I read that a minimum caliber for Brown Bear is a .30-06 or a 7mm.  Has anyone ever used a 7MM for brown bear?  I don't know if I'd trust a 7MM.

Quoted: I read that a minimum caliber for Brown Bear is a .30-06 or a 7mm.  Has anyone ever used a 7MM for brown bear?  I don't know if I'd trust a 7MM.

Are you asking if Fish and Game has a min caliber or if there is a commonly accepted min caliber?

Commonly accepted.  I was reading about the .33's and a bunch of articles said that the minimum cal for brown bear was .30-06 or a 7MM.  Just curious really.

When you have come face to face with the beast, your idea of minimum protection tends to rise a few levels.  If you use the most you can still properly control, something mechanically quick and reliable with quick action sighting, you can't go wrong.

Hunting bear and defending against them are two different things. A .22LR can cause a bear to die, as can the .223.  Most people I know start at 30-06 and go up from there, the .338 and 375H&H being quite popular, have been for a long time but there are newer cartridges out now.  It doesn't hurt to have a little extra to give you to allow for that margin of error, you want to be sure as a responsible hunter and/or when your life is on the line.  You want to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  Your individual skill will play a factor in how much firepower you need to hunt them.  If you got the balls, a revolver or bow are sometimes employed (for Blackbear at least) .

You don't hunt rhino's with a BB gun.

I'm a proud member of the 1/2 inch club

I personally wouldn't use anything smaller than a 338. But perhaps I'm not as  bold as I used to be.

But this topic should come with a penny jar, because there will be an endless supply of pennys coming at you 2 at a time

I reccomend a stick or a hammer.

My son harvested a brown bear with a .308 last October.  It was a nice 25 yard shot with perfect broadside shot placement on a smaller bear....

...the FUN fact is that the bear was 15 yards from the tent. <G>

I had a .338 Win Mag as backup.  My son was using the new Fusion bullets.

Matt

I coach with a guy who killed a bull moose (small) with a machette once.

Long and short of it was his buddy had stuck an arrow in a moose the night before and couldn't find it.  Searched late into the evening.  They came back the next day to find moose.  Had skinning knives packas and a machette.  Jump the moose who is not dead, but rather pissed.  He pins Tony to the tree and Tony proceeds to Freddy Kruger the moose.

Score
Tony 1
Moose - in da freezer

This is why it's bad news to get into bar fights with people you don't know.  You never know when you might run into 'Tony'!!

Quoted: I reccomend a stick or a hammer.

The favored versions are the pointy assault stick and the battle hammer.

Quoted: ...My son was using the new Fusion bullets. Matt

What's the story on that new Fusion?  I was at Sportsmans werehouse and saw it for the first time tonight.  I thought "what the hell are these." as I picked up the box.

~Dg84

http://www.fusionammo.com/home.html

"The bullet apparently is not fitted with a jacket, like normal bullets, but is electroplated with copper instead."

We got complete pass through so I can't tell much about expansion other than the bear only 'needed' one shot.

(Although it got another anyway for good measure.  The taxidermist can fix a hole easier than I can chase a wounded bear. <G>)

Matt

Got to finger the 2" version of my super redhawk .454 today, if it didnt kill the bear with the bullet Im sure the bear would burn to death anyways.

If your intent is either bear protection or bear hunting the ONLY question to ask someone who recommends a brown bear caliber is how many have you stopped at close quarters with it.