What scope would you recommend if you were sitting up a 375H&H for brown bear hunting? Whats the normal spring shooting distance when hunting the ABCs? I'm thinking 1-4 or 1.5-5 Leupold.

I have never shot a bear but your choices are my first thoughts also. My go to elk rifle for years was a 300WM with a 1.5x5 Burris on it. Good for snap shooting in the dark stuff and the scope certainly didn't handicap me at distance.

mark,

I started out with a 1.75 x 6 leupold on my Mod. 70 and that was ok. I then got a deal on a Kahles 1 x 4 and that was good also, but I ended up with a 2.5 x 8 Leupold. As to the whys of it I just like the 2.5 x 8 better than the others. One thing I think you will find in the "Brown Shoes" 375 H&H is that it really is versital. I shot the 375 at everything for 2 yrs. before my Brown bear hunt we got to know each other well.

If this is for the Mod. 70 you recently found, I can tell you what I have on mine, Talley QD with levers, if you like the 2.5 x 8 you will best be served using a 1x front base. This allows you to mount the 2.5 x 8 without the bases hanging over the loading port.

The 2.5 x 8 has a shorter tube length than the 1.75 x 6. Thus it can be tight in some applications.

The 1 x 4 and 1 x 5 are good scopes but they give up too much light transfering potential for overcast Alaska days, even more so in the fall seasons.

The Leupolds win out where weight and eye relief factor at this level of recoil.

HBH

I set up my M70 375H&H with a Leupold 1.75-6. So far, I really like it. I've got excellent vision, knock on wood, so 6x is plenty for me. It was the wide field of view on 1.75x that sold me. My rifle and I will be bear hunting this fall

I use a VX-11 1X4 on a 376 steyr & a 1.5X5 VX-111 on a 458WM. I have never hunted in good light, dry, open country so I am unable to comment on how much better a different scope would be in thoes conditions.

I personally use the Leupold 1.5 x 5 -20mm on my .375 RUM and works quite well when you shoot for "in close" shots and long shots as well.
by the way clarity is not a problem with me in any of the conditions I use shooting grizz or moose with this scope.
The stalk method I use is to use sweats on and use the wind and get as close as I can. GOOD Hunting!

I think your idea of a 1.5-5x Leupold is right on. I have one on my .338 which I use for moose and elk when we go to Afognak Island. We have thick cover in our moose area and thus, grizzlies. Also, we've been too close to brownies on Afognak more than once. I don't get pinpoint accuracy with that rifle & scope but easily achieve 1 1/4" groups. I suppose the rifle could do it but I think it's more the scope. It isn't designed to be a "target scope" but rather for rapid target acquisiton at relatively close quarters. My .338 is a SS Ruger with a laminated stock & I normally use 225 gr. Northforks. I think the 1.5 - 5x would be the way to go. Bear in Fairbanks

a 1.75-6x leupold, swarovski, zeiss.

second choice, 1.5-5x leupold.

for a .375 h.h., or b.b. gun in general you want field of view and brightness not magnification.

good hunting.

I'm kinda fond of the leupy 2.5X fixed. It hasn't hindered me in shooting sub moa, has good FOV and is fairly bright. Also has a wopping 5" of eye relief.

My 425 has a 1x5 leupold and the 358 norma wears a zeiss 1.5x6. Both rifles have quick release mounts and iron sights as well.

grizz007:

I sent you a PM.

I've got a 2x7x33 leupole on my 375 H&H. Works fine for me.

i have a lupe 1.5-5 with heavy reticle. i keep it cranked down to 1.5 for "surprises". it sits on my Ruger 338. my last broenie came out of the woods at 20 yards/chaz

I would recommend a Leupold 1.75x6 with a heavy duplex or German #4 (my favorite) reticle. You need to be able to see in the rain and overcast at twilight. If your budget can handle it, I would look at the European 30MM scopes.

