Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Let’s build a Big Bear Rifle...

Since we’ve had a few thread “dust-ups” about bear attacks on hunters and guides in the last several months with opinions running amuck....Let’s build a good bear rifle that you would want as your primary rifle as a hunter trying to fill a tag for yourself or being used as a guide rifle for protection of both yourself, your hunter and following up on a wounded bear your hunter may have made a poor shot on.

I got curious about this after reading an article on big bear guides. Phil Shoemaker (458Win) was pictured with a rifle that looked like it had seen a few hunts in its day...

Don’t ask me questions!...Just write what you’d want, need and expect from the rifle in a caliber of your choice. Stock, action, barrel length and optics, iron sites or both.

Doesn’t have to be a custom build...If there is a production rifle you’d want. Add any changes to it you or a Smith would do to improve it.
😎

Mine is a Winchester 70 Classic Stainless, .338 Win Mag, 23" bbl in a McMillan "Bridges" Edge.

Shoots the 225 TSX at @ 2900fps.

8 lbs on the nose with a 2.5-8 Zeiss Conquest in Talley LW.

Pictures if possible....Yes, I’m planning on buying or building one. Thanks 😎

That’s a “Thumper “.

Muzzle brake?

No brake. The classic stock is very comfortable to shoot.

Cz550FS, 9.3x62 Mauser , Zeiss Diavari 1-4 In QD rings , Loads for accubonds / partitions / TSX/ woodleigh round nose softs


Or

Interarms mark x , 375 H&H, Bausch and Lomb 1-6 in QD rings , loads for accubonds / partitions / TSX / woodleigh round nose softs


Wish I had a bear hunt on the menu !

Mine is a 375 H&H M70 Classic Stainless with the barrel cut to 22" and deeply fluted. It is bedded in a Brown Pound'r stock and it now wears a Leupold VXII 2-7X. I load the 270 gr TSX at just shy of 2700 fps. It has been up there once, unsuccessfully, but it will go again.

Ed,
From what I’ve been reading, good place to start is with either a Win M70 or Mauser action...Both getting the nod from hunters. 😎

Bear hunt...Me too! Huge fur is looking appealing, hence this thread. Grin...😎

I have spent almost four decades agonizing over the same thing and now have a rack full of them. A couple of G series stainless M 70 338 Win, another in 375 H&H , a Ruger Mk II M 77 that Bill Atkinson converted to 375 H&H, a couple of 375 Rugers, another in 416 Ruger, an FN Mauser Charlie Sisk built in 375 Ruger , a couple 9.3x62's , another couple 30-06s and my 458.

They are all "perfect"

I have one very similar, but it is a pre 64, in a Brown poundR stock, stainless matchgrade 24" barrel, leupold PRW mounts and rings, Zeiss conquest 3.5-10x44, barreled action and btm metal cerakoated midnight blue. Mag box holds 4 rounds and yes, i'd carry hot, so thats 5 round capacity. As it sits, it weighs 8 pounds and balances well and has great glass. Shoots consistent sub moa 5 shot groups with multiple bullet weights and brands. It feeds and cycles flawlessly, with no hiccups. Id trust it hunting bears.

If I were a big bear guide, I'd want something starting with .4

My son typically uses his 375 Ruger or his 475 Turnbull and while my daughter did good work with her 375 Ruger but absolutely loves her lightweight 416 Remington

Now let me start by saying, I have no experience hunting bear. If I was to go bear hunting, I would carry the same rifle I use for everything else. I would be most comfortable with a rifle I know that I can use effectively and I would rather have a good 200 grain bullet from my 8x57 in the right place than 500 grains in the wrong one.

Just my 2 cents.

My brown bear killers are both Classic Stainless Model 70s, a .375 H&H and a 9.3x62. Both have Talley mounts with the peep sight. The .375 barrel was cut to 20.5". It's in a McMillan Supergrade stock with a Vari X III 1.75-6. The 9.3 also has a 20.5" barrel and sits in a McMillan Winlite pattern stock with a VX II 2-7. The old Winlite is being replaced with an Edge fill Winlite. Once done, that rifle should weigh about 6.75 lbs with the peep sight-perfect for hiking, fishing, and alot of hunting.

The .375 has killed a pile of them. The 9.3 has only one so far but acted just like a .375. In fact, I think of the 9.3 as my six shot .375.

Remington 7600 stainless synthetic straight grip stock with 18 inch barrel and worked over real good. Make mine a 338 Federal with some good 210 grain Partition loads. Leupold VX-4.5HD 1-4.5x24 with bull ring post reticle.

I have had two built and purchase another one. It looks like I will never hunt the big bears but I am ready.

The one I purchased is a Kimber Talkeetna in .375 H&H.

I had a Winchester model 70 Stainless Classic in .375 H&H worked over by our own "Redneck". He shortened the barrel to 22", installed new Express Sights, did a trigger job on it and installed it in a McMillan Express McWoody after Eddie F. Cerakoted it.

Next is another Winchester Classic Stainless 30-06 that Redneck rebarreled with a PacNor 35 Whelen barrel, installed it in a McMillan Compact Hunter stock after Eddie F. Cerakoted it.

Maybe my kids or grandkids will use them on a big bear.

This one....


Winchester M 70 .375 H&H SS with a Weaver 3x and loaded with a 270 gr Swift A-Frame.

So the consensus seems to be Winchester then...

Is the 375 H&H porridge just right? Maybe something like this?