Build a rifle for sheep or bears?

[Gcan]

So I go back and forth, I'm looking at hunting sheep in an area that is crawling with Grizzly, it's also an area that had a reputation as challenging to access, I have my gear list and I'm working in it and it's naturally ultra lite but then I come to the rifle!
I had a rifle planned out on paper that would be on the light side of stupid and probably chambered in a 6.5 SS, awesome on paper till I started thinking about the inevitable run in with bears, I don't like the idea of standing there with a 5 lb 6.5 with a bear deciding how badly my being there is offending him.
I have zero intention of putting my life on a can of bear spray, ya, we'll be packing it but really I'm putting a big hole in something if it comes to it, the last guy locally that got killed blew a whole can into the bear and he died and the bear had spray all over it when they killed it!!
Another guy I know of ran out of spray by the time he made it to the truck, he sprayed the bear, got thrashed, made it a ways and the bear kept coming back for more as he hiked out, he lived but was messed up!
So to the question, do I build an ultra lite sheep rifle and then carry a Ruger Alaskan in 454 OR build an 8-9 lb 300 of some kind and pack just that?

I have a 300UM Christensen Carbon 26" plus titanium break. Bout 7 lbs all in with Lpld 4.5x14. Shot elk, 2000lb Bison, etc caribou, Moose, bear, deer, Muley, goat and too many exotics to count. There ain't no grizzly, or if necessary, even a brown can stand up to that. Still holding 1500ftlbs @1000 yrds.

And its flat. -23 MOA @ 1000 with 100 yard zero w/210 Berger Hunter @3100 fps. 4500ftlbs 0-25 yards. Right where that grizzly will be. 250 yrd zero and it's point-blank to 333yards. (5" circle) Why would anyone carry a 6.5 into any situation where their life could be at risk?

The 6.5 craze.

As far as a handgun, I have used handguns to save my life. I've killed some very large stuff in Africa with a 500 S&W using 440 grain hard cast and a lot of stuff using softs. A handgun is great in a tent but unless you practice a lot with a handgun in hi-stress stituations don't think of one as a solution. The average gunfight happens at 10 feet or so and it is not uncommon for both combatants to empty their guns without a hit. In a real bear attack A handgun is more than likely going to get you killed, even if you manage to mortally wound the bear. If a handgun is your bear solution you better be willing to start shooting before that bear has decided to attack. And if you are running you may be shooting behind you but you ain't hitting anything. Carry a enough rifle to stop a bear at a dead run and stand your ground.

 

[26Reload]

One aspect I see that some are neglecting....a muzzlebreak in bear country?...
Are you going to have ear protection on while walking thru that country......and how would you hear the bear charging...well...i guess you would feel the ground trembling...just before being hit by 800-1000# of bone, muscle, hair and teeth.....let alone the force behind that size critter hitting you with intent to do more damage than a 250# linebacker.......

 

[Oldschool280]

I would handload 168 ttsx's for the sheep and some 220 partitions or something else stout in my 760 30-06 with one or two 168's on top and the big boys on the bottom of the magazine. If you kept one in the chamber ( i normally do not) that would be 5 total, In a fast action pump with under moa capability. Should reach out pretty well and mr brownstone has been put down with the 06 before . Or you can simply walk with a magazine full of heavies and switch magazines for the sheep loads when they are spotted perhaps? The 760 is also available in a carbine . My full length 06 with empty magazine and vx2 weighs in at 8 even. Just a thought

 

[Canhunter35]

Buckshot is worthless on a bear IMO.

So is missing your shot, but I have no idea if it's actually effective, but the buckshot/slug combo is what I've been told guys carry when they're in bear country up here

 

[Frog4aday]

So I go back and forth, I'm looking at hunting sheep in an area that is crawling with Grizzly <SNIPPED STUFF>.
I had a rifle planned out on paper that would be on the light side of stupid and probably chambered in a 6.5 SS <SNIPPED STUFF>

Hey BigNgreen, I love your rifle plan! (6.5 SS at five pounds weight.) You should do that. It will be a fantastic sheep gun. And - in the super rare chance you have to shoot a bear to protect your life - the 6.5mm bullets have great sectional density and will provide a lot of penetration and protection against bears.

