Brown bear Rifle

[zeeman]

Planning on a once in a lifetime brown bear Alaskan hunt in a couple years. Have a 300 Win Mag that shoots 220 Nosler partitions and 200 Nosler partitions quite well. Don't really want to buy another rifle but should I move up to a 338 class? Thinking of either a 33 Nosler, 338 WM or 338 ultra??? Opinions???

 

[BillLarson]

Use the gun you know...many have been killed with a lesser caliber than a 300wm.

 

[ButterBean]

Use the gun you know...many have been killed with a lesser caliber than a 300wm.

X-2

 

[VernAK]

Your 300 is just fine providing it is ultra reliable and durable. It should fit you like a fine shotgun and don't hang a lot of crap
on it that will hang up in the alders.....ammo pouches etc. If it's got a floor plate, glue it shut or duct tape it. Your scope cover should be easy and water tight. Years back, we used pieces of inner tube stretched over the scope.....harder to find today. Now I go to a physical therapist friend and get a piece of .....I think it's called Theraband or some such....your bullet choice is good.

Good luck on your hunt.....Where will it take place?

 

[ButterBean]

Your 300 is just fine providing it is ultra reliable and durable. It should fit you like a fine shotgun and don't hang a lot of crap
on it that will hang up in the alders.....ammo pouches etc. If it's got a floor plate, glue it shut or duct tape it. Your scope cover should be easy and water tight. Years back, we used pieces of inner tube stretched over the scope.....harder to find today. Now I go to a physical therapist friend and get a piece of .....I think it's called Theraband or some such....your bullet choice is good.

Good luck on your hunt.....Where will it take place?

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[dogz]

Planning on a once in a lifetime brown bear Alaskan hunt in a couple years. Have a 300 Win Mag that shoots 220 Nosler partitions and 200 Nosler partitions quite well. Don't really want to buy another rifle but should I move up to a 338 class? Thinking of either a 33 Nosler, 338 WM or 338 ultra??? Opinions???

You're already Golden, get in shape and rock on. Zero need for another gun!

 

[Pdvdh]

I talked to a nonresident hunter from Colorado this month paying $25,000 to a big game guide for a brown bear hunt on Kodiak Island. Met him at the air taxi service as we were preparing to fly out on a spring bear hunt of our own. This was his 4th AK brown bear hunt. He said $25K actually wasn't that bad compared to the going rates. This man was archery hunting.

Guessing another ~$3,000 in travel costs and gear.

Know guys that have killed them with 270 Win. I've killed them with 7mm Rem Mag. And of course .308 calibers have killed many. They will die with good bullet placement.

I prefer the .338 caliber. When all is said and done, the bear will be dead with good hits. The length of time from bullet impact till disabled and/or death is the difference.

If I was required to hunt with a guide, who would be expected to shoot any bear I shot that wasn't put down relatively quickly, I'd take a 338 WM on up. I'd want to shoot and kill my own bear, rather than having my guide kill it with his 375, after my first hit, or two.

Have shot several with the .338 Imperial Magnum and .338 Edge class cartridges. With good bullets, the bear don't stay on all fours for very long.

 

[zeeman]

Do not know where yet but will attend several sport shows to get a read on guide and service face to face if possible. We be quite disappointed if a guide opened up on a bear that I hit well. Might end up on one of those boat hunts in the ABC s . Do not need a 10 footer but a nice representative animal and a great adventure would be a winner. Will be looking at the peninsula also.

 

[HARPERC]

Phorwath has a lot to say from first hand experience, and should be weighted heavily.

I do think with todays good bullets more can be done with less, but with todays good bullets more can be done with more as well.

I would take your set up, but it is right at my minimum in terms of choices. A new rifle is always part of the fun for me. Only outcome will tell, the not quite sure unknown is a reason we go. Break up the familiar, and go with a new rifle if for that reason alone.

I like the .338 RUM if that's a diameter you choose.

.375 and bears are almost part of the same sentence. Mixed bag says the others. It's a bear trip, get a pure bear rifle if you can.

You'll have fun either way.

 

[Husky user]

One thing to remember those big boomers kick like crazy,if you develop a flinch your shot placement will suffer!!

 

[Pdvdh]

Install a muzzle brake.
I even have one on a 22 Creedmoor. Very nice for spotting hits. Muzzle brakes on most everything else too. With an efficient muzzle brake, recoil is almost a non-event.

In the Bay we hunted brown bear earlier this month, the local guide and client had a 10+ footer scramble to within 5yds of them after shooting it.

They returned the next morning to find a good blood trail and the boar still alive. Were able to finish it with additional shots fired.

I don't have the fine details about shot placement, but feel certain the guide was plugging it too, since it came at them. And they commonly carry .375s.

The bigger the bear, the bigger the caliber of my rifle carried. At this point, I use .338s. I don't hunt with a guide. So don't have to worry about them shooting my bear. I just like them down sooner than later.

 

[Muddyboots]

Make sure whoever you choose as a guide service APPROVES your rifle for the hunt and in writing. Some guide services have minimum cartridges for brown bear and getting picked up at airport is not the time to find out.

 

[calling4life]

You have an excuse for a new rifle and that's never a bad thing. Though if you really aren't interested, then stay with the 300, I'd be looking at a bonded bullet like an A frame, heavy as I can get as well.

I built a 458 lott, I have degenerative disc disease, multiple herniated discs in my neck, the rest are bulging, severe arthritis. My back is now bad as well, rejected surgery by the insurance company so I haven't even had an MRI to see how bad my back is, doesn't matter at this point.

Wanted to build a 12lb 458 lott, ended up at 10 1/2lbs, it has a muzzle brake. 500gr federal trophy bonded bearclaws.

She is fun to shoot, it is an iron sight gun, that's it for me, shallow V rear, white dot up front. Fun though, no soreness, no bone bruising, even with a full bore heavy 500gr load, she's a hoot.

In ear custom hearing protection would be how I'd go now, I went generic fit $400 in ear and it's not great. But you'll hear better than normal, the custom fit will be as comfortable as can be, don't need to worry about your hearing.
Further, I think I could carry a years supply of those tiny batteries in the tiny little case I use for the hearing protection, so you don't really need to worry about batteries, they take up no space and were cheap.

So, if you want to go bigger on the caliber, it can be done and done comfortably, though I've never been one to mind lugging around a heavier gun either.

I know my dream gun for the hunt would be a double rifle, maybe a 470NE, dream gun for a dream hunt...

Though I'd note that I'd be bringing a call and calling the bear in once we got within reasonable distance, so a stopping style shot/frontal shot may be more likely. Would hope for very close, why the irons for me.

Just a dream for someone like me, I hope you make it out there, good luck.

 

[HARPERC]

Install a muzzle brake.
I even have one on a 22 Creedmoor. Very nice for spotting hits. Muzzle brakes on most everything else too. With an efficient muzzle brake, recoil is almost a non-event.

Which brake are you using these days? I've had a few, Kirby Allens Pain Killer is leading currently.

I had a 6mm in the shop, smirked and went why not do it while it's here (for the kids). Spotting shots all that stuff are bonuses included. I embarrassed my know it it all smart &&&& side.