I'm doing a boat based brown bear hunt this spring, and am at the "which rifle shall I use" stage of planning. My first impulse is to take the .375/.338....shoots great...easy to carry...plenty of energy. However, I have a Win. Model 70, .458 Win Mag, action tuned for reliability with North Fork 400 gr. bullets, in a fiberglass stock with Leupold Weaver style bases, good open sights and several scopes to select from. I also have a Trijicon Red Dot that I've been itchin to try out on the .458. Any good reason why I shouldn't take it bear hunting?

Phil

I have red dot sights on all my heavy rifles,470 NE,500/416 NE,458 LOTT,450/400 NE,375 H&H,I have hunted DG in Africa a few times with no problems at all,they are quick & clear in low light conditions,dont see why you would have any problems,
oh I did a Black bear hunt last may in Idaho,used my 450/400 with a docter sight,almost sundown when I got my bear,one shot,an easy kill.

I tried that route with my 458 and while it was very fast on close, well defined targets, it was not nearly as good on targets hidden by brush or for longer shots

My guide, Dale Adams, indicates that shots will likely be under 100 yards and to sight dead on at 100. I will have a Leupold VX-6 1X6 30mm illuminated scope in detachable rings as a backup if needed. Glad to hear the reflex sights are sturdy enough for the big bores.