Maverick223
Member
You pistol lovin' ruffians git on outta here...this here's a rifle forum!
No worries. Doesn't offend me at all. However, as I've posted in other threads, I work in hospitality up here, and one of my duties in the industry is education.I don't know why I said Inuit. I don't know much about native American and tribal culture in that region so I apologize for any misunderstanding.
.308 and 30-06 is a perfectly decent bear gun. Shot placement (after a point; bullet needs to be heavy/fast enough to go through some bone) is more important than weight. But yeah, every single .223 rec goes in the circular file. Shotgun recs are useful. . . I'd honestly love to find a good lightweight Ithaca Deerslayer. . .I love my RFB, but I wouldn't take it to AK knowing I could encounter a grizzly in my travels.
(mine doesn't feel heavy unless I put a loaded 20rd drum in it)
Oh, tons of sense. Light shotties are quite popular bear defense guns up here, and most likely will be what I bring if I come along on the trip.Would a Rem 870 make sense? (like an 18" or something..)
Because semi-autos are heavy, and honestly unneeded? Sure I could get a shoot-rite katana or Kel-tec Su-16 for 5.5lbs, but I REALLY would not want to use one against a bear. Once you start looking at semi-auto .308s you're lucky to find something under 9lbs.Not sure why we wouldn't rely on a "modern" semi-auto.
I was told by an outfitter when my group did an island hunt off Denali that he did not recommend semi's. His main concern is their proclivity to freeze up, due to the daily wide variation of temperatures, on critical second shots because of frosted ports. His suggestion was a lever, in a large caliber, if he had a preference to any. The most sought after gun in all of Alaska is a M71 chambered for the 450 Alaskan, just not too many around though.Not sure why we wouldn't rely on a "modern" semi-auto.
Are you suggesting the military should go to lever rifles?
The standard for bear defense (from a shotgun) is the Brenneke Black Magic Magnum, and while it only has 2241ft*lbf of energy left at 50yds., it has a massive 3k+ at the muzzle...which is where it counts. It also has this nasty habit to deform about as much as a monolithic solid, so penetration is, umm, acceptable. The size, slug construction, and mass make up for the horrible sectional density. OTOH, the .223Rem....any .223Rem doesn't have the SD, nor the mass or caliber to get very far. Shot placement counts, but unfortunately that bullet has a hard time getting to the target (the CNS of a big animal). I think something a bit larger is in order, something .30cal+ is best for bear/moose territory.Just to make one thing clear. nothing beats up a good reliable pump shotgun for many applications in the bush but also Regarding the .223 with the TSX bullet I just run the numbers for both and used the Federal Vital-Shok 2-3/4" Truball Rifled Slug 1 Ounce. At 50yards the slug packs 1,820 ft-lb. while the .223TSX has a decent 1,219 ft-lb.
A plane in Africa is about the only place you're gonna see a lever gun, & most lg., dangerous game hunters in the dark continent believe it is best to leave em' on the plane. For NA they're fine, but when it comes to hot, humid regions you want something that can effectively extract when subjected to high pressures (and therefore cartridges that like to stick)...most of the time that means some form of Mauser.But when it comes to close range with dangerous game whether it is in the Yukon or the planes of Africa you will see quick bolt action, levers or double barrel rifles. Why?... 99.999999% reliability.