My personal pick is, 9.3x62 300 gr bullet 2300 fps 3754lb of muzzle energy.

A good ol' 180 grain 30-06 would kill just about any animal on the planet at close - mid range.

The USDA made a publication in the 80's for Forest Service employees. Their recommendations for most people are 30-06 with 220 grain partitions or similar (A-frame) and I think you could also use 200 grain TSX. Due to good balance of recoil and commonality. They also say 375 H&H 300 grain.

The 375H&H is my all time favorite. I've shot an interior Grizzly with it as well as two Cape Buffalo in the most satisfactory way. Happy hunting everyone. 👍 😊

I just picked up a 35 Whelen. I got 2900 fps with Hornady 200gr Superformance factory ammo. Good performance for a non-magnum cartridge. I can’t wait to see what I can get with reloads!

338 win mag is the winner in my book. They are common, affordable, long range, ammo available, down range energy. It will ruin moose meat with its destruction power. Perfect for big bears. Trapper Scotty,Alaskan

35 whelen preferred but I'd trust my 30-06 with 200gr

This is why I got my 416 Ruger. I have shot through 26 2x10's and a two foot diameter oak log with solids. Thing is a monster with 400 grain TSX @ 2400 fps 5,100 ft-lbs out of a 20 inch barrel, leaves a MASSIVE wound channel and penetrates as deep as 300 win mag solids. Thing was made for Alaska.

. 338 Win Mag.

The 338 win, 45-70, 35 Whelan. 350 remmag, 358 Norma, 375 ruger.

340 weatherby is a great choice, I would try to get some heavy TSX and solids to handload. Cutting Edge makes 338 cal solids. I agree on 300 win mag I am working up handloads with 210 grain solids. I think for 300 win mag the best choices would be 200 grain TSX and 210 grain solid alternating in the magazine.

When I began reading on bears and I was plesantly suprised to find my beloved 358Norma Magnum was well received used and accepted. Its more power then the 338 plus better bullet diameter. Sends 250g bullets past 2850 fps. Ability of 300g bullets in the excellent Barns Original design. Solidly past low 4000 fpe.

Any good 180 gr partition/bonded bullet that is designed to expand and stay together in 30 cal will certainly do the job. .300 Win Mag, .300 Short (Winchester or Remington versions). 7mm mag is also a good choice. If you can shoot a .338 well, that is also a great choice, but its more of a “want to have” instead of a “need to have” cartridge.

My preferred chambering for Browns and Other big bears is the .35 Whelen loaded with a 225gr Swift A-Frame at 2750 fps. The .35 Whelen is too often overlooked.

. 338-06 and .35 Whelen good choices as well.

Always a great and interesting subject! Nice video with different cartridges than the last. My overall #1 choice would be my 338 Win. Mag. If I knew that I had to take , or was very likely to take a 200-300 yd. shot, ahead of time, then my 338-378 Wby. It hits at 100 yds with the same energy as a 340 Wby. at the muzzle, or at 200 yds. what a 338 Win. Mag. does at the muzzle. More power than needed, for sure, but, it may provide a big margin for the job at the distances, I mentioned. Optimum bullet construction and good shot placement are assumed of course.

I've got lots of suitable Brown Bear rifles but would definitely put my 340 Weatherby at the top of the list. I really love the 458 win mag and have shot a lot of game with it. It's versatility is unmatched and shoots 250gr to 500gr bullets with moa accuracy. I think for big bears I would choose the 400gr Swift A frame at 2400fps! My Dakota 458 Lott loves that bullet at 2500fps!

My fang and claw rifle is a Ruger M77 Alaskan rifle in 416 Ruger.

It wouldn't surprise me to find out that the 30-06 has been used to kill more brown and grizzly bears than any other cartridge.

There is a famous story of a man hunting trophy black deer in Alaska with a 7mm Rem Mag. He and the guide happened on a brown bear that charged them. The bear took the entire magazine of 7mm Rem Mag. The guide paid the insurance at just 20 feet with a 416 Ruger. The guides that I know personally insist clients use 300 Win Mag at the absolute minimum. It the locals want to use a 270 Winchester that's magnificent have at it. The locals in Zimbabwe also use hand lines to catch Tiger Fish.. Sound it out in your head guys.....

