Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Kodiak Brown Bear HUnt -- First-timer looking for advice

All great advice. Any advice on scopes — brands and magnifications?

Beautiful bear!

Something with some good low end magnification (1x or 1.5 on the low end) is what I like for the brushy stuff and bear country. Either that or QD rings so in the brush you can take off your scope and use iron sights. I don't shoot at bears over and 275yds also (and usually under 100yds) so I haven't ever needed more than 5x or 6x on the upper end.

We all like giving our$.02 but try not to over think this. You said you have a 300wm and a 300hh. I assume you have something like a 3-9 you already like well enough... Just use the setup you have and are already used to.

All good advice but the bolded part of the quote is doubly good.

Read "Bear Hunting in Alaska" by Tony Russ. I have a stainless Ruger Alaskan/Guide rifle in 416 Ruger that I have shot cape buffalo in Africa. I bought an NECG receiver sight that fits the integral Ruger bases. I detach the Ruger rings and use the NECG if my scope sh*ts the bed while hunting or if the rifle is only being used for protection. You need a taller front side with the NECG sight. I have carried it extensively in Alaska for bear protection. Very handy with 20" barrel and Hogue rubber stock that is quiet in the African Jess or Alaskan Devil's Club. The rifle is a rough investment casting so you need to smooth up the feed rails, top edge of the sheet metal magazine box, chamber throat and the ejector plunger hole. All easy to do. 375 or 416 Ruger your choice. A trigger job may be needed and is easy to do if your handy. Instructions are on the web. I have shot all my bears with Swift A-Frames. Don't need a Hubble size scope because your guide won't let you shoot bears at extended range.

Phil Shoemaker has used a 30-06 as backup in past if memory serves. My guess is as much as caliber or rifle is are you familiar and comfortable shooting it. Some ones who’s shot an 30-06 for years and brought it hunting with proper bullet would probably make a guide more comfortable than someone that brought a brand new 416 Remington that he may have shot 5 times from the bench. A good friend of mine guided on the Alaskan Peninsula his back up was a model 64 Winchester in .338

I am a believer in the Swift A Frame!

Well will never go grizzly hunting but if I did I would take my 30-06 loaded with 200 gr bullet's. I do believe everyone is much better off hunting anything with a gun and load they are comfortable with.

LOL. I trust my reloads over factory ammo all day any day. More failures from factory over the years than my reloads.

These stupid reloaders in these situations that think that the last xxx of speed has to be there. My brother in law is exactly the same. Stupid.

In these instances factory ammo may be a better choice if you have your HUA as a reloader.

+100!!!!!!!!!!!!!