.308 for grizzly what loads

He has shot it a fair bit and is comfortable with it.
Click to expand...
There's the right answer...matched with a 180gr Barnes and you should be good to go.
Placement beats displacement.;)
 
Boomer said:
A .30 caliber 220 gr RN is a good bullet, although I believe the heaviest bullet Speer makes currently is 200 gr, perhaps your's are Sierras. You should be able to drive a 220 at 2300 fps from the .308's 18" barrel. This velocity would result in a trajectory that, with a 150 yard zero, would be 4" low at 200 and a foot low between 250 and 270 yards. Try working up a load with Winchester 760 or H-380. Either of these powders will produce good results when used with a heavier than normal bullet in the .308. A starting load with W-760 bewhind a 220 gr RN would be about 38.0 grs

If your son wishes to take advantage of a flatter trajectory, the 165 or 180 gr TTSX at 2700 and 2500 respectively will reach out allowing for an additional 50 yards of range over the 220 gr RN. I would consider Winchester 748 as the propellant, particularly with the 165 gr bullet.
Click to expand...

you are right they are sierras that i have in 220, probably going to lean towards the ttsx's though. Thanks
 
gunrunner8 said:
My personal opinion tells me that this child, yes child b/c he is not even a teenager jet shouldn't be pushed into unnessesary and risky endeavour of hunting grizzly bear no matter how "mature" he seems to be or what the law permits him to do. You as a father having his destiny in your hands should know better than that.
Click to expand...

Wow this guys gotta be a Liberal. You know whats best for everyone now don't you. STFU.

The OP asked about the calibre and bullet weight, not how to parent his child. It doesnt seem like its the kids first hunt nor the OP's first grizz so I take it he knows what is best for his own family.
 
just to answer some of the questions and comments( and thanks for your thoughts in those regards) The grizzly are inland. We will be hunting around the Tumbler Ridge area. We are not permitted to hunt bears over bait in B.C. I also believe that him being more comfortable with the .308 is the better choice over getting him into a magnum caliber. I had toyed with the idea of putting a brake on the .300 win mag. Definately more gun how ever i still think it is better to work up the .308 loads as he is confortable with it. In the area we hunt, black bears are also everywhere and their season is open at the same time. I certainly wouldn't send him out hunting for a grizzly by himself. In B.C. a hunter is considered a youth and needs to be in direct supervision of an adult untill they are 19yrs old. I will be beside him every step of the way with my .300win mag as a backup gun. I wil also purchase a black bear tag as well. Not really looking for one but as i said there are lots in the area as well. He is a very mature boy and I am not pushing him into anything. Origionally i had not thought about letting him apply for the tag until he was a bit older. After i told him he drew the tag it would be easier to talk him out of a kidney than that tag. I am so pumped for him its going to be great. Thanks again for your responses.
 
1 ozzy said:
just to answer some of the questions and comments( and thanks for your thoughts in those regards) The grizzly are inland. We will be hunting around the Tumbler Ridge area. We are not permitted to hunt bears over bait in B.C. I also believe that him being more comfortable with the .308 is the better choice over getting him into a magnum caliber. I had toyed with the idea of putting a brake on the .300 win mag. Definately more gun how ever i still think it is better to work up the .308 loads as he is confortable with it. In the area we hunt, black bears are also everywhere and their season is open at the same time. I certainly wouldn't send him out hunting for a grizzly by himself. In B.C. a hunter is considered a youth and needs to be in direct supervision of an adult untill they are 19yrs old. I will be beside him every step of the way with my .300win mag as a backup gun. I wil also purchase a black bear tag as well. Not really looking for one but as i said there are lots in the area as well. He is a very mature boy and I am not pushing him into anything. Origionally i had not thought about letting him apply for the tag until he was a bit older. After i told him he drew the tag it would be easier to talk him out of a kidney than that tag. I am so pumped for him its going to be great. Thanks again for your responses.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have it all covered to me. Don't waste your energy on the nay sayers, just go and have fun and take lots of pics! Tumbler Ridge is a beautiful area.
 
