I’m in the initial planning stage of an Alaskan moose / grizzly hunt. This is a bucket list hunt and I would really love to use either my 1886 Winchester in .45-70 or my Browning 71 .348 to take these animals.

1) would you forego a Stainless / synthetic scoped rifle and subject a wood / steel lever gun to the Alaskan weather?

2) would you choose .45-70 or .348 ?

3) are 100 yds and under shots Realistic expectations?

Took my 30-06 on a 9 day grizzly hunt in the Brooks Range. Wood & "blued" steel. It did fine. I wanted to be prepared for a 300 yard shot if necessary. Lots of open country there.

Ended up emptying my magazine, every shot at 40 yards and under. Got the bear.

Afterwards, I was thinking, "Dang, I would have liked to have had my 45/70 Marlin in hand."

Or my 375 H&H. But... I used what I had.

One of the things my outfitter asked before my trip was if I was comfortable making a 300 yard shot if necessary, because it's pretty open terrain on the tundra. Yes, I was. But... Instead I ended up doing some short range, fast action shooting.

I don't know if I'd risk the expense and effort of such a trip on the Marlin or not. For a short - mid range proposition, absolutely.

Regards, Guy

i have a very nice Winchester Special 348 ,yes this rifle is a great short range rifle but when i go to Alaska next year i will be taking a bolt action magnum with a scope my reason is i can shoot much farther with a 300 W. mag or a 7 mm mag or even a 30-06, if i was going to take a lever rifle i would take a Browning BLR in one of these same cartridges . good luck with your choice,Pete53

It will depend on where and how you are hunting. Along rivers and muskeg those would both be good. Mountains and tundra not a good idea.
My choice would be the 348 and a bolt action in 30 to 375 caliber. With all the new products like gun shield and the tried and true Johnson's paste wax (or Renaissance) there is little to worry about a blued and wood rifle. SE AK I would opt for the synthetic & stainless but most other locations the pre-treatment plus a rag with any of the top rust preventatives is enough.

100 yard shots would be a fairly reasonable expectation for moose and very possibly brown bear. Interior griz may average further but I'd suspect your guide wouldn't want you shooting much past 150-200 anyhow, depending on terrain.

Alaska will tear your gear up but a properly sealed wood stock will still be fine. I've done it. I'd go the 45-70 but there's no reason to think the 348 wouldn't work just fine too but you'd have to accept passing opportunities that you wouldn't have to with other rifles.

There are lots of successful hunters for moose and brown bear in AK that use sharp sticks and have less than half the effective range you're contemplating. As for the blued/walnut, that's a personal question. The weather is often wet, but wet can largely be mitigated with a little care each day. Coastal areas are another consideration as saltwater is much more ruinous to steel than rain. I've hunted blued/walnut rifles in coastal AK and there are always going to be scars after 10-14 days in the field. The rifles aren't ruined, but they're forever marked and that doesn't bother me. A Miroku Browning wouldn't give me pause, but an original 1886 in 90% condition probably would. Just my thoughts. I wouldn't turn my handover for the difference in using a properly loaded .348 or 45/70 at distances out to 100 yards; either is just fine moose/brown bear.

Let's say you wound a bear and suddenly you are faced with a 250-350 yard shot as he is going over a ridge. What would you want in your hands? The thought of handicapping with a 45-70 leaves me shaking my head, Regardless the location you could easily come up with a desire to shoot beyond a reasonable range...

Ultimately, to bring a lever gun like those you have to think about the decrease in your efficacy in bagging those animals. The situations have to be right. If they aren't you'll get to have cool encounters and memories, but no taxidermy bill.

If a big part of the experience you want is with one of your lever guns that you trust, then do it. If its more about coming home with animals, then I would bring another rifle that you trust and feel comfortable with.

Every gun in my safe that hasn't shot something exists that way because I wasn't holding it when I saw something I wanted to shoot.

That said, while having a black bear roar at you from 20' above in a cottonwood tree is not the time you want to have a kid's load (150gr NAB going 2200fps) in the tube...the bear died, but I wouldn't like to repeat it.

Yes. For moose.

I have killed 20 something moose. Only two were over 100; my longest was 160, my shortest 16, the average is 60- 70.

Having never shot a brown/griz (with no desire to do so) I'd listen to those who have, but offhand, what Art and others said.

