Just throwing this out for discussion as neither of my choices would be wrong...just curious what others might do in my situation.

Heading to AK in September to take my son on a DIY black bear hunt. Planning to hunt mostly above timberline in the berries.

He will be taking a stainless Ruger 77 .30-06 with 165 gr Nosler Accubonds. It shoots the load well right at 2900 fps and I have total confidence in his setup out to 400 although the intent is to keep all shooting within 300 yards.



With the potentially wet conditions I am planning to stick to stainless/synthetic which narrows my personal options to:

#1- Ruger 77 MKII .300 Win Mag that shoots a 180 TTSX very well at 2975. The .300 is topped with a VX3 3.5-10 and I am confident and well practiced on my holdovers out to 500 (again, planning to keep shots on game inside 300ish). I have killed piles of game with this rifle and know it well. Although I have packed it for many miles I am not wild about its weight or the 24" barrel



#2- Ruger 77 MKII .35 Whelen cut to 21" that shoots a 250 Speer "Minute of Bear" at 2625. The .35 is topped with a Burris Fullfield and I am very comfortable at the 300 yard line but haven't shot much past there. It also has an iron front sight and I carry an NECG rear ghost ring that is adjusted for the rifle and easily changeable in the field. I have taken game with this rifle but not nearly as much as the .300 and it is not quite as accurate (averages about 1.5 MOA versus the .300 that typically shoots sub-MOA).







Goal number 1 is to get my son on a bear and use my rifle to back him up or help play clean up. I am tempted to jerk the scope and just run the irons. That keeps the rifle pretty handy for following up something in the brush and if my son tags out I can always shoot the '06 if a longer shot arrives.

Soooo...what would you chose and why?

There's nothing wrong with any of your choices, but if your son can handle the 06 and put the bullet where it needs to go he won't need any "back-up". All of my blackie hunting was around Interior rivers/lakes with an 06 and I don't believe I ever saw one taken at much more than 100 yards.

No doubt .300..

Whatever kicks the least and is easiest to carry.

My choice would be the .35 Whelen. The 250 gr. Speer is a good bullet. I run the 225 gr. TSX in my .35 Whelen and I wouldn't hesitate using git on any bear on the planet. I have a friend who lives in Canada and he uses the 250 gr. Speer for his moose and grizzly bear hunts.
Paul B.

30-06, 35 Whelen and 300 Win Mag are more dedicated to hunting brown bears, whatever choice they’ll have no problem anchoring a blackie if the shooter does their part. Many a black bear have been killed proficiently after being stung with 6mm monos and partitions at 3,000 fps. Have fun and stay safe out there.

The .30-06

I like my 338-06 or even the 9.3x62 for bears in SE Alaska. Oh, above timberline where the shots may be a bit longer. In that case the 7MM Rem gets priority.

For backup above timberline, the 300 . Below timberline, the Whelen.

Sorry pop, but you’re gonna have to carry both , Ha !

Whichever one you shoot best would work just fine.

Whelen. Very cool rifle.

19 years in Alaska hunting bears and worrying about all the details...I have carried a few .416s a 340 WBY but the two times I tagged out were while doing other things with my ever present 6.5 lb ,06. A 125gr X bullet on my first kill a 180 A frame followed instantly by another...
I just shoot and carry the WBY now. Just like it.
250 RN @2950 it is as accurate as my F-Class rifle.

My guide friend said to me..."your problem is you fall in love with the bear, then won't kill it" I do seem to find an excuse to just let THAT one walk.

You sound more comfortable with the 300.

Bears at 300-400 yards tend to be very small at 10 yards, so I'd go with a 243.

Bears at 50-100 yards tend to be bigger, so I'd go with a 35 Whelen, of the three. Not that the same 243 would not work, and not that bears aren't easy to kill. But if things go a little sideways a bigger blood trail can't hurt

If I had another stainless .30-06 I would take a hard look at it for sure. A lot of value in carrying the same ammo in both guns I think under normal circumstances.

Haha. Sometimes hard to have the one size fits all

I understand that! I definitely like hunting them way more then killing them.

Probably true but mainly just from the amount of time we have spent together. Only one way to get more experience with the .35 I guess.

