Kag:

Not to start a "tiff" with Ray regarding his choice of bullet weight for the .338 but I would tend to disagree with him on this one. A rare occurance, BTW. If you want a .338 and can shoot it then by all means go for it. I personally would but that's me.

I just returned from my annual "adventure with Ron" and one of the 3 of us got our moose on the 15th. The guy that shot it used a .338 with Federal factory ammo loaded with 210 gr. Partitions. I have never seen such devastation on an animal in my life. The guy saw the bull across a large beaver pond at about 250 yds. - lottsa dams. He took a shot, the bull turned 180 degrees & looked as if he was going into deeper water so the guy shot again. The animal went down, in the water I might add. When we dressed the animal out, the lungs were mush, there was only about 1/2 of the diaphragm left. Heart? What heart! It looked to us as if the 2 shots crossed each other forming an X. One of the exit holes was about 1" wide & about 4" long. Both bullets exited so we didn't find one. I say if you want a .338, you're not going to need anything more & you will not be undergunned. Good luck.

Bear in Fairbanks

HI,


I just moved to Alaska, I have two big bores 50-110 lever and a 416 Rigby,customed by MR. Broakman. I have not been able to shoot the 416 yet as I got it about 3 days before moving here and will take some time to set up room to get my reloading area. I just got some land need to get some road and pad. Anyway after walking some mountains here I can tell you my next rifle will be a light weight 338,man they have some mountains here.The 338 would be the ticket,light and flat shooting and bullets and ammo about everywhere,Kev

The 338 is the perfect rifle for Alaska. There isn't really anything that's better. A 375 is really pretty specialized, the 300 mag is great, but the 338 fills the void perfectly. Heavy bullets, with flat trajectory, with manageable recoil.

Confused yet? Don't be, because most of the responses you got are consistent with each other. The .300WM, .338WM and .375H&H are all great rounds, but since you already have one, a .300, take it with confidence. Pack a box each of Federal Premium Nosler Partitions in 180gr and 200gr and don't worry about it.

I have used the .338 extensively and love it. It is like a .30-06 on steriods. Killed one grizzly bear with it in AK.

What bullet does this Federal HE load use? Trophy bonded?

stay away from the trophy bonded, if u want to take your animal home instead of chasing it around. bad ju ju.

ray;

true the federal h.e. is the best ammo on the market. and the h.e. with the n.p. is the best of the lot. that is basically the same load that i use in the weatherby using weatherby ammo. slightly faster velocity, difference is insignificant. the .338 with h.e. would be cheaper to shoot, easier to get, like having your cake and eating it too.

i recomended a rifle , scope and h.e. load to a friend that i took up to kodiak last november. now he loves all three as well. another beleiver.

I disagree with you. I think the 375 is one of the "all-time" great cartridges. And, if I was going to hunt for Brown Bear, I would think long and hard about getting one.



I have hunted Alaska 5 times. 3 of the trips were for Grizzlies. I've been successful twice. I know that the magazines want you to believe otherwise, but this is the truth, there isn't a Bear standing behind every bush, waiting to jump you. Really.



A 300 Winchester magnum is all you need for 99% of all hunting, including Alaska. The 338 is plenty of gun, and I wouldn't hesitate to hunt Brown Bears with one. To be perfectly honest with you, if I was charged by a Grizzly, I would probably want my JC Higgins 30-06 in my hands. The gun fits me better than any rifle I own, it comes to my shoulder perfectly. I want a rifle that I can shoot quickly, accurately, and that won't jam. A 220 grain round nose will do fine.



But you know what? I doubt if I'll ever be charged, just doesn't happen that much. And as far as I'm concerned, that's just fine, they are pretty impressive up close...



My brother lives in Alaska, and has been in on a number of Grizzly kills. Double digits. He has been charged once. The Bear saw him at about 200 yards and immediately came after him. He was in the willows. Bear probably thought he was a Moose. Scott knew that he would only have one shot. The Bear trotted, at 100 yards started running, and at 75 yards was at a dead sprint. Scott had picked out a bush nearby and when the Bear got to it, he was going to let one fly. He shot the Bear right in the eye. It piled up right at his feet.



God's honest truth.



The Bear was a 6 and half foot sow.



I'll pass on that kind of excitement. He shot the Bear with a borrowed gun, his had a broken stock from a previous hunt. Scott shoots a left hand Weatherby Mark V, in 300 Weatherby. He was using a borrowed 300 Weatherby, right hand gun. Just one shot was all he was going to get. Go figure...