On my caribou hunt last fall I packed the 30-30 the first day ( SG-reasoning), but shot a wounded cow at nearly 300 with the .260 my son was carrying.

The next day I was carrying the M70 in 7X57 and filled my second tag with an orphaned calf at 15 -25, in the fog....

.It would be a good plan to have something along to reach out there....

If you can only bring one, the reacher would be my choice. If you take both, there's a chance you will have the "wrong" one in hand at the time, but the reacher can handle short also.

A backup gun when spending the coin you will be is an excellent idea anyway. Or an already sighted in spare scope for a one-gun hunt.

I don't disagree with your point, but I'd replace handicap with challenge.

No doubt you've killed numerous bears and moose where a firearm capable of 100 yard performance is more than enough. The issue for the OP is if he's willing to embrace the additional challenge (handicap if you prefer) he's creating with his selection and will he accept the limitations his firearm will dictate? Two different questions from my perspective.

Each to their own. And we all like to hunt the way we like. But, I would not limit myself. I would use a stainless, scoped, 338 Winchester with 225 grain TSX or TTSX myself.
But, I ain’t paying the cost nor even thinking of putting perimeters on someone else’s hunt. I do know that sometimes the critters are hard to put in the distance and position one would prefer. Terrain can vary drastically in the same area.
————————-

Do those who prefer to bow hunt make you shake your head too?

What about those who are only set up with a set and forget duplex scope? They're pretty much limited to 3-400 yards....depending on the setup.
Does that make you shake your head---as the possibility of a 500 yard shot at a wounded moose could come up.

Great questions and there are a bunch of answers that are only going to swirl the stew!

I sat on a frosty Kodiak beach for about 45 minutes while a friend stood about 30 yards in front of me. Beyond him was a brown bear just outside his set limit of 23 yards that day with a recurve bow he had built himself. He would have been very upset if he had loosed an arrow and I was forced to shoot his bear. The bear came within 2 yards of his limit but he never shot. That was a challenge he made for himself and I completely understand, support, and accept it.

I see a rifle of any kind differently and see no particular disadvantage in killing a bear with one beyond a modest change in range. That 45-70 is far more lethal than a bow in most ways.

I have also been there as guide and back-up when stuff went wrong. I have had a handgun shooter get angry with me for putting a bullet in a critter he wounded, which was outside his acknowledged range. Archery, handgun, limited rifle make no difference in my mind if a wounded animal is about to Houdini into the puckerbrush. Especially if I am the one doing the chasing...

As I said in the previous post the real question is how the shooter is going to feel if the back-up/guide is forced to shoot a wounded animal outside his range. Like it or not, a critter about to disappear must be shot by the guide under AK law.

Larry
Absolutely correct, it is their game to set the rules on if the guide agrees. And they will probably be okay going with whatever they want, but a wounded critter might just run farther than expected even when well and truly dead on its feet. What is the outcome you have to have?

Take the rifle you really want to. But be practical with yourself on your limits with it and stick to them.

I have heard from bear guides that the ideal range is between 100 & 200 yds. for safety and accuracy. The levers can handle this easily. The moose I have shot and seen shot have all been at closer ranges. Moose are easy to stalk if they are feeding on aquatic vegetation with their head under water.

But I have seen many situations where getting closer was not possible and the wounded fleeing bear scenario puts me back in the bolt action camp. A guide friend has shot maybe a dozen moose and several bears with a 444 Marlin which is less capable than your two levers. But these were meat hunts or to get rid of nuisance bears so different context.

So I am still in the take the lever and a bolt back up camp and decide when you see what the hunting is going to be like and if the guide is cool with your choice. The last is important as he is the one that gets to go after the bear if things don't go well.

Ive been guiding in Yukon for over 30 years now. In all that time the average shot has been well under 200 yards. Most guides are not going to let you shoot at a bear much past 200 anyway. Moose are most often taken at close range, especially during the rut. In 3 moose hunts this year the furthest shot was under 100 yards. I would take either of the guns mentioned.....in fact I often do, my 86 is one of my favourite rifles. Good luck

I disagree that the 444 is less capable than the 45/70. Its actually better in some ways. I own two of them and have taken all sorts of game with them including grizzly in DLP situations.

