BIGGER CRITTER RIFLES

I now own a Ruger .350 Rem mag, and a Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Federal.

Thinking About A Bigger Critter Rifle written early 2007

Been thinking lately about a bigger critter rifle and just wanted to share some thoughts. Opinions are my own, and like most gun purchases are a personal thing. When I say bigger critter, I am talking about big bears, including the interior Grizzly, coastal Brown Bear and even the bigger black (cave bears) as Jim Shockey calls them of Vancouver Island etc.

Do I really NEED another rifle? First of all, need has nothing to do with most rifle purchases. On the other hand, YES I do need one.

If we eliminate the Alaskan Coastal Brown Bear from the equation, it would be difficult to justify another rifle. I already own a 30:06, and a Marlin mdl 1895 45-70. The 30:06 loaded with 180 grain loads is enough for any black bear, anywhere, anytime. Ditto for the 45-70 and you can put brown bear back into the equation when loading up with Garret Hammerhead loads. The Garret loads have been shown to out penetrate a .458 Win Mag in tests performed by others. For example, they load a 420 grain hard cast hammerhead bullet Plus P load at 1880 FPS, a 540 grain hard cast at 1550 FPS and a 350 grain Woodleigh Weld-core JSP at 2000 FPS (all safe in the Marlin 1895). CHECK twice before you buy a box of these to make sure your gun is rated safe. If in any doubt, visit their website at Garrett Cartridges Inc. or call them before you buy. The only drawback is the range at which you might have to shoot. When one spends anywhere from $6000 to $20,000 for a coastal Alaskan brown bear hunt, you do not want to have to turn down your only opportunity at 200 yards. I realize MOST shots in that senario are going to come at less than ½ that distance, however, it makes sense to carry a rifle capable of delivering the payload out to 200 yards or better. The 45-70 with the above loads could certainly deliver the payload. It is the trajectory that you need to be concerned with.

I have looked at the various .300 mags and in fact took a moose in New Foundland a while back with a Ruger mdl/77 .300 Win mag using 180 grain Speer Nitrex loads with grand slam bullets. Unfortunately I let that rifle go a couple of years ago. While everything one can read about the subject agrees that the .300 mags are the minimum rifle you want to start something with a big Alaskan brownie, I don’t feel they offer that much inside of 100 yards to a heavily loaded 30:06.

I think perhaps I don’t need a FASTER .30 cal bullet, I need a BIGGER bullet. The 45-70 certainly fills that requirement in spades, except for the longer shot scenario.

For that reason, I am looking at one of three guns. I am leaving out several rifles and calibers that I realize could fill this need, and one can argue that there are better choices that I am outlining here. The Alaskan Brown Bear hunt is a dream of mine, however I will likely only get one opportunity to do that. I am also looking for a rifle that will be used for hunting other big game and would make an ideal if not perfect black bear rifle. Yes I know they make rifles for sale in .375 H&H mag, .338 Win Mag. .340 Weatherby etc. and these would be the wiser choice for a brown bear ONLY rifle. For me it is going to be a one time hunt and while even the 30:06 with 180 grain loads is adequate, I want to be more than adequate. The .350 Rem Mag is not ideal, but it is a step above adequate.

My search looked at (3) rifles. I considered the .350 Rem mag, the .35 Whelen, and the NEW .338 Federal. Since I already own a 30:06, I used the ballistics for that gun to help make my decision.

Caliber bullet MV(fps) ME E@200 yards Recoil rifle weight

30:06 180SP 2700 2913 1635 20.3 8 lb

.35 Whelen 200SP 2675 3177 1958 22.6 8 lb

.338 Federal 210NP 2630 3200 2266 24.0 8 lb
.350 Rem Mag 200SP 2775 3419 2122 22.3 8.5 lb

I am looking primarily at factory loads and I realize the .35 Whelen is underloaded primarily because of Remington’s decision to offer it in their new model 950 semi-auto and an occasional historical run of the old mdl 7400. I also realize that the .35 Whelen is currently offered in Remington’s mdl 700 CDL and the .350 in Remington’s mdl 7, BOTH very nice bolt actions. When considering handloads or custom ammunition as loaded by Stars and Stripes ammo as an example, there is little one can do that the other one can’t. Stars and Stripes Ammo lists (3) production loads for the .350. One is in 180 grain and two in 225 grain. They will also work with you for custom loads for your particular gun and game you are seeking.

I wanted a bolt action, however I also wanted a synthetic stock so if and when I get the opportunity to go to Alaska, I would not be concerned about the stock warping. Unfortunately at this time both the Rem Mdl 7 in .350 and the mdl 700 CDL come with blued bbl and a beautiful wood stock. Blued or stainless either one will work as I am also considering the “Black Ice Teflon” treatment as offered by www.blackicecoatings.com. I also liked the concept of the integral scope rings as offered by Ruger on their mdl 77 rifles. I think it is the most rugged set up in the business and one less thing to worry about on an expensive hunt in a wet climate.

My final choice is the Ruger mdl 77/MKII in .350 Rem Mag (IF I can find one), topped off with either a Bushnell 1.5X6X36 mdl 4200 scope with rainguard or possibly the Weaver Grandslam 1.5X5X32 scope. MY second choice if the Ruger .350 is not available is to look hard at the Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Federal. I did not post the 100 yard energy figures above, however the .338 Federal with a 210 grain Nosler partition arrives on target with 2719 foot pounds of energy, and the .350 Rem Mag with a 200 grain Core Lokt arrives with 2711 foot pounds. 100 yards and under is still the range at which most bears are shot. Using factory loaded ammo, the two are very close at the 100 yard mark in terms of energy delivered to the target. Getting back to optics, I am leaning heavily towards the rainguard feature of the Bushnell 4200, combined with their excellent optics. The rainguard feature is a special hydrophobic and olephobic lens coating to prevent fogging caused by rain, snow, sleet and even your own breath on a cold day. I think the lower magnification offered by both these scopes is ideal in tight quarters and turning up to 5 or 6 power gives one all the magnification he or she needs for a 200 yard shot. Throw in the black ice Teflon treatment and it should be a rifle that is pretty much impervious to the weather.

Cost of the total package as of the date this is written is approximately $990 complete with the Bushnell 4200 scope in place. I think half the fun is deciding what to buy and more importantly what you like and what will do the job. To get all that for under $1000 in today’s economy I think is a bargain.

Just a side thought. One could also buy a Tikka T3 .338 Federal with synthetic stock and adjustable trigger and integral scope rings with the Bushnell 4200 scope for around $950. In looking over the energy figures with the 210 grain Nosler Partition as loaded by Federal, there is only about 150 foot pounds of energy separating the two at the 200 yard mark. One can also buy a Ruger Hawkeye wood stocked blued bbl bolt action in .338 Federal for $615 new in the box. See how interesting this gets when one decides to look around.

Dan
www.deer-hunting-information.com



Ephesians 4:22-27 KJV "That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye have put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore puting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another, Be ye not angry, and sin not, let the sun not go down on your wrath: Neither give place to the devil"

Revolutionary War Factoid: The warning spread the night before Lexington and Concord was, "The Redcoats are coming". To have said, "The British are coming" would have made no sense because everyone in the colonies were considered British. SOURCE: "It Happened In The Revolutionary War", by Michael Bradley/The Globe Pequot Press