I'm 74 and have lived and hunted in Northern Michigan Most of my adult life. I remember when the go to Caliber was the 30-30 . Lots of black bear fell to the Old time favorite.
Best explanation why predator hunting makes sense ever. Applies also for Germany, where the general public does not understand why predetor hunting is a good thing for nature. Thank you for the video.
Alot of people don't know that the rifles that homesteaded Alaska and have killed more Grizzly than any others are the Enfield in 303 Brit, the Krag in 30-40 and the 03A3 in '06. The rifles and cartridges may still hold the record so a modern .308 technically can take even the largest Browns.
308 will easily kill anything on the continent, wouldn’t be my choice for an expensive hunt traveling across the country but if elk or grizzly were local id have no issue using it. If I’ve got 10 grand into the hunt I’ll be bringing a bigger rifle just for the increased range to maximize the chance of filling that expensive tag.
The problem is people think they need the same, super tough, super deep penetrating bullets that are used on other “dangerous game”. So grandpappy shoots a bear with a 30-06 loaded with a bullet designed for buffalo, gets poor results, and blames the 30-06 instead of the bullet. Tells his son horror stories about using 30-06 on bears, so his son takes a 300 win mag loaded with the same, overly hard dg bullet, gets poor results, and now here we are, a generation of people thinking bears require copper solids being pushed by Weatherby magnums, and anyone using .308 is nuts. Truth is, .308 with a nosler partition, or a winchester ballistic silver tip will pulverize a bears vital organs.
@@fnkdtnk My AK interior griz fell to two 180-gr. Barnes TSX bullets. The first penetrated the heart and off ran the bear. The second hit the spine and killed him instantly. I found that one in the snowbank beyond the bear. Slug weighed 180-grains. Cartridge was Bordens 300 Caribou, an improved 300 Win Mag.
Yes and there’s some Indians that’s crawled into the den and shot them on the 22 pistol I don’t care too and as far as 308 I consider the bear has to eat too so get after it
@@jaydunbar7538 keep in mind I mean the .308 for DEFENSE against a sudden grizzly attack. In semi auto rifle. For a hunt certainly I would use a heavier caliber in a bolt action, as long as I am not alone, and am accompanied by at least 1 more adequately armed person whom I trust. I say "trust" because rangers report that in most instances when there is a party of only 2 and 1 gets attacked by a grizz, the other person RUNS AWAY ! Surprising, but in most cases, that's what happens !
@@sparky_-mf2cs well I'd take a 10MM Glock with a 13rd mag over a bolt action .308 any day for a charging grizz. A semi-auto high capacity .308 is a different story. Most recommend handguns over a rifle because they are hikers and the weight of a rifle is too cumbersome. Saying a pistol caliber is enough and a .308 is not in general is very stupid but I can't say I've ever heard anyone say that.
The .308 is terrible for bears. It just tears them up and kills them. What is good for bears is lots of wild lands, honey, bug-rich rotten stumps, skunk cabbage, mild winters, warm sunshine, careful drivers, salmon, and lots of careless campers who leave their food out.
PO Ackley Book is the world's best book to this day explaining case powder capacity as related to velocity performance and bore size. I read the covers off this book literally. I have to remind myself that bigger is not always better when it comes to cartridge case capacity and refer to PO Ackley oftentimes.
For capercaillie I'd advise for using a 22 Hornet or WM or a 17 HMR. If one uses a too fast and powerful caliber the exit hole is a real challenge for any taxidermist. Same goes for bullets that fracture into small parts. Old hunters sometimes used FMJ .222Win, though that needs a very accurate shot, as it will punch a straight hole without expansion, which risks long searches for the shot animal.
Regarding coyotes its important to point out that they were not trully a wood species. The woods were the domain of the wolves(well all the american continent to be fair) and the coyotes remained in the savanas, the plains, etc. But now that we have devasted wolves population AND we cut down most forests to live there or to farm the land, we have artificially created the perfect habitat for coyotes. They also use our forest roads system here in Quebec to travel great distance and find new farm fields to live nearby. They have really benefited presence.
We have wolf/coyote mixes. The 75/25 are long legged wolves western great lakes making them bigger. The 60/40 wolves of eastern great lakes have a lot of coyote looks to them. More red in the fur.
nobody ever did a genetic test on an pre-colonial Eastern red wolf. Canines have been in the Americas, from FL to AK including the forest, throughout all of recorded history, except for places where theyve been eradicated by man.
