Brown bear Rifle

[lachoneus]

I was just on Kodiak in April with three guides rifles as follows 375 ruger, 375 ruger, 375HH AI that is my limited findings, in the airport or hotel locals as follows 375 Ruger, 375 ruger, 340 weatherby, just a small sample

I have not hunted in Alaska, but I have hunted in Africa a few times. Everything I hit with my 375 Ruger dropped almost instantly, from 90 to 360 yards out, even if shot placement was not perfect. Recoil is a heavy push, not a slap, and though I am pretty small, I barely notice it while hunting, especially when shooting from the offhand and other improvised hunting positions. I used to shy away from bigger cartridges due to perceived recoil problems, but I am a convert now. There is just no substitute for the power of heavy cartridges like the 375 Ruger.

 

[DJ Morrison]

I can't believe this post is still going, but i digress, Been in a bear camp on the peninsula a couple of times, and the guides basically were required to use a 338 or bigger. I wouldn't want anything smaller than a 338 WM for these critters. When your next to one of these things, you get a real appreciation for how big and how dense the big boars are...if someone wants to use a 6.5 prc to dispatch a Brownie, more power to them, but a wise man would pick otherwise. I remember watching and episode of either Tom Miranda or Jim Shockey polar bear hunting and the old inuit guide that was backing him up had the old reliable 243 Win. I think that would really make someone concentrate on their first shot to make it "good".

 

[fta0303]

I was just on Kodiak in April with three guides rifles as follows 375 ruger, 375 ruger, 375HH AI that is my limited findings, in the airport or hotel locals as follows 375 Ruger, 375 ruger, 340 weatherby, just a small sample

I went looking for a .375 H&H 15 years ago. Local store had a CZ, a Ruger Magnum SAfari (remember those ?), and a .375 Ruger African. I handled them. The CZ was a bit blocky, rough, and I just didn't like it. I loved the Ruger Magnum Rifle, but found it to be too barrel heavy. THe .375 African, though it wasn't the H&H that was looking for, was a very handy, quick rifle, just like most .30-06s. I bought the .375 Ruger African and have been very happy with it. Anyone who has to carry their rifle much would see an advantge in it over most .375 H&Hs, which tend to be a couple pounds heavier. It's also much faster to use than a heavier rifle. It kicks harder than a heavier .375 H&H, about like a .375 Weatherby. I can see why bear guides seem to like it; the rifle/cartridge combination is just about perfect for larger game, anywhere.

 

[.338 RCM]

I'd take my 9.3 x 62 shooting 250 Accubonds! Minimal recoil, and it's stainless/synthetic!

 

[Bill Peet]

You are good with the rifle and bullets you have . Stay with the 220s if they shoot good at 200 yards.
Been to Kodiak 4 times and most shots are 100 and in. Try to break front shoulder first and shoot till hes down, reload and be ready. Good luck

 

[lachoneus]

I went looking for a .375 H&H 15 years ago. Local store had a CZ, a Ruger Magnum SAfari (remember those ?), and a .375 Ruger African. I handled them. The CZ was a bit blocky, rough, and I just didn't like it. I loved the Ruger Magnum Rifle, but found it to be too barrel heavy. THe .375 African, though it wasn't the H&H that was looking for, was a very handy, quick rifle, just like most .30-06s. I bought the .375 Ruger African and have been very happy with it. Anyone who has to carry their rifle much would see an advantge in it over most .375 H&Hs, which tend to be a couple pounds heavier. It's also much faster to use than a heavier rifle. It kicks harder than a heavier .375 H&H, about like a .375 Weatherby. I can see why bear guides seem to like it; the rifle/cartridge combination is just about perfect for larger game, anywhere.

I carry a Ruger Alaskan in 375 Ruger that was rebarreled to 23" and it has been a smooth-feeding, reliable and very accurate rifle. I have shot many groups that hover around the 1/2" mark.

 

[comfisherman]

I don't know about on a guided hunt but the locals kill them with 223 every day...from ground level. The one guy just posted photos on the thread in question the other day.

Ok, more power to them. Had a high school buddy kill one with a less lethal 12 gauge round... still wouldn't recommend the method as optimum.

 

[Pdvdh]

I just left Alaska last year (military). I spend quite a bit of hours in the wilderness wherever I am and Alaska was no exception. I talked to numerous guides about what rifle they carried on their hunts and this may surprise you, as it certainly did me.
For Brown Bear, they all carried 6.5 PRC.
I was shocked that the answer wasn't 338 win mag or similar.
That is what they carry.

I've lived, and hunted, in Alaska for the past 47 years. Shot numerous bears - blacks, grizzlies, and brown. Additionally, a relative has owned and operated a gun shop in Alaska since the mid-1980s.

