The 300 Savage for Polar Bear

[Abel]

In the first story of the book, "The Greatest Hunting Stories Ever Told", Ben East writes of a true account of hunting the great polar bear with a Savage 99 chambered in 300 Savage. The e-book is online here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=K4...AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ben east, last shell&f=true

 

[mete]

Not a hunter and not a shooter he was just plain lucky !!

 

[Abel]

This is one of those stories that reassures my faith in God! When its not your time, its just not your time. But, on the other hand, the 300 Savage! Wow! They sure were pushin' the envelope back then.

 

[Buzzcook]

The .300 Savage is pretty close to the .30-06. It isn't exactly a wimpy round.

 

[shafter]

I agree with buzzcook

 

[Abel]

A little less than the 308. But a 338 Win Mag might be the smallest gun that I'd take to kill the biggest land predator on the planet.

 

[Scorch]

When the 300 Savage was introduced, it claimed to match 150 gr 30-06 velocity and energy (about 2,700 fps). The 300 Savage was the basis for the T65 cartridge, which led to the T44 cartridge, which eventually became the 7.62X51 NATO, which eventually was released as the 308 Winchester, which pretty much matched the 30-06 at the time of its release. Powders have changed all that, but the 300 Savage is nothing to sneeze at. Besides, native hunters go after polar bears with 22 Hornets and such, so the guy in the story wasn't really foolishly putting his life at risk.

 

[James R. Burke]

Very interesting to read.

 

[crimsondave]

The .300 Savage is pretty close to the .30-06. It isn't exactly a wimpy round.

I don't agree with that, especially with heavy bullets, but even if I did, there's no way I'd hunt polar bear with a 30-06 either. .375 H&H min. Polar bear take dumps bigger than black bear.

 

[Terry A]

Thanks Abel for posting the link. Nice read.

 

[Deaf Smith]

According to Jack O’Connor, the famous gun writer, Mexicans used to kill Sonora Grizzlies and Eskimos Polar Bears with the 30/30. Canadians used the 30/30 on moose quite often too. So I see no reason why the .300 Savage, in expert hands, can’t take a Polar Bear.

 

[Wildalaska]

Native Alaskans still shoot polar bears with 17s, 222s and 223s

WildsneakuponthemAlaska ™

 

[thallub]

Native Alaskans still shoot polar bears with 17s, 222s and 223s

Indeed they do. Watched a documentary where Alaskan natives were hunting polar bear. One hunter had a beautiful model 70 Winchester in .22 Hornet. Someone asked the old man how he killed a polar bear with his .22 Hornet. Reply: "I wait until he stands up and opens his mouth then I shoot him in the roof of his mouth."

Shot placement is 95 percent of the game.

 

[hickstick_10]

how dare that man shoot anything with less then a 338 lapua (an anemic deer round)? and since a polar BAR is much larger then a deer, something with more oomph then a 338 is needed, nothing less then a 460 weatherby will do in this case

300 savage is no slouch, a 99 chambered in 300 savage is has been on my wish list for a while now. (but not for polar bear)

 

[Gunplummer]

The .300 Savage has plenty of power, it gets a low power reputation from the factory loads.

 

[crimsondave]

Yeah, disregard my post. I'm obviously a DA. Yall go ahead and go griz hunting with your .243. I'll read about you in the paper.

Many elephants were killed with a 7x57 mauser. Robbie Knievel jumped a moving train on a dirt bike. Maybe yall should try those too.

 

[moosemike]

I'd hunt Polar bear with a 30-06. A .300 Savage is about exactly halfway between the 30-30 and 30-06. But a .308 is as low as I'd go on them.

 

[Jim Watson]

Animals are bigger and tougher than they used to be, and require bigger guns.
7mm magnum is now a deer round, for example.

 

[baltz526]

Factory remington 300savage 150gr cronographs at 2650fps out of my 24" model 99. 180gr at 2250fps. I would want a bigger gun for polar bear, but i would not doubt the 300 savage could put a fist sized hole completely through a polar bear head.

 

[rickyjames]

"7mm magnum is now a deer round, for example."

when i first bought my 7mm rem mag it was written up in all the gun mags, you couldn't pick up a mag without an article about god's own cartridge the 7mm rem mag. hunters were using it for everything in north america including moose and the big bears. hunters were expanding their range to africa using the 7mm rem mag with great success as well. today it seems that all that info was wrong and all those trophys were flukes. these days it seems that the 7mm rem amg is relagated to short to medium range varmint hunting much the same as the 17 hmr rim fire mag. who knew at the time the 7mm mag was being so over matched.