Need suggestions for a rifle

rifle that's capable of taking grizzly bear, but small enough not to cause too much damage to the meat of a deer. Although i usually use shotgun for deer, a rifle isn't bad if i don't want to get up close and personal.

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I would say the best you could do is a .45-70 but are you sure you mean a grizzly
If you got the money to go hunt grizz, you can afford another rifle.

HB

I was gonna say 45-70, but I'm not sure what kind of bullets they make for deer. 45-70 can effectively kill any land mammal in the world, but I'm not too sure it's easy on deer sized game.

I'm not too sure what would be easy on a deer, but strong enough to drop a large grizzly. 30-06 would probably be the best candidate, with the 300 Mag being a bit more favorable on the grizzly side of it.

45/70 for deer? Many people hunt with that rifle around here. Perfect deer rifle, and most are extremely accurate with them. As far as meat damage...pretty brutal. Like hurling a brick through a deer from 100 yds.

Why buy one when you can buy more than one and specialize a little bit, and own more guns? One bigger and one smaller.

But if I had to say, I'd go with a Remington 700 in .35 Whelen or a CZ550 in 9.3x62mm.

I wouldn't worry too much about meat damage to a deer. If you keep your shots in the kill zone you'll just be destroying the ribs, lungs and heart and only the last of those is worth eating. The meat's all in the back straps and legs.

If you absolutely must have a rifle for deer to grizzly bears, I'd also go with the 45-70. You can load it light or heavy and the only real drawback is a rainbow like trajectory and relatively high ammo prices. If you intend on shooting past 250 yards though, then I'd probably want something flatter shooting.

Personally, I'd get two rifles. One for deer and one for big dangerous game.

But if I had to say, I'd go with a Remington 700 in .35 Whelen or a CZ550 in 9.3x62mm

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These are great choices...add a .338 Mag to the mix as well...

Have you cosidered a 444

How about a Marlin in 444?

.338

IMO, a 338 would be the bear minimum (pun intended) for grizzlies. A 375 H&H would be better. I think you'd be far better off getting 2 rifles if you want to hunt both extreme ends of the spectrum!

Definitely the 45-70. Loaded hot, it is capable of taking dangerous African game.

As for how it works for deer. If you use the 405 grain Remington factory ammo or mild handloads it damages far less meat than a 270 or 30-06. It is just a .458 hole in and a .458 hole out with almost no blooshot meat. It gets a bad rap as meat destroyer, but that simply is not true if you use mild loads.

+1 on the 45-70. Load it down for deers.

Get the new Marlin XLR in .30-06.....bass pro had them for i think under $300 in synthetic...very nice gun..good luck.

The 45-70 lacks the range for general hunting in the u.s. The 30/06 is on the minimum side for grizz, better hope it's a small one. The .338 is currently extremely popular in Alaska fitting the needs you expressed perfectly. On my last trip to Africa I used a .338 w/ 250 Nosler partitions and a .375 w/ 270 gr. bullets, side by side. Took 5 animals w/ each one. If there was any difference in killing power I sure couldn't tell it. The .338 did kick quite a bit less. Loaded with 200 gr. bullets it's a great deer rifle, and with 250's a great stopper. The last black bear I shot w/ my .338 went 10 ft. Zebra (notoriously tough) hit too far back while running only went 30 yds. .338 +1

You can use the 06 for those big brownies, but the last time I was in Alaska no guide will take you with a 06. But thats been 30 years ago. You can buy or custom load some 220 grn loads.

The 338 is a good choice, but you will have to have $$$$ to feed it. 300 mag is another choice.

If you are mostly going to be hunting deer, and "might" go to brownie country the 06 is a good choice. If you live in brownie country go with something more powerful.

Forget using a grizzly rifle for deer.

Get a DEER rifle.

When you can afford to hunt grizzly you will be able to afford to buy a rifle for that purpose. You can always sell it later if it's a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

A Marlin 336 lever-action in 30/30 is one GREAT deer riifle. If you want a bolt-action - look at the Remingtons, Savages, Rugers or Mossbergs and get a DEER caliber like the .243.

The 30/30 or the .243 will be fine for any deer or black bear you ever see.

Check www.Gunbroker.com

Good Luck !

I wouldn't use a 30/30 on griz unless my life depended on it and I had no other options.

A 30-06 or 7mm mag might be a good choice. With the premium bullets like Barnes Triple Shock or Swift A-Frame the smaller guns can do a lot more work than they could 30-40 years ago.

Jack O'Conner shot several Grizzlies using his .270 and Nosler partitions.

But like several others have said two guns would be better than one. A savage in .270 with a switch barrel in .35 Whelen might be an option and be a little cheaper.

30-06 with the right bullet for the occasion.

As the late, great Townsend Whelen (the Dean of American Riflemen) used to say, "The .30-06 is never a mistake."

Tikka T3 300 WSM.

The 30/30 or the .243 will be fine for any deer or black bear you ever see.

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I would have to disagree.

But you should just bite the bullet and buy 2 rifles. Say a 25-06 and a .338

If it were me I would buy two firearms. First would be a .30-06 for the deer and browns. Then I would get a revolver in whatever hand cannon caliber you feel comfortable with to take care of anything that may kill you.

Browning 7mm Magnum bolt action or 45-70 imo.

My brother has a 45-70 Marlin lever action (I think its a Marlin), it kicks, but if you get one with in 18"-20" that would be a nice bear hunter. I prefer the lever action to bolt action though personally, too many westerns as a kid I think.

I own the 7mm magnum, that weapon packs a wallop and it is a flat shooter.