Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters bear gun?

I dig 17 in the 348

That will work, irons at 100?

When and if I get to take trip out west partitions will go with me. For now I will load a 150 to 2700 and hunt deer

Yes sir. Just a plain old Williams receiver sight.

10-4 mjb, familiarization on deer and other game will make the big hunt cake, good luck too you!

Perfect, there's an old factory similar bolt peep on the 348 I got from BSA, I can actually feel how hard and what the 348 is unleashing upon firing it, bet you can too, that old sombitch leaves with quite the attitude. LOL

For sure. I dig that rifle. Favorite lever gun made. Bank vault is the on,y way to describe it.

Yup, never hunted bear, but couldn't imagine what you couldn't go in after and root out safely and quickly with a 348 lever rifle so loaded,

A man would damn sure have to keep his nuts gathered up tight during Go Time with one of those big bastards, no fu-k ups!

Nice, looks to be in about perfect shape.

DF

For sure Gunner. Going toe to toe with the big bears is a dream I hope to make happen soon.


DF, it has a couple of loving marks but otherwise in pretty great shape metal wise.

Moose leg bones tend to be bigger and harder than any bones that bears have. So I tested a few some typical loads a few years ago by smashing unskinned lower leg bones.:



45-70 / 12 gauge


A few more similar tests using a 45 Colt Redhawk vs moose leg bones. (Wet newspaper and/or pulp were the back-up stop material.)



These were stout Colt loads; 23.0 grains W296 @1200 +/- fps



The following are a 45-70 bullet test which show a few premiums fired into paint solids (a previously frozen 5 gallon bucket of latex paint which had "congealed"):



l-r 400 Barnes Original, ???, 400 Swift A-Frame, 400 Woodleigh Weldcore

Sweet!

Klik, you just have way too much fun!

If I ever had the opportunity to hunt brown bear, I would go with a 9.3X62 with a 286gr Partition. The recoil doesn't seem bad at all.

I would also add that if there is any difference between the 375 H&H / Ruger and the 9.3x62 it is minor as I have never been able to tell any difference in killing big bears

That's good to know Phil, as in my (limited) experience, the 375 H&H is just a little above my pain threshold when it comes to extended shooting. The 9.3X62 to me at least, is quite a bit more comfortable to fire.

I have been hunting and target shooting in Alaska for the last 49 years. I knew/know several Bear guides. Some of them were Polar Bear guides in the old days. My wife's brother and "ex" worked for P&T. Most of those folks carried the typical Alaskan Hunting Rifle-- a short barreled Winchester M70 in .375 H&H. A lot like the guns that F&G used to issue to the "Fish Hawks", except the stocks were not painted red. Her brother Jimmy had a .358 Norma. Lately-say in the last 20 years, several of the guides have changed to a .416 or .458. Their comment is that they don't really kill any better, they do it with a wee more finality. I even knew an assistant guide who had a short barreled .460 Weatherby that had been mag-na-ported. I understand that the big bears made him somewhat nervous. I actually got to shoot that gun a few years ago. Not bad on the recoil, but "Big Flame". That being said, Those were guides who had to protect their hunters, so a "Stopping Rifle" is what they carried. Their hunters carried a variety of guns. The good old .30-06 or a .300 magnum probably being the most common. A gunsmith buddy of mine used his .35 Whelan and it worked extremely well. Kind of what Phil is trying to say, there is a difference in what the hunter carries and what his guide carries. As the hunter, you can carry what you use where you are from. Choose the proper bullet and practice a lot. The guide is there to back you up so that you have a "Bucket List" experience. Remember, you do have to know where to shoot the bear and then place your shot correctly.
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9.3 is a bit easier on the shooter than .375 H&H, but to me a lot of that is subjective, depends on the gun, fit, weight, etc., etc.

I traded my 9.3, kept the .375. I could shoot them both about the same, figured I'd use the .375 more, wouldn't worry about skinning it up, am more comfortable putting it where a fancy gun shouldn't go. 9.3 is a great round, more efficient than the .375, the latter maybe a bit more versatile.

DF

No kidding, stalking and killing one of the great bears would be a campaign of lifelong dreams and massive respect!

i don't know how much truth there is in this, but was told once this military surp was popular in bear country.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannlicher_M1895#Conversions
the steyr 1895/30, or a 1895 straight pull cut down in 1920.
8x56R with a typical 200grain pill.
they are kind of funky, and they do recoil.
short in length.
often wondered what in reality they would do to a bear.
what is cool is the clip dropping down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx-uvD0AN8Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0kMFkhjN2Y