Mumbles Marble Mouth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Lower Mainland
Those were really nice guns too. Sadly discontinued.
Stopping Rifle for the Great Bears
- Thread starter Loyalist84
- Start date
Those were really nice guns too. Sadly discontinued.
Damn right Jay! Good choice sir, good choice. It almost seems like the .375 is becoming the new standard for bear defense for a good chunk of people as of late and for good reason too. Though a .45/70 will serve well up close as well.
OP if all else fails? A nice .30-06 in the proper load (might need a rifle other than an M1 Garand so be careful!) should do the trick. A semi auto .308 with the proper load if you have nothing else should be okay. I say semi auto because it's faster to shoot when you are so close to Yogi you literally trip over his feet lol!
I admire your taste but based on the prices I just saw online? Probably not gonna happen unless the OP won the lotto recently.
EDIT: Ruger No1 is in that caliber BUT hard to find in stock. You're gonna have to really dig hard unless you want to go through the hassle of importing one.
I would use the 9.3 that you have. Load a good expanding bullet (TSX, A-frame, heavy Norma's or Woodleigh). I wouldn't worry about top velocity either. Rifle reliability / function and your skills will be far more important than squeezing an extra 100fps.
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
No polar bear defence thread is complete without a post about Inuit and their preferred cartridge. It'll be along shortly.
#1bcshooter
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- North Of The DMZ (US border)
How about one of these ? 
We were asked to do something rather unusual recently. A client wanted an 8.5" barrelled 50BMG rifle. A CQB 50 cal to be precise.
Based on a DA50 upper, new but very short barrel and significant modification to the hand guard, this is what turned out.
I have it attached to 1 my own lower for show purposes.
Let me tell you test firing it was truly a "blast"!!
I worked with many native bear monitors at DEW line sites from Cape Hooper to Komakuk Beach during clean-ups in the previous decade. More often than not, the rifle of choice was a well worn, iron-sighted 30-06.
Stepping out of the DC-3 once and seeing giant, fresh polar bear tracks, I felt a little more than under-gunned with the 12-gauge we kept hidden behind the door in the lav. A Super Blackhawk was little reassurance when we wandered down to catch a char or two. It was mainly there for fun.
One can dream .....
Loyalist84,
You already have all the gun you need. The 9.3X62 has been used successfully on every big game animal on earth since 1905. The original factory load was a 286 gr bullet loafing along at 2150 fps. About 20 years later the standard loading had the same bullets plodding along, ... 2360 fps. Those are the loads that built the reputation of this great cartridge.
Today we have guys who routinely load the 9.3 to well over 2500 fps with the same weight bullet, but it really is not needed at the ranges you would need to be engaging any critters. I have personally used the 9.3X62 in a number of rifles for close to four decades now, and have only ever had one animal, and it was not a bear, get up after being hit with a 270-290 gr bullet from one of those rifles. Moose, big mountain caribou bulls (which are the size of mature elk), black and grizzly bears, all succumb pretty quick. I still have and use a few 9.3X62s, and feel very comfortable carrying one anywhere in The North.
Your Husqvarna was designed for comfortable carry and quick and easy handling, the most important facets of what you will be experiencing should you take on this responsibility. As well, the 9.3X62 is a very accurate cartridge, and easy to control in recoil, which is important in building your confidence in the rifle.
You are about to become a professional. Rather than spending money on a new outfit, spend it out on dates getting to really know that old sweetheart. Take her out often! Practice, practice, practice! Do lots of dry-fire practice too, lots of it! Carry it every time you have an opportunity. Shoulder it, aim with it, swing and sight instinctively with it, climb with it, hike with it, take it on fishing trips.
Above all, settle on one load and stick with that. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to remember what round you have in the chamber.
Best,
Ted
You already have all the gun you need. The 9.3X62 has been used successfully on every big game animal on earth since 1905. The original factory load was a 286 gr bullet loafing along at 2150 fps. About 20 years later the standard loading had the same bullets plodding along, ... 2360 fps. Those are the loads that built the reputation of this great cartridge.
Today we have guys who routinely load the 9.3 to well over 2500 fps with the same weight bullet, but it really is not needed at the ranges you would need to be engaging any critters. I have personally used the 9.3X62 in a number of rifles for close to four decades now, and have only ever had one animal, and it was not a bear, get up after being hit with a 270-290 gr bullet from one of those rifles. Moose, big mountain caribou bulls (which are the size of mature elk), black and grizzly bears, all succumb pretty quick. I still have and use a few 9.3X62s, and feel very comfortable carrying one anywhere in The North.
Your Husqvarna was designed for comfortable carry and quick and easy handling, the most important facets of what you will be experiencing should you take on this responsibility. As well, the 9.3X62 is a very accurate cartridge, and easy to control in recoil, which is important in building your confidence in the rifle.
You are about to become a professional. Rather than spending money on a new outfit, spend it out on dates getting to really know that old sweetheart. Take her out often! Practice, practice, practice! Do lots of dry-fire practice too, lots of it! Carry it every time you have an opportunity. Shoulder it, aim with it, swing and sight instinctively with it, climb with it, hike with it, take it on fishing trips.
Above all, settle on one load and stick with that. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to remember what round you have in the chamber.
Best,
Ted
gunrunner8
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, B.C.
Long time ago while moose hunting way up north of BC I had greatest confidence in my sawed off 20" long barrels with sights Continental sxs 12 ga shotgun while camping.
Ejectors were a mandatory feature.
I loaded it with 1-1/4oz hardened full bore lead slugs and I could shot two aimed shots at 25m with less than 3" apart.
That armed I didn't fear devil himself....
Ejectors were a mandatory feature.
I loaded it with 1-1/4oz hardened full bore lead slugs and I could shot two aimed shots at 25m with less than 3" apart.
That armed I didn't fear devil himself....
The Top choice is, of course, the 375 Ruger Alaskan rifle. However, there is nothing wrong with your 9.3 and Why Not has given good advice. Shoot that rifle, know it inside and out, and if it has any issues, fix it before you need to.
I would take a .223 that I was 100% confident in than before a .458 that might not perform properly all the time.
I would take a .223 that I was 100% confident in than before a .458 that might not perform properly all the time.
