Creedmoor for Brown Bear Hunt

It's never been about killing the bear. Anything that will penetrate to the vitals will do that. It's about time and what the bear can do in that time.

I think too that the polar bear with .22-50 comparison is misplaced. Polar bear habitat doesn't provide the opportunity to disappear into the brush. My supposition (and purely that) is the NA's shoot from a distance out of sight and then track the bear until it succumbs.
 
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B&C bear. One shot. Theyre easy to kill


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Ok so you're the official Rokslide Brown Bear Guide.
 
Son, you don’t want any of that newfangled stuff. Minimum for a brown bear is a .30-06, and that’s bare minimum—and only if you’re using 220 grain soft points like God intended. None of those plastic-tipped whizbang bullets.

Back in my day we used .45-70, and that’s really what you oughta carry. Big, slow, heavy—knocks ‘em right over. You hit a bear with one of those, it’ll feel it.

All these guys with their 6.5 this and 7mm that… that’s for deer and paper. You need stopping power.

And don’t even think about taking a shot past 100 yards. Bears can smell fear, and if you wound one, well… hope you wrote your will.
 
The sad fact for hunting is when somebody tries to take a large dangerous animal while obviously under-gunned and fails spectacularly it leaves a stain on the entire hunting community. If on video and the antis find it - will be played and re-played for ages. Stunt-hunts are just that - one could probably kill a Brownie with a spear but you won’t find me trying it. I will say, having been there, when within 50 yards of a fully mature Brown Bear Boar, the shear size and power of the animal becomes much more obvious, and thoughts begin shifting beyond not just making a killing shot but to putting and keeping him down.

In addition to rifle hunting I’ve bowhunted most of my life with numerous African Safaris under my belt, including dangerous game. Folks have already pointed out that a well-placed arrow will very efficiently kill. While that’s true, the arrow needs to penetrate to and through the vitals.

Having taken multiple DG game animals via an arrow (Cape Buffalo, Hippo, Water Buffalo, etc) I would never use a bow/arrow/broadhead setup seen as adequate for deer or elk for those critters. Commonly used a ~800gr arrow with a tool-steel two-bladed head.

What was very frustrating was having to overcome outfitter and game department concerns due to guys failing with inadequate equipment. One was a very famous TV personality who came South Africa to kill a White Rhinoceros with his Whitetail Rig. He failed spectacularly and literally porqupined that poor beast. Worse yet, it was all captured on video and used as anti-hunting propaganda for decades (scoured the web and could no longer find it as it happened decades ago). Don’t remember how many arrows were sticking out of that Rhino but I don’t believe it ever succumbed and had to be shot. This shut down or severely restricted all DG bowhunting for a number of years throughout many African Countries. Some are still in effect to this day.

In my hunting experience going after a mature Brown Bear Boar with a light cartridge suitable for deer and antelope is simply poor judgement. One might be lucky and get away with a single well placed shot, but if it goes bad it will likely go spectacularly bad.
 
Son, you don’t want any of that newfangled stuff. Minimum for a brown bear is a .30-06, and that’s bare minimum—and only if you’re using 220 grain soft points like God intended. None of those plastic-tipped whizbang bullets.

Back in my day we used .45-70, and that’s really what you oughta carry. Big, slow, heavy—knocks ‘em right over. You hit a bear with one of those, it’ll feel it.

All these guys with their 6.5 this and 7mm that… that’s for deer and paper. You need stopping power.

And don’t even think about taking a shot past 100 yards. Bears can smell fear, and if you wound one, well… hope you wrote your will.
Your way too old and wise for this thread.
 
The sad fact for hunting is when somebody tries to take a large dangerous animal while obviously under-gunned and fails spectacularly it leaves a stain on the entire hunting community. If on video and the antis find it - will be played and re-played for ages. Stunt-hunts are just that - one could probably kill a Brownie with a spear but you won’t find me trying it. I will say, having been there, when within 50 yards of a fully mature Brown Bear Boar, the shear size and power of the animal becomes much more obvious, and thoughts begin shifting beyond not just making a killing shot but to putting and keeping him down.

In addition to rifle hunting I’ve bowhunted most of my life with numerous African Safaris under my belt, including dangerous game. Folks have already pointed out that a well-placed arrow will very efficiently kill. While that’s true, the arrow needs to penetrate to and through the vitals.

Having taken multiple DG game animals via an arrow (Cape Buffalo, Hippo, Water Buffalo, etc) I would never use a bow/arrow/broadhead setup seen as adequate for deer or elk for those critters. Commonly used a ~800gr arrow with a tool-steel two-bladed head.

What was very frustrating was having to overcome outfitter and game department concerns due to guys failing with inadequate equipment. One was a very famous TV personality who came South Africa to kill a White Rhinoceros with his Whitetail Rig. He failed spectacularly and literally porqupined that poor beast. Worse yet, it was all captured on video and used as anti-hunting propaganda for decades (scoured the web and could no longer find it as it happened decades ago). Don’t remember how many arrows were sticking out of that Rhino but I don’t believe it ever succumbed and had to be shot. This shut down or severely restricted all DG bowhunting for a number of years throughout many African Countries. Some are still in effect to this day.

In my hunting experience going after a mature Brown Bear Boar with a light cartridge suitable for deer and antelope is simply poor judgement. One might be lucky and get away with a single well placed shot, but if it goes bad it will likely go spectacularly bad.
You are also to old and wise for this thread.
 
killed the other 3 dudes in the process of all that shooting

It sounded like there were a couple shots with the lion in the middle of the people.