Ive never used them there but why would a 348 win or better yet an 348 ackley be range limited or a handicap? Why couldnt they be used on out to 250-300yds? Maybe the iron sights may limit you but i think the 348 is fully capable at that range.

Shots on Brown Bears should ideally be inside 100 yads, with a set up that allows follow up shots. Although I've had clients miss at all distances, close and far, the margin of error is greatly increased the closer you are. I'll never let a hunter shoot a brown bear much further than 150 yards, that would be the upper end of things.

I probably won't hunt Grizzly ever again, unless this hunt is reintroduced in B.C.
I did however get a Browning BLR takedown anticipating I would do a few hunts for our Outfitter's.
It is a .450 Marlin and takes down easily to fit into my army style saddlebags. If the weather is crappy, I just carry the saddlebags over my shoulder( afoot.)

Good luck with that BLR. I was given one also in 450 as a tip a couple years ago. I love the way the BLRs handle and shoot, but they are not reliable enough for a guide gun. Ive had two, the 450, and a 358. Both had the same problem, they wouldn't always fire, especially in colder weather. My son in law has a 308, his does the same thing. Yes I cleaned them scrupulously, it made no difference. To bad because I really like them otherwise.

Never hunted the big bears (someday I hope) but those that sell the 45-70 short are in my opinion mistaken. I USED to be 45-70 naysayer but have since seen the light. That said, it would not be my first choice, but then again neither would a 200 yard shot be a good option as the first round downrange. I think my caliber of choice would be my 340 Weatherby with 225gr TTSXs or 250 Partitions and 100 yards or less. There is in my opinion, too much that can go wrong with 200 yard plus shots on dangerous and EXPENSIVE animals to take the risk.

yes i like this answer, my choice would be my custom rifle i already own 338 Lapua basically the same ballistics,both good bear killers.

This is very interesting to me because ive always wanted a BLR but have resisted because the gear and camming mechanism is highly complex and doesnt lend itself well to a field maintinence and breakdown. It would be interesting to see if there are consistant failures and why. Being a lefty the BLR has been a possible candidate for me but im still unsure. At present i only go left hand Ruger Hawkeye, Savage 99, Winchester and Marlin leverguns. Really i probably am fine with my 338RCM ruger and my Winchester 71.

i am right handed have hunted with a Ruger # 1 for many years ,my son has too,my son in law is left handed i gave him a Ruger #1 too he has hunted with this rifle now for 10 years we have done just fine with single shot rifles. as far as a Browning BLR i see no reason not to use a BLR in Alaska, in the past in the mountains near Yellowstone park on horse back snow,rain and cold the 3 of us were all using Remington 700 bolt rifles and all 3 700`s froze up and would not fire when we were in grizzly country, a sow and 2 cubs came out 60 feet from me and ran the other way that day. i was glad those bears ran because my 338 Remington 700 was froze up so any brand rifle could have trouble but i bet a BLR or a Ruger #1 would not have froze up like that. to be honest the only rifle i would need on a grizzly bear hunt is my Ruger #1 30-06 or 300 Win Mag. with a Nightforce scope and the bear guide would approve too,your 1st shot is the most important shot of any hunt.

I’d be nervous dangerous game hunting with a single shot. But I do agree the first shot is very important.

If it was 151 yards, would that be a stunt shot? Holy sht have I seen it all, you're guiding hunters Josh?!

Oldpine,
You're right on the money. That 348 is an all purpose cartridge. Between the ops choices, id choose that 71. North61/Greg on here and I both go after moose and caribou with a good medium bore lever gun. They are handy guns. Greg's 348 moose:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mo9zXoYxq7A&t=157s

My moose this year with a browning 95 41-9.3x62 wildcat:

I agree with Phil Shoemaker or Oliver Cameron with Ed Stevenson. Inside 85 yards is lever action country for the big bears.
NO lever action rifle with an extra safety. John Browning, J. Marlin, and Winchester did not design it to be unsafe. Get real .
An EARLY 1970s 1895 Marlin, an original 1886, or a Model 71 re-chambered to a 348 Ak Imp; 450 or 50 Alaskan is the way to travel.
Anything else is twaddle and may get you kilt fast or mauled bad enough to where your kids can't tell what you look like.

