Guy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2018
- Messages
- 446
A couple of years ago I was heading north for my dream hunt, interior grizzly, Brooks Range, Alaska.
This mule deer hunter is also a rifle looney and I'd acquired not one, but two 375 H&H rifles in the past ten years. A nice Ruger Number One which I used on several black bear, and a wonderful custom built Winchester Model 70. I didn't need either one, but acquired them with thoughts of someday taking one of them to Alaska for grizzly then to Africa for buffalo. Meanwhile I learned to handload them and shot them pretty regularly to 300 yards. That came in handy when I made a one-shot kill on a black bear at 306 yards with the Ruger.
Normally though, I hunt with a 30-06 or a 25-06, both Remington 700 CDL's.
On the phone with my outfitter/guide before the Alaska hunt, I asked his advice about rifles & cartridges & bullets. Turns out he's a bit of a rifle looney himself. He said that either the 375 or the 30-06 would be suitable, but to please not bring the single-shot Ruger Number One on the grizzly hunt. He said that sometimes things happen fast, and a repeating rifle was a better idea. He asked me two questions to help me decide between the Winchester Model 70 375 H&H, or the Remington 700 30-06 rifle.
1. "This is open country. You may need to take a 300 yard shot. Which rifle do you shoot better at 300 yards?
Well, I shoot both the 375 and the 30-06 pretty well at 300 yards, but the edge goes to the 30-06 there.
2. "This is tough country and hiking is difficult. Which rifle is lighter?
Well, that would be the 30-06 by a fair margin. I don't remember the weight difference, but it's notable while handling them.
So... Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself heading north with my 30-06 Rem 700 and 200 grain Nosler Partition handloads. I could only take one rifle, due to space restrictions inside the small plane taking us to the Brooks Range.
Turned out that all my shooting at the grizzly was within 40 yards, and in a hurry. The 30-06 did well, the guide also shot the bear once with his 338 Win mag and a Barnes bullet, and then he passed me his rifle to finish the bear at about 15 yards after it was down. Mine was empty. A lot of shooting in a hurry.
Would the 375 have terminated the bear faster? Maybe. So - ya make the choice and live with it. I am satisfied with the performance of the 30-06, but... Not using the 375 took away one of the two animals I intended to use it on... Will I ever make it to Africa for cape buffalo? I don't know. Hope so! And I'll hang onto it until that decision is made.
Interesting stuff that comes into decision making. To me the 375 was the natural choice, but I had to admit that I had more field time with the 30-06, that it had dropped more animals for me, and that I was just better with it.
Regards, Guy
This mule deer hunter is also a rifle looney and I'd acquired not one, but two 375 H&H rifles in the past ten years. A nice Ruger Number One which I used on several black bear, and a wonderful custom built Winchester Model 70. I didn't need either one, but acquired them with thoughts of someday taking one of them to Alaska for grizzly then to Africa for buffalo. Meanwhile I learned to handload them and shot them pretty regularly to 300 yards. That came in handy when I made a one-shot kill on a black bear at 306 yards with the Ruger.
Normally though, I hunt with a 30-06 or a 25-06, both Remington 700 CDL's.
On the phone with my outfitter/guide before the Alaska hunt, I asked his advice about rifles & cartridges & bullets. Turns out he's a bit of a rifle looney himself. He said that either the 375 or the 30-06 would be suitable, but to please not bring the single-shot Ruger Number One on the grizzly hunt. He said that sometimes things happen fast, and a repeating rifle was a better idea. He asked me two questions to help me decide between the Winchester Model 70 375 H&H, or the Remington 700 30-06 rifle.
1. "This is open country. You may need to take a 300 yard shot. Which rifle do you shoot better at 300 yards?
Well, I shoot both the 375 and the 30-06 pretty well at 300 yards, but the edge goes to the 30-06 there.
2. "This is tough country and hiking is difficult. Which rifle is lighter?
Well, that would be the 30-06 by a fair margin. I don't remember the weight difference, but it's notable while handling them.
So... Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself heading north with my 30-06 Rem 700 and 200 grain Nosler Partition handloads. I could only take one rifle, due to space restrictions inside the small plane taking us to the Brooks Range.
Turned out that all my shooting at the grizzly was within 40 yards, and in a hurry. The 30-06 did well, the guide also shot the bear once with his 338 Win mag and a Barnes bullet, and then he passed me his rifle to finish the bear at about 15 yards after it was down. Mine was empty. A lot of shooting in a hurry.
Would the 375 have terminated the bear faster? Maybe. So - ya make the choice and live with it. I am satisfied with the performance of the 30-06, but... Not using the 375 took away one of the two animals I intended to use it on... Will I ever make it to Africa for cape buffalo? I don't know. Hope so! And I'll hang onto it until that decision is made.
Interesting stuff that comes into decision making. To me the 375 was the natural choice, but I had to admit that I had more field time with the 30-06, that it had dropped more animals for me, and that I was just better with it.
Regards, Guy