While you wouldn't necessarily pick the 6.5 SS specifically for a grizzly bear hunt (though you could, I suppose) it isn't exactly harmless to Mama & Papa Bruin. And I like your thought of carrying a handgun as a back-up plan. And while I do love me a revolver, they are heavy with limited capacity. Since you are looking to be as light as can be, I like the 10mm suggestions, specifically in a Glock 20 (15 round magazine) or Glock 29 (10 round magazine) shooting Buffalo Bore "Heavy 10mm Outdoorsman ammo" (220 gr. hard cast FN at 1200 FPS/703 ft.lbs) Glocks are light and reliable.

The beauty of the Glock is that it will always be loaded & ready, even in camp when the rifle may be out of hand and out of reach. Or when gutting & packing out your sheep. Or when taking a leak. Or when sleeping. It will bring you a lot of 'peace of mind'. And if you need it, 10 to 15 rounds into Ursus Arctos Horribilus from a full power 10mm will likely put them on the path to the big bear forest in the sky.

 

[Hubby45]

I love the 300 Win Mag for pack'n when hunting in bear country on hunts and finding one on the light weight side should be easy enough. Plenty of ammo to choose from, though love the 180 or 200 grain Nosler Partitions. . I also have a Ruger Alaskan in 454 Casull for a second gun which can also take the hot loaded 45 Colt ammo. I have practiced, and can shoot it well. I used to pack a Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag with the 7 1/2 inch barrel as a secondary gun, but learned how slow the draw is with the long barrel when I had a blackie explode out of a brush pile at about 7 yards once ....

 

[L.Sherm]

Theres 3 or 4 mailings almost every year in Montana. 1-10,000 is pretty low percentage in my opinion. What is the definition of an "encounter". I dont consider an encounter spotting one one the next ridge over. An encounter is running into one hiking up a trail, coming into a campsite etc.

 

[dgarrett]

This is not to put down anyone fears or worries about what they think they should need to hunt bear country... More about what statistics say the likelihood of anyone getting mauled... I find it somewhat amusing by some of the worry about bears some legitimate and some not in my opinion ... How many of you run for the house every time you hear thunder? Well you probably have about the same chance of getting struck by lighting or less as you do mauled by a bear.... How many never go on a hill side with more then a 3% grade when there is snow on it.... Way more people dead or buried in avalanches every year in the same areas then have any problem with bears. How about never going next to a river, way more people drown .. Well I have things I won't do... Like go in the pasture with horse... Even with some of the most expensive well trained long traveled rope horses around.... Being all crippled up I chose not to be around them dam nags when I can't react if they start pushing and kicking each other around... But It does not bother me to sleep in a tent in bear country.... I was a bit spoiled as when I first went down by West Yellowstone bow hunting... It was with guys that grew up hunting down there their whole lives...I watched how they worked around and talked to bears that got to close and the ones that were showing nervousness marching back and forth snapping their teeth.....I am not saying not to go prepared but I think the main thing is to go prepared with exactly how much stuff it will take you to easy your mind and believe you are well protected so worry doesn't ruin your hunt. We all know and hear about in the news , internet,ect and every other place they can publish any bear attack story. But when someone is buried in an avalanche which happens way more often we hear about it 1-2 times....I say have a healthy respect and what ever protection you feel you need and if that isn't enough and you are miserable with worry the whole trip... don't go...

 

[Rafter o]

Buck Buster, It's just a .375 H&H that has been "improved", by removing some of the body taper and making a sharper shoulder angle. You end up with more case capacity, which will give you higher velocities. Many folks contend that you get longer case life. With mine I'm getting 3130 fps mv, with 250 grain Barnes TTSX. It just makes the 375 H&H a little better performer at longer distances!

With any firearm, it's all about placement. But, larger calibers, and heavy bullets perform better on large, muscular, heavy boned animals. memtb

What powder do you use for your 375?