I carry a 12 gauge at work (land surveying) because a rifle seems to offend clients. Even with slugs a shotgun doesn’t measure up to a .308, especially a 10 shot “scout rifle”
@@briant7652 I don't know if we have enough statistics to definitely say that "rifles are typically better for large bears". I've only seen one study going over all historic bear attacks where firearms were used for self defense, and every bear that was hit by any bullet at all stopped its attack. The most common used was 9mm. Now I wouldn't trust a 9mm personally. My point is the data set is small so it's definitely a debatable topic. I'm sure 308 does well, and probably has a lot better penetration. 20% more energy in a slug can't be a negative though, and you're less likely to get a pass through (so all of that energy is dumped in target). I think the reasoning goes both ways
@@briant7652 you didn't engage with what I said at all. I, like the guide, also suspect rifles penetrate better. But then the other reasoning is that if you get a pass through, and you didn't hit a vital organ, then that icepick wound cavity may be useless. Even a bear shot through the lungs or heart would still have enough time to close distance before expiring. The 12ga slug would be unlikely to have that problem. But then what I was saying before: this is all academic because we don't have enough information. And the main study we do have suggests it doesn't really matter what you use, as long as you are able to get shots on target.
The best advice I was told years ago. When it comes to bears. and no matter what you have. Keep shooting until it goes down. I have seen a bear outrun a squirrel, and the squirrel had a ten yard head start. Also witnessed a good friend of mine get mauled, so I have a lot of respect for bears.
From somebody that grew up on the Alaska Peninsula with lots of brown bears. I have no problem with carrying a .308 as a defensive weapon for a brown bear. If I was specifically hunting them I wouldn’t plan to go less than .338 caliber rifle. (There are exceptions)
@@dangerousfreedom4965 for defense only you can put down a brown bear with it due to sheer number of bullets on target. With a 30 round standard capacity magazine with 556 the rifle will penetrate a brown bear, but it won’t put it down in 1 or 2 shots, which would be preferred if hunting, as less bullets means less wasted meat and a better skin, and a more clean kill overall. Purely for defense it will do the job but isn’t the best for hunting AR-15 vs AR-10 for defense id choose the ar-10 though, because it has all the same benefits as an ar-15 (semi auto and larger ammunition capacity than a bolt action) but with the larger caliber. 20 rounds of 7.62 nato will kill most all large game in North America
@@connorl.2170 Be sure that ar10 platform is reliable. Have seen my share of ar10's in action shooting events having reloading issues. My Vepr .308 in an AK platform hasn't been as accurate at distance compared to ar10's, but it's always been reliable.
@@paraglidingnut26 Veprs are very nice I'm a big AK fan. I carry a galil ace in 308 for bear defense and I trust it's reliability more than an ar10 the ace has decent accuracy I was able to get 1.3in groups at 100 yards with a good lpvo and I have taken it out to 600 yards and made hits consistently, a guy in the galil owner's group I am in took his out to 900 yards so that is really impressive for an AK platform. Now the ace is not as accurate as my buddies Daniel Defense ar10 but I trust the reliability of it much more and the gun is still more accurate than I am. I think a scar17 would be an awesome 308 platform it has the reliability of an AK and is easily a 1000 yard gun with the right person behind it (not me) lol.
@@connorl.2170I read about a guy in either Sweden or Norway that was some kinda law enforcement similar to our game wardens I think who killed a polar bear that was charging him with an m16, he shot him 6 times. He said the bear came up on him so fast he didn't even have a chance to shoulder the rifle he pretty much fired from the hip.
27:04 With as much as you know, still happy to admit where your knowledge/experience stops. I assume that's why you still have the respect of the community all these decades later. Keep up the good work, Ron!
My first rifle was a Carl Gustav sporterized carbine 96 Mauser. I took it's penetration capabilities for granted until I shot a few deer with a 30-06. 156 grain Norma round nose soft point (the old stuff with a cupronickel jacket) would shoot through any deer at any angle and deep into (sometimes through) the tree behind it.
Say what you will. 308win and 338win are probably some of the best cartridges for game in the north. If i had to recommend any cartridges it would be those 2. But if only 1 it would be 308.
I think the first two say about what I was thinking. Not my 1st choice for big ones but I'd feel pretty good about having a .308 if I ran into one unexpectedly. Anything much smaller and you might want to shoot to miss.
