The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Alaska Hunting Forum What caliber do guides use for bears?Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Please, no opinions here, just facts. What calibers do Alaskan bear guides carry? One other question, On a fly in hunt, can a client/hunter bring a second or even a third rifle or is it a one gun thing. I do not know since I have never been but am trying to learn more. "The right to bear arms" insures your right to freedom, free speech, religion, your choice of doctors, etc. ....etc. ....etc.... -----------------------------------one trillion seconds = 31,709 years------------------- | ||
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Most use from 338 Win . on up . The 375 H&H is an old standby . and now the 375 Ruger is gaining in popularity .Plenty use the 416s Taylor Remington Rigby and Weatherby . The 416 Ruger will probably get to be pretty popular . Plenty of Guides use the 458 Win mag and some use the Lott..Some use even Larger .... . . The calibers .40 and above have a noticeably more dramatic affect on brown bear than the smaller calibers ... Tho velocity plays an important role .. A friend of mine uses a 416 Taylor mostly shooting 350 gr bullets @ 2350 fps .And has tipped upside down a few fleeing bears that had been well hit by 300s .....Another friend has done the same with the 416 Rem. .. .. If you are boat based bear hunting on the coast there is room to keep a spare rifle on the boat .. For flyin , Most guides and outfitters strongly prefer 1 gun ! .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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I was only on 1 Brown bear hunt with 4 of us going so 4 guides. 1 Stainless Ruger 338 win mag 1 Stainless Model 70 338 win mag 1 Stainless Model 70 375 H&H 1 Ruger RSM 416 Rigby I would think you could take 2 guns on a fly in but weight is limited and extra weight is paid for. BigB | |||
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Of th 4 bear hunts I have been on in Alaska, 3 guides have used .375's, one .416, and one asst used a .458. IMHO, may I suggest you take one gun. Store the hard case in the hotel you stay at & use a soft case to transport in the airplane or on the boat. Room for large ahrd cases ecomes a problem I suspect. Real familiarity with one rifle will probably produce best results, especially for quick 2nd shots, & especially if up close. If you are worried about your rifle failing or the scope being off, most guides have a backup rifle for such occasions. Hope this helps/ Chaz | |||
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I use a 375 most guides I have worked with use a 375 or larger. My son who assistant guides with me uses a 338 ultra mag. Jim Phillips Annahootz Alaskan Adventures annahootz.com outfitter,southeast Alaska, brown bear, black bear ,mt goat | |||
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My guide used a Remington 700 in 375 H&H that was a tip from a client. That thing was beat to hell but he trusted it. Supposedly had to use it at bayonet range a few times wile guiding bow hunters. He also uses a Kreigoff (sp?) double in 416 Rem. | |||
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Last hunt the guide carried a 300 Win, hunt before that an 06 and my first hunt up there a 338 RUM. Phil NRA Life Member since 1976 philny1@zoominternet.net 877 485-6270 Visa/MC accepted , plus 3% We have to save the Earth, only planet with beer!! "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading". Thomas Jefferson | |||
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I always carry a 375 Rem Ultra Mag in Stainless with 300 grain bullets. Back up is a 500 S&W 4' Ported Barrel. Like to make sure I have enough Gun. Doug Klunder | |||
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. . . A friend of mine in Kaltag uses a 300 Win mag ... Really open country ... He uses his Long Track to get in position .. .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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Rae, I believe the 338 WM and the 375 H&H may be the most popular guide calibers. If you are flying in using a Cub one rifle is definitely the rule. If your using a 206, Beaver etc. you could bring 2 rifles but it just is not necessary. A second sighted in scope in quick detachable mounts might be a good idea though. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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Marks posting hit the nail on the head with everythng he said. 95% of all the bear guiding I've done over the past 30 years I've carried ether a .338 or .375. The other 5% has been with a 30-06 or .300 wm. Most of the guides I know ( I know a great many of them) will also be backing up with one of these cals or something very similer. I know a couple guys useing .340 weatherbys and .300 mags of various flavors and a few .416's but by far .338 and .375 are the most common among the guides. DRSS NRA life AK Master Guide 124 | |||
