Of the following which do you guys think would be the better Grizzly bear rifle/bullet combo? I will also be using it on caribou on the same hunt.

I will be up in the Brooks Range unit 26 in September 2009 and I am obsessing on which one of these to bring.

Winchester Model 70 synthetic stainless 300 Win Mag 180 or 200 grain Nosler Partition fixed Leupold VXlll 3.5x10x40mm .

Weatherby Euromark wood stock blued barrel 300 Weatherby Mag 180 grain Barnes X fixed Leupold VXlll 4.5x14x40mm

Winchester Model 70 synthetic stainless 375 H&H 300 grain Nosler Partition Talley detachable mounts VXlll 1.5x5x20mm and backup scope Leupold VXlll 1.75x6x32mm

Are you hunting caribou and grizzly or are you just looking for a bear protection gun while you're caribou hunting? I'd recommend using either of the stainless rifles because September is the rainy season in Alaska. The 300 Win is plenty of medicine forarctic grizand the .375 could ruin quite a bit of meat on a 'bou. Caribou don't take much to knock down and frankly the bears in northeastern Alaska aren't usually all that big. Whichever one you can shoot better is going to be your best bet. I've hunted Unit 26 quite a few times and I've never had a bad run in with a bear. In fact nearly every one I've seen up there has been making a b-line for the horizon to get away as fast as possible. They know perfectly well that they're fair game up there.

AK Jeff

.338 Win mag Minimum, Fed. 225gr TBBC

Being from the rockies I know the toll that the weather, especially wet and variable weather, can have on a weapon. I would certainly take one of the stainless/synthetic combos with you and wouldn't consider the wood/blue combo. You are going to be happier with less problems/chances of problems IMO.

Caliber...I wouldn't be able to give you an experienced answer...but I would be able to give you a best guess based on what I have seen and learned.

If you are using it on a combination of the two animals I would go with the 300 mag with a 180-200 grain core lokt round. It has some seriously good spread on impact and will be a hard hit to the bears thick bones and hide. You won't get as long of a range than you do with the nosler though...so if you are expecting long range shots, don't listen to me. =) Either way, the 300 is going to be less damaging to the bou's meat and effective on the smaller inland bears.

Now if you were going after some coasties!!! That's a whole nother opinion!

~Cam

Just trade one of them magnums in for a 30/06.

ummmmmm.......why??????

You have a thirty caliber round that is shooting faster and hitting harder.....bears have seriously thick hides and some hard bones....that extra speed and power is going to be useful in the magnums over the .06....

I'm just curious why you feel that way tango?

Question: I need your input, the choices are A, B, or C.
Answers: Z, J, M, K, and 3.143268....

Whacko, it is not that hard a question....
Of the choices offered I'd take the 375H&H in synthetic and back it up with the 300WinMag in synthetic, given my own preferences I'd choose something else, but that isn't the question....

Strange that only only two could figure it out.... didn't think it was a trick question.

Why does the 30/06 crowd think that round is the be all, end all of rifles.

I shoot a 300 Win Mag, and my dad even fits into this 30/06 be all, end all club (55+). He can keep his old Ruger "Ought Six" and I'll stick with the Sendero in 300 WM.

I just wonder, why many on this site even have this viewpoint? Please tell me, what a 30/06 can kill, that a 300 WM won't?

That written, go with one of the 300 Mags.

take the Weatherby

Take the 375! You can't have too much gun for a Grizzly!