I guess I'll in my two pennies. I have a 1x4 leupold on one of my .375's and 1.25-4 swarovskion the other. I think this is in keeping with the common knowladge of this forum. Having said that I mostly use my .338 on bears and it is topped with a 3-12 x 56 swarovski. It as all my rifles do has a quality qd mount and when and if I have to fallow up on a bear for one of my hunters I will go in with irons. I think perfection though is a swarovski 1.5-6x42 with a # 1 reticle

Chris Goll, who once had the largest brown bear quota on Kodiak Island (30 bears for 30 years or 900 in total) told me he had never had a Zeiss or Swarovski scope fail but that he had had a few Leupold scopes fail and most other brands fail.

Another Alaskan hunter told me its legal to hunt brown bears after sundown in Alaska something I did not know about.

If that is true then the Zeiss and Swarovski scopes designed for boar hunting are best (anything from 6 power up with objective lenses in multiples of 7 such as 6X43, 8X56, 9X63) and with 30 mm tubes.

German gunsmiths tell me that for mechanical reasons the number 4 reticule is the strongest and the best on hard kicking guns like the 375 H&H.


VBR,


Ted Gorsline

hunting after dark is legal in AK you may not use a artificial light sorce.
Chris hunted the preserve portion of katmi national park on the upper penninsula. He transfered it to Jim hamilton 2 years ago. I know both well. Chris is a good source for firearms and related acceseries.

Ted Chris Goll's hunting area wasn't on Kodiak Island. His area was in the Katmai Preserve that's being advertised now as the Big Bear hotspot . During my 7 yrs of guiding for him in the preserve it was noted for having plenty of 8-81/2" bears with an occasional bigger one and as far as scope failures go I've had both Zeiss&Swarovski bail out but NEVER a Leupold. Chris told me in 1998 or so he was nearing 600 bears and my observations were about 15 bears a yrs were being taken,you do the math.

I've had a couple hrs to think and have come up with a # closer to 300 bears for the amount Goll's operation has taken. 27 permits a yr with usually about a dz caribou hunters in the mix.

Deat Waterrat,

I stand corrected. I am sure your details regarding numbers and location of bears shot with Chris Goll is correct. I am curious to know what per cent of big brown bears are shot on salmon streams in the moon light.

VBR,


Ted Gorsline

I like all Leupold scopes on rifles because of the long eye relief. I have a 1.5 X 5 on my 416
Taylor and have yet to cut myself. (No brake)
The vast majority of shots on Brown Bear will be under two hundred yards so a low magnification scope is all that is needed.

For a no BS check it is easy to find out exactly how many bears any guide has taken in the past forty years by checking with Alaska Fish and Game. You also can find out how many sows and boars they have taken and exactly what their skull size average is.
From my own experience on the Alaskan peninsula I have seen every brand name scope fog (including Swaro and Zeiss) with the notible exception of Leupold and I see ten Leupolds for every other brand.
As bear hunting is not - or shouldnt be - a long range affair I personally prefer the Leupold 2 1/2 compact with both the 1-5 Vari-X III and the 1x4 Vari X-II a close second.

As an aside to the main subject I have hunted with Chris Goll - Rainbow River Lodge - out of Illiamna a few years ago. Jim Tilly was my guide.

I have great respect for Jim - less for Mr. Goll. I agree with those who would question the real number of bears he took annually. I assume he is retired now, if so that is good.

I have 3 Leupold low power variables. 2 of them are 1 X 5 Vari-X III's and the other is a 1.75 X 6 Leupold. I'm very happy with all three.

On my 338 Win it wears a Unertal Hawk 4x in Paul Jager QR lever mounts.

Dear palmer,

Chris Goll told me he had had the largest brown bear quota in Alaska at 30 bears per year and said he had been hunting them for 30 years and from that I mistakenly multiplied 30x30 to come up with the 900 figure.

He now works for a man named Bob Blassingame who has a hunting lodge in Idaho where they shoot both big game and birds.

VBR,


Ted Gorsline

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 458Win:
For a no BS check it is easy to find out exactly how many bears any guide has taken in the past forty years by checking with Alaska Fish and Game. You also can find out how many sows and boars they have taken and exactly what their skull size average is.