@@jk-kr8jt If your about to get chewed on sure, if it's pretty calm you can sometimes scare them away by shooting. But do what you want of course. shrugs
Well if a brown bear is charging you at close range, you better have that .308 in a semi-auto and try to get at least 2 or 3 hits, or you will face the unpleasant experience of being EATEN ALIVE.
I hunted turkey for years and use a 22mag fmj reliably inside of 75 yards and shot inside 100 without losing one. No meat damage and accurate enough for a head shot if you wanted to.
I grew up on kodiak island alaska,my dad opened the airport in 1967,park muncy was the #1 guide for hunters out of state,my dad hunted with him and got kodiak brown bears,elk,deer etc,but we always had airplanes so went to the mainland for moose ,mountain goat and reindeer,I used a 30-06 while dad prefer his 7mm.At 10 that 30-06 kicked my butt lol.Shot alot of deer with 30-30 mostly,even got stationed on Kodiak 2 times in the Coast Guard,havent been back since 1990,great hunting.
I went to Alaska on a guided hunt with my cousin's guide company, they used 12ga shotguns. I went out 20 years later they used 12 gauge shotguns and 308, a few used 30-06 or 338 federal.
Speaking for the Norwegians here. We often use even a 308 win for small birds such as ptarmigan, full metal jacket so we dont ruin the meat, and it works great. I am hunting birds with both 308win fmj and 223rem fmj. I do switch to a .22lr for the ptarmigans however, but that is for precision reasons, and follow up shots is easier. For larger game birds the minimum caliber we are allowed to use is a .22WMR, so the 22lr is mainly for the smallest birds and game here. The law specificly says that with a 22lr you are allowed to hunt species up to the size of a hare, but not hare. anything bigger needs more velocity from a bullet that is .22 or bigger. The aiming point you mention for the birds are spot on! FMJ is the key her to not obliterate the bird. The capercaille has a white spot that almost works as a target to aim for (but only directly from the side)
My suggestion for a rifle for an Elk and Brown bear on Afognak Island. Is the .35 Whelen loaded with good quality 225gr bullets like Nosler Partitions, Barnes TSX or Swift A frames.
In Germany they liked the 22 hornet and 222 and Remington did the twist magazine in the 141. I was going to say, you dont need antimony in black powder and a lot of guys are going to powder coating. A mixture Tin and lead makes good bullets for low velocity, like black powder and hand guns.
I was a 308 detractor for a long time but to be honest it still is a pretty effective cartrige, i still think sniper system should have better range cartrige like .338lap and have 308 for battle rifles or dmr
With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, it is easy to lapse into criticism of the .308/7.62x51mm NATO cartridge as the choice for military for an alliance like NATO. There are more-efficient choices available, such as cartridges which fire projectiles in the 6.5-7mm (.264-.284-cal.) range. However, if you look at the major powers and what they have used to arm their fighting men since the turn of the 20th century, they have consistently selected cartridges in the .30-.32 caliber range. The British Empire relied upon the .303 for years, which is classed in the .31-caliber range. Germany relied upon 8mm Mauser (7.92x57), which classes in the .32-caliber range. Japan started WWII using 6.5x50, which is a .264-caliber cartridge, but switched midway to 7.7mm, which is of .31-caliber. Italy started and finished with 6.5mm Carcano. France used the 7.5x54mm, which is a .30-caliber & the Swiss used 7.5x55, also a .30-caliber chambering. Russia's 7.62x54R, which is still used today more than 120 years after its introduction, is also in the .30-.31-caliber range. Some smaller nations had more-unique and offbeat choices, such as Sweden using the 6.5x55, but in the main, thirty caliber cartridges were chosen. Many militaries liked the aerodynamic efficiency and modest recoil of 6.5-7mm projectiles when fired from rifles, but preferred heavier projectiles for use in automatic weapons, such as medium and general-purpose machine guns, since the heavier .30-.32-caliber bullets retained momentum better at longer ranges and thereby had better terminal performance. For snipers, until maybe thirty years ago, any shot past a thousand yards was considered quite long, and since most snipers and designated marksmen took their shots inside 800 yards (or meters, as the case may be) the majority of the time, there really wasn't much of a sense of urgency about adopting something more efficient. The .308 may not be the "best" performer inside that range, but it was/is a good one, which was apparently enough for their uses. It is an excellent general-purpose cartridge, which is one reason it has remained in use for nearly seventy years since its introduction in the 1950s. Remember, too, that the senior officers making the choices of cartridges for the NATO alliance at the time, such as the now i(n)famous Colonel Rene Studler, U.S. Army Ordnance Dept., were men born in the late 19th century and who came of age during the era of WWI. A period of time in which thirty-caliber cartridges were the king of the hill.
