For a big bear coming at me I'd want the heaviest bullet I could fling at a moderate velocity. First choice of the three mentioned would be a handloaded .45-70 lever gun with a premium bullet. Second would be the .30-06 with a 220 grain bullet.

High velocity can work against you sometimes. There was an article about big bullets at moderate velocities in the Jan '08 "Guns & Ammo". (I know, I know, some of you don't believe anything in gun magazines...)

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Just looking at that deer makes me hungry for some steaks over a nice mesquite grill. Good job there Vint. That looks like a typical corn fed Iowa deer, Yum! Yum! How about a story to go with that pic Vint.
Gobbuster

I have been studying the tables and have found some very interesting data. the 30-06 does get a major boost in energy and velocity when using a heavier projectile. At about the 165 gr. and up the scale turns real healthy for delivering high energy. Its certainly not a cartridge to be taken lightly, pun intended. With the 165 gr. it can achieve some 3500 ft. lbs. at around 2900 fps. But the table turns even toward greater energy as you go up 180gr., 200 gr., 220 gr.. It seems the velocity begins to hold in the 2800 fps. and the energy of course increases dramatically. Certainly a good heavy shooter. The 7 mag. is more of a light weight in terms of bullet performance. I can get only slightly better performance with the 7 mag. but with lighter bullet weights meaning risky in terms of bullet retention at 3500 fps or more with a 120 gr. or 130 gr.
Gobbuster

And they wonder why I decided on a .30-06 over all the rest...Not to mention the many choices of bullet and load combinations...

Just what is a "gobbuster"??

gobbuster wrote:

Just looking at that deer makes me hungry for some steaks over a nice mesquite grill. Good job there Vint. That looks like a typical corn fed Iowa deer, Yum! Yum! How about a story to go with that pic Vint. Gobbuster

I was on stand, trail watching, as we have had ice storms to eliminate still hunting and stallking. Too much ice. I used my CVA 50 cal 209 Wolf magnum with 120 gr 777 fff powder and a TC 240 gr Cheap shot sabot. I was a little nervous because this is a new inline that I had not hunted with before and have had some problems. I was watching four deer at one time and she came in range, so the jpeg tells the rest of it!!

Roklok,

I've seen that before but not much of a fan of magnum rifles.

Still I am going to be using my M1A as a Deer/BEAR/Moose gun.

Dimitri

270 or 30-06 will do anything I want to do on this continent, but I would opt for something heavier for Africa or India, if I could ever go!!

I'm going to have to agree with the 45-70 or .450 Marlin. I wish they would make the .500 S&W mag in a lever gun. I don't think i'd like to go into a bear woods with a single shot.

Gobbuster- To bust Gobbs, one who hunts or other wise attempts to harvest the quarry of turkey.
A Gobbuster is one who is proficient at the art of bustin gobblers, as in turkey. I've had this handle for many years, it was given to me by a hunter I guided for 10 turkey seasons. I then adopted it as my e-mail address, being that it suited my guiding service well.
Gobbuster

Gob = A tar, seafarer, "anchorclanker" a Sailor. Just wanted to make sure...

I get to go play with my new toy tomorrow, a S&W 460 XTR. I reloaded a bunch of stuff for all 3 calibers, 460, 454, 45 LC. I just love these big bore bad boys. There doesn't appear to be a whole bunch of us big bore handgun lovers out there. I have a friend that hs been shooting my big bores for the last 3 or 4 years, but only now and then, and it inspired him to buy a 45 LC, and a 454. It lasted about 6 months and then he traded them for auto loaders. I guess I'm just addicted to more power cause I could never even consider giving up my big pistols. Some would say I'm compensating for a small problem, and to that I would have to agree. My little problem is my little 44 mag. that weighs about half as much ( 72.5 oz. )as the 460 XTR!
Gobbuster