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

35 whelenAI, 20" shilen, McMillan Classic, Leupold euro 1.5-5 30mm, illuminated German #4 in talleys, timney.

Hard to beat that

I have never hunted brown bear and probably never will, but I have a stainless Winchester 70 in .375 H&H, barrel cut to 22", Burris 1.75x5 in case I ever do!

Did 2 black bear hunts in SE Alaska in 2015. Carried a stainless Ruger 77 Hawkeye, 20" barrel in 338 RCM, 185 TTSX....short, fast and easy to carry......worked great for black bears.

Nah.


Oh, wait, that is a model 70.. What was I thinking...

Some nice rifles guys.

Mine is a Ruger Alaskan in .375 Ruger in a McMillan MKII Classic in GAP camo with a Leupold VX3 2.5-8x36. It shoots 250gr TTSX at around 2800 fps. I’ve shot 3 bull moose with it but no big bears although there are big grizzlies in northern BC where I hunt moose.

In my mind we’re talking about 2 different guns.

As a hunter I want a rifle that can take a bear out to maybe 200 yards. I’m thinking a Kimber Talkeetna 375 H&H with a 1-4x or 1.5-6x scope, thought I imagine the 338WM would work well. I like the Ruger Action but IMO their Guide Gun and FTW Hunter are just too ugly. The African is pretty but I’d rather have Stainless and Synthetic over blueing and wood. The Alaskan would be great if you could find one, I don’t think they still make them.

As a guide, protecting myself and clients, I’d want a bigger gun meant to drop a bear rather than ethically place a bullet a football field away. 416 Rigby, 458 Win Mag maybe. Something big big. Iron sights or a 1x optic.

Highly doubtful I'll ever hunt a big bear, but I have several contenders if he opportunity does arise.

My latest addition is a Sako "Grizzly" 9.3x66 / .370 Sako Mag.




Custom .376 Steyr




Traditional choice, Husqvarna .358 Norma Mag

Remington 700 in a 17 remington best part I flip the safety off she goes bang! [bleep] Bear has nothing on me on the first shot.. don't even need to touch the trigger!

This one...Modified Interarms Mark X in .30-06

24 inch Bbl Leupold 1-4 X

I'd be shooting 200 grain NPTs...

Be careful there buddy. I could see the advantage of using such a rifle... Just be careful when you pull that bolt back. Now, if being charged by a bear, do you yank the bolt back briskly enough that the bolt handle stays in your hand? Now you got something to beat said bear with.. Many advantages, just got to be willing to think outside the box..

I have several that fill the bill quite well.
I hunt around Grizzlies every year, so I often carry something large enough to make me "feel better".

I have a Mauser in 375H&H (zeroed for 300 grain Nosler Partitions) and also a Mauser in 9.3X62 (zeroed for 286 grain Nosler Partitions) . I have a Mauser in 9.3X57 that I also feel is quite antiquate for big bears with the loads I make for it. (250 grain Nosler Accu-Bonds) And then there is my Ruger #1 in 9.3X74R which is 100% antiquate for any bear. It also gets loaded with 286 Grain partitions.

For hunting a big bear I would probably choose one of those.

But for carry around those mountains when I am not the hunter I also feel ok with a 30-06 Mauser scout rifle with 220s , my Mauser in 8X57 loaded with 200 grain Nosler partitions or my old M1-Garand loaded with 220 grain bullets (works like a charm with a load of 3031). I have also carried my 95 Browning loaded with 220s a few times, and I have killed elk with that one in Grizzly country and never felt unarmed. I own a 404 Jeffery and some time I may carry that. So far I have not, but I am sure I will in the coming years .

I have also carried my 300 H&H loaded with 200 grain Nosler Partitions when hunting elk up there and felt it would be OK if I needed to shoot a Fuzzy-Nasty. I never have needed to (yet,) but I never have been in a bad car wreck either. I still wear a seat belt just in case, and I carry large and powerful calibers with good bullets around where grizzlies live. I just feel better with a rifle and a load I know is capable of doing the job.

For me I’d opt for a SS Rem 700 in 375/300 WSM with a 20” bbl with a short 1.75x6 leupold in DD’s with a McMillan edge hunters stock.
Shooting 250 grain Barnes ttsxs.

Most days I carry stainless classic in a model 70 in a 270 Winchester. But When I wander into bear country in unit 13 here in Alaska I usually carry a G series model 70 stainless classic in a 338 wsm or a early production BACO made model 70 extreme weather in a 325 wsm. I do own a model 70 stainless classic in a 375 H&H but been 5 plus yrs since I shot it.

My choice to meet the listed requirements would be my 416 Ruger Alaskan. It has the factory 20" barrel with the factory sights, McMillan Classic stock. It currently has a 1.5-8x42mm scope with illuminated #4, mounted in Alaska Arms rings. I would likely swap the scope to a 1.1-4 or 1-6, maybe. This is currently set up as a primary moose rifle. The bullet would be the same 350 TSX or TTSX.

2nd choice would be my 375 Ruger Alaskan, factory barrel and sights. This one is in a McMillan Hunter stock with a Kahles 1.1-4x24mm with 7a reticle, mounted in Alaska Arms rings. Bullet would be 270 grain TSX or the LRX version.

I like these because of the cartridges and the short 20" barrels. The shorter barrels are easier to maneuver in the tangles for me. And both are easy enough to shoot in non-perfect positions.
Other top contenders would be M70's, Classic stainless 416 Rem and 375 H&H. Factory sights, 22" barrels, McMillan Supergrade stocks, Tally base/rings, 1.1-4 and 1-6x24mm scopes. Bullets would be the same as used for the Ruger versions.

If a 30/06 isn’t enough, I would want a 416 either a Taylor or a Remington. Load 300’s to 2450.
The rifle should have a 21” barrel with a barrel band. Stock synthetic. 2.5 Leupold. All up 8.5#.

I just can’t find a place for all the 33 to 375 bores. A 416 with easy loads is just more gun.

While I have no experience hunting Brown bears or Grizzlies, I have been around them a few times. I think we're talking about 2 different firearms here: one for hunting and one for defense. For hunting, I'd definitely choose a Mauser, CZ 550 American or a M70 in .35 Whelen or 9.3x62.

For defense I'd choose a .45-70 JM Marlin or a lightly modified 870 (Magpul model) 12GA w/ staggered slugs/single-aught.

If I was going to build a rifle for hunting, I'd likely choose an M70 Classic Stainless in .30-06 and rebore to .35 Whelen, slap on a McMillan and add a true 1-6x24, but similar rifles can be found used from time-to-time.

I have a new Ruger Hawkeye Stainless/synthetic .338 WM, that I am working on or will be working on the in the near future. The wife bought it for me as retirement gift from the AF.

Perfect

Mine is built by Greydog, a massaged and trued transition 1947 M70 action with a Pac Nor stainless 9.3X62 barrel. 22 1/2” and Douglas #3 contour which gives a .635” muzzle - perfection. The metal is all Gunkoted. It sits in a blind magazine Brown Precision stock with Phil’s flashlight rail mount in the foreend. A Leupold 6X36 LR on top in super low DD rings as the bolt handle has been modified to clear a low ocular. 7 1/2 pounds all up and slightly muzzle heavy.

It shoots JBs two loads, the 250AB at 2650 and the 286NP at 2475 into the same group at 100 yards. There’s nothing I would change.

It has a twin in 280 that is set up exactly the same, a 23” barrel with a .575” muzzle. With a BP Pound’r it weighs a flat 7 pounds. They are my pet of pets and killed my interest in looking for the”next” rifle. There is no “up” to dream about.