I really have no need for a medium/big bore but just want one just to have it. Only real use outside of fun at the range would be elk and black bears.
I’m leaning towards either a 375 H&H or 416 Remington but open to other thoughts. Mainly just looking to see what others would choose and why.
Seems to me this is maybe more of a question about the shopper (buyer) than it is about a cartridge or rifle.
Historic/nostalgia oriented? 9.3x62 Mauser, .375 H&H, .416 Rigby, maybe .404 Jeffery...
Modern and/or efficiency oriented? .375 Ruger, .416 Ruger, maybe .416 Remington...
And then there's recoil tolerance and carrying issues. Light rifle for carrying, not so great for recoil... and vice versa.
And then there's the rifle itself. Some may be attracted to an historic (or even modern) M70, but there are boatloads of actions out there with varying pros and cons.
Elk and black bears don't really need all that much, although they can make a good excuse to shop on heavier rifles.
For a "what others would choose" answer, especially for non-horse elk hunts (as we did), I'd go with a lightweight rifle chambered for .264 or above. Or even .25, maybe. That probably doesn't help, though... and what I actually carried at the time was a .338 or a .348... which probably also doesn't help much...
-Chris
