the ultimate Yukon rifle ... your thoughts
- Thread starter medvedqc
- Start date
This.
For up-close Grizz, there are few better options than a fast-handling guide gun with modern loads. All those guides can't be that wrong!
For bear defense I would have said the same thing.
I have 2 Guide Guns (18 1/2" bbl); one stainless and the other blue.
My load pushes a 430 grain hard cast lead bullet to 1950 fps.
The levergun is a lot faster than the bolt for follow up shots.
Also the 45-70 ammo/reloading components are a lot easier to find than 375 Ruger stuff in local stores.
That counts for something if your 4 hours by air from major centers.
Unfortunately the 1895s suck at longer range shooting.
The full length 1895 (22" bbl) with the Hornady 325 grain FTX pushed to 2200 fps might be reasonably flat out to 300 yards.
For all around shooting in the Yukon the Alaskan Brush Hunter would get the nod and would reach out to 400 yds and beyond for a caribou or moose if the shooter was up to it.
.350 RM... but you are out of brass Phil...
a weak day and you know the story ....
- Location
- Southern ontario
You need atleast a tomahawk cruise missile for bears
Please tell us how you would like going for a world class Dall sheep on the ridge 300 yards away with your 45-70?
This thread was supposed to be about an all around rifle for the Yukon, not another bear defence farce.
troutseeker
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Prince George, BC
The .375 Ruger is good for an all-rounder that can stop bears if needed.
if now we have answer that make sense where are we heading ... thanks for your view and seen what we can meet here ...
The answer is in the first post, the stainless Winchester Model 70 in 30-06 calibre.
An excellent ALL AROUND calibre and rifle for all hunting in the Yukon.
OK, if he is going in particular to that tiny pocket in the Yukon where extra big grizzlies may be found, he may want a larger calibre. But most likely there have been more grizzlies killed with a 30-06 than any other calibre.
I'd sell you my .375 Ruger Alaskan, but I'm having WAY too much fun shooting it. I feel kinda "naked" now with anything smaller. (I had an accidental face to face near my favorite moose lake with a Female Grizz/ 2 cubs, and let me tell you , I did actually piss my pants a bit, luckily I didn't have to shoot to defend myself as I chose to go for a swim and the bears were not in the mood for a wet meal) I have a .338wm , a .300wm, a .308 win, yet, not a single one makes me feel secure anymore like the big guy. I would suggest to him that anything over 35 caliber is perfect Grizzly medicine ...............IF HE EVER GOT IN A HAIRY SITUATION AGAIN.
Couldn't have put it better . I own , or have owned most of the calibers discussed and they all have their uses . That being said , 90% of the time I carry an 06 , and that includes when I'm in Grizzly country . The 30/06 is a great all rounder , and more importantly , produces recoil that can be tolerated by most shooters . If you're one of those shooters who can tolerate the recoil of the heavier rounds and shoot it regularly enough to become a proficient shot , excellent . Unfortunately , that often isn't the case . I'd rather see someone use an 06 he can hit with than a 375 he's scared of IMHO .
I might be going to work in the Yukon next spring, not really sure of the area. Is 375 ruger available in Whitehorse? Most places I've been in the north have a pretty limited selection. I don't even live that far north/remote and here it's all 270, 30-30, 30-06. 300 wsm I see sometimes, but I am not a huge fan of the caliber don't know if this means I would dislike the 375 as I have never shot it.
.416 Chatfield-Taylor ! RJ
RJI own and frequently use a Savage model 116 stainless steel Weather Warrior in 30-06 sprng and love it for deer, elk and moose hunting.
A beautifully accurate rifle.
I lived in Alaska (which is a lot like the Canadian Yukon) for a few years in the 70s and have seen the brown and grizzly bears up close and personal.
I also worked in Resolute Bay on Little Cornwallis Island for a Canadian mining company back in the 80s for a couple of years where polar bear sightings were not uncommon and those huge white bears can sneak up on you before you even know they are in the area. We carried a Winchester model 70 in 458 Winchester in the arctic cat we used for transportation at all times.
If I was going on a foray into Alaskan bear country now or for that matter any country where the great bears inhabit I'd be taking the Alaskan Brush Hunter in 375 Ruger.
You can take your 06 but I'd feel a tad more comfortable with the loaded 375 Ruger beside me thank you very much.
A beautifully accurate rifle.
I lived in Alaska (which is a lot like the Canadian Yukon) for a few years in the 70s and have seen the brown and grizzly bears up close and personal.
I also worked in Resolute Bay on Little Cornwallis Island for a Canadian mining company back in the 80s for a couple of years where polar bear sightings were not uncommon and those huge white bears can sneak up on you before you even know they are in the area. We carried a Winchester model 70 in 458 Winchester in the arctic cat we used for transportation at all times.
If I was going on a foray into Alaskan bear country now or for that matter any country where the great bears inhabit I'd be taking the Alaskan Brush Hunter in 375 Ruger.
You can take your 06 but I'd feel a tad more comfortable with the loaded 375 Ruger beside me thank you very much.
I don't know about the Yukon but a couple of guides I know that still live in Alaska use the Marlin Guide Gun in 45-70 as bear hunter back-up rifle.
The guide I'm specifically thinking of who lives in Ketchikan AK doesn't reload and uses the Buffalo Bore 45-70 ammo that pushes a 430 grain hard cast lead bullet to ~1950 fps or ~3500 ft-lbs ME in his back-up gun which is a proven combination for stopping charging bears.
The key word is stopping.
For general hunting (mostly moose) he uses a stainless steel Ruger model 77 All-Weather bolt action in 300 Winchester Magnum and believes from actual experience that cartridges using the Nosler Accubond and Partition bullets are real stoppers for big animals including territorial brown bears who want to hijack his moose carcass.
Both 45-70 and 300 Win Mag ammo is fairly common in stores in the area.