Neither of us has ever talked to a bear guide, or heard of a bear guide, carrying a 6.5 PRC or 6.5 anything, while guiding clients for brown bear. And if you've ever hung out in a gun shop in Alaska, there's a lot of hunters come in and talk hunting stories.

Evidently, some guides do carry 6.5s. None that we've heard of where we live, on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. 338s and 375s seem most common. I've heard of a few carrying 416s and 458s.

As a resident, I don't need to hire a guide. I wouldn't hire a brown bear guide carrying a 6.5 for backup. It demonstrates a lack of concern for the welfare of their hunters, IMO.

 

[Alibiiv]

Was curious as to the status of the OP since this has been going since 2021 and he was going on a brown bear hunt in 'a couple years', and was wondering about upgrading his 300 winmag / nosler partition combo.
As of this week it seems he has been looking for a 'controlled feed' .375 H&H rifle for a griz hunt. Still seems to be leaning towards a Nosler Partition however. Due to my experience of a partition shedding pretty much everything on an elk at close range, with no heavy bone hits, I have never used them again. Swift A-frames have a far heavier construction.
Regarding the controlled feed thing, it appears they are highly favored in Africa where it is really hot and humid. That could definitely cause extraction issues, especially in the 'hot' handloads people tend to favor on this forum. Not sure what the conditions were in Alaska to cause the rim tearout he cited. One thing I personally don't like about controlled feed actions is that most can't be easily fed a single round.
One nice thing about the .375 H&H is the tapered case. That is definitely going to ease extraction issues. It is one of the reasons the 7.62X39 is so incredibly reliable in very harsh conditions and inexperienced hands.

I do not know what his status is/was? This thread has been going on since May 2021, I haven't read the entire thread to page 44 yet. Hopefully he did make the trip and did make it back home safely. I have Ruger 77s that are controlled feed, and have never had any issues feeding one shot at a time into them. We also have the floor plates on the Rugers blocked with a screw that goes into the floor plate release mechanism so the magazine cannot get dumped accidentally. We do not brown/grizzly bear hunt, we hunt black bear only. We have totally switched over to hunting with monolithic bullets. To date they have given great performance and have been extremely reliable. We use Barnes TSX 225gr bullets out of the 35 Whelen and the Barnes 300gr TSX FB bullets out of the 45-70. And... I did shoot my first bear with a Barnes TSX 180gr bullet out of the 30-06. Of the ten or twelve bear that we have shot we have never recovered a bullet.

 

[comfisherman]

I've spent a lot of time the last 20 some years on the alaksa peninsula as well as kodiak, the guides there definitely trend towards 338 and 375. Usually it's a beat up winchester model 70 with copious amounts of black tape residue on the barrel...

Granted there is a steady changing of the guard, the old image of a guide is being replaced with a new version. Less bearded men in Filson flannel and canvas pants, more flat brim hats and guicci camo. Very much the Ying to the shot show gun bunny yang. I'm not sure what they shoot, never really took the time to talk to them.

 

[TxHeartShot]

I've spent a lot of time the last 20 some years on the alaksa peninsula as well as kodiak, the guides there definitely trend towards 338 and 375. Usually it's a beat up winchester model 70 with copious amounts of black tape residue on the barrel...

Granted there is a steady changing of the guard, the old image of a guide is being replaced with a new version. Less bearded men in Filson flannel and canvas pants, more flat brim hats and guicci camo. Very much the Ying to the shot show gun bunny yang. I'm not sure what they shoot, never really took the time to talk to them.

Overheard a guy at SCI last year planning an Alaskan brown bear hunt, told the outfitter he had an old Model 70 300 H&H that would put three 220 gr. Nosler Partitions through the same hole at 100 yds, guide said that would work just fine.

 

[comfisherman]

Don't doubt that a bit, know one old timer that shoots a 30-06 with 200 partitions. If we were discussing moderate 30 cal rifles, I'm doubtful anyone would see any error with that.

 

[griz375]

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???

As an ex brown bear guide I can say with confidence that a 300 win mag will hammer the biggest of bears. Although the 220 grain nosler partitions will certainly be adequate, my personal choice of bullet would be the 200 grain Swift A-Frame. Bears I've seen hit with that combination were immediately deflated.

 

[Pdvdh]

I've spent a lot of time the last 20 some years on the alaksa peninsula as well as Kodiak...

Granted there is a steady changing of the guard, the old image of a guide is being replaced with a new version. Less bearded men in Filson flannel and canvas pants, more flat brim hats and guicci camo. Very much the Ying to the shot show gun bunny yang. I'm not sure what they shoot, never really took the time to talk to them.

Too funny!

I'd prefer the guides of old, than a guide dressed like Rodney Dangerfield listening to music and podcasts through earbuds, intent on demonstrating the stopping prowess and lethality of his 6.5