The problem with Pronghorn in the Sonoran Desert in AZ was poaching and its devastating effects in addition to the impact of the regular predator population. The problem in CA with cougars was that about 40 years ago, Fish & Game failed to file an environmental impact report by the deadline and a conservation group was successful in getting cougars placed on the endangered species list. That really screwed things up. It wasn't until people were being attacked on a regular basis in CA that cougars were taken off the list. Then there are extraordinary wildfires due to improper land management.
In Sweden it is generally like this. (With a 1000 exceptions of course) If your hunting forest grouse with a dog. The 22 wmr is popular (but not exclusive) If your hunting it with skis on your feet the 6.5x55 or 308 is very common. But you often bring your most accurate rifle for this job. The ranges can be long. That big bird shrinks at 250 meters 😅
The 308 Marlin Express is loaded with a 160gr FTX (flex-tip) bullet that is constructed to not open as quickly as the same weight bullet used in 30/30 ammo of the same type. The problem is the case is truly unique, being loosely based on the 220 Swift. To further confuse the issue, the 338 Marlin Express is built on yet another case, the 376 Steyr, so despite the very similar naming of these two cartridges, their cases are not at all the same.
Ron: I heard you talking about using a 375HH. In the early 70's I was introduced to the 375 by a guy at elk hunting. He moved down from Alaska to Wyoming . I happened to notice some BIG cartridges in his ammo belt and inquired about them, he said they were 375 H&H. I got the bug and had to have one of the big guys. Over the years I killed many Elk Moose and a yellowstone buffalo . Early on I started loading with H4894 and using Speer 235 gr bullets . All were 1 shot kills except a moose which took 2 shots because of misplacement on my part. I don't know what you are after in Africa but you may want to give Speer 235 gr.hot core a try. I recovered mostof the bullets and they mushroomed very well and never came apart and had very good velocity. I enjoy your shows keep up the good work.
Afognak has had several fatal bear/hunter encounters. Some bumping into each other on game trails, which are the easiest routes through that rainforest, others due to the bears wanting what the hunter has brought down. Years ago there was an ADF&G biologist who went into the pucker brush to take out wounded, by others, brown bears. He used a .308 Winchester at close quarters. But then, he might be the exception in the cool customer department. Ranges on Afognak are not long distance shooting. A .338 WM or .375 H&H, with proper bullets, will do nicely for the elk and bear, if you are not over gunned.
A good cool headed shooter is better off than a casual not so good shooter with a big magnum!!! I can practice twice as much or more with my 308 than most magnum guys can unless they reload and built their stock years ago and then they might be equal to me, but not cheaper.
also the ammo choice for me was 180 grain winchester soft points or core locks 180 and 220 none of those were hard enough but I think the aluminum tip 180s for elk we have now for 300 mags and bigger they had solid brass and copper but honestly cause of what the pipe line opporators said Nothing shy of a 50 cal is going to stop the realy big bears
For elk and in grizz country use a 325 wsm or 338 lapua or if ya wanna reload hot loads 35 whelen is a beast i use 338-378 weatherby but i know not everyone has the $for it
Well, if I remember my human history, I think early humans used to kill cave bears with spears, and more recently, American Native tribes with spears, and bows/arrows did in some more modern bears on this Continent. No doubt a number of other races/cultures elsewhere have done similarly, soooo, I suspect it IS possible to take out a bear with a .308 ;) LOL. However, For Myself, back in the distant past when I frequented areas where BIG bears ("Brownies) hung out, I used to carry either a short barrelled 12 Gauge full of heavy slugs, or one of my .375's , depending on whether I was river/lake fishing, or hunting...(course I'm a chicken:)(btw, felt recoil was actually a little LESS with the .375's LOL)
I've had a 308 marlin express for about 12 years. Love my rifle and the cartridge. Ammo is only made by the Hornady Leverevolution and Remington core locks round nose. I always used the hornadys as my rifle does not care for the remington too much. Not as accurate and seems to swell a little and hard to eject. Ammo has always been hard to find and pretty much impossible now but I have enough to last me a bunch more years. Wonderful woods rifle for deer. My shots are pretty much limited to under 100 yards as I hunt in the woods in Maryland. Every deer I've killed with it has dropped in its tracks. Glad to see someone asked about it. Thanks for your question and answer on it.
for hunting or combat accuracy you can use different brass. you can weigh mixed brass & bullets to get good accuracy. the main thing is powder charges , slower powder & fast burn rates to barrel length& bullet weight.