You know, as someone with a slightly younger perspective on this (I'm 26), I think your taking your son hunting for grizzly is something special. Done right, it will be an experience that both of you will probably remember and cherish for your lifetimes. Furthermore, proper encouragement and guidance has the potential to shape your son's outlook on life. This is an opportunity for him to understand risks and rewards, the benefits of proper planning and practice, and to spend time with family in the outdoors. Sure beats the benefits a child recieves from playing Xbox or watching TV.

Regarding bullet choice, can't help you there as well as some of the other guys here can, but good for you and good luck to your son.
 
As pretty well everyone else has said a .308 will be fine with good placement and bullets. If this were my son I would be ready to back him up the second he shoots with something big and would advise him to pour the lead on after the initial shot and you should do the same.
 
It looks like you're leaning toward 180's. If you do happen to swing back toward heavier 200 or 220's, remember to make sure that they stabilize with that rifle's twist.

I would think a good 180 would be fine but I've not shot a Griz.

Consider making reduced loads using Blue Dot or similar so that he can practice a lot with the gun and get really used to it without having to endure full recoil. Using lighter bullets going slow you can likely approximate the drop that will occur with the heavier bullet loads too. That 760 carbine with normal 308 loads is quite a handful for a 12 year old to fire a lot of practice shots with. Of course, he won't even notice any recoil in the full power loads when shooting a bear anyway.

I used this idea in getting a friend's wife comfortable with her 270 carbine. When she shot a deer with the full house load she didn't notice any difference, even though she'd been firing 1800 fps loads for practice.

I think taking him out for a bear is a great plan, especially since you'll be able to back him up. Good luck.
 
Turkeyslayer 1300 said:
As pretty well everyone else has said a .308 will be fine with good placement and bullets. If this were my son I would be ready to back him up the second he shoots with something big and would advise him to pour the lead on after the initial shot and you should do the same.
Click to expand...

Wait a minute. Give the boy good information on getting in accurately placed bullets, as long as the bear is standing.
But you hold off, unless the bear makes an immediate charge, which it most likely will not.
If the boy gets to shoot a grizzly, it will be one of the very most great events of his life, and a good chance the only chance he will ever get to shoot a grizzly.
However, if you shoot, the great event will be ruined. He will then always refer to it by saying, "Dad and I got a grizzly." We know, you want it to be his, also, so you give it a lot of thought, before you shoot.
I know, in this modern world of scare tactics, where great numbers of CGN people who post here, are scared stiff to even enter a forest where there could be a grizzly, unless they have a super magnum in one hand and a 12 gauge in the other, I will get ripped apart.
So be it.
 
Have fun! I can't wait for the day my son can join me in the field. I take him along whenever I can but he's five and most outings end up revolving around what I brought for a snack.


A well placed .308 will do what ever you want it to. Tell your son to shoot and keep shooting till you say stop! I've never hunted grizz but I would take my 308 in a heartbeat.
 
X2 on the reduced load practice, and learning to run the gun and back on target for another squeeze as the gun comes down out of recoil. Two complaints you read about North American hunters from African PH's - they take too long to shoot the first shot, and after the shot, they stand and admire they handi-work until the game runs away! Reduced loads allow anyone to practice taking the shot when the sights align, and running the gun, getting back on target and taking up the squeeze as the sights settle forthe second time.

It's never fun to have to track, and possibly lose an animal for lack of a finishing shot, and even less fun if the animal comes equipped with tooth and nail.

Me, I'd use the TTX's. But, I've seen .30 cal 180 Nosler Part's do their thing on bear too, so whicheve you choose will get the it done. Have fun. I'm green with envy of the both of you!
 
things can happen fast when an excited 12 year old pulls his shot, and a bear can cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. take no chances here as a mistake can be far to costly. the experience can be extremely rewarding and worthwhile, or tragic. also, screw the politics, like i said the experience can be extremeley rewarding. my son at twelve was an experienced shooter but i still watched as he missed his first deer four times (she was very obliging) at a range of seventy yards.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom