Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Brown Bear with a 7 Rem Mag questions

A client of ours is going on a Brown Bear hunt in Alaska in a little over a month.
He said he really wants to take his 7-Mag as he is comfortable shooting it well.
He is having trouble finding ammo and I told him I would load up anything he needed if he wanted me to.
I told him off the top of my head the first 2 choices that came to mind are the 175 Partition and the 160TSX.
I personally think the 160TSX might be a pinch better but that is just based on limited research.

What are your thoughts? Also does anyone here have any good loads for that bullet? I have just about every Hodgdon's powerder there is and IMR 7828.

Well... My thoughts are .338 Win Mag or .375 H&H

just my personal thoughts

Have had good accuracy with H4831sc and IMR7828 with 150-160 gr bullets

Brown Bear? With a 7mag? Seriously? What does the guide/outfitter have say about that?
I'd try to start somewhere around 32 or 33 caliber, preferably ending up in the 375/416 range.
just sayin'

I would personally use something bigger than a 7mm Rem Mag but if Phil thinks that a .30-06 is adequate, the 7mm Rem Mag should be too.

I remember Bob Hagel was on a hunt where on of the guys killed a brownie stone dead with one shot from a 7 mm Rem and a. 175 gr. Partition.. But Hagel was carrying a .340 for his bear. I guess the guide would be happiest with a guy who can hit the right spot with a 7, rather than a gut shot with something bigger.

Ya, I personally would probably at least take my 338WM or would buy a 375 because I would have an excuse. But he said his guide is fine with it and he is confident in how he shoots it.

What are everyone's thoughts on 160TSX vs 175 Partition?

H4831 for 160s and RL22 with 175s is what mine likes. I would use the 7 without hesitation, it wasn't that long ago the 30-06 was considered the bear rifle.

I'd not think twice about using a 7mm Mag for hunting brown bear. I'd probably be in 175 NPT mode, as in my experience it creates a wider initial wound channel than the TSX does on average and that NPT offers more than ample penetration for bears.

I had a hunter with me last year miss an easy opportunity on a B&C class brown bear, due in part to the fact he'd bought a "bear rifle" for this trip. I encouraged him in preparation of the trip to bring his "deer rifle" with specific ammo, but he was certain it wasn't enough gun. He'd fired the "bear rifle" less than 40 times when he arrived in camp and was ill prepared for the hunt as his poor shooting displayed. I stress proficiency over power, but it seems machismo normally wins out.

160 TSX without question

Your first two choices are the best ones, and I'd lean towards the 175NPT...



Thoughts are if he shoots it well, that counts for a LOT more than a new gun chambered in a bigger cartridge . I personally wouldn't hesitate to shoot brown bear with the .30-06 we have and that Im used to...7 mag aint much different.....

160 TSX
175 A-Frame
175 Partition
175 North Fork

Any of them will do the job.

GO with the 175 Partition and kill away

Send Phil Shoemaker a PM.

The 160 grain TSX gives serious penetration, which is going to be a plus for follow up shots, or worst case scenario if it's coming at him. Mine really likes Reloder 22, but H4831 should be just fine.

Any of the four SKane listed will work and as much of a fan as I am of monos, I'd agree with 406 and go with the heavier 175 for the reasons he specified.

It depends. Where is he planning to shoot the bear? If he's planning to shoot him in the vitals, I'd have no problem with using either a 160 TTSX or a 175 Partition.

Ain't much new.....under the sun. A little retro cool


Just occurred to me some younger folks might not know who these guys are.

I'd be pretty happy with a 160gr TTSX. The TTSX seems to do a bit more damage than the TSX, on average.

I've killed one Brown Bear with my .338 and when I hunted them again 2 years ago, I had the .338 as well as my .375. However, my guide and good friend killed his first Brown Bear about 25 years ago with a 7mm Rem. Mag. with 175gr NPT, in a Ruger #1. I also had a different bear guide that also had a 7mm Rem. Mag. in a Ruger M77. He'd killed quite few Brownies as well. Bottom line, it doesn't matter what we consider the right cartridge, the 7mm will get the job done if put in the right spot. If he is comfortable with the 7mm, I'd tell him to go for it.