458win;

thanks for the info. who would you think has taken the most b.b. of any still active outfitter out there today....?

Ted,
I certainly understand the conclusion given the information you had.

High numbers of clients hunted only tell me that the outfitter is more interested in money than the welfare of either the hunter or the game. YOU CAN NOT MASS PRODUCE GOOD HUNTING!I know of one highly visible and well known AK peninsula outfitter who took 24 spring bear hunters one spring and I took my typical six clients. Guess who killed the most bears? It wasn't the guy who made the most money.
I personally have no idea of who has taken the absolute highest number of bears. There are fantastic guides who do all of the guiding themselves and some who hire a few excellent asst guides as well. Then there are the mass producers, who you typically see with big advertisments or perennially at sportsman shows,
who take huge numbers of clients and shoot any bear unlucky enough to wander by. I guess what I'm saying is that just numbers don't tell you much. If you really want to know if the guide knows his stuff look at skull averages and percentage of males vrs females he kills. Then take the time to verify his success rate.

Just my 2 cents on a scope:

I have a Bushnell 3200 elite in a 1.5-4.5x32.

It has never fogged up because of the "Rainguard" feature in these scopes.

It has the Firefly reticle for low light conditions.

And, I have it on a T/C Encore .375 HH that only weighs about 7.5 lbs total so there is some good recoil.

So there is another option for you.

I'm going up black bear hunting in the thick stuff in Northen Alberta in a month or so. I have a fixed 6x42 Schmidt&Bender scope on my .300WM, which suits me just fine in the prairies, foothills and mountains. For this trip, however, I'm going to take my 9.3x62 topped with a 2.5-10x56 Schmidt&Bender, with a heavy reticle. I'm expecting lots of low light conditions and short distances, hence my choice.

Frans

There has been a lot of good input on this page and I should probably have just let it go but I wanted to comment on one of the last entries.

Back in 1973 when I was just 13 years old I bought my first scope. A Bushnell scope chief for my Mauser 30-06. My first high powered rifle and my first scope.

I don't think I ever shot a groupe better than 3 or 4 inches with that rifle and after a few years of learning the ropes behind the buttplate I came to realize that the problem was the scope that I paid $20.00 for a the naborhood store. For the net 30 years I went through life with nothing less than contempt for that brand of optick. I would have bet you any amount of money that I would never ever buy another bushnell scope for as long as I live.

Fortunantly due to the recomendation of the only person in the world who's opinion could impact me enough to open my eyes and mind. The last two scopes I have purchased have been Bushnell elite scopes. Yes they are really good.

Having said all that. No by no means am I replacing any of my Zeiss,Swarovski,Kahles,Leupold,Schmitt&Bender,or Burris Scopes. I've guess that I have just gone through a bit of a renasonce and wanted to share that.

I agree with the Bushnell change. You have to buy the Elite to get the higher quality even today. The rainguard mentioned above is great for solving the outside moisture/fogging problem. It has NOTHING to do with the internal fogging problem caused by water vapor inside the scope. I have only had one scope fog and it had been used on years and years of hunts, but mostly small game. It failed when dropped in the frozen ground on a Missouri whitetail hunt. That fall also cracked the wood stock on the M600 that wore the 2 3/4 X Redfield widefield scope. Things happen if you spend enough time in the hunting field. Packrattusnongratus.

I'm about to mount a Trijicon Accupoint 1.25 - 4 X 24 on my 375 for a Bear hunt, anybody try one of these yet?

I have 2 375 H&H bbls for my Blaser R 93.
On the 19 3/4" Tracker bbl I have a Leupold 1.5-5 with the Heavy Duplex. On the standard bbl I have just mounted a Swarovski 1.5-6x42 with the circle dot illuminated reticle.
I think either scope would be a good choice for anything a 375 is suited for.

bears are large animals and its probably not advisable to shoot them at long range...so for me, a 4x is all i need...i have done the full circle with scopes and the standard 4x scope is all one needs for 95%of ones HUNTING!
daniel