I’ve shot a couple large snowshare hares over the years with a .243. Thought with the small diameter bullet and only taking headshots would be ok… I was definitely wrong. Back legs were about all that was salvageable and you had to go find them 10 feet from where it was standing when you shot it!
Use an FMJ then. My mate shot a rabbit at a distance of about 6-10 feet with a Lee Enfield 303 FMJ. It basically just had a pencil hole though it. I was sitting beside him when he did it. We ate that little fella for dinner over the fire.
I crank out my reloads with a few proven recipes. They have generally the same characteristics. They shoot around 1 MOA, deliver good velocities and I use good bullets.
That 308 Marlin Express was released along with Hornady's new Leverevolution ammo. Theory is sharp rubber tipped bullets in the lever action will not act as a firing pin in the tubular mag while having the same velocity as the 308 Win. Not a a bad idea but it never caught on. They also had a 338 Marlin Express.
Saw some of that in the 444 marlin. Looks like a nasty load!!! That leverevolution adds basically 100 yards of effective range to your lever gun especially in the 30-30.
i have known of three bears taken on kodiak years ago with a 243, one with a 7x08, one with a 7 mag helped by two 300winmags and an interior griz with a 270 but it seems to me like taking a supercub up against a su35 in ariel combat. at the same time i knew of one on the kenai took 4 shots from a 458 and afriend fired 4 rounds at a bear with his 460 weatherby when the scope went black. there are many good bear rounds so it just depends on what you can shoot reliably
338 win mag I think would be best overall for Black or Grizzly bears. I wished they would make a modern and improved 338 win mag something similar to the 338 lapua but even better developed and affordable.
Taking a coyote is limiting its ability to reproduce, .338 rcm is my pick for elk in bear country/ bear rifle. Sako made a round called the 7×33, labeled a bird round, 98 grain sp or fmj. I like the 6 arc or 204 or 223.
Have to agree, Ruger guide gun (20” barrel) in a McMillan GSR stock so Mag fed, in 338 RCM. Loads are 185gr TTSX at just over 2900fps. Good elk meds and in case mr bear shows up.
A 35 Whelan or 9.3x62 would be a really handy big bear rifle as well. Both are still good to 250yds, and are std 30-06 size actions....might be worth a look. Recoil's not horrible either, considering. Just an option.
In Maine we can hunt partridge with rifles. Usually get one with a 22 rimfire or AR every year. Lots of meat damage. Best gun for meat hunting on grouse is a 410 TC Encore pistol 3 inch 7.5 lead. Aim for the head. Shoot them at close range. Fun birds to hunt.
Agree that bullet placement with enough energy and size does the job. In a dangerous encounter at close quarters a big bullet with the ability for FAST follow up is better. I asked my Doctor when any animal becomes incapacitated and unable to continue. His reply other than a shot disrupting the nervous system and locomotion (spinal/brain shot) any animal becomes unable to continue when blood pressure drops in its brain. A heart shot doing this quicker than a lung or vital organ shot was my takeaway.
Anything is better than nothing. 30-06, 300 mag all are good. Or just jump up to 458 Lotts. But a 338 is a great caliber. I only have experience with the Win, RUM and 340 Wby. I hear good things about the 338-06 which is just a slimmed down 35 Whelan.
I know when you talking about quail or some people causing partridges. I haven't seen one in 20 years and when I was growing up those thousands of them running around everville. I don't. It's bobcats or coyotes killing them out but in my neck of the woods I ain't no quail anymore and I love your show
When it comes to capercaille and black grouse, a lot of Germans use combination guns. They will be chambered in .222 or .223 Remington under a 12 gauge barrel. Another favorite combo is the .22 magnum over .20 gauge. I think our Norwegian friend should look into a combination gun.
The guy that asked about .308 for grizzly. Keep the .308, buy a high capacity pistol, in 10mm. Sig xten, S&W m&p 10mm, my favorite is the springfield xdm elite.
