Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles AK Black Bear Hunt Rifle Choice

Just throwing this out for discussion as neither of my choices would be wrong...just curious what others might do in my situation.

Heading to AK in September to take my son on a DIY black bear hunt. Planning to hunt mostly above timberline in the berries.

He will be taking a stainless Ruger 77 .30-06 with 165 gr Nosler Accubonds. It shoots the load well right at 2900 fps and I have total confidence in his setup out to 400 although the intent is to keep all shooting within 300 yards.



With the potentially wet conditions I am planning to stick to stainless/synthetic which narrows my personal options to:

#1- Ruger 77 MKII .300 Win Mag that shoots a 180 TTSX very well at 2975. The .300 is topped with a VX3 3.5-10 and I am confident and well practiced on my holdovers out to 500 (again, planning to keep shots on game inside 300ish). I have killed piles of game with this rifle and know it well. Although I have packed it for many miles I am not wild about its weight or the 24" barrel



#2- Ruger 77 MKII .35 Whelen cut to 21" that shoots a 250 Speer "Minute of Bear" at 2625. The .35 is topped with a Burris Fullfield and I am very comfortable at the 300 yard line but haven't shot much past there. It also has an iron front sight and I carry an NECG rear ghost ring that is adjusted for the rifle and easily changeable in the field. I have taken game with this rifle but not nearly as much as the .300 and it is not quite as accurate (averages about 1.5 MOA versus the .300 that typically shoots sub-MOA).







Goal number 1 is to get my son on a bear and use my rifle to back him up or help play clean up. I am tempted to jerk the scope and just run the irons. That keeps the rifle pretty handy for following up something in the brush and if my son tags out I can always shoot the '06 if a longer shot arrives.

Soooo...what would you chose and why?