loads. The reason for that thinking is experience and Phil apparently attributes most scenarios that went wrong as caused by hunters bringing too much gun and taking bad shots. His website indicates that his minimum stops at .270 Win and the maximum at .375. His personal favorite is an accurate 30:06 and a hunter who is familiar with it. He of course is not opposed to the various .300 mags if you shoot them well.

http://www.outdoorsdirectory.com/akforum/akhunting/61569.htm

If I ever am fortunate enough to book a hunt for the big bears, I would take a hard look at what Phil has to offer first. I would then run my .338 Federal with 210 grain Nosler Partitions and my .350 mag using 225 grain Nosler Partition past his judgement meter before making any decisions on my own. I am NOT particularly recoil shy so if he wanted something else, I would accomodate his wisdom. I would spend a summer practicing from field positions with whatever caliber and load met his stamp of approval and then "Go Huntin".

Dan

By associating with wise people you will become wise yourself.
Menander