Don't leave deer or moose meat overnight and come back the next day with nothing but a pack board. Old Ephraim
is not forgiving of folks trying to reclaim what he has taken over and covered with dirt and branches.

450,
Regardless of your incsessant name dropping and hypothetical-thinking-out-loud in favor of a lever gun, nobody will be handicapped, picking up a good bolt action rifle to hunt Alaska.

And also highly unlikely to be eaten due to having a tang or crossbolt safety should one choose to carry a leaver rifle.

The way I look at this question is a bucket list hunt is a one-timer (but not always 😀) and a guided moose hunt is maybe $7-10k now and a brown bear hunt twice that last time I checked. I’ve seriously wanted to do both but haven’t gotten it done.

However, I would pick what the experienced hunters/guides advise in terms of rifles and cartridges to limit the restrictions that can occur on any hunt.

For my own one trip to AK for caribou and black bear on the upper Kuskokwim and an anticipated future brown bear hunt and elk hunts I had a 340 — no blued steel or wood — built. We were in brown bear every day and I took my caribou at three hundred yards with one closer than that looking on.

It slammed that ‘bou, and though an ‘06 might have been and done the same, it was a Linus’ blanket to me on that trip. And then, it accounted for about ten bull elk over the years at a poke a piece. I never regretted that build and I’ve loved the rifle and cartridge.

For myself, and just my opinion, I would take a rifle-cartridge combo I could shoot well and that would not be the limiting factor. There are too many other uncontrollable factors that can do that.

After seeing what my BIL went through when a screw backed out on his BLR and the guts came out. He took it to a gunsmith who had it for three months until he could find a gunsmith who could put it back together. Since then I call BLR's "Humpty Dumpty" rifles

lol

Being a lefty, I’ve always wanted to like the BLR’s but the ratchet-driven bolt always seemed Rube Goldberg-like to me and then the triggers.

But liked the takedown concept.

I can't say I agree with any of this...at all...other than older level guns not being designed to be unsafe.

A cross bolt safety is gayer than a dick in the ass, but then again so is the use of any safety, even in big bear country.
I hunt with smaller lever guns in griz country often and have never felt it was "twaddle" or that doing so "may get me kilt fast or mauled".

I leave meat hanging all the time and return without a rifle....yes even in Alaska and in the interior west where griz are. I only carry a rifle on those subsequent trips if I still have another tag in my pocket or if I think the chance of an incidental wolf or such is worth carrying a rifle. If a bear is on the quarters, there's not much you can do about it, legally or practically. I do try to hang the meat where I can see it from a ways out though.

The 348 was designed to be a universal caliber choice for North America back in the 30's meant to mirror the 30-06. The game hasn't changes and a well placed 348 bullet will still kill stuff very well. The balance of the 71 is unmatched. With a good set of peep sights 250 yards is doable. The 250 Woodleigh with H414 works really well with mine and would be a very good bear round with very fast repeat shots if that is necessary. Penetration and expansion is very reliable. I keep mine in a solo hunter gun coat that keeps the rain off and make sure it is dried out and babied at night. It gives you big style points and is fun to shoot. For caribou the factory flextips reach out to 300 yards. You are giving up very little with one of these. The 45-70 is great too but the Old Winchester lever guys from the 30's were on to something when they put together the 71.

My 405, in a Winchester 95 is my second choice. 300 grain bullets at 2350 and good sectional density and b.c. are nothing to sneeze at. Mainers wildcat is even better.

Levers from Winchester are cool...go for it.

My marlin 450 has a cross bolt safety. I put an o-ring on it to keep it in the off position. 5 cent fix. Not as cool as a Winchester but a very good rifle.

Style, no doubt.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The guide and hunter in Wyoming last September
returned to their elk kill the next morning after a successful hunt the previous day.
Both were mauled by a sow grizzly and older cub. The guide did not survive the attack.
I choose to carry either an original 1886 in 45-70 or a pre-war Model 71 either in AK or
the NW. Early Model 70s are excellent, I have a 375 H&H. But they are slower in action.

North is correct-I just prefer the 348 Ackley or the 450 Alaskan on the 348 case. Woodleigh 250s or some remaining Kodiak 400 gr flat points.
These calibers have worked for decades and are amazingly fast in action during cold weather.

