No matter what gun you pick, your going to want to file the front sight off........

That way when the bear takes it and shoves it up your ass it won't hurt as much!

I don't think anyone can agree on the topic of bear guns. I think the best advice is: Don't use less gun than you would trust your life with.

Greeting from Willow, Ak! Your choice of the 35 whelen was right on. Just this year I bought a rem 700cdl in that caliber. Been looking for a 35 for years! As for a weapon for up close bears, I agree with the gentleman from Fairbanks. You can fire a 12ga pump with incredible speed. Most hunter/hikers that were jump by a bear were able to get off one shot maybe with a bolt gun . They have done penetation tests on bear skulls and 3in #2 buck worked real well out to 15yds or closer. As for hunting them, I use a stainles marlin 45/70 with handloaded 420gr hardcast. My other rifle is Win m-70 458mag with 300 & 400 X bullets. When AK fish & game need to hunt down a wounded or maneating bear, it's with 375's and 12ga's. Well that's my two cents worth from a armchair hunter!!
Deadeyejehlen

I recommend this .505 Gibbs:



www.rbbigbores.com

500grains: If a gun like this was not so expensive and specialized, I would have one. Here in Anchorage there is usually one or two 500 Jefferys or 505 Gibbs on the rack to pick and look at. Otherwise, .458 WinMags and .458 Lotts are very popular, and there are lots of those look at right off the rack. I have a .416 Wby for a large gun, but I may get a .458 Lott to use on bears.

Bigger is better, as long as you can handle the recoil and get on target more than the first shot - but it is ultimately a personal choice issue here - I heard a guy at the local gun emporium say that some folks rely on only pepper spray and harsh language to run off the bears (referring to bunny lovin, tree huggin folks) - KMuleinAk

I hear that Mr. Treadwell thought that also.LOL

I would try the .340 wearterby on a bigggg bear
they are good upclose and good out far also
according to my brother who lives in Alaska.

cal30: I like all the Weatherby calibers..the .340 is an excellent cartridge...it is basically a .338 hotrod. But it is still a .338 and .338s are best and excell at killing moose, black bear, elk, and caribou. I think under most circumstances a .340 Wby with an appropriate sized bullet (210 to 250 grains) would kill anything.

However I do think brown bears deserve at least a .375 caliber bullet, preferably with a large bullet going fast (H&H, Wby, RUM, and others). On my next serious bear hunt, in September of this year, I am going to use my .416 Wby using 350 grain SAFs. And that is not too much. One of my brothers is coming up for that hunt and he initially was going to use his .300 RUM..but after I gained some hands-on experience with brown bears this month, it is clear that a .375 H&H should be considered the minimum serious caliber for brown bear.

Rwj
I would take your advise if I were to come up to hunt.

I would like to try the good old Weatherby .375 mag, as
the .378 looks like it might hurt to shoot it.

With the size of thoses bears I would not want to go to
small and get bit!

cal30: Everything I have heard and read about the .375 Wby...from the distant past to the present, has been excellent. I think that is why Wby brought it back..it fills a gap between some the faster or modern .375s (.378 Wby [only 50+ years old], .375RUM, and others) and the traditional tried and true .375 H&H. All of these rifles are great..and they are all great because they shoot the same bullet, just at slightly varying velocities. I want to get one of the .375 Weatherbys myself...but I will tell you, the recoil on a .378 is over-rated. I have been shooting mine for many years now and it does have a break on it, but it is an excellent rifle to shoot...and I have killed a lot of stuff with it under a lot of different circumstance...I bet if you bought a .378 and used it, you would be surprised at how easy it is to shoot and how accurate it is...and you could down load it if it was too much, as Paul H says..

I know I catch hell for this but as I have never been attacked by a bear go ahead. I know that most of the old guides in Africa would recommend a 12 gauge with number 2 buck for going after a wounded Simba in tall grass. #2 because of the increase in total lead being shot over the bigger shot 00 which began to leave losts of empty space in the shell casing. I really dont like a shotgun for hunting but some of the new slug guns are very effective for deer inside 150 yard. Now I have seen what crapy bird shot can do to something at point blank and they did recommend the 12 for close and personnel being because it was un effective outside 25 yards with shot. One of those guides recommending it if my memory serves me right was Shelby who was the guide for Robert Ruark the writer a very well known guide at the time. I would be intrested in the total foot pounds delivered by a good 12 gauge 3 inch slug at inside of a 100 hards as well as the total energy of # 2 inside of 20 yards. I would think the # 2 shot inside of 20 would blow most of the skull away. What is the spread of a 12 gauge at 20 yards with a good choke. I did just look up the barnes x federal shotgun slug it "according to the guys that sell it" has the following data energy foot pounds at 25 yds 2058, 100 yds 1569. I dont know about big bears but that looks like it will kill something. So I wouldnt just ignore the shotgun suggestion.
My choice however is something like a 375 H&H with a 300 gr nosler partion in a lever action. I would go with a 4 power burris scope with quick release rings so I could use iron sights. I really dont think for saftey the rings are required but for hunting I like easy release and durability.
By the way that is won hell of a deal you got on that gun.