I like a .375 much more than the average dude but the idea of preferring big bolt guns and doubles for dangerous game comes from a time when wars were being fought with bolt action rifles charged with cordite cartridges and bullets were plated. Not far at all removed from black powder and mini balls. The only way for that stuff to work is big ass bullets.

Its 2026 these days. The standard practices from 1906 arent necessarily the best anymore.
 
I've just seen multiple statements lately from 22 cal to 6.5 being adequate/ethical etc for anything In North America. Just was wondering if those ones making that statement are actually grabbing their 22-250, 6mm etc when going after big browns. Not trying to argue over weather it's possible/ethical etc. Was hoping some that made the statement would chime in. @glock233 was one of them. Thanks for the response, that's all I was wondering. For myself, I'd prefer to have at least a 270 or 30-06 or something a little bigger that I can shoot well. The little bullets can obviously kill stuff very well but where are guys drawing the line and stepping up to something bigger?


Larger rifles reduce your killing efficacy by lowering your vital hit percentage. Recoil and noise have major costs in accuracy. And you practice significantly less with large rifles…


What people in this discussion miss is that achieving hits on a hunt is fairly hard. The optimal rifle you pick when you have to be practiced, accurate, carry it around, and make a long shot, is maybe different than the rifle you’d use if something was being euthanized in a cage (where missing is impossible).

The meaningful thing larger rifles provide us more range. A 7 PRC or 300 RUM might be good to 1200 yards and the creeds don’t do that. You also normally don’t need that range…
 
It's never been about killing the bear. Anything that will penetrate to the vitals will do that. It's about time and what the bear can do in that time.

I think too that the polar bear with .22-50 comparison is misplaced. Polar bear habitat doesn't provide the opportunity to disappear into the brush. My supposition (and purely that) is the NA's shoot from a distance out of sight and then track the bear until it succumbs.


It’s not most placed. The 22-250 was optimal for them because it’s flat shooting and they had to shoot medium-long due to the bears being fairly perceptive at shorter ranges. The lighter caliber increases the hit percentage at such ranges. It also wrecks the bears… just like pretty much anything when a vital hit is made.
 
It sounded like there were a couple shots with the lion in the middle of the people.

I like a .375 much more than the average dude but the idea of preferring big bolt guns and doubles for dangerous game comes from a time when wars were being fought with bolt action rifles charged with cordite cartridges and bullets were plated. Not far at all removed from black powder and mini balls. The only way for that stuff to work is big ass bullets.

Its 2026 these days. The standard practices from 1906 arent necessarily the best anymore.
You aren’t being comedic are you ? 🤣
I have to be honest, I’ve never shot anything over a 338 and I don’t know that I would care to. Using an old Mossberg 835 with turkey loads for years has pretty much broke me of serious recoil shoot that thing 6 times off the bench will rock your brain 🧠. I have a 7.6lb 20” barrel 338 RPM I use for big stuff and I can shoot it off a bench 30 times with no issues. I’m getting old and soft ☹️ not 😜
 
Haha well timed thread and funny af.

I recall that backfire mouthpiece shooting a muley doe at 500 with an eldm type and hit poorly and concluded don’t use match bullets. Then caught up to it next day or two and finished the job. I had to laugh, the only thing that made that recovery possible was that he was using a bullet that would do most work possible at that distance and really hurt that deer...enough to finish the job on poor placement. And he blamed the bullet....had he used a mono or fusion or bonded that deer would still be running around happy as a pig in poo lol.

Baffling he could not logic that through.

It does not matter if it’s shot one or a defensive rodeo, the grenades end all scenarios faster. Poking holes does not.
 
Haha well timed thread and funny af.

I recall that backfire mouthpiece shooting a muley doe at 500 with an eldm type and hit poorly and concluded don’t use match bullets. Then caught up to it next day or two and finished the job. I had to laugh, the only thing that made that recovery possible was that he was using a bullet that would do most work possible at that distance and really hurt that deer...enough to finish the job on poor placement. And he blamed the bullet....had he used a mono or fusion or bonded that deer would still be running around happy as a pig in poo lol.

Baffling he could not logic that through.

It does not matter if it’s shot one or a defensive rodeo, the grenades end all scenarios faster. Poking holes does not.
He’s the type of person you just want to punch in the throat!!! 👊
 
This be a good place to post a video of that guy with AR heading into basement while wife video from above and he face to faced with black bear and it was an impressive display of right tool for job lol. I’m so facking jealous, quit joking about 51st state and make it happen already! 😉
 
Inuit have historically used 22-250 on polar bears.

Animals die because they bleed to death internally after projectiles hit vital organs. This isn’t a power thing.

If I’m bringing a weapon only for protection and expecting a run in, it’s a reliable short barreled AR15 running 77tmk. If I’m bouncing a rifle to actively hunt, any of the Creeds or 6.5 PRC is pretty good.
With a light on it too! 😁

If you could snag some...A 1301 with some tungsten buckshot would be pretty nasty too.
 
It sounded like there were a couple shots with the lion in the middle of the people.

I like a .375 much more than the average dude but the idea of preferring big bolt guns and doubles for dangerous game comes from a time when wars were being fought with bolt action rifles charged with cordite cartridges and bullets were plated. Not far at all removed from black powder and mini balls. The only way for that stuff to work is big ass bullets.

Its 2026 these days. The standard practices from 1906 arent necessarily the best anymore.
If they had 30 rounds on tap. They could've just planted and shot them. Instead they start dancing around while trying to manipulate their guns (poorly). Seems more unsafe to me. No doubt a singular 375 can do more damage per round then a 556. But a quicker behavior change would've occurred with the AR.
 
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