I am looking into a rifle to take on a guided Alaskan brown bear hunt - not over bait. Any advise from someone whos been there as to type of rifle or caliber would be appreciated. We don't have a lot of bears in Florida, so it's a great excuse for a new rifle. Thanks.
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Any of the .338's would work, .338 Win.Mag.,RUM, .340 Wby, but for an Alaskan brown bear hunt that has .375H&H written all over it...
If you got a .416 I'd look at the .416 Rigby or .416 Ruger, but no need for a .416, but if looking for a youre one and only big boy and plan to hunt africa I'd consider a .416 then possibly. Get a .375 now though and get a .416 for africa later...
Aside from going custom, Kimber Talkeetna, or if Winchester Model 70 ever happens...
CZ now makes one with a synthetic stock but its not a stainless barrel, that would be one of the better/cheaper routes. That talkeetna is around $2,000 I believe.
My dream gun would be an empire rifles in such a setup though, which I think is a good 5 or 6k.
What calibers do you already own? Also a .375 makes you legal for anything worldwide...ie cape buffalo, whereas a .338 would not be, least not everywhere.
Thanks for the info. I'm leaning more toward the 416 Rigby - that was my original thought, not sure about the 416 Ruger. The heaviest things I currently have are a Marlin 45/70 Guide Gun, and a Ruger Hawkeye in 350 Rem Mag, and I love em both! Anyone have personal experience with the 375 Ruger?
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I think the .375 Ruger is great from what I read, but I think it's doomed to fail when going up against the .375H&H.
The .416 Ruger however has a chance in the .416 arena, and may go on to help out the .375ruger, but amongst the .416's, none of which are really popular, I think a .458win mag and lott are probably more popular than any .416...
You've got the huge .416 rigby, which I read recently but prior to the introduction of the .416ruger, that the riby was the only one that the author thought would be around in 20years or so...
If going with a .375, it's the H&H hand downs IMO.
If it's a .416, it would be either the Rigby or Ruger.
The .45/70 certainly can get the job done...
You certainly don't need a .416 for brown bears, the standards are the .338 and .375
It's impossible to go wrong with the .375H&H or .416rigby, but in 20years you might be kicking yourself with a 375 or 416ruger...
Ask yourself what I'm going to use this gun for in the future? If africa's DG are on deck the 375 or 416 rigby would be a logical choice. However if no desire to hunt such animals(don't need +.375 to hunt african plains game just DG's), then a .338 might serve you better. Loaded with a premium bullet either will serve you well. Something to consider is shootability, the .338 and .375 aren't *****cats but they certainly haven't got my attention like a .416 rigby did. If your recoil timid in any way this is something you need to include in the desicion process and if possible try shooting ones of interest prior to buying is never a bad thing!
After further research, my mind is moving more toward the .375's, not because of recoil, but in part because of the high cost of even reloading components for the 416 Rigby. Wow! Factory ammo with premium bullets in creeping up on the cost of the N.E. cartridges, not that I'd be using factory ammo, I've been reloading for 35 years, but still it's something to consider. I too am not sure about the longevity of the new 375 and 416 Ruger cartridges, so it would be the Rigby or the H&H. Is the 375 H&H accepted as a dangerous game cartridge? What about the .458 Win Mag or Lott? I know I'm all over the place with this, but the shared knowledge and opinions are much appreciated. Thanks.
__________________
Feel the heart of the hunter - feel the thrill that will cleanse the soul.
Bear medicine
