Re: Is 308 sufficient for whitetail?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: tigerhawk</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As long as there are no bears where you are hunting, the .308 is fine. Using up to 180 grain bullets, you are only losing about 100 fps of velocity going from the .30-06 to the .308. At the distances you are shooting, the deer will not know the difference.
If you hunt where there are bears, the sound of your shot at the deer will be a dinner bell for the bears, and one or more may come running to try to take your kill away from you. In such cases, whatever rifle you have in your hands at the time will tend to look pretty puny, but in such areas, I would recommend neither the .308 nor the .30-06. I would suggest something more like a .338 Win. Mag. or a .375 H&H Mag.
Yes, I know a .308 or .30-06 will kill a bear, but we are talking about a charging bear here, which needs to be stopped right now. Thus, lots of power is needed, as well as bigger bullets and careful shot placement. </div></div>
On a moose hunt unit 15, in camp at night, had a bear in the brush all night wanting it, could hear him stomping and ripping, popping, break some brush, circle, pop his teeth then get real scary quite and he was back on but he never came into camp as we made as much noise as possible to keep him away, banging on a cast iron frypan. Never once saw him but who cares when you know he is just a few yards away. I was toting my 340Wby 250gr Partitians like always, I think my bud had 06 and 44 mags on the hips. I was scared with brown shorts, not really as I was so tight I doubt a toothpick could have been driven up there with a 30 pound post maul, but my bud was darn near in a panic. He fired two rounds in the air that did not faze booboo but the banging pan did. So, even having firearms in the ready at night and if toting 375, 416, 458 or 50bmg, I do not think it would have been possible to fell him if he charged.
99% of bear charges are not charges at all but bluffs to show their unhappiness. Anyone here had an actual charge making contact? I had one, got lucky. Walking in head high brush, heard campraiders so knew something was up, got a faint whiff then in less than a second, the bear came out from the brush on my side around 4-oclock, I "bearly" had time to turn my head and see the charge let alone draw my weapon. If a human can cover 21 feet before a draw! He bumped into me and kept on going, jumped up on a rock about 15 yards away, stared me down popping his teeth and stomping. I backed up and left the area, took off in a dead sprint once I cleared the area. Bears do not come down a trail in front of you from 100 yards away giving you time to draw standing on hind legs giving you a good shot like on TV. They come head down and a full sprint and make a small hard to hit target even if you have time. Shot placement and magnum power is/was irrelevant. There is a difference between a bluff and an actual hell bent charge. The campraiders were on his cache as was he but I got lucky. I knew he was in the area not just sure where but by that time I was too close.
Still, I would not hesitate to use a 308win with 180gr Part loaded hot in Alaska with the great bears around. The last time I took my 340 out with 250g, darn near dropped my fillings out of my teeth, I am very recoil shy in my old age and can shoot a 308 much better and the shorter barrel is a plus too.
