Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 30/06 in BIG bear country?

Not from a bear, but a 180 PP Woodleigh out of a 30-06 at around 25 yards, through both shoulder blades of an ordinary Alaskan bull moose.



This is another Woodleigh, just a test and a 350 45-70 bullet instead. But it punched through a moose leg joint without failing as most any ordinary bullet will.

If truth be told, I'd bet there have been more bears killed with a 30-06 over the years than any other caliber. A measly little old 30-30 would probably be the next runner up on cartridges killing the most bears.

Any old time Alaska photos usually showed a Native American standing over a dead bear holding an old Springfield 03-A3 or a 1917 Enfield, both being a 30-06. And in lots of the old photos, the hunters were shown with their trusty M1-Garrand 30-06

Wouldn't be my first choice in Big Bear Country, I'd personaly take my 300 Ultra Mag loaded with a 200 grain Noser Partition. Or if I was hunting only on Kodiak Island, maybe my .375 H&H Magnum.

But if all I had was a 30-06, I'd load it with a 200 grain Partition and not sweat it.
And of course, shot placement is always going to be more important than caliber selection in my book. JMHO, though.

Oh there's no doubt the old OtterSix has an unbelievable track record. A lot of it with crappy bullets. I'm currently talking to a couple gunsmiths about building my ultimate rifle. I've been a rifle loony for a long long time. Kinda burned out I guess. That combined with the cost and availability of loading supplies,is coming to a head. My oldest is well on her way into the p-point system. Maybe she will carry the torch for me,lol. I love fiddling with rifles,but I need to streamline things. License,preference points,diesel fuel,food. College tuition. All working against me as a loony. But I don't mind. We're patiently waiting for the time to apply for her first elk license. A black powder hunt in Colorado. I'm ready to settle down with one rifle. A couple smokin handloads,and more money for licenses. Whoever builds it will likely get the job of building her graduation present as well.

Back to the point. I'm very well invested in the 30/06. I've had a bunch of them in the past,and have a deep respect for it's abilities. My only real question is what you all think about bullets in bear country. I'm currently planning a DIY moose trip to AK and figure the new rifle has to be involved. Odds are I'd be lucky to see big bears,much less have any problem with them. A fella needs to be prepared though. Especially if there is meat on the ground. My old favorite loading has been a healthy charge of I4350 and the 180gr Hornady. I don't think I've owned an 06 that didn't shoot them well. I'm not all that well read when it comes to all the super premium bullets though. Like the Woodleigh. Very impressive I must say,and suitable for the moose as well. We need a thread of recovered bullet pics. I love seeing them and the stories associated with them.

In a nut shell.I'm thinking 15 years down the road. What I build now will accompany me as I get older. I seriously considered a 338 Win complete with brake. Way silly for whitetails though. Although the ones I've shot with it died abruptly. The only deer I've shot that just pulled it's legs up and bounced when it hit the ground was shot with a 200gr Speer @ handy 3,000 fps from a M77 338 Win mag. With the majority of my hunting revolving around the deer family that doesn't make sense. So,it's come down to the 30/06 or 7 Rem mag,with the OtterSix having the edge. Mainly because of the heavy bullets available,at reasonable velocities. Like Mr Barsness said. It isn't a magnum. If you need one,buy one. Pretty logical.

Cool stuff right there. Thanks for posting the pics. How were they for accuracy?

+1

I've had good results with Swift AFrames in a variety of critters.

180 grn Swift AFrame, 54 grns of H4831 - call it good. This is the load that gives the best accuracy in my old FN Belgian Browning.

Having this I would not feel undergunned until I was face to face with a bruin. At that point, for me, everything I've got has felt too small at the time.

Esox

My factory 760 Rem 06 shoots the 250 gr Barnes well.

Have you considered the 35 Whelen?

Dangerous talk.

I can't even finish one rifle before another idea taints the waters.

Just a box of the Rem 220 CLs would be good to switch to after you have made a kill.

Make no mistake, I have zero experience in this matter, but what about a 200 A-Frame? Heard nothing but glowing reports from two PHs I've spoken with. They regard the A-Frame as the best hunting bullet available.

