What Is a Stopping Rifle—and Do You Need One?

A “stopping rifle” can be useful for some applications, but for most hunting, you’re just using more gunpowder.

A stopping rifle can be important, but what exactly is it—and do you really need one? Tyler Freel

“Stopping power” is a topic that is discussed often, but much of what you’ll hear and read is irrelevant—sales pitches, theories, and third-hand stories. Hunters with big egos will often brag about their rifle’s stopping power—but let’s be honest, you can’t kill an animal too dead!

What Is a Stopping Rifle?

An honest-to-goodness “stopping rifle” has its place, but what exactly is it? As indicated by the name, a stopping rifle is as much about its intended use as it is about performance. It’s intended to stop dangerous things from harming you.

There isn’t a clear line between ordinary hunting rifles and stopping rifles—that is a matter of opinion and context. There is overlap and stopping rifles don’t exist as a separate category. Popular cartridges like the .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, and .458 Win. Mag. are usually what people refer to as stopping rifles but defining them isn’t as simple as bore diameter, bullet mass, or muzzle energy.

Penetration—and bullets designed for penetration—is the most important aspect of a stopping rifle. The biggest difference from normal hunting is that you can’t choose the shot angle. Your bullet needs to be able to go through the animal and cause damage from any angle or entry point. Often, this means using bonded, monolithic, or minimally-expanding bullets—sometimes even solids.

The only purpose of a dedicated stopping rifle is to keep dangerous animals away from you. Tyler Freel

Power and how bullet mass, diameter, and velocity play into that certainly matter, but there’s no clear point at which a cartridge becomes an adequate stopper—it’s all relative. To a point, bigger is better because it can be more forgiving, but a high muzzle energy or felt recoil doesn’t always guarantee better results. Velocity is a huge factor in the damage a bullet can do, and a relatively light bonded or monolithic bullet can punch above its weight class when pushed fast. Slower cartridges with heavier projectiles, like the .45/70 Government for example, do well with heavy soft-point bullets that will expand but are also massive enough to penetrate.

Muzzle energy is in part just a number, and it’s rarely all transferred to the animal. For example, the whole 4520 foot-pounds of energy from the 300-grain Hornady DGX bullet coming out of my .375 Ruger certainly didn’t impart on the black bear I recently shot at 12 feet. It flattened him, but the bullet passed through, carrying much of that energy. A .308 with something like a Barnes 150-grain TTSX would have had a similar effect at that range.

The author’s Ruger Hawkeye Alaskan in .375 Ruger is one of his favorite “stopping rifles.” Luke Randall

What a Stopping Rifle Can’t Do

Despite what some big-bore-obsessed hunters might tell you, a large cartridge doesn’t automatically guarantee a one-shot kill, and it doesn’t make up for lack of skill. More power certainly adds forgiveness, but you still need to shoot it well. Sometimes you’ll need to shoot multiple times.

An attacking or dangerously close bear can be stopped or slowed with a well-placed shot, but even large cartridges usually won’t drop them dead on the spot. That black bear I recently shot folded up, but he managed to scramble about 10 yards afterward. I know of a guy who surprised a grizzly near a bait site and had to shoot it from the hip point-blank with his .375, which knocked the bear down momentarily, but he had to shoot it again.

In hunting, even the biggest rifle won’t instantly kill an animal on a clean kill shot. I’ve seen black bears hit with a .338 Win. Mag. at 15 yards that ran 50 yards before expiring. You can’t expect better results in a defensive situation where you have to shoot from different angles.

How Big Is Too Big?

The most important factor in selecting a stopping rifle is your ability to handle it effectively and quickly. That .458 you thought you needed won’t do you much good if it kicks you back 30 degrees. When it comes to a stopper, bigger is better, but you must be able to shoot it well.

There are plenty of adequate stopping calibers for bears in North America. At some point, big becomes too big. And small is too small. Nobody carries a double .500 Nitro Express in the bush, just as nobody would consider an AR-15 in .223 a wise choice for stopping a charge—even though something like a 55-grain Barnes TSX or Federal Premium 62-grain Fusion would be just fine for hunting black bears at close range.

Determining the boundaries is a decision you must make yourself. Face a big grizzly at a few paces, and anything you have will feel like a BB gun. However, there are plenty of good options that will generally be effective, and you should base your choice on your needs and what you can handle well.

A good stopping rifle is more than just numbers. Bullet selection and shootability play a more pivotal role in success. Although power is important, a quality .45/70 Government like the new Ruger-made Marlin 1895 SBL is a great option. Factory loads like the Federal Hammerdown are generally slow and low-recoiling, but they deliver heavy, deep-penetrating bullets with good expansion. Lever-action rifles are also quick to reload, which can be beneficial in tight situations.

My favorite rifle for bear baits and tracking wounded bears is my Ruger M77 Hawkeye Alaskan in .375 Ruger. I also have an M77 Guide Gun chambered in .338 Win. Mag., and I do like the shorter barrel of the Guide Gun. In my neck of the woods, dealing with grizzly bears means I prefer the .375 Ruger. However, my .375 Ruger is still a fine, powerful rifle, better suited for hunting than as a specialized brush cannon.

Do You Need a Stopping Rifle?

For most hunters, a big-bore stopping rifle would be unnecessary—despite the arguments you might present to your spouse or significant other. Even in bear country, your current hunting rifle and bullet selection are likely enough to keep you safe.

To determine the ideal rifle for your needs, evaluate the situations you encounter while in the woods. If you’re an elk hunter in grizzly country, chances are that your elk rifle and bullet selection will be adequate to keep you safe. You might just want a scope with low magnification on the bottom end.

Even the .300 Win. Mag. is a formidable stopper—especially when loaded with deep-penetrating bullets like the Barnes TTSX. It’s a great option for elk hunters in grizzly country. Tyler Freel

Even a .30/06 or .303 with bonded or monolithic bullets is more than most people give it credit for. Those cartridges have probably killed more grizzly bears than any other two combined. Alaska Legend Frank Glaser killed numerous grizzlies with his .30/06—some of them at very close range. The key was that he could shoot it well, repeatedly.

However, if you regularly find yourself in close quarters with bears, it’s never a bad idea to use the biggest rifle you can comfortably handle. If you regularly track wounded bears or fish in bear-infested streams, get a good stopping rifle or pick sturdy loads for the one you have. Even black bears can be highly unpredictable. My buddy Frank had to shoot one in a full charge at 15 feet with his .300 WSM, which took it down instantly. My other buddy Rob successfully defended himself against another bear with his .30/30 while they were trying to take photos!

However, if you regularly find yourself in close quarters with bears, it’s never a bad idea to use the biggest rifle you can comfortably handle. If you regularly track wounded bears or fish in bear-infested streams, get a good stopping rifle or pick sturdy loads for the one you have. Even black bears can be highly unpredictable. My buddy Frank had to shoot one in a full charge at 15 feet with his .300 WSM, which took it down instantly. My other buddy Rob successfully defended himself against another bear with his .30/30 while they were trying to take photos!