Hi RW, Good to see one of your videos again. All good choices. Naturally you can't name them all. A big part depends on which one has a manageable recoil for the shooter, the terrain that will be hunted and what other game is on the menu. The ones I've shoot big bear with or seen friends shoot them with are as follows. 416 Weatherby 416 Remington 458 Winchester 340 Weatherby 300 Weatherby 300 Winchester 375 H&H Recently I did a grizzly hunt, didn't get one, with a 338 RUM. I'd imagine it'll do what my 340 does. This is in no way a complete list and I'd say use what you're comfortable and familiar with. If that is a 30-06 than use it. Of course shot placement and bullet construction are paramount, since that is your only connection to the animal. One cartridge I have wanted to try for years and never have is the 358 Norma Mag. When I was a kid I read a story about trying this cartridge to protect pipeline workers. 250 gr bullet cooking at 2900fps will do the trick. Oddly the only rifle I've ever seen in that cartridge was an Omega. Love at first sight for a gun crazy 10 year old. Also the only Omega I've ever seen. Keep up the videos, RW. They're fun. Cheers, Jeff.

200 grain TSX for 300 Win mag best choice if only for bear. I would not load it too fast I would keep it slower so it doesn't over expand and limit penetration.

Bart the bear said that the 22 short, or the 25 acp, in his' opinion, are the best calibers for defense against grizzly bear.

338WM using 250 NP at 2820 fps has accounted 2 brownies, 3 moose, 5 elk, 2 eland etc. I also like the 210 NP and believe it's as effective

338 WM/ 340 WBY, 9.3x 62/ 9.3x64, 375 H & H/375 Ruger, 416 Rem, 45/70 heavy load

For the Woods the 35Whelen with 275gr Woodleigh PP @ 2350fps (19”) and 358Winchester with 250gr Norma Oryx @2280fps (21”) are my favorites.

I have used 3006 with 180 grain premium bullets to take a 800 lb grizzly and a 1300 lb bison.

Can't stop thinking about that Weatherby Vanguard Talon you showed us a few videos back. I pick that in 300 Weatherby Mag for my Grizzly hunting rifle. But, for those real big brown bears way up north I'm taking my model 70, 375h&h 👍🙏✌

Something else not voiced. Defensive use. You wont find many "magnums" on that list. 12ga, 45/70 are gonna be tops. But 444, 450Marlin, 458 Socomb and 450 Bushmaster are newer arrivals that deserve consideration.

good choices but you missed the .35 Whelen which is one of the best

I’d pick the 375 Ruger with short barrel and suppressor.

Great video! Makes me interested in the 375 ruger. In Montana last week I found a mark v .300 weatherby mag for 794.00, could hardly believe it.

I just got a 378 Weatherby, which if I was going on a Brown Bear hunt, would be my choice. I also have a 340 Weatherby which would be my second choice. My third choice would be my 338 Lapua, only because my 340 Weatherby is much more easier to carry. My 338 Lapua has a 26in barrel, with a muzzle break, my 340 has a 24 in Barrel. My 4th choice would be my 300 Weatherby. My 5th choice would be my 7mm RUM shooting 180 grain bullets at 3100 fps. My 6th choice would be my 300 Win Mag, Weatherby Weathermark, synthetic stock. Realistically, most people will never go Brown Bear hunting, the cost will be around $35-40,000. It is nice to dream though. If I was hunting other game like Moose or Caribou in grizzly country, I would still pack one of my top 3 choices just in case I came across an angry Grizzly wanting to do my or someone in my hunting party harm.