Most of the comments I've heard reqarding the 12 ga for defensive use in Africa were in regards to leapord, not lion. Also a bear can be a 2 to 3 times larger than a lion.

A 12 ga is a poor choice for defensive use against bear, with eigther 00 or slugs. Those that have actually had to use shotguns for defense against bears have an almost unanimous condemnation of the shotgun. Those that expound the benefits of the 12 ga do so from the theoretical standpoint. That isn't to say a 12 ga can't kill a bear, but it is to say it is far from the best choice for stopping one.

So the gun is not big enough to stop a charge but will probable kill it shortly after its done chewing on you. That seems very logical given the difference in weight. I am wondering if some of the caliber suggested would be a little light. Do you think that the 375 would be to little to stop a charge. Curious minds want to know.

Under most circumstance, I do not think so. But it depends how close the bear is to you and whether it is pissed off and knows who and where you are. If you shot the bear in the brain or the spine, it would probably drop like most animals. If you shot it within 25 yards and it was pissed, it might smack you before it died,,even if you made a lethal shot on it.

rwj, I totally agree that the 375 is minimum on bear. If I had the funds, I'd invest them in a CZ 458 Lott, laminated stainless. With a 458 Lott, you can shoot 458 WM if you can't handle the Lott which is great bear fodder also. Then I'd practice and practice to get used to it for its not going to be a pleasant experience. My 338 WM experience on Admiralty (Pybus Bay also) taught me well. If I have a pissed off bb, I darn sure want a 41 or better caliber. What do you guys think of solids for BB?? Anyone ever use them??
choke

Hi,

This may be off the thread topic but

I have a SS Remington in a 7stw.
I was thinking of having it rechambered to a 458 Lott.

What do you think about this Cal. in a push feed action?

Montana

If you want a build a 458 Lott on a rem 700, go ahead. It really doesn't matter what others think, as the rifle needs to be one you'll like and be confident in.

I would personally likely leen towards a 340 Wetherby as a re-barrel choice for that rifle.

458 Lott on a 700 is fine. You may want to check on the stock though. I know a lot of the bigger calibers from the factory have crossbolts or screws installed for strength. A buddy of mine installed a Bell & Carlson on a Sako 375 H&H and it cracked the stock on the first shot.
choke

'choke: I do not think solids are used very often here in Alaska. SAF, NP, Barnes-X and a couple of other well constructed soft-nosed bullets are commonly used here on big and/or mean animals. I have never seriously considered using solids on brown bears..

montana: I do not like rechambering anything but I see no reason why you could not buy a M700 designed for and chambered in a .458 Lott. Remington offers two African models in their custom shop that you could probably get in .458 Lott. I think it would be tough to turn a 7stw into a real big gun. I have a .300 Wby, a .378 Wby, and .416 Wby and none of these three are really like each other..they are all built different and they have different demands placed on them when they are fired. The .300 is a delicate little thing and the .416 is an absolute beast, both in the way they look and act. The barrel on the .416 is a big piece of steel that you could beat a moose to death with (only slightly exaggerating). A .458 Lott might have an even bigger barrel as far as weight and diameter goes. Weatherby's custom shop offers heavy rifles chambered in .458 Lott...Go look at the Winchester M70s, Rugers, and CZs..each offers moderately priced .458 Lotts. Turning a smaller rifle into a bigger one sounds tough and rechambering may not mean that you save money either...but don't let me put you off...go get your .458 Lott as soon as possible, one way or the other!

Thanks for the input guys.

Maybe I am better of buying one of the factory rigs and having it modified to fit my taste.

If I do that I probaly will go with a CRF action.

I have a 375 H&H on a winchester claw which will work for all practical purposes but there always seams to be a desire for more horse power.

Thanks Again,
Montana

I swapped my 22-250 for a M700 .375 R.U.M. It will be here on Monday. It is the BDL stainless steel, no sights, and I intend on dropping it in a Classic Mcmillan soon. I will put a 3x12 Zeiss on it.

Is this going to be a decent enough bear gun for Alaska? I intend on hunting mostly moose/caribou, but just in case.

I'd love to have a .416-.458, but will wait and see what santa brings me this year!

CG

Yep, that'll kill a bear! I'd opt of a scope with less magnification though. I really can't see much need for more then 6 or 8X at the most on the top end, and would want something around 1 1/2 or 2X on the low end.