Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only Anyone use a 350 Remington Mag for North American DG?

Guys,
I have been contemplating buying a DG gun for North American game but being a small man and almost 60 years old, I doubt the wisdom of a .375 H&H or .375 Ruger for a little old guy like me due to the weight and size of the rifles. Would I be under gunned with a 350 Rem Mag in a 673 guide gun? All opinions welcome!

Flower Child

I once shot an elephant in my pajamas.... How he got in my pajamas I do not know?!!! -Groucho Marx-

When I was deciding on which cartridge to rechamber/rebore my 98 Mauser to,.338-06,35 Whelen(.350 Rem),or 9.3x62mm,the general consensus was that I'd never notice a difference in the field between them and that they were all GOOD for BIG game. I'd say you'd be ok with that set-up. I will say that the Rem Model 600 in .350 Rem Mag was known for it's substantial recoil so it would be good if you could try a 673 out before buying.

The .338-06 or the 9,3x62 would be my choice.

I've used a Rem 673 on black bear with good results and I like it. I don't care much for the shark fin front sight as it's visible in the 2x7 scope I mounted. It's handy in a blind, on horseback, and is easy to carry. It's accurate with 225 gr Swift A-Frames. The magazine is short so I had difficulty with long for weight bullets like the TSXs and Noslers.

Mine has a good recoil pad and I don't remember recoil being an issue. But, I don't have a problem with 375 H&H or 416 Rem in hunting situations.

Big bears in AK? I think the 350 Rem is a fine cartridge and underrated with a good bullet. However I would take issue with 673 Guide Gun for aesthetics and it's weight (you mentioned not wanting too much weight). Instead I would look very hard at the various Rem model 7s available in that cartridge.

The 9.3x62 would be another very good choice.

A CDL Model 7 in 350 Remington mag would be a better choice I think. Of course thats my opinion, yours is the most important.

Guess I have a couple of thoughts. First off I have no doubt the 350 Rem would do the trick for you and if I were to build one I'd copy Mtn Htr's rig.

Secondly, a intelligently built 375 should be of no big concern for anyone willing to pony up and practice a bit. Known more than a few slight and quirky people (women...grin) who had no issues with the round. So, I'd encourage you to reconsider it as an option if the round intrigues you.

As for NA/DG I can only assume that you're talking about brownies right? One thing to consider is that your basic 06 will do you just fine with a 200 Nozler.

Good luck in your decision.

Dober

(you might do well to consider the idea of a 375 Ruger M77 and stick it in a different handle than the Hogue (I hear a factory take off handle works just fine)

Th .350 Rem. Mag. will do just fine for the stated purpose. As will any of the other rounds mentioned.

Recoil is easily dealt with by stock ergonomics, sensible rifle weight and then, most important, practice.

Handle rifles, shoot them and then decide, would be my take.

I took this route:



Works. 9,3x64 286 grains TSX @ 2450 fps out of 22" barrel.

As an aside, this pigued my curiosity.



Gentlemen, may I request a few pictures or a link, if this rifle has been discussed?

DG, like Brown bear? Your (required) guide will be carrying the big iron, just in case. Bring your 308 or 30'06 and for goodness sake be competent with it. Shoot hundreds of practice shots offhand and from shooting sticks,dressed in your gear with and without raingear. There friend, is where you should invest your efforts. JMHO Bill

the 350 will do anything that needs being done in ak. guid gun or mod. 7. my mod 600 is great gun and loves the nosler factory 225 load. loud? yes!!!!!!! det her done Y E S ! great pick. D O M I T !

I just rebarreled a Savage 110 to 338-06 A-Square as a winter project. That'll be my DGR until I build myself a 9.3x62. It shoots nicely w/ 200 gr Interlocks and is very manageable, even from the bench.

The problem with any of the three of these cartridges is the lack of availability of ammo when you're "out and about," if you were to become separated from your handloads. As much as I hate to say it as a lover of the '06 version, the 338 Win Mag has all three beat on this point.

The reason I went w/ the 338'06 A-Square over the Whelen (350 Rem Mag ballistic twin) and the 9.3x62 was the wider availability of bullets. You can get bullets from 160-300 grains in 338 cal, while the 35 is more limited and the 9.3 narrower still.

At the end of the day the fact of the matter is either of those three would be great for the stated purpose.

Good luck; keep us posted on your decision!

CMG-

That is a sweet rig! Can you give us the blueprint?

efw,

thank you, Sir.

Action: DWM 98 (1909 Argentine)
Barrel: Heym 560 mm (22")
Chambered: 9,3x64 Brenneke
Stock: Boberg Laminate Blank, fit and finish "cmg"
Frontsight: Remington Factory Post
Rearsight: cmg "sturdy" Ghost
Finish on all metal parts: mangan phospahate
Load: 286 gr. Barnes TSX @2450 fps (chronographed)





The rifle has seen Prince William Sound, AK 2007, Talkeetnas AK 2008. It has "brownie points".

Thanks for taking an interest.