You know variety is the spice of Life!! :):)

+1

I'd be more conserned about the 200gr partion
On deer, than I would the 180 gr partition on a big
Bear. So for me it would be the 180.

OR

You have a great excuse to rechamber to 338-06 and
Run 210gr Partitions for everything !

I've a couple .06s. Working up another one now with heavy barrel for caribou at range. OK - what's "range" for me- 500 yards or so (need rangefinder....)

Mostly what I carry for walkabout bear protection up here (Alaska) is a '94 Win in .30-30.

Seems to have worked just fine for the last 20 (since I re-acquired it) of the 40 years I've been in Alaska. Ain't HAD to kill a bear since. Or ever, tho a few blacks have gone for freezer filler, a couple with a .30-30, tho not this '94.

The last thing I killed with the '94 was a No Dak white-tail in my senior year of HS in 1966.... it's over-due for another blooding. Probably moose.

That said, if you are worried about big bears with an '06, pick your favorite premium bullet. Barnes seems to be popular.

If that was my concern I'd certainly run with the 220 then. It's a rather sleek RN design which opens easily but has plenty of stuff behind it.




This 180 from 300 yards into a moose would be enough if you did things right. A 200 would be more inclined to drill even better. Nothing wrong with "better" when bears are an issue.

We can get around a few bears here. I wouldn't feel under gunned with a 180 A-Bomb at 2850fps or so.

R.

Toss the .30-06 before you get hurt. Big bears need big medicine, so nothing short of a 40mm Bofors Auto Cannon will suffice. These are still in service in the AC-130 Gun Ship, so ammo and parts are still available. Mounted on a 6x6 truck they are the ideal bear medicine. Loaded with an 870 gram Poltroon bullet at 3,370 fps they are capable of taking everything from rabid koalas to polar bears. Famous professional hunter Sir. Jerrold Quimby, took 800 African elephants with one shot under fortuitous circumstances when the entire herd lined up along the Muggbuhaha River in East Carbunkle, Kenya, July 9th 1938. So, go big or go home.

Did 180 TTSX. Would again.

Interesting thoughts from all here. Should I be fortunate to do something like a DIY moose hunt, I would very likely take my .35 Whelen shooting my pet load of 225 gr. Barned TSX at 2710 FPS and never look back.
However, as the OP's question stated the rifle must be a 30-06.
A very many years ago my first serious big game rifle was a 1917 Enfield that I bubba's into a spote of sorts. Several years late I had a local gunsmit make it right. Game hunted was coastal Blacktail dee in California and bullet of choice was the 150 gr. Sierra spitzer over a charge of milsurp 4895. Guess you could all it H4895. I won't even there with the fun of using tht stuff but the loads killed deer. That was late 1956 as I recall. I used that load like forever, even on big Nevada Mule Deer when I moved to that state. in 1970. A friend I partnered up with convinced me 180 gr. bullets were the way to gp so I went with the 180 gr. Sierras. Not sure if they were still not calling them Pro-hinters at that time and one of the boxed I have left still has the California address on it. I'd worked up a load for elk in the rifle I had at the time, a J.C. Higgins M50 a late friend had given me before he passed and it was the 180 gr. Nosler Partition at an stimated 2700 FPS. I killed the biggest bodied Mule Deer I ever saw with that load and almost lost it due to improper bullet action. Took three shots to bring that big boy down and on autopsy, it was apparent that none of the bullets expanded. The hole though the lungs looked like I'd poked it with a pencil. Certainly did not look like advertised Nosler results. Very disappointing. Went back to regular cup and core bullets for deer anyway.
After reading aall the comments on this thread, I'd probably go with either the 180 gr. Partition or maybe the 200 gr. Partition. It would depend on which my rifle liked best and if velocity was high enough that I'd feel comfortable with the load. I'm thinking that probably Bullwinkle would not be an awfully long range proposition and mostly likely any problem with a bear would be up close and personal. So rather than varmint grade accuracy, which would ne nice is possible, I think I would work toward as safe a high velocity as I could garner and accuracy at 100 yards of 1.5" or less. After all, Brown Bears and Moose are not exactly small targets. All this is hypothetical anyway as I'll probably never do that kind of a hunt ever. Too old and too fat.
Paul B.