Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Necessary penetration for coastal brown bears?

This is where the keyboard comes into play.

I'll take an angling shot given I am convinced I can take both lungs basically and lots of other stuff. I think its actually better than true broadside actually.,

But a direct head on.. nope not unless other circumstances.

Close enough to be looking at a slam-dunk type shot and I would not hesitate to aim for a hip socket from the front...

Close enough for that, why do folks not simply shoot them in the head? Serious question? I"m guessing the skull is part of the "trophy"?

A hit to the skull puts them right down, and the old bunk about bullets bouncing off their skulls must have come from the old muzzle loading days and round balls.
But it does destroy the measurable trophy and because it is a relatively small and constantly moving target it can be difficult to hit

Nice to know they won't bounce off. I was reading if it was a chip shot I'd shoot per Art, hence the head question.

That said I basically won't shoot moving targets, body or head, so that might answer my question too. Those heads have to be the size of the vitals on our dog size deer down in TX. Which would make any kind of 100 yard or less shot fairly much a chip shot if it was holding still and one had any kind of decent position/rest.

And I figured the trophy part had to come into play somewhat. Though for the most part these days trophy books are mostly about he who has the most money. I entered something once in some kind of book, a Nilgai that was not small, and in the end I was never impressed enough to see the point or ever even consider that again but I digress.

Thanks for your input!

A couple years ago my then 10 year old killed his first brown bear, a seven footer using his 9.3x62 with H4895 pushing 250gr TTSXs to 2100fps. We knelt 40 yds away while he fed directly facing us for over five minutes. At one point he asked "Dad, should I just rake him?" "No, wait for him to turn" was my reply. I wasn't so much concerned about the ability of the boy or bullet to do good work, rather there was no reason to add the danger of an evening blood trail job to an already maybe-sorta-mother-approved boys' adventure.

I've shot plenty of deer facing me. Often they drop right there but if they don't there's not much of a blood trail sometimes. It's hard to count on a blood trail with bears, so we try to get them as leaky as possible on the first go round. Unless they're charging and need killed right now that theory precludes a direct frontal shot on an undisturbed brown bear.

The boy's bear turned soon enough and soon had three shots from the kid in rapid succession resulting in six holes from various angles, the dance having started. Evidence indicated those TTSXs expanded just fine.

My best guesstimate is Phil and some others here know of what they type.

My only advice is Barnes bullets in 06 or better and worries about penetration no longer become an issue, just shot placement and angle of the shot.

Once you’ve checked penetration off the list you only need worry about the last 4 elements of taking a big bear down.

Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement and angle of the shot.


See how easy that was ? 😂

Nobler partitions were my go to round in my .338 and I still like them. But man those Barnes bullets are impressive to me on game.

If Phil or Art contradict this, listen to them.

art says shoot em in the face all the time. LOL

No flies on barnes that I've ever seen, though some have from what I see and read. Barnes is the only bullet I trust hands down, past a hard cast lead bullet generally. Both of those I know what to expect.

From other bullets I generally know it will be between this or that. LOL

Headed through around mid day through FBKs on the way to delta to drop off a camper. With the reality I need a pull behind bigger camper for next year. Hope to find something decent and used at a decent price this fall.

Then headed back for a few last charters maybe and then off to help at moose camp for the first time ever, 10-21 Sept.

Have time for lunch ? Or gotta keep movin ?

I grew up reading Elmer Keith and was brain washed at and early age because of that. So I knew I had to have a decent sized hole with a pass through on every shot I took. I have aged and know lots of different bullets kill well, even if they don't exit. Except for one moose taken with a .300 Winny and a few caribou in the 60's with 150 grain WW Silvertips from a 30-06, all of my critters were blasted with Nosler Partitions out of my .338 or 30-06. They always worked and killed quickly, even though the Partitions typically lost 1/3 of their weight on the couple of times I recovered the bullet.

In the late 80's I discovered Barnes X bullets and left the wonderful Partitions. The Barnes X bullets killed stuff deader, penetrated deeper and lost only a grain or two on the one I have recovered. All joking aside, the Partitions were and are always, "good enough" as are the Barnes X bullets of what ever flavor.

My favorite Partition load for the 30-06 was the 200 grain version and 250 grains for the .338. Since switching to the Barnes X bullets in the late 80's I have settled on the 175 grain LRX for the 30-06 and 225 grain TTSX for the .338 Winny. If I was chasing brown bear on purpose I would grab some 250 grain Barnes TTSX bullets. But, both current 30-06 and .338 loads offer all the "right stuff" one needs for big bears. As we all know, correct shot placement with a good bullet at a suitable impact velocity kills well. For me that means no first shots at big bears past 200 yards with the 30-06 and 300 yards for the .338 Winny.

My 70 year old wife is my moose and caribou hunting pard and we truly love our annual moose hunts. This year was easy as compared to some we have had these past 45 years. I shot a 44 inch 3 year old bull at less hen 200 yards as he stood still and gave me a broad side shot. The 225 grain TTSX bullet passed through both lungs, exited and made him sick quickly, he ran straight ahead for about 30 feet. After waiting about a minute for him to tip over I put another one into his shoulder and that dropped him and the bullet exited.

I believe the 30-06 load would of given similar results as would the Partitions. When I think about the size of the big bears and how they act and feel about being wounded I believe for the most part bigger is better and a deep penetrating expanding bullet is a good idea. All of this is old info and has been shown to be true every year. I also happen to like watching brown and grizzly bears and believe if we are going to kill them then we should kill them quickly by using loads that have been proven to have all of the "right stuff". We owe it to them.

Seems like the CNS shot is the best and only shot that can be guaranteed. And not much penetration is required, comparatively speaking. That said, I'm glad I don't hunt around these huge bears.

My experience with a bit over 20 moose using both premiums (Partitions, TB) and plain janes (Corelokts, Hornadys RN, Game King - no Barnes T's , admittedly) is that C&C work just as well as what you describe... cheaper too. I like cheaper.... and usually lean toward the heavy for caliber. 100's in .243, 225 and above in .338, usually 165 and up in .30, etc. what I will not EVER use again in .338WM for moose is a 210 Partition! Probably all right for caribou. Or coyotes. One bad experience is enough.

In my guns, Partitions tend to group less well than some C&C - but still perfectly adequate. That 12 ga slug at 35 yards never expanded, exited.... but did the job.... bull ran (running when I shot him) about 100 yards and keeled right over, shot through the big artery just under the backbone. Whitest moose meat I ever et...


For 51 years now the big bears and I have kept a compact- If they don't try to put big ugly holes in me, I'll return the consideration. Which doesn't mean I go inadequately equipped for the dance if I think it might occur.

We have eyeballed each other (closely!) a dozen times or so, over the years however....

So are we talking "just enough", or "over"..... ?

Personally, whatever the situation, I am a "Blow a hole to daylight" fan.

That’s far more eloquent than ‘two holes’!

If daylight is the goal, let Xs be your guide!

I think I would rather wrassel a bear.