Why doesn't anybody talk about the 300 rum they're the best all-around rifle in the book kill anything on Earth doesn't collapse your lungs when you shoot it faster and more powerful than a 7 mm Magnum shoots almost as far as the 338 Lapua and nobody talks about the 300 ultra mag
@@Nick-fs8vgit's not ballistically the same. Yeah the diameter is the same and there's some overlap in bullets used, but you have more case capacity and can use heavier bullets in the 06 than the 308 and not only that, but with the same bullet the 06 is pumping along at 150 to 200 fps faster if not a bit more, and one thing you'll learn is that even if the box lists the BC, it's not set in stone and changes based on your velocity. That's why serious reloaders need to know their exact velocity in their specific rifle and load because the BC changes especially in long range shooting.
When it comes to copper bullets people look at the recovered bullet after it stops and worry about the petals that have broken off or bent back to the shank. But they should consider what was going on halfway between the animals skin and the point the bullet finally stops. At that mid point or near it those petals are fully deployed and spinning like a buzz saw. For a ten inch twist round leaving the muzzle at 2700 fps that saw is spinning at 3250 rps. So the expanded diameter while the bullet is doing it's best work is probably much more then can be measured on the recovered bullet. A test medium that lets you measure wound diameter at various points in the bullets impact zone is the key with total wound volume being the goal. For cheap I suggest paper plates soaked in water over night with a hardwood block to catch any pass throughs.
Back in the 70s I took my ALaskan Brown Bear with a 30-06 with the Remington 220 grain round nose Core-Lokt. one shot nust nicked the bottom of his heart and destroyed his lungs
I live in Norway, and just want to point out that in Norway, it is not legal to hunt western capercaillie with .22LR, as the hunting laws say that you are allowed to hunt everything up to the size of hare with a .22lr, but not hare. An average norwegian hare has a weight of about 3.1kg (about 6.8lbs), while male western capercaillie can usually way up to 4.5 kg (9.9lbs) with individuals with a weight of 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs) not unheard of. So while a clean headshot with a .22 lr would certainly do the job, it wouldn't be legal according to norwegian hunting laws. I would just use a .22 magnum instead, I think.
Many years ago a friend shot a big black bear right behind the front shoulder at very close range with a 7MM Magnum. It blew a big hole on the other side of him about 10 inches in diameter. The bear dropped right there but to my friend's surprise it then got up and tore a path through the woods knocking over small trees in a rampage. He got his uncle next door for help and caught up to him about 15 minutes later and his uncle finished him with a .308 to the back of the head. I seen the hole that 7 Mag put in him and it's incredible that bear got up and ran in a rampage after that hit. I'm guessing this was an anomaly because I know many people have dropped grizzly with 10MM's but after seeing that I'm weary to trust a .308 for bear.
I know of some great Alaskan guides who take a 458 Lott rifle, while others take a 458 win mag. some take a 338 in various cartridges not including 338 federal, of course, the 338's are flatter and so better suited for longer shots, the 458 lott and 458 win mag are great at close range, but thats all. the same goes for the 416's like the rigby, the same goes for 375's. I'd take a 338 with a heavy bullet, which would be better for long range shots on elk/moose. its always best to over powered than under. hungry bears are not very understanding if you ask them to not eat you. keeping a back up high powdered handgun is also a good idea, nothing less than a 10mm. that mean no 45 acp. if your in black bear country its a different story
To a good Stewart we all have to do more culling on these elk herds less hunters today so when the opportunity presents itself we should all be prepared to take multiple animals and reuse our tags
I go bear hunting with my bow and 308. I do carry a 1851 as side arm. I went out looking for northern lights and thought about shooting a coyote last bear hunt. Need 8 coyotes for a coat. The wolves will take over if the coyotes are gone. I got fisher cats too.
I had the opportunity to see in North Forth Worth Texas Deer and Cayotes separated and isolated by corporations spreading up hear HWY 170 off of Interstate 35 across from Alliance Airfield..
