May I politely suggest a muzzle brake to tame the recoil ? You can talk to a gunsmith about this option and the benefits of a muzzle brake.I recently installed a muzzle brake on my Marlin XS7 308 and it greatly reduced the recoil and makes the rifle recoil like a 223.
May I politely suggest a muzzle brake to tame the recoil ? You can talk to a gunsmith about this option and the benefits of a muzzle brake.I recently installed a muzzle brake on my Marlin XS7 308 and it greatly reduced the recoil and makes the rifle recoil like a 223.
A bolt action rifle will always have more recoil than a semi-auto. Try shooting a Garand someday. You'll love it.
Check out the "shooters rest" that several companies are making these days. They are designed to hold the rifle and allow you to shoot with no recoil to the body.
Check out the "shooters rest" that several companies are making these days. They are designed to hold the rifle and allow you to shoot with no recoil to the body.
Thanks for all of the feedback...
At least you did not say "safely take." With the big bears, the 30-06 is simply not enough gun, even with high-end loading. It is one of the best all around calibers.
There is an old cartridge that was wildcatted for years and finally produced by Weatherby that comes close to taking any North American game safely. It's the .338-06. Loaded with solids, it can do in a brown bear handily, and is great for moose. Loaded lighter, it is a dandy deer cartridge. Shoots .338 nearly as fast as the .338 Win Mag with less recoil and with ballstics nearly identical to 30-06 but with 200 to 225 grain bullets. You can convert a long action Savage 110 to this round quickly and easily, and for very low cost. Brass is simply 30-06 necked up to .338
A friend of mine forgot that messing with bear cubs is dumb. He was carrying a Garand, and emptied all 8 into a momma brown bear before he got her stopped at his feet. He is a very lucky man. I think he was hunting caribou with 150 grain silvertips.
Again, the 30-06 is a superb round, but it's not big enough for the big bears, and is marginal on moose. CB
Bullet type is also a major part of the equation in stopping big game. Some bullets are designed for early expansion and less penetration and others are designed for deep penetration before expansion. The correct bullet type from a 30-06 / 308 will stop a brown bear or moose with a well placed shot.
http://www.winchester.com/products/catalog/cfrdetail.aspx?symbol=SXP308&cart=MzA4IFdpbmNoZXN0ZXI=
my father in laws father was a bear guide in the yukon terr. he used a 303 british to kill many bears but 300 win would be the least IMO
I do agree that the 300 WIN MAG is a better choice for large game such as brown bears but the 06 or 308 can get the job done with the correct bullet type and shot placement.
If I were encountering a momma brown bear with cubs I'd rather have a shoulder fired Stinger Missile.
CB you have a good point that .30-06 isn't a charge stopper. But for hunting an undisturbed animal a premium .30-06 is more than enough for anything in NA.
Funny, I remember when the 30-06 was kind of the standard. No one thought it kicked that hard. Then the trend toward smaller lighter faster bullets came into play now people talk about the 30-06 like we once talked about belted mags. I had a Ruger M-77 back in the 80s chambered in 30-06 and I would go shoot 50 rounds off of the bench and think nothing of it. I always had a bruised shoulder the next day but it was expected. It was high power rifle. It's all about perspective I guess. Would also shoot across the course highpower rifle matches with a Springfield 03A3, that was fun. Good Times.
There is no doubt that with premium bullets well placed one can kill about anything with a 30-06. Many elephants have fallen in days gone by to much less powerful rounds in the hands of experts.
But, unless you have a professional hunter backing you up, it is advisable to have something that will stop a charge. .338 Win. Mag. is probably a nice minimum. I would prefer a .375 H&H as a minimum. That's the lightest gun allowed on the African "big five." Lots of brown bears have died from the .375 being applied in haste and with minimal shooting skills. Forest Service employees were for years required to carry one of these when in the Alaska bush country.
About Alaska PHs, you would be a while finding one who would take you brown bear hunting with a 30-06.
A friend of mine was charged by a polar bear. She killed it with one shot, in an eye, as it charged her. She was hunting caribou with that traditional Alaska Native favorite, the .270. She dodged the charge, while the newly dead bear kept running in the same direction for another 90 yards past where she had been standing. It fell in the snow, and so did she, on her butt. She said she shook for a long time. After that happened I never saw her without the necklace she made from one of the really huge claws. She died a couple of years ago, too young. Great artist, great hunter, and noted bush pilot.
Depending on a hunt going according to plan is a good way to move down the food chain. CB
But, unless you have a professional hunter backing you up, it is advisable to have something that will stop a charge. .338 Win. Mag. is probably a nice minimum. I would prefer a .375 H&H as a minimum. That's the lightest gun allowed on the African "big five." Lots of brown bears have died from the .375 being applied in haste and with minimal shooting skills. Forest Service employees were for years required to carry one of these when in the Alaska bush country.
About Alaska PHs, you would be a while finding one who would take you brown bear hunting with a 30-06.
A friend of mine was charged by a polar bear. She killed it with one shot, in an eye, as it charged her. She was hunting caribou with that traditional Alaska Native favorite, the .270. She dodged the charge, while the newly dead bear kept running in the same direction for another 90 yards past where she had been standing. It fell in the snow, and so did she, on her butt. She said she shook for a long time. After that happened I never saw her without the necklace she made from one of the really huge claws. She died a couple of years ago, too young. Great artist, great hunter, and noted bush pilot.
Depending on a hunt going according to plan is a good way to move down the food chain. CB
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