I am planning on a spring coastal brown bear hunt in May of 2013. The hunt will be done along the coast spotting from boats and going inland for the stalk. Question is what caliber? I was thinking 338 mag or 375. The biggest bore I have is a 7 mag so I will be purchasing whatever I take. Give the potential for salt water I was thinking stainless steel barrel with sinthetic stock. I do prefer wood stocks. Do you think that would be an issue in the conditions I am likely to encounter?

Alaska's weather can be nasty but with care a wood stock and/or blued barrel will survive no problem.Either cal would be great but unless you plan to go to Africa some day IMO the .338 would be the better choice for N American game.

Couldn't have said it better. You can also ask your outfitter his suggestions as he has probally seen both and knows first hand what work better. Good luck on your bear hunt.

375 H&H
340 Weatherby

I want a 375 in a synthetic stock/stainless with a controlled feed.
You could get this in a winchester in .338win.mag.

synthetic stocks supposedly soak up recoil better than wood.

I'd want a 24" barrel max btw.


CZ offers a synthetic stock with a blued action/barrel.

Sako Kodiak in .375???!!!

That's what my Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker in .338WM is for.

http://www.browning.com/products/cat...5&tid=202&bg=x

Biggest caliber / cartridge I'll ever need to hunt any big game in North America.


BTW - Bring my 7MM RM as a back-up.

Mine is a Sako A7 Stainless

I'd be using my 35 whelen or my 9.3 X 62....

That's why if i ever went for brownies i'd carry nothing less than a ultra mag. They are one animal i don't want to mess around with, i don't care if anybody thinks it's nesseccary or not, Browns seem to charge first, ask questions later and i'd like to keep from becoming a bear turd

On the same token, I was reading about Craig Boddington's article about his last Alaskan brown bear hunt where he killed a bear with a single shot from a 338 WM. I forget what the distance was though.

After doing research on brown bear hunting, I don't know what gun to recomend, but the 338 WM is currently the smallest suggested round by many outfitters. It's smaller, but hits harder than your other traditional calibers. Opinions on the best brown bear caliber are nowhere near as contentious as the best whitetail caliber though.

Good luck on your hunt. Shoot straight, and don't stand in front of your guide just in case things go bad.

Weatherby Mark V SS Fiber Mark .340 Wby. Mag. You can always pick up a wood stock for the lower 48 later on. Good luck.