Which rifle would you take into this situation?

[AJ Peacock]

OK, so I have a serious case of cabin fever.

Here's the situation. Hunting rolling sage brush, grass and oak brush flats there is no snow on the ground. On average you can see 30 yards through openings, but there are thicker sections and a few more open areas that you can see 200 yards. You are tracking a wounded Black Bear (300 pounds) or a wounded Lion in Africa.

To make this more interesting, I have to put some restrictions on you.
1) You have to do this alone and on foot. (no friends, no dogs, no helicopter).
2) You have to follow the bear/lion, you can't just let him lay down and stiffen up.
3) You can only have one firearm with you.
4) I'm tempted to say you can't use a shotgun; but I won't. However, if a shotgun is your choice, thats fine. Also choose which rifle you would take if a shotgun was not available.

What firearm do you take? (caliber, load, make, model etc.) Your life depends on this choice.

I'll hold my choice back for a little while.

Don

[Sendero_Man]

I would probably take a Marlin 45-70 Guide gun.

[AJ Peacock]

[ QUOTE ]
I would probably take a Marlin 45-70 Guide gun.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sendero Man, you win. That was my choice, I was just going to wait and see how long until someone else felt the same way. It sure didn't take long!

Don

[screech]

444 marlin lever action or fully auto 50bmg and just balze a trail.

[James Jones]

Since you put the lion in their that makes me choose a totaly differant gun. I would have to say a good double rifle chambered in 458 Win mag loaded with a 500gr Speer Grand Slam that has had the nose turned back to make the bullet weight 475grs , loaded on top of 76grs or Varget.

I actualy made some of these rounds for buddy going to Alaska and wanted a backup gun for thick brush , this load gives a muzzel velocity of right at 2300fps out of a 22" barrel. A 22" barreled Double rifle would be very short and handy easly brough up and swing well also , all very good for a close encounter with a mad animal.

I know a fella that has hunted alot of dangerous game and he thinks that the big cats are much more tenatious than any bear hes hunted including polar bears and they are generaly only stopped with a brain or spine shot.

I like a 14.5" M4 AR-15 for C.Q.B. with humans maybe even a black bear but if it chokes I damn sure don't want to go hand to hand or with a .45 with yogi and definatly not a cat of any size

[Sendero_Man]

Living and hunting in Grizzly country, that is what I pack around camp and take to the outhouse... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

So, what did I win... LOL

[lerch]

I will second a 45-70 Marlin Guide Gun, little 18.5" bbl and alot of thump combined with a big bullet surface area sounds damn nice to me. I got a buddy who guides hog hunts and that is what he carries, he had one hog a little over 300lbs eat 6 rounds of 300gr HP from his fire stick before he gave up the ghost!!!!