i suspect that he is using the federal, because he will likely get higher vel. out of that, than he would rolling his own. best factory ammo on the market. n.p. can't go wrong there either.

i think that your choice of scope and ammo are excellent.

but, the rings and bases are lousy. at least go with a leupold set up mounted as low as possible. others to look at are talley, conetrol or badger ordinance.

good luck.

As already mentioned, I'll go with Federal factory HE loads as they are screamers with that good ol' Nosler 250 partition. I don't think a guy can hit those bears too hard. Assuming of course, that these loads are reasonably accurate in my rifle. I've heard they generally work well.

I think if I rolled my own for this trip I'd be tempted to load Swift 275 gr A Frames and make a mini 375 out of my 338. Never played with Swift bullets but I hear good things about them.

I've heard many good things about the Burris Signature rings. The dual dovetail mounts may be overkill on a 338 but I don't think it hurts any. I don't know how high the medium Burris rings are. They might be necessary to get clearance for the eyepiece and the Model 70 safety for ease of use.

The other option is go with Leupold type rings and lap them. I've never dealt with Talley rings at all. I hear both good and bad about them.

No experience with Conetrols either. But I would think they'd have to be good for the money they want for them.

But a quick release system makes sense if I expect to go to war with a bruin at spittin' distances. Nothing faster than iron sights. Also, I can always rip off the scope and toss it at him if I run out of ammo.

On another note, Brown stocks were mentioned earlier. They have stock blanks for the pre64's but they're just primed. What kind of paint works well to paint these up? I'm thinking a fiberglass stock is the way to go up that way. I've heard it rains sometimes up there.

Thanks all!

Tim

I've got the 1.75X6 on my 416 and a the 2.5X8 on my 375 -either should work fine.

NETim, I haven't hunted Brown bear in Alaska but I can guarantee you that your Leupold 1 1/2x6 will be perfect for elk here in the Rocky Mountains. Crank it down for the thick trees shots and crank it up for the cross canyon or meadow shots. As long as you know how to shoot, you'll have no problems with that 'scope.

Good luck. L.W.