Guys,
First let me congratulate CMG on a beautiful and obviously very nicely executed DG rifle. Second I am leaning towards achieving my DG gun in the smallest package possible as larger rifles such as my Remington .264 Win Mag Sendero SFII are okay for stalking a few miles but not for covering a lot of territory in a hurry. Plus the barrels stick up like an antenna on me saying here I am if I move in on a stalk. In my view they are great for hunting Mule Deer in Utah or Elk in Wyoming where the distance to the target is generally bordering on the extreme but not so great for crawling around in Alaska looking to get a really great once in a lifetime big bear. Hopefully I have learned a few things about this from reading what you guys and the Alaska folks say about that place and my choice of rifle will enable this old man to keep up with his guide both in distance and duration in that harsh environment. Lastly, I want to be able to pack enough ammo so that I can get in enough shooting to clue my guide as to how well or poorly I shoot in those conditions and to re zero the rifle in case of rough handling by bagage handlers. Also, enough ammo that I feel semi comfortable being in a wilderness with no means of resupply handy (50 rds). This is why the Remington 673 in 350 Rem Mag looked promising. Yeah it looks like a Buck Rogers rifle but to me function / suitability rate more than good looks and I don't want to be bringing either a fine custom job that I don't want to scratch or a beater that has seen enough use that my guide wonders if it will stay together long enough to shoot. So I guess maybe the 350 Remington Magnum cartridge is okay but maybe my choice of rifle could be better is the general consensus of opinion. Maybe a model 7 Remington? But if that is the case what would really be the difference between the two other than looks and price? I am confused a bit about that. Can someone clue me in? By the way, I want to thank everyone who has expressed an opinion on this thread as each of you has contributed towards refining my thinking on this subject and given me options that have worked in your experience to seriously consider. Thank you all and please feel free to comment further as this is stilll not a done deal even though I got to shoot the Remington 673 loudenboomer one of the guys in our shooting club has and liked it very much. Time will tell if other alternatives prove better choices as I am going to attempt to find / shoot the other rifle / cartridges suggested. Thanks.

Flower Child

I once shot an elephant in my pajamas.....How he got in my pajamas I don't know?!!! -Groucho Marx-

Hey FC,
I'm GLAD you got to shoot the rifle your considering. That's the ONLY way to find out what you really think about one. My opinion is that you shot it,you liked it,get it. As far as looks go? Your not taking it to the prom!

FC,

first of, please let me apologize. I did not mean to 'hijack' your thread. I posted the pics just for illustration of my take for the application.

From your last post, your intentions become clearer. To me, taking all that into consideration, one rifle comes to mind:

Ruger Hawkeye in .35 Whelen - either woodstocked or plastic.

Couple that with an Leupold 1,75-6x32 or 2-7x36 or ... in the factory Ruger rings and you have a quite affordable bear Rifle.

The rugers have a very good reputation amoung bear guides.

The money you safed can go into rifle break in and practise shooting and that it should.

.35 Whelen is a plenty powerfull cartridge of modest recoil and readily available in factory loadad form or in reloading supplies.

Just some thoughts.

The only DG that I've used the .350 Remington Mag on was one inland grizzly and two large black bear over bait in Canada. It worked well. I took a couple of bull elk with that rifle/round as well (Remington Model 7). My rifle really liked Nosler Partitions loaded to the max. As I recall, I was getting 2,700 fps from the 225 grain. The 250s didn't perform quite so well.

My personal preference in a moderate recoiling, yet reasonably light-weight weapon to be used on creatures that may bite back or otherwise do you harm, is the 9.3x62 Mauser. That said, my 9.3 is not quite as comfortable to pack around all day as my Model 7 was.

I'm also a big fan of the .375s and the Ruger Alaskan is a handy rifle, but the .350 Rem will do what you need done.

For a custom, consider the Win 70 in a WSM for an action. A rebarrel and follower swap will get you there.




Win 70, S/A, CM, KG GunKote
WSM S/A converted for 350RM, Featherweight Alloy TG, Williams Extractor
350RM, 12 twist #2 SS PacNor at 21.5", blueprinted & rebarreled by Truman Wilson, Delta CO.
Re-contoured factory floorplate.
Bansner stock, bobbed and pillar bedded, Polane T paint
Leupold 4X, Leupold DD mounts

7.5lbs scoped

MtnHtr

I have both a Remington 673 in .350 RM and a M98 in 9.3x62. The 98 has a 25.5" tube, so the two rifle are very different, in terms of ergonomics. My 673 has had the rib removed professionally by the previous owner; I like the modification very much.

I've only shot one head of game with either rifle (a pig with the 9.3), but I hope to use the 673 in the next couple of weeks on some more wild pigs. FWIW, I really like the 673. It is one of those rifles that just **feels** good. I can't speak to performance on brown bears, but both rifles and cartridges have reasonably moderate recoil and I think that you'll be satisfied with either. There are more components available in .358 caliber than there are in .366 caliber. If you're willing to wait for mail-order, it's not really a problem.

MH,

that is one serious looking rifle.
I like the fixed scope touch.

Thanks for posting.