Oldpine, google BLR failure to fire and you will see that it is quite common. I think the older ones made in Belgium were much better guns. Im a lefty too and I also had a Ruger Hawkeye in 338RCM. Heck of a gun and about as good as it gets. Recently sold mine to buy a Montana. I wanted a stainless gun.

IMO the 444 is one of the most underrated lever guns out there. Its interesting to compare the numbers. A 444 is right on the heels of the great 9.3x62. Ive got one of those too. My favourite load pushes a 286 grain bullet @ about 2450. The 444 will easily do 2200 with a 300 grain bullet, and thats not pushing it.

Yukon, those little 338 ruger compact carbines are the greatest little carbines ever made for the north country. I'm surprised interest in em dried up so quick.

39.75 inch length
6.75 lbs
Simple open triger with 3-4lbs of crisp pull
20" barrel
Rugged open sights
Integral, no-bullsht rings included with the gun.

You ever make a good 250 grain load for yours?

I'm going to try Alliant 2000 MR and leverevolution in the 338 rcm. They are both right beside each other on a burn rate chart. I'm betting I'll see 2600-2650 fps from a 250 grainer.

Icing on the cake, was that left handed shooters could get into one. When ruger brought that little bugger out, left handed Alaskans were on cloud 9 for at least 2-3 years straight.

That was a bow hunt, and they didn't leave meat overnight by choice....they returned to keep looking for the elk that was shot and not found from the evening before. That was a shït situation and having a rifle likely wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference. Mark did have a glock with him and that didn't help the situation at all.

I've hunted that country a bit and you have to be cognizant concerning the bears, no doubt. They're thick and usually not in a good mood at all.

What do you mean when you say a rifle wouldn't have made a damn bit of difference?

I beg to differ,or at least in my case it would've!

The guide was cleaning the elk and had the glock way off to the side and out of reach the way I understand it. The client freaked out and either couldn't get the glock chambered, couldn't get it to fire, or was too scared to. Something. I don't know.

If the guide had been standing there with a rifle ready to go when the bear charged than I am sure it would have been useful...but I suspect even if a rifle was present it would have been leaning up against a tree 10-15 feet away. My point is, from what I understand about the deal their guard was down and no physical weapon would have helped the situation if it wasn't in their hands and ready to be used, whether that be a rifle, bear spray or a giant black rubber dick.

It was a bad deal, regardless of the specifics and a reminder (to me at least) that the biggest asset a guy can have in bear country is to not be complacent. I have been guilty of it at times for sure, but really try not to.

Do you at least take a handgun? Unarmed meat recovery anywhere there’s grizzlies is just playing the odds. Sooner or later you’ll have problems.

Sometimes.

I've had issues with grizzlies both when going to get another load of hanging meat and while cutting a critter up. A few times, both with elk and caribou. I've also had the pucker factor walking into where meat was hanging overnight.

I am not trying to say that having a rifle is not a wise choice, but that it isn't necessary to have at all times either. Using your head is.

Your opinion does not count... you have far too much experience...

Where are your specops creds? Surely we cannot accept what you claim without them...

Mainer, hope you had a good summer/fall. Nice looking bull you caught. I agree with you on the little Ruger. I just traded mine off and already regret it. My reasoning was that I want a stainless gun. No matter what I do, my blued guns get rusted up pretty quick. Im out in the bush most of the year. Anyway got a Montana coming. Will see how it compares. No I never did load 250s for the RCM. I had such good luck with the 225s I saw no reason to change. If I lived nearer the coast where the bigger bears live I would have though.

BLR Browning rifles mine have worked for my son and i with no problems, i do think people who have problems with any gun brand or type are most of the time just a idiot , even at a trap range using a simple shotgun some people just seem to screw that shotgun up. some people just don`t know how to care for a gun,chain saw even a knife, so that`s when a gun or even a cartridge can get a bad name. in the replies what has been said make your choice live with the outcome , but if i am on a expensive guided hunt what the guide wants me to do or use i will.

I would choose a bolt action over a lever action for Alaska. A bolt gun is much easier to field strip to clean or dry out. I have never been in the field in Alaska fishing or hunting without being rained or snowed on. A Winchester lever is very complex to disassemble. Had a Win Bigbore 356 bolt override a cartridge in the cartridge lifter hunting black bear. Would not want to experience that again. Do not have any experience with removing a bolt on a Marlin but have been told bolt removal is easier.