I am enjoying everyone’s thoughts and opinions. Thanks for the input!

Interesting that the .243 has been brought up a couple of times. I have seen enough game killed with a .243 and tiny little 85 TSXs to be 100% confident it would be up to the task. My son alone has made a pretty good meat pile with his little youth 700 .243. Unfortunately he hit a growth spurt and our two .243s just don’t fit him well anymore.

I do have a nice stainless 6mm-06 that shoots a 95 LRX just fine but it has a 25” barrel and is frankly longer and heavier then I want to deal with on this outing.

Another late entry that I am kicking around is my stainless T/C 21” Carbine in 7-30 Waters that shoots a 140 Nosler Solid Base. I killed a nice color phase boar with it in Idaho this year and scoped with a 2-7x Leupold it is lightweight to the extreme. Not the best option in a close quarters clean-up operation but I do like hunting with single shots.



If I had to choose tonight I would take the Whelen. It is certainly up to the task at the ranges we plan to shoot and is probably better up close beings it is a little shorter and easier to swing in the brush. Plus packing a .35 Whelen through AK bear country just seems like a good fit.

Truth be told when I put that rifle together I had AK on my brain so this seems like a culmination or possibly just an extension of the rifle project.

Thanks again for the input so far!

There is no wrong decision.

I have used the 180gr TTSX out of my 300 H&H and it performed superbly. So your 300 will work.

I have used my 338-06's a bunch, and they have performed superbly. Never with a 250gr bullet though.

So it comes down to the rifle. Take the one that your gut tells you take.
If I was to take the 300, it would be as you have it set it up..
If I was to take the Whelen, I would pull a looney and tweak it with 225gr bullets and go from there.

No matter what your decide, have FUN!

That gun also shoots the 225 Sierra very well...probably better then the 250s truth be told.

I have shot deer with both the 225 Sierra and 250 Speer with great performance from both and have no reason to doubt the 225 would work great.

Here is a 225 after it went through a couple feet of muley at around 75 yards.



Never caught the 250 but it definitely expanded on a small whitey at about 125 yards.

That tips the scales then. I would use the Whelen with the 225 Sierras.

No bad choices either way. Me, myself, I would take the whelen.

Decided on the Whelen. Assuming our rifles make the same connections we do we will be in Alaska in a few hours and looking for bear tomorrow evening.

Did a little load work with the 225 Sierra and settled on a load of Alliant PP MR 2000 at just shy of 2600 fps. I like the idea of a moderate load with that bullet and brass should last forever. Accuracy is certainly acceptable.

My 250 speers shoot to almost the same POI at a similar velocity but not quite as accurately.

Here is eight shots transposed on one target while doing some seating depth tests. Not a Varmint gun but should do the trick.

Man, that will work!

All good choices, the Whelen though I like how you modified, very nice. Good luck to you and your son

I’ve never regretted hunting with a 300…

I believe you chose the right rifle friend! Alaska/bears/35 Whelen...just seem to go together...like peas & carrots, ha. have a ball.

All tagged out and happy with the choices we made.

My son shot a good bear at 150 yards (died in a crappy place so pics don’t do it justice at all) with the .30-06 and a 165 Accubond. Was quartering a bit more then I would have liked when he touched it off and hit a little far back. Bear made it to the alders on a steep hill. Only went a couple hundred before giving it up but made for a long day. One shot, two holes and a dead bear so the Accubond did it’s job even with less then ideal steering.





I found a good bear last night that we made a move on. I suck at judging bears and almost didn’t shoot but finally decided it was plenty big. Glad I did. The first 225 sierra took off the top of his pumper and the second anchored him as he was on his final run. Lots of trauma and two holes after putting it through the ribs. Very happy with that.

Congrats on the bear! Looks like an awesome hunt for you two!

Your bear looks like to be a big fella, big ol noggin. Congrats to both of you.

Congrats on an awesome hunt. (And score one for the Whelen!)

Whelen, for the bigger bore and hole ideally. Better blood trail?

Congrats to you and your son. The bear you shot there looks like a real bruiser

No need for a trail Died within 20 yards or so if the first shot.