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of the three guides I have hunted with 2 338 wins and 1 375hh Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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.. Mike , How right you are  .... I spose I do prefer CRF rifles , But I sure did enjoy my 338 RUM . And wasn,t a bit nervous with the prospect of dealing with a bear with it .......If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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Fritz 454 has a thread on Big Bores going along this vein .. .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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...things learned on AR...  Really well put. One of the more "accurate" things I've read on AR. "Sometimes nothing can be a pretty cool hand." 470 Heym; 9.3x74r Chapuis, Heym 450/400 on it's way | |||
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My 1st trip to AK after Brown bear my guide had .375 H&H. Next trip after sheep the four guides all carried .338WM(Rugers). Third trip for sheep guides carried .338WM(same outfitter as 1st sheep hunt). Next bear hunt, guide had .458WM. Last hunt for goats guide gun was .300 RUM. I agree with above; most use a min. of .338WM and many, if not most, use .375 or heavier. The reasoning: the guide is backup and needs a stopper for a charging and/or wounded bear. Different requirement than for an unsuspecting bear. I have always taken a spare rifle on my hunts(AK, Western US, Africa) and have never ever had a problem with the outfitters. If flying in bush plane take soft cover gun cases. Probably wise to double check wi outfitter in advance. In my case, if that was an issue for outfitter, I would simply find another outfitter. You are paying a lot for a guided hunt; its your hunt, so you should not have to justify bringing a spare rifle just in case. I took my cue from Jack O'Connor many years ago. He said he always took a spare rifle on a guided hunt and recommended everyone do so. | |||
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Am I the only guide that packs a 45/70 ... I like my little brush gun.  | |||
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The only guide I have been around up there used a 375 H&H. I wonder if the 375 ruger will/is picking up some steam up there? | |||
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... . . . They are a great gun , I just prefer the 458 Win .... I,m just bolt trash , thats all ... .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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Put my shortened canoe paddle stock on my 375 Ruger ....... It sure is a handy little package to pack around ........... It,s short because when I sawed it off to put a decelerator on it I said heck with it and cut the other side of the line ....... . Sure is nice and I don,t have to worry about the sling swivels loosening ............... It is lighter and more compact than any 06, any 300 , and any 338 I,ve ever owned .. And it weighs about the same as the Kimber Montana in 338 I was playing with a year ago .. But that rifle had a 24" barrel ... . . Due to a different lot # of RL15 , I am only using 72 gr of RL 15 w/LRMPrimer and am getting 2700 fps w/ 270 gr bullet from the 20 " barrel ............ . . YYYAAAA BBuuuddddy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 .. .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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I think you'll find about the same number use 338 win and 375 H&H. Those that a real gun nuts and/or have had a personal invitation to a bear mauling pick the 458. 416 remington has popped in the last decade, my unscientific guess is about 1 in 10. I would imagine the 416 ruger to be popular due to short barrel and same velocities as the other 416s. What really surprises me is that not all carry a backup pistol of some sort. John | |||
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I used a 300 Win Mag on my first Brown Bear hunt 20 years ago.The next two hunts I used a 375 H&H. This coming May I'm taking my Rifles, Inc. 416 Rem with 370 gr North Forks. My guides have used 416 Taylor, 416 Rem, and 375 H&H on my first 3 forays.If only my knees were 20 years younger...! Bwana Dogo | |||
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Not to disuade you from any rifle, but a guide has to be able to stop a wounded or charging bear, do not feel undergunned with your 375, it is a great cartridge for brownies. Something tells me you want to just take the new toy, but for the benefits for others, many of brownies have been hunted quite successfully with a 30-06. John | |||
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. A 416 produces a very satisfying dramatic effect on a brown bear ... I encourage Everyone to use one . If you can shoot it well at all it is the brown bear caliber extrodinaire ................. A pistol is nice , but by and large it is an accounterment , that can end up being necessary but if you do well with the rifle it is unnecessary..... . . . The few bizzarre people who think you shoot once or twice with the rifle , throw it down ,whip out the pistol and fill the bear full of lead are very much in error ................ 2 good places for a pistol are in a tent and to and fro the outhouse ....... general labor also ........ .If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined .... | |||
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