Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 30-06 bullet in bear country

Phil is working on a book, and may be making real progress this spring, as non-resident bear hunting has been shut down in Alaska at least until June.

When Grancel Fitz took every big game animal in North America with his .30-06, if I recall correctly he used the 220-grain Remington Core-Lokt roundnose on big stuff. Back then all Core-Lokts had heavy jackets, and the few remaining roundnoses might still--they did until at least a decade ago. The Pointed Soft-Point Core-Lokts have had thinner jackets for close to 30 years.

The one whaling experience I've had occurred in Hudson's Bay, during an interlude in a caribou hunt almost 20 years ago. Was hunting with the local Inuits out of Arviat, on the west side of the bay, and one day a bunch of beluga whales showed up just offshore--which look like miniature Moby Dicks, growing up to about 20 feet long. Everybody jumped in their boats and went after them, and I got to go along. They used harpoons with heads made of thin copper, pounded around the head of the detachable shaft, attached with a rope to an empty plastic 10-gallon gasoline can. They't stick a whale, then let it tow the "float" around for a while until the whale got exhausted and stayed near the surface--where they'd shoot it in the head. The rifle and load of choice in the boat I rode in was an ancient, unmodified .303 Lee-Enfield, with old round-nosed 215-grain mil-surp ammo. It worked.

Most of the bullets mentioned in previous posts should work fine. I have tried most but, like all of you, I have favorites due to past experiences. Mine is the 200 gr Partition, due to both its short and long range abilities.

Federal makes a factory ammo with a 200 grain trophy bonded bullet that is approved by APHA. Looks good but I haven't tried it on a bear.

I’m a big fan of the 200g partition. They shoot great in my rifles and work well on everything I’ve shot with them.

Phil writes a book, I'll buy it. Probably put it between Aagaard and Barsness on the shelf, even if it isn't quite alphabetical.

A all around hunting load for a 30-06 or any caliber for big game may be a bit different then a dedicated "bear killer" for close range work. For sure a 200 grain Partition is a good choice and we used them for years. If I wanted to load up a "bear Killer" for the fairly rare charging bear I would either use the 220 grain semi-spitzer Nosler Partition or the 200 grain Barnes TSX, which I would suspect if both were driven close to 2,500 fps, would out penetrate the 220 grain Partition. But, I have no experience with either bullet at those weights.

Truth is, I really don't know any one that changes loads in their favorite "Old Betsy". Most every one I know runs a Barnes X of some flavor or a Nosler Partition or Accubond and they feel it is adequate for what ever pops out of the alders. For me personally, I kind of draw the line at a 168 grain TTSX out of a 30-06 for and all around Alaskan rifle and go up from there.

I used to think killing and penetration went hand in hand, with in reason. I still prefer my bullet to exit a critter, but I also want a good sized permanent wound channel and I know a Partition opens up quickly. Anyway, both should do the job, but I will probably go with the 200 grain Barnes TSX version if I ever want a "bear killer" load for my little 6 lb. Husqvarna Lite 30-06.

I'm not a "been there-done that" guy so take this for what it's worth. Normally I shoot the 165 TTSX in my .30-06 but for your concerns, I'd find a box of Hornady 180 grain round nose bullets and go at it......I might also use the 200 grain round nose.....

Not me. Have seen too many cup-and-cores fail to penetrate when needed, including heavy-for-caliber roundnoses, which tend to open wider and sometimes come apart, even on deer-sized game.

Some older cup-and-core round-noses, such as the original heavy-jacket Core-Lokts, tended to hold together much better.

Good news.

Yes it is.

I've only shot one bear, a cinnamon colored black, but I don't count as a hunt, the damn thing got to close to me bow hunting elk and mule deer, hit it in the left eye at 20 yards, 125gr Thunderhead buried in the base of skull and neck vertebrae, that said, if I had my '06's in bear country, they'd be loaded with 220gr Partitions at 2550 fps, range wouldn't be a concern, defense shots would be close.

I run a 150gr TTSX out of my -06 @ 3040 fps and not a damn thing in the lower 48 has a chance in hell to stop it. Like a hot knife in butter plucking up everything in its path. Period. I would not hesitate to go after the biggest bear with this combo. That said Sitka Deer and the likes have seen the 168gr TTSX in action and I've no doubt they know exzactly what they are talking about. It very well may be a better choice. And then there is Phil! 458win! Never doubt this man on advice from a 30-06 and big bears. I'm in Idaho and and hunt Elk and bear and hopefully moose but see Grizz at least once a season. OMG! I feel sorry for the bear that charges me with that 150gr TTSX outta my -06! It will be his last day. Period. A beast of a killer bullet.. Unlike anything I've ever seen. And I'm a huge Partition fan!

I hope this isn't too far off subject, but how does a 7mm 175grn Partition compare to the .30 cal 200 & 220's? I'm not talking about stopping a bear, but just penetration on big stuff like moose.

175 grain 7mm bullet has very slightly higher sectional density(.31) than a 200 grain .30 cal(.301), but less than the 220 grain .30 cal(.331).
Of course, bullet construction varies. The 220 is supposed to have the partition placed further forward than the 200. But not sure how the partition on the 7mm relates, but from pictures it looks similar to the 200.

Having zero experience shooting bears, I'm with Phil all the way. 200 grain Partitions.

Thought he switched to the 220.

His post above on 4/20 says he likes the 200 grain Partition, works far and near.

Oh. Sorry. I didn't see it. But now I do.

That is one of the advantages of the 200-grain Partition, both over the 220 Partition and lighter bullets. Nosler lists the G1 ballistic coefficient as .481, but Bryan Litz's independent rating is a little higher, especially at velocities down to 2000 fps. This doesn't mean it's a bullet for "long range hunting," but does mean it's far from just a "woods" bullet.

I have carried three different 30-06 rifles at different times around the areas full of grizzly bears. An M1 Garand, a Browning M95 and a Mauser scout rifle.
In every case I have loaded the rifle with 220 grain bullets. I am not hunting the bears, so I don't care at all about long distance. No bear is dangerous unless it's close. They can't hurt you at all until they are in touching distance.

The Mauser and the M95 share ammo. It gives me about 2500 FPS from the 95 and about 2435 in the shorter Mauser. The M1 has it's owe ammo, loaded with 3031 powder so the port pressure is correct. It works perfectly and the bullet chronographs at about 2350 FPS at the muzzle, but the recoil is very easy and you can fire an M1 very fast for not just the 1st shot but the following shots too. I have come to favor it over most other rifles because of it's quickness, not just for repeated shots but for the 1st one too.

I have killed elk with both these loads from the M1 and from the 95, and the effect of the 220 grain bullets is decisive. The penetrate very well and break big bone easily. If a bear is "coming at you" all the vitals are on the side of the target closest to you, so most deer rifles will kill a grizzly, but the good fast stops are usually a function of breaking bones. One thing I saw in Africa was how sometimes on big cats and on buffalo the back end fell first and drug down the beast when shot from the front. I learned the bullets was going clear through and breaking the spine or pelvis and hindering or dropping the rear of the animal first, which buys you some time or even stops the charge. So I would assume it would be the same on a bear. Maybe Phil could chime inhere and tell us if that's what he's seen too?

Anyway, the 220 grain 30 cal bullets from a 30-06 do a LOT of damage and go deep even when loaded down a bit in the M1. So I load them and I like them for use in the forested and bushy areas. They are just fine out to about 250 yards from my M95 and my Mauser, and with the M1 you can simply dial up the rear sight in about 1 second, so they are good to any distance you are capable of shooting with an iron sighted rifle.