Rhino Hunter
Well-Known Member
Pics please.
Brown bear Hunt
- Thread starter Jim McClellan
- Start date
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Pics please.
Michigander1
Active Member
memtb
Well-Known Member
Nice bear....with that amount of snow, the pelt should be in great shape! Congratulations! memtb
dukxdog
Well-Known Member
I just killed a Kamchatka bear last week with my .375HH and 270gr Swift hand loads. Two shots...a down and an anchor. Worked great. Bullets recovered. Typical Swift performance.
Then I loaned my rifle to another guy. He killed two bears with it.
I like the .375
Then I loaned my rifle to another guy. He killed two bears with it.
I like the .375
Joe Bishop
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2015
- Messages
- 102
Super nice bear and a great picture.
+1 on the .358 Norma. A very capable and under appreciated cartridge. I like it with the 250 gr Swift A-frame.
Jim McClellan
Member
Thanks everyone for the input! Kind of had my mind set on the 338 RUM but i'm going to look hard at the 375 H&H. Any idea's on the difference between the 338 Rum and .375 H&H for recoil? I'm not recoil sensitive just curious.
Nice bear Michigander1!
Nice bear Michigander1!
Yes the 358Norma magnum and the.308 Norma magnum are long forgotten cartridges that never really received the recognition they ought to have had over the years. Out to 300-400 yards the .358 NM is a formidable cartridge capable of keeping up with the 338WInMag, and up close there's a lot of frontal area to promote tissue damage. And....it's a whole lot easier in the power department, thus easier on the shoulder!! If I were going on a brown/grizzly hunt I'd build another 358NM for the hunt with no reservation at all about being under gunned! Currently I use a 35 Whelen for black bear hunting 225 gr Barnes TSX astonishes me every time. The Whelen ought to work on big bear, however I believe that there are better cartridges for the job.
memtb
Well-Known Member
Jim, if it's as heavy as most .375 H&H's.....it will be pretty tame. Many years ago my wife ran some 300 grain bullets thru mine, and said it wasn't bad at all. If it's a lightweight, it'll kick a bit more. ThE RUM will likely kick harder, unless it's a real "porker"!
As much as I love my .375 H&H and my .375 AI.....I think that the .338 RUM would be a little better "all around cartridge".....especially if long (in excess of 700 yards) range is on the menu! memtb
Hi memtb, just curious about how many hunters are going to take a poke at a brown/grizzly bear at 700+ yards???? If with an outfitter, are they going to be setting up shots out to that/those distances?? Not being contentious, just asking how much need is there for a cartridge to have that much knock down at 700 yards? I understand that we want as much gun as we can possibly get when something is capable of maybe a hunter table fare, however at 300-700 yards there's lots of room for passing on a shot and/or getting closer.
memtb
Well-Known Member
Alibiiv, I certainly didn't mean for the post to suggest shooting a bear at long range.....personally, in excess of 200 yards, should be off of the table! I was suggesting the .338 RUM, as a great "all around cartridge"! It can be used for all NA game (dangerous game excluded) at ranges to 1000 and perhaps beyond! If shots are kept inside of 700 yards....I'll elevate the .338 WM to the "esteemed" position of "all around rifle"!
memtb
Alibiiv, I certainly didn't mean for the post to suggest shooting a bear at long range.....personally, in excess of 200 yards, should be off of the table! I was suggesting the .338 RUM, as a great "all around cartridge"! It can be used for all NA game (dangerous game excluded) at ranges to 1000 and perhaps beyond! If shots are kept inside of 700 yards....I'll elevate the .338 WM to the "esteemed" position of "all around rifle"!
Yup I get what you are saying. I was just throwing that question out there nothing more. For thin skinned stuff out to those distances plus it's a great choice. I've never done a big bear hunt, I have some close friends who do. They set a spike camp up, high on a hill and glass all day until the find something they like, and it's spot and stalk. I'm ole school, like the tried and true cartridges, for big bear hunting the 375 H&H ought to be a great cartridge. I think there's a current article posted on the forum face page showing a hunter with a bear he shot with an Encore in .375 in Alaska. Thanks for the input
86alaskan
Well-Known Member
Jim, I'd have to say that in equal weight rifle shooting similar weight bullets, that the 338RUM has sharper recoil. That 375H/H just seems to be more shove like that kick. I've got a 338RUM in a 11.5# rifle, braked it's a piece of cake, suppressed it's a firm shove, and bare muzzle will just about cross your eyes. Rifle shoots 300gr SMKs. In the 375 Ruger Hawkeye I had, shooting factory 300's was stiff, but not in the same ballpark as the 338. That rifle was probably 10.5lbs loaded with the 21" barrel. It wasn't something I'd plink clay birds with, but it was a good shooting rifle with more performance from the short package that the 375HH.
Just to be clear, though, that in a lighter weight rifle, with no recoil reducing add ons, both rifles will have strong recoil. But when you're down the barrel at a big brownie, you really won't notice either at all. I mean, even if you get scoped and blood is running down your face, you won't know it until someone tells you or it drips on your hand. Those big bears capture and hold all of your attention.
Just to be clear, though, that in a lighter weight rifle, with no recoil reducing add ons, both rifles will have strong recoil. But when you're down the barrel at a big brownie, you really won't notice either at all. I mean, even if you get scoped and blood is running down your face, you won't know it until someone tells you or it drips on your hand. Those big bears capture and hold all of your attention.