Rifle had a bunch of articles on rifles for bears, and the general fact of the mater was that sports shot more rounds the heavier their rifles were. So they would show up with 416s, or more, and the guides would have 375, or 338, and basically the sports did terrible jobs with the stopping rifle. So 338 is probably optimal for non pros, or folks who do not want to put in the extra time to learn to shoot the heavy stuff. And in one of the camps the 338 was all the pros used. Maybe part of the reason for that is they would get asked what they used. The better answer would have been 375 H&H, but then the client brings one. In the hands of a pro, the 338 with good bullets is every bit as good as the 375. But the outcome is worse if the client brings a 375. I would personally use the 9.3x62. There are no magic cartridges, but this is one of them. :) Basically almost an '06 case, yet a solid reputation on the biggest game in Africa. Very versatile cartridge. 286 bullet designed for whatever you are trying to do. I would go Nosler partition. But a case could be made for Barnes, I just don't know that line as well. Only downside to 9.3 is if you can't get the ammo, but I hear it is easy to get in Alaska, certainly Canada. Just be sure to check.
if you had to choose between a lever , bolt or semi auto would it be 45/70 or .308/30-06 or? for your one rifle and lets say a 10mm auto or? as your hand gun what would your pick be for your hunt and hand gun for the best combo where you might run into bear. of course a guide with good bear cover would be best right? Thanks,Tom
I see and hear grouse a lot. The 1851 works good for grouse. You just gotta see them first. Some times they walk right by. I got some pics of one while sitting in the truck at camp.
So I can not speak specifically on the 308 marlin Express, but I can on the .338 marlin Express. Now I personally I never achieved the accuracy I wanted. This about the same time I discovered I could not shot well through scopes with my glasses on at the time. However with glasses off though me vision was blurry I could focus the scope to my eye. Advertised at the time velocities was put at middle ground between the. 300 savage and the. 308 Winchester simulator to the 307 Winchester. It is also important to note the the marlin Express was a calibration between marlin and hornady. Among the first to be loader with the flex tip bullet. In fact I don't remember ever seeing any factory loads with flat point bullets except for the .450 marlin Express (with a belted rim). If I was ever to invest in another marlin Express it would be the. 450. It is hard to justify as I love my .444 marlin. I have taken pronghorn to moose with it.
Could they not use tin to harden lead like the hard cast guys do? This assuming the shortage does eventually reach to an extent that alternatives are needed? On that note, a jacketed "hard cast" should preform nearly as well as a bonded bullet right? While being able to be made like a traditional cup and core, like make a lead tin wire and swedge it into a copper jacket, upon penetration who cares if the jacket peels off because 90% of the weight will remain in the core and continue on with minimal deformation (of course lead:tin ratio should be researched enough to mushroom some at a given velocity I suppose, or possibly just made it super hard and ad a polymer tip to aid in expansion) essentially using the jacket like a plastic sabot, with the intention of it just to keep from leading the barrel.
The increased offspring hypothesis is really simple.. Fewer coyotes means that there are more prey animals just because there is more for the existing animals to eat. More nutrition means more animals of a given litter of pups will survive. The number of pups born is determined by how much coyote food is available in the month or so before the mating season. More pre mating season food means more ovulation for the girl coyotes, which in turn translates into more puppies being born. best Bruce Peek
I've got some Winchester 350 legend ammunition that is advertised as a bear round. A 180 grain jacketed lead nose. I really don't want to test that claim. Maybe a small bear but I can't believe it would be a good round for big grizzly or Kodiak. Not to say impossible or couldn't be done but with those large teddy's if their close enough to drop with those rounds chances are you are in big trouble already. However I could be very wrong as I often am.
Hilarious 🤣! Ron is so fantastic! At 24:00 as to bear 🐻 rifles and cartridges! The options make this great RUclipsr CRAZY 😜! .338 No .30-06 No .308 wait.270 short range! 45-70 ! People there are not that many bears and If you should actually see one you may be interested in photography than rifle/ cartridge combinations. Unless you are Big Jim Shockey or Michael Waddell!
3-400yds I'd go 30-06, further out 6.5 PRC. To be fair most choices are made simple by getting closer. Under 400yds I'd say it's hard to beat a .30 cal.
I'm 74 and have lived and hunted in Northern Michigan
Most of my adult life. I remember when the go to
Caliber was the 30-30 .
Lots of black bear fell to the
Old time favorite.
Best explanation why predator hunting makes sense ever. Applies also for Germany, where the general public does not understand why predetor hunting is a good thing for nature. Thank you for the video.
Alot of people don't know that the rifles that homesteaded Alaska and have killed more Grizzly than any others are the Enfield in 303 Brit, the Krag in 30-40 and the 03A3 in '06. The rifles and cartridges may still hold the record so a modern .308 technically can take even the largest Browns.
