Is 338 Win Mag adequate for brown bear?

[Northern Shooter]

Question for those of you who have hunted brown bear, is 338WinMag enough cartridge?

If not what would you reccomend?

 

[JimP]

I haven't hunted the but a 338 is more than enough for brown bears.

Back when I was thinking of hunting them I talked to a number of outfitters and most of them plainly said to bring a rifle that I could shoot accurately. I asked them about a 7mm Rem mag and they said that it would be fine.

While not a coastal brown bear I took my .340 Weatherby on my inland grizzly hunt.

 

[baxterb]

If not, Lord help us.

 

[Joker12]

A boatload of Alaskan guides say yes!

 

[Green Chile]

100% with the usual caveat of right bullet and right placement. It's a hugely popular caliber for grizzly and brown bear in Alaska. Personally I like a little more for insurance if I'm shooting follow-up as it goes into the brush. My choice would be 375 H&H but there's NOTHING wrong with a well-placed 338. It will kill the biggest bear on the planet. I wouldn't hesitate to use my own 338 on big bears.

 

[BnC 04]

338 works great on the big bears. I killed my first brown with one of my 338's. I did go to a 375 for the next one and used my Lott on the last two. Only reason I made the jump was due to the terrain I would be hunting and the fact I hunted them on my own. If I were to make a bad shot that dictated I followed up in the alders I wanted heavier calibers.

 

[steve white]

It certainly worked in the past...and that was before true premium bullets.

 

[YancyW]

A 338WM loaded with a 250gr AFrame would be an excellent combo.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Yes, as a matter of fact… the .338 Winchester Magnum is my favorite caliber for hunting American Kodiak bears. I’ve used rifles in this caliber for successfully hunting exactly 1 dozen Kodiak bears till now (8 of which were felled with a single broadside heart-lung shot).

My preferred bullets for Kodiak bears used to be the old Winchester Power-Point 300Gr factory load (now discontinued) and later the Nosler Partition 250Gr factory load (now virtually impossible to source). Currently, I prefer the 275Gr Swift A Frame bullet as loaded by Hendershots Custom Ammunition.

Photographs can be seen on my “Media” page.

 

[Northern Shooter]

Yes, as a matter of fact… the .338 Winchester Magnum is my favorite caliber for hunting American Kodiak bears. I’ve used rifles in this caliber for successfully hunting exactly 1 dozen Kodiak bears till now (8 of which were felled with a single broadside heart-lung shot).

My preferred bullets for Kodiak bears used to be the old Winchester Power-Point 300Gr factory load (now discontinued) and later the Nosler Partition 250Gr factory load (now virtually impossible to source). Currently, I prefer the 275Gr Swift A Frame bullet as loaded by Hendershots Custom Ammunition.

Photographs can be seen on my “Media” page.

I've been trying to find a modern load with a 300gr projectile but have been coming up short. The SD on a 300gr 338 is quite impressive.

200, 225 and 250 appear to be the top 3 most common retail offerings.

 

[Tundra Tiger]

As others have said --> bullet construction and shot placement.

My daughter with a bear... 8.5', 26 12/16 skull. We were caribou hunting and came across it. It succumbed to a 150 grain Partition from her .308.

 

[fourfive8]

338 WM Adequate? Yes. And many GIs just post WW2 swore by the 30-06 with heavy bullets…. Why?… because that’s what they had. But, what is adequate or available is one thing, what is best for the job is something else. Best for the job, IMO, would be 375 HH 300 gr A-Frame or 416 Rem Mag 400 gr A-Frame.

 

[krish]

I've been trying to find a modern load with a 300gr projectile but have been coming up short. The SD on a 300gr 338 is quite impressive.

200, 225 and 250 appear to be the top 3 most common retail offerings.

Woodleigh reloading manual has the data you are looking for.
Krish.

 

[sestoppelman]

In the late 60's when I lived in Sitka on Baranof Island, which has a large brown bear population, there was a PSA they would play on the radio, saying if you go out in the woods today be sure and pack at least a .30-06!
I would not hesitate to hunt them with a .338 Win mag, my dad and I used much less when we hunted them. I carried a .308 with 200 gr Nosler Partitions, the old ones with the machine rings on them.

 

[AimSmall]

Great cartridge made even better with modern loadings. A good, bright scope and go! Have fun, best of luck!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

I did a brown bear hunt in 2014 at Butch King's Wildman Lake Lodge. I was planning to use my 338 WM, but Butch and my hunting buddy shamed me into buying a 375. The legend of 375 Ruger Fan was born! Never let an opportunity go by to buy a new rifle.

Butch is not a fan of the 338. He thought it was a tweener between the 300 WM and 375. I beg to differ. The 338 WM will do the job just fine on a brown bear and as others have said, the 30-06 will too. But if you have or want a 375, it's probably the best choice.

 

[ftrovato]

I have a box of Swift A-Frames in 275 grain for my 340 Weatherby....Hoping to be able to afford a hunt!

 

[Mountaineer]

I killed my coastal brown bear with a 338 win mag shooting 210 grain nosler partitions. It was a one shot kill.

 

[WAB]

As others have said --> bullet construction and shot placement.

My daughter with a bear... 8.5', 26 12/16 skull. We were caribou hunting and came across it. It succumbed to a 150 grain Partition from her .308.

View attachment 542779

Awesome TT!!! To echo others, put a .338 bullet in the right spot and you will have no issues.

 

[Safari Dave]

That is the reason I bought a stainless/synthetic one!