For me, the 9.3X62 is my choice. I live in B.C. Unfamiliar with 9.3X62? Think of it as a .35 Whelen that has been Ackleyized (< Look at me inventing new words!😆) in a .366 caliber. Heavy bullets. Projectile weights usually from 300grns to 250grns. "ish". With 286 the most popular for large game. Ruger, Tikka, Sako, Sauer, Blazer chamber rifles in that caliber. You can also find some good old Swedish Husqvarna's chambered in 9.3X62. If you find a Mauser actioned Husqvarna in good or better condition in that caliber, or any other cal, then you've got a great rifle. Mauser action, Swedish steel, back up iron sights (Insert Chefs Kiss here). As for recoil, it doesn't start to become a problem for me as far as quickly getting back on target for a followup until I get to about the .300WinM. I've heard some compare the recoil of the 9.3X62 to the .300WM. Personally, I don't feel that it is. I have both. The 9.3X62 has a kick, but I'm never concerned about it before I shoot it. The .300WM gets a little tiresome after a few shots at the range. This year I'm going to go with the 9.3X62 for all my hunting. The area I'm going to be in is mountainous and heavily forested. I definitely won't have any shots over 300 meters. Probably 200 max with the most likely ranges being 50 to 100 meters. But no matter the caliber, the top 3 things to ensure a successful harvest are 1) Shot placement 2) Shot placement 3) Shot placement. Practice and only use good, bonded or mono projectiles and fully understand the "effective range" of whatever caliber is your preference and how barrel length affects it.

It's a good list if you're keeping them at a decent range, if you're in the woods the list would be quite different. Also surprised that there was no honorable mention for .460 WBY or .450 NE

Man, I absolutely love your choices and you really create some fun content. If I added one that I would really like, it's the 416 Remington. I think if you use a 400gr bullet, you get ~2500fps for a muzzle energy of about 5400. I've actually fired this round one time and it left a welt on my shoulder for a month! I think it would only take one to take a brown bear 🤣. Really great topic my friend. Very fun!

Funny enough i got all the rifles you mentioned and my most succesful cartridge is a 454 casull on a scary grizz charge 1 shot it went down and ill tell ya never in grizz woods without now that being said when hunting my 30-378 has been a beauty but im leaning towards my 375 ruger for a light carry and surprisingly the 375 rounds are amazing i have also took a elk with a 375 cheytac

Im gonna list the 5 i own 1.375 rum 2.340 wby 3.8mm rem mag 4.300 rum 5.458 lott Thats the order id use them

340 Weatherby with 260 grain hammer bullets

325 Wsm 338win mag 300win mag 300wsm 300weatherby mag

I was hoping to hear the mighty 378 wby magnum, but can't argue the other cartridges. I am in the process of building a 378wby right now. Looking forward to loading for it and using it on game.

I'm surprised the 325wsm didn't get in here

Brown bear? I'd use a LAW (light anti tank weapon)!

375 h&h does not require a 24 inch barrel. I have a sako Kodiak 375 with 21 inch barrel. Lots of ammo available.

i used a 7.62x39mm for a black bear. in a ar-15 platform, was unusual sighting where i live especially for a black bear. i used that ar until i got the 6.5-300 weatherby magnum. since i got that one don’t touch my other guns. laser beam out to 530 yards, that 6.5-300

Brown bear. Weatherby's magnificent 378 magnum will pulverize them.

340, 338 RUM and 338 Lapua are ballisticly about the same thing.

Your beloved Weatherby gets the job done here zeroed in at 300 yards, 180 partitions. Trapper scotty,Alaskan

One little factoid to think about is on the Alaska DFG website, they specify the Nosler ABLR, not the AB, for grizzly bear. One shot kills on big bears like that are rare, though. Proceed at own risk.

416 rigby

First of all do the hunter need to be able to hit where he/she needs to hit. The size and power of the cartridge is totally useless without that happening. So, in many cases will it be much better for a hunter to use a 308 Win with a high quality bullet on brown bears instead of a huge magnum cartridge. Having a cartridge that goes faster than 2800 fps is rather pointless for most bear hunting. Of course there is no drawback in having that as long as you can handle the recoil well. If you can handle a recoil stronger than from a 300 Win Mag, you will for sure benefit much more from increasing the caliber instead of increasing the speed. In most cases you will benefit more from increasing the caliber instead of increasing the speed of what a 30-06 can give. As soon as you reach a speed of about 2800 fps and can handle more recoil, you benefit more from increasing the caliber instead of the speed. 338 Win Mag, 35 Whelen, 9.3x62 and 375 Ruger are all good brown bear cartridges. And why not something like a 416 Ruger as well if you can shoot well with it. As long as the bear is calm and minding his own business, then he is rather easy to kill, but an angry bear because it is wounded or just has a bad attitude and he is full of adrenaline, is a different story, and that is when heavier cartridges really makes a difference. I prefer to use my 375 Ruger when I hunt big critters with an attitude, no matter where it is in the world.

