What are you guys that have bear experience thoughts on 45/70 guide guns and 444p outfitters for big bears. I spend quite a bit of time picking huckleberry with my kids in an area that my friends have caught a huge grizzly on trail camera. It was actually IDmilton here on the fire that got the pics of the big bear in the area we camp and puck berries.
I used to bow hunt in island Park a lot up until 5 or 6 years ago and there are lots of big bears there and they aren't afraid of anything because they've never been hunted.
I used to carry a little 20" stainless m77 338 rcm with 225g interbonds at nearly 2700 when camping and berry picking in island park and other bear areas. I've since switched to taking my 45/70 guide gun or lately my 444p marlin outfitter. The 45/70 load I used to carry just kicks too much and my guide gun isn't ported to barrel rise is huge too. A 350g Hornady flat nose at 2100 fps is just too much for me these days. My ported 444 with 270g Speers at 2200 is much more shootable for me lately. I've been working on some 420g cast loads for the 45/70 at about 1600fps.
Might not have time for more than 1 shot but if I did the 444 would be quicker. Often I find myself laying the rifle down while we pick anyways but I always have a 329 pd a mtn gun 44 or 45 or a xdm10mm on my hip. I get much more nervous camping in bear areas with my kids than I every did bow hunting by myself. I just don't even enjoy camping with my kids near island park with all the bear sign in there. My wife always wants to go anyways but she hasn't seen what I have. I try to camp in other non grizzly areas whenever I can these days. As far as but guns go I often wish I would have picked up a cz550fs in 9.3x62 when they were cheap and available. Something like that with a 20" barrel and open sights with 5 in the mag seems like an ok option.plus they feed better than my 338 rcm did or my 300 wsm does.
Bb