 

[coyotl]

So I go back and forth, I'm looking at hunting sheep in an area that is crawling with Grizzly, it's also an area that had a reputation as challenging to access, I have my gear list and I'm working in it and it's naturally ultra lite but then I come to the rifle!
I had a rifle planned out on paper that would be on the light side of stupid and probably chambered in a 6.5 SS, awesome on paper till I started thinking about the inevitable run in with bears, I don't like the idea of standing there with a 5 lb 6.5 with a bear deciding how badly my being there is offending him.
I have zero intention of putting my life on a can of bear spray, ya, we'll be packing it but really I'm putting a big hole in something if it comes to it, the last guy locally that got killed blew a whole can into the bear and he died and the bear had spray all over it when they killed it!!
Another guy I know of ran out of spray by the time he made it to the truck, he sprayed the bear, got thrashed, made it a ways and the bear kept coming back for more as he hiked out, he lived but was messed up!
So to the question, do I build an ultra lite sheep rifle and then carry a Ruger Alaskan in 454 OR build an 8-9 lb 300 of some kind and pack just that?

Quite

So I go back and forth, I'm looking at hunting sheep in an area that is crawling with Grizzly, it's also an area that had a reputation as challenging to access, I have my gear list and I'm working in it and it's naturally ultra lite but then I come to the rifle!
I had a rifle planned out on paper that would be on the light side of stupid and probably chambered in a 6.5 SS, awesome on paper till I started thinking about the inevitable run in with bears, I don't like the idea of standing there with a 5 lb 6.5 with a bear deciding how badly my being there is offending him.
I have zero intention of putting my life on a can of bear spray, ya, we'll be packing it but really I'm putting a big hole in something if it comes to it, the last guy locally that got killed blew a whole can into the bear and he died and the bear had spray all over it when they killed it!!
Another guy I know of ran out of spray by the time he made it to the truck, he sprayed the bear, got thrashed, made it a ways and the bear kept coming back for more as he hiked out, he lived but was messed up!
So to the question, do I build an ultra lite sheep rifle and then carry a Ruger Alaskan in 454 OR build an 8-9 lb 300 of some kind and pack just that?

quite a few years ago I went on a ewe sheep hunt with an acquaintance into an area full of grizzlies. I was carrying a single shot .240 Gibbs shooting a 100 grain Sierra pushing 3500 FPS. On the first day we bumped into a young grizzly at 30 yards. I remember wondering how good a shot my acquaintance was, and thinking that if I held fire till the bear was almost on the muzzle and shot him in the head maybe I could take enough hair off that they'd be be able to figure out which bear ate these two poor fellas in the woods. Lol. I did kill a ewe that trip. At 200 yards it made a 2 inch entrance hole and didn't exit on a broadside shot. Now I carry a Kimber 8400 in 338 WM shooting 210 Barnes at 3000. It's pretty light and will get the job done on sheep or bears. I call it hunting condition.

 

[bigngreen]

A couple years ago a friend went into a bear area up north that we've hit before and he had serious encounters with 14 grizz in one weekend. A place I go and do a lot of work on equipment that I've seen bears while working had a hair sample done on the place and in one month they identified 49 different grizzlies in the area. The issue is becoming worse rapidly, the issue down hear is the bears have zero reason to get out of our way, in many high density areas in Canada or Alaska they at least have some respect to some degree, down here there is none any more.

 

[Josh P]

A good double action revolver in an suitable reasonable cartridge 41mag to 454 casull would serve you well. I recently bought a glock g40 10mm to potentially replace my super redhawk in 454 casull as my sidearm when I'm in Alaska hunting well see if it is up to task.
A long gun is not nearly as handy in thick cover or close quarters and while doing camp chores. In bear country a firearm at all times is a necessity if you can't have a rifle in your hands a pistol on your person is some piece of mind.

 

[Barrelnut]

Are you going to have ear protection on while walking thru that country......and how would you hear the bear charging...well...i guess you would feel the ground

I would have electronic earplugs in all the time. Ones with enhanced hearing. Might allow you to hear the bear sooner too. These are what I wear when hunting.
https://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearing-protection/gsp15.html

 

[Iron Worker]

Buy a 10mm and shoot Grizzly Factory ammo,hard cast 220 gr bullet at 1200 fps,heard that's what Alaskan guides carry,15 rounds as opposed to 6 from a heavy recoiling handgun ... .