Black bear I’d be fine using a 240 wby. For brown bears you would want more horsepower

That 30-378 will make you cry for your mommy.

You forgot the 6.5 Creedmoor LOL I'm just kidding you bigger the better for me on this one.

I take my 8,5x55 blaser loaded with 225gr ttsx at 2800fps 💪

338 win mag

Rifle choices 1.338 rum. 2.340wby 3.300 rum 4.300 win 5.30-06 For protection 1.45-70 2. 500 s&w 3. 454 casull 4. 460 magnum 5. 44 magnum 6.Glock 20 10mm

So the Weatherby is the strongest out of the 30 cals or is it the 338 win I'm just curious I just purchased a savage 110 tactical 300 wm but before I purchased it I been hearing 300 wm was the way to go as I was looking for a very strong 30 cal or bigger something right below 50 Cals However I live in hawaii so feral hogs on the island I'm on is the biggest game we hunt but other islands has deer axis deer wild cows big horn sheep mountain goats so one day I'll be going there to hunt with the 300 wm i heard the 300 wm is perfect for those games.

Bearclaw bullets and Nosler Partition.

My preference would be a .300 RUM. It's in between a .300 Win Mag and a .338 is a flat shooter with a lot of retained energy at 300 yards.

A guy who went on an Alaskan "canned" Grizzly hunt told me they pulled up on a boat, spotted a Grizzly, landed, walked a couple a hundred feet and shot said bear from about 200yds away on the shoreline. He was using a 338-378Wby. Said the bear dropped on the spot. This was in 2000, so I'm assuming he used a bonded bullet of some kind. I'm guessing most guided bear hunts are similar. If so, any of the cartridges you listed would yield a humane harvest.

If 338 win is great the 340 weatherby is a bit more power.

All that "power" in the big 30s mean nothing if you don't pick a good bullet. Speed is only an advantage at distance. 338 win mag would be my choice as an Alaskan if I were to go after griz or brownies. I wouldn't feel undergunned with my 30-06 with a good tough bonded bullet though.

my choice would be a 300 win mag. With a 200 gr A-frame bullet.

I think the guys over on Rokslide might beg to differ with you and their 223's loaded with 77gr sierra tipped match kings. Me personally I'll go with a 300wm with barnes 180gr ttsx, or federal terminal ascent and good shot placement.

340 all the way

Good choices. Any of 'em will put 'im to sleep. I always felt safe with my Marlin JM 336 carbine, chambered in .35 Remington as enough gun for anything likely to hunt me.

35 whelen is a poor man's magnum and very effective

😎👍👍👍😎

RW....honestly,I dont see where velocity carries weight in hunting bears at all. A .30-06 has more than sufficient velocity. All are close enough,penetration and knockdown power would be key for me. We are talking about an animal that if that first shot is not well placed or that bullet doesn't do enough damage is gonna FU up !!!! I want energy foot lbs behind me and the best constructed bullet in the market. There werent enough comments in the forum about bullet types. I believe caliber and bullet type go hand in hand. I was hoping someone who actually killed a Brown bear or grizzly and recovered the bullet would have chimed in. I seriously doubt most here have gone grizzly hunting,certainly not Brown bear hunting.

7 doesn't have the weight and lacks t H e frontal area same as 35 Whelan smacks harder than 3006

30-06, 270, 308, 300 win mag.

What book is that?

How many hunts have you been on in Alaska?

What book is that in your vid?

Well, mines bigger than yours, I use a .50 cal MG.

338win mag vs 9.3x62

Just get a 35 whelen and Bear Hunt

300 win mag is more than enough

You can't shoot the big magnum as accurate as you can the old 30-06 no one can

Yes sir i agree with all your mentioned cartridges. Id never recommend the 30'06 to anyone because they do not make loads in the 200 and 220gr Partition.

I haven't used in a few years, damn cancer.

Most Alaskans uses 30-30