How was brass and ammo availability? I love the carbine and the concept, but the uncertainty of the cartridge's survival is what held back its sales IMO. The parent case isn't mainstream either. At least with something like the .358 Win, brass is cheap if you don't mind the wrong head stamp.

Between my father and I we've been carrying Marlin lever guns through every kind of weather in northern Minnesota sense the early 1900's. Doesn't matter if it was a .32 WS, .35 Rem, 38-55 or 444. NONE of them EVER had a problem. I carried my 444 once when it started out with drizzle and 35 deg then turn into snow. By 4:00 it was -5 and snowing when I shot my deer. I have NEVER had to do a field strip on any lever gun I've owned. I wish I could say that about my 30-06.

Comfort and confidence.......

This post is just BSing by me ......

The best shot on a deer I have ever seen was with a W71 at well over 300 yards. Stubble field in ND when I was hunting my uncle's place. We were sitting in the car eating lunch when a huge buck ran across the fied behind us. We piled out and Warren (cousin's cousin) grabbed his 348 laying on the car hood an got on the deer just as it paused to jump the fence. A little blood on the far side, then buckets of it. Deer made about 100 yards....

I seriously hunt with bolt actions. I use my Dad's 1927 manufactured M94 in 30-30 with which I took my only whitetail in 1966 for my walk-about gun up here, tho I did try to take a caribou with it last fall. One day, only. Probably will again this coming year, but I'll have one of my bolt guns along also. "Trick hunting" only goes so far when there is meat to be made, but I'll give it a shot.

So to speak .

I killed my first moose with a Marlin 336 in 30-30. It worked about as well as the .243, 12ga. slug, 270, 30-06,and .338WM. They all died.

Ok,,,,, in reading this Post about Guns freezing-up,,,,,, it begs the Question, are those Rifles being brought inside the Cabin or Tent, with that Stove roaring, that is a BIG-NO, NO,,,,,,, although I've seen it happen, more times than Not,,,,,, I've been Hunting now, for about 60 +/- years, in all types of weather, with Lever Guns, Bolt Guns, Pump Shotguns,,,,, and I've never had one Freeze-up on me, or, for that matter none of my Hunting Partners either,,,,, and if your wondering, yea, my .44 is right next to my pillow on my bunk/cot......
Oh Yea, my Rifle is hanging Outside, in a custom waterproof Marine Canvas Cover, that way it's Normalized to the Ambient Temp's.....
Lj

Hands down the 45-70 for me. Been using my Marlin SS XLR for years now and I'd have no problem going after a big brownie or bull moose with it. 430gr RNFPGS HSM Bear Loads are the ticket.

no my Remington 700/338 was not inside it was in the cold but the weather was very miserable rain and snow coming down ,below freezing weather, we were up high in the mountains ,8 inches of snow on the ground ,i was on a mule, just above the tree line in the mountains, rifle was in a leather rifle scabbard with no cover, back of bolt was all froze up and would not fire. was not a good time for rifles to be froze up , because momma grizzly came out 60 feet from me with her cubs but she ran the other way, you should have heard my mule scream, we were 10 miles from camp about 10 am that day. that was a learning experience on bolt , rifle freeze up care and prevention in the future for me.when we got back home from that hunt a old Marine/Alaskan who killed plenty bears explained to me how to keep that from ever happening again with a bolt rifle.

Our Alaskan Marine is right about changing temperature from inside to outside. Condensation builds up in the action and
may cause a frozen non-functioning rifle. Leaving it outside helps prevent that. A fellow named Ben Lilly hunted in the early 1900s
from AZ-NM down into Mexico. He held the record on grizzlies and mtn lions.
His go-to rifle for decades was a Winchester 1886 in 33 WCF. He lived outside for most of his life.
The 33 WCF was the inspiration for the .348 WCF later in the 1930s.
Stripping a bolt down and completely removing oil or grease with white gas will discourage winter action freeze ups.
Then leave it outside. A heavy 45 Colt or 44 in a belt holster is also a good idea. I carry a Colt New Service DA
revolver with an RCMP-style lanyard loop. Keeps it close no matter if skinning, fishing, or on snowshoes.
Better safe than sorry.

Never had a problem with ammo and there is only one gun store within many hundreds of miles of me. Brass is easy to get as well and lasts a long time.

