Bear rifle model
- Thread starter Mike300wby
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Cowboyblaster
Well-Known Member
In that other bear post i recommend the 378WbM because its the only caliber ever specifically developed for big dangerous bear but alot went for 375 so in answering your question personally if i had chosen a 375 to protect the clients i was guiding id be looking for a weatherby rifle shortest barrel i could get on it wood stock with very deep engraving mo shinny flat black or ceracote finish and very visible open sights.i dont need to hold more than 4 rounds because you'll be lucky to get 2 if your in there with a wounded bear
HARPERC
Well-Known Member
The Weatherby line has 4 rifles chambered for the older .375 Weatherby which certainly has it's place in the discussion.
It does get forgotten a bit.
The ideal FFP LPVO has a daylight bright illuminated reticle with large horseshoe or similar in the center. On 1x it is a red dot if designed correctly. When zoomed in to 8x or 10x the circle or horseshoe ends up much larger and out of the center where a dot gives precise aiming. The Vortex Razor gen 3 is supposed to be outstanding. I am going to try the new Athlon when it is available on both my AR and Marlin 45-70 which is supposedly as good but a little heavier and much less $. We'll see.
When hunting something that might hunt you, I would say an action that feeds and fires no matter what is very important. Brown bear and African dangerous game are in the same class. Winchester 70 CRF, Mauser, etc. I have MRC actions for mine. Claw extractor, CRF, mechanical ejector (Mauser style actions) simple reliable trigger, etc. are the standards. Tune it to feed whatever you chamber for, tapered 375 H&H cartridges are more forgiving than short fat. If I ever do a 375 H&H someday, I have a pre-64 Win 70 that will get the nod as I don't use it in its current 280 RCBS configuration and it would be a very classy, traditional Africa type rifle. There are some of the custom actions that can be had with the CRF claw feed and mechanical ejector, they should also work fine. The older Model 70 has a simple trigger that won't collect moisture or frost and is more reliable than the current ones in certain situations. I think I would probably trust a TriggerTech with the rollers they use as guys have proven them in the dust/grit/nasty weather but they are not made for the Model 70 or Mauser.
I like the idea of my Marlin 45-70 but I'm not sure I trust it every time no matter what.
The LPVO would be great especially with a set of BUIS and something like Talley QD mounts for the optic.
ofbandg
Well-Known Member
Lever actions are my first choice when wandering around bear country in the off season but if moose and elk are in season I carry a bolt rifle. My .375 H&H is a Rem. stainless/synthetic and it carries an older 3x Leupold. It fits good and its accurate but I wouldn't say it's ideal, even though it has been used successfully on grizzly and moose in close quarters. I did have a 1 x 4 Leupold on it for a while but, to my eyes, one power wasn't very useful. If it's that close you are down to a point and shoot situation. Sometimes I carry my Mauser 9.3 x 62 with a red dot when hunting in the thick stuff. Scopeless rifles feel handier. One reason is because I cut the pull shorter, (just my preference), and a good red dot can be useful out to long yardage on animals as big as moose. It's a hard hitting rig and it's fitted for me so it comes up fast and points well but, like the Remington, those long bolts throws can get a bit wobbly and I worry about binding or short stroking. One thing I do make a point of is carrying a dangerous game rifle in my hands. If there are signs of dangerous game around having it slung defeats the purpose and slings, like big complex scopes and very long barrels, can hang up on things when you are in a hurry. I don't know what an ideal bear gun would look like and at my age chances are I never will. I would guess it would have the easy carry and point of a lever gun along with the light weight and strength of a bolt gun, with low mounted clear optical sights in a caliber that would reach out beyond 300 yards. Anybody know of such a thing?
Browning BLR with a LPVO maybe? Or this but the 45-70 is arcing pretty good out that far by modern comparisons.
RAGGED EDGE
Well-Known Member
Maybe the best lever gun for bears is the Big Horn 89 in 500 S&W, and shots limited to under 150 yards or so. My Mauser 9.3 carries a Bushnell Elite 3200 1.5-4x Firefly. Big eye box, and I'm completely happy with it. IMO when confrontation distances are measured in feet scopes, and even most irons don't matter. It's point and shoot, and hope.
freddiej
Well-Known Member
Mike,
My personal choice on a bear gun especaily the 375 H&H would be a Win 70 Safari action, either stainless or blued because I would have it cera-koted in a grey or a brown with a similar colored stock. the base and rings the same colors.
barrel would be from Krieger: R-5 rifled, 1:10" or 1:9" for the .375" 300 grain VLD slugs. straight taper, with a 0.750" to 0.835" muzzle with a 1.5" long brake just for quick back up shots.
the scope with the country I have seen bear in and heard bear reside in, would have to be a 1-8 X32MM lite reticle, I personally like Night Force and Swarovski, but would not turn down S&B, Zeiss, or top end Leupold.
the stock would be a McMillan, Hunter's Edge, McMillian classic, or Win Classic. (I can not shoot a cheak piece)
tune the factory trigger for 3.5#, two piece bottom metal, and a good sling.
the only thing I would need to know now is whom barrels the action? I am pulling for Krieger.
I agree with a lot of you that there are some loose screws among us that will not do what they need to when the time has come to shoot. I have seen many of them in my past. one stands out among the rest but I do not have the energy nor the time to write that story out. by the time I got done I would be so mad I would break something.
I hope someone gets some ideas and builds a good bear gun and has lots of success with it.
Bux240
Member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2013
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- 23
Having killed an 8 foot griz in Alaska with a .338 Win Mag and hunting in South Africa with .375 H&H I feel safe saying that either is fine for Alaskan Grizzly bears. The real point is make the rifle an extension of your right (assuming you shot right handed) arm-PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE and then practice some more. I shot my griz at 278 yards and he went down, at which point my guide said "shoot him again". Between us we put eight (8) .338 slugs into him and then waited 20 minutes "just to make sure"! Over kill? Well when he moved a paw at the 20 minute mark; we, you guessed it, shot him again. At that point my guide went back to camp to retrieve her skinning kit telling me to "watch him CAREFULLY and if he so much as twitches, shoot him again". Upon her return, we stepped off the ridge line into the brush to begin retrieval. Alaskan bush is (or can be) so thick that you cannot see more than 4 feet in any direction. Do you know grizzly bears can run 35 miles an hour uphill? I have never been so frightened in my entire life, exhilarated most certainly but scared none the less. As a point of reference I once jumped out of an airplane at 12,000 feet just for "fun". Take my thoughts for what they are-one man's opinion based upon his experience. But be ready to enjoy the experience of a lifetime.
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CBH Australia
Well-Known Member
That's cool, is the Bear now a Rug? Any bearskin rug pics?
Nice rifle
Nice bear congratulations on the successful hunt
WhiteRiver
Well-Known Member
My pre-64 Model 70 in .375 H&H wear a 1-6x42mm Swarovski Habicht. The gun has Talley QD rings and Jim Brockman's back up iron sights. Great setup for Alaska bear and moose. Low magnification in the brush but the ability to crank it up to 6x if the distance allows. If the rifle takes a spill and the scope is broken or the zero is questionable, I can pull it off and go to irons. The scope has the 4a reticle which is fast to acquire up close but still allows for precision work at distance.