What was his reco?

I can promise you that you or your son dont spend even a fraction of the time I do in the bush. In an average year I will be out more than 6 months; always in a wilderness environment and a rifle in hand daily. I know guns and how to take care of them. The BLR is fine for a weekend hunter, its a very poor choice if you are out in remote areas and rely on it. Just to complicated. The failure to fire issue is well documented, even among weekend hunters. Some BLRs never seem to have the problem, but some certainly do.

Mainer talked about dumping his canoe and how his mauser was full of silt by the time he got things sorted out. He was able to take that gun apart and have it cleaned up and ready to go in minutes. Try that with a BLR. Mainer uses a BLR at times too.

Yup. The BLR is the Humpty Dumpty rifle. Designed by the one and only Rube Goldberg.

I love the BLR for some hunts. It is a bit finnicky. My 358 Win BLR has a short throat and handloads from my Savage 99 were too long. I jammed a bullet into the lands realized I would have pressure issues and so jacked open the action. The bullet staid in the lands and the powder dumped all over the inside of the action. (I KNOW THIS WAS A DUMB MOVE ALL AROUND!!!!!)

Point is it took me hours to pick all the grains out of the action so that the rack and pinion would work. If it gets dirty it wont work. The Savage 99 and Winchester 71 will.

On the plus side I have never had the cold weather failure to fire if I keep it degreased. It is accurate and my son loves it. Very smooth and easy to use. Probably not the 1 rifle for the Zombie Apocolypse though.

I’ve also very cleverly performed this same trick 😉...but I was not going to push a cleaning rod down the barrel and tap on a live cartridge, even if seemingly on the wrong end. IIRC, recently, there was a kaboom and wrecked rifle posted here related to that maneuver.

Better to spend time cleaning up powder rather than picking up pieces. 👍

I would love to hunt the great bears with my original '71 in 348, 250gr Alaska Bullet Works Kodiaks or Woodleigh Weldcores would certainly do the job, as would the Turnbull '86 Winchester in 50-110 WCF, 700gr cast lead flat nosed bullets would completely penetrate the biggest bear from any angle, 200 yard hunting with either is simple, however, they're pretty nice rifles, plus, with the cost of a hunt, unknown weather/lighting/shooting conditions, I'd most likely take a cerakote/syn stocked VZ-24 98 Mauser in 416 Taylor, 400gr partitions would do the work guided by a 1.5-5 leupold.

As long as i'm wishing, In a perfect world and weather conditions, two quick shots from a 303 British double rifle delivering a couple 215gr Weldcores through a bear would be a be all end all hunt of a lifetime for me.

Gunner, there is a video floating around of Jeff Rahn, the African PH on a Kodiak bear hunt using his double Holland in 300 H&H Flanged. Yours is also in the uber-kool list! That said, I agree with you on the realities of the weather up there. When I go, it'll be my 340 Weatherby Weathermark with a Zeiss 3X9 and 225gr TTSXs.

Nice, Thanks for the tip Jorge, i'll try to find it, that 340 WBY is a perfect all game cartridge afaic.

I really like my Winchester 1886 Extra lite, my model 71 348 win and 348 Ackley, and 94' 30-30 but they are very complex compared to my Marlins, Ruger 77, and Mausers. It would be unthinkable for me to attempt a field stripdown on a winchester levergun packed with silt and debris. I can do it on Marlin, Ruger 77, and Mauser 98 type bolt actions. Im not so certain about the Savage 99 though, as i just dont know it and the mechanics that well? Maybe i just need more tine with the winchesters?

Being a lefty its just difficult to beat that Ruger 338RCM carbine and my Ruger scout rifle and one of my stainless Marlins. 308 win and 30-30 is common ammo and ive got plenty of 338rcm put back. The big thing is i can easily strip these down without much issue. To me thats a very big plus to that Mauser 98 pattern rifle in its strengths and super simple and tooless bolt takedown.

Couldnt agree more. I have the same guns you do with the exception of the 348. The Marlins are so easy to strip down that it really makes them a great choice. I do love my 86 extra light too though. The Savage 99 is a great rifle and they are well built and simple. I dont carry mine much because I dont want to beat it up, but I wouldn't hesitate to trust it in bad conditions. Wish they would start making them again!