308 will easily kill anything on the continent, wouldn’t be my choice for an expensive hunt traveling across the country but if elk or grizzly were local id have no issue using it. If I’ve got 10 grand into the hunt I’ll be bringing a bigger rifle just for the increased range to maximize the chance of filling that expensive tag.
The problem is people think they need the same, super tough, super deep penetrating bullets that are used on other “dangerous game”. So grandpappy shoots a bear with a 30-06 loaded with a bullet designed for buffalo, gets poor results, and blames the 30-06 instead of the bullet. Tells his son horror stories about using 30-06 on bears, so his son takes a 300 win mag loaded with the same, overly hard dg bullet, gets poor results, and now here we are, a generation of people thinking bears require copper solids being pushed by Weatherby magnums, and anyone using .308 is nuts.
Truth is, .308 with a nosler partition, or a winchester ballistic silver tip will pulverize a bears vital organs.
@@fnkdtnk My AK interior griz fell to two 180-gr. Barnes TSX bullets. The first penetrated the heart and off ran the bear. The second hit the spine and killed him instantly. I found that one in the snowbank beyond the bear. Slug weighed 180-grains. Cartridge was Bordens 300 Caribou, an improved 300 Win Mag.
Yes and there’s some Indians that’s crawled into the den and shot them on the 22 pistol I don’t care too and as far as 308 I consider the bear has to eat too so get after it
@@jaydunbar7538 keep in mind I mean the .308 for DEFENSE against a sudden grizzly attack. In semi auto rifle.
For a hunt certainly I would use a heavier caliber in a bolt action, as long as I am not alone, and am accompanied by at least 1 more adequately armed person whom I trust.
I say "trust" because rangers report that in most instances when there is a party of only 2 and 1 gets attacked by a grizz, the other person RUNS AWAY ! Surprising, but in most cases, that's what happens !
For bear protection a 308 still beats a handgun
Forsure... its funny when people say you need a 44 mag or a 480 ruger or even a 50 smith but then say a 308 is not enough 😂
@@sparky_-mf2cs they obviously cant do the math
Especially a HIGH CAPACITY .308
@@sparky_-mf2cs I've always made a funny face when trying to figure that out as well
@@sparky_-mf2cs well I'd take a 10MM Glock with a 13rd mag over a bolt action .308 any day for a charging grizz. A semi-auto high capacity .308 is a different story. Most recommend handguns over a rifle because they are hikers and the weight of a rifle is too cumbersome. Saying a pistol caliber is enough and a .308 is not in general is very stupid but I can't say I've ever heard anyone say that.
The .308 is terrible for bears. It just tears them up and kills them. What is good for bears is lots of wild lands, honey, bug-rich rotten stumps, skunk cabbage, mild winters, warm sunshine, careful drivers, salmon, and lots of careless campers who leave their food out.
whats good for bears is a hiker without a .308
PO Ackley Book is the world's best book to this day explaining case powder capacity as related to velocity performance and bore size. I read the covers off this book literally. I have to remind myself that bigger is not always better when it comes to cartridge case capacity and refer to PO Ackley oftentimes.
From England. Wow! This presenter is the ultimate communicator.
For capercaillie I'd advise for using a 22 Hornet or WM or a 17 HMR. If one uses a too fast and powerful caliber the exit hole is a real challenge for any taxidermist. Same goes for bullets that fracture into small parts.
Old hunters sometimes used FMJ .222Win, though that needs a very accurate shot, as it will punch a straight hole without expansion, which risks long searches for the shot animal.
This comment put a smile on my face. I almost forgot about the old 222. Good stuff man god bless.
my friend in Finland use 6.5x55 with 140gr fmj bullet and achive good result on capercallie.
325 WSM for bears, compact rifle firing a powerful cartridge.
Regarding coyotes its important to point out that they were not trully a wood species. The woods were the domain of the wolves(well all the american continent to be fair) and the coyotes remained in the savanas, the plains, etc. But now that we have devasted wolves population AND we cut down most forests to live there or to farm the land, we have artificially created the perfect habitat for coyotes.
They also use our forest roads system here in Quebec to travel great distance and find new farm fields to live nearby. They have really benefited presence.
Good information man
The best way to reduce coyote (aka Prairie Wolf) numbers is by introducing wolves
We have wolf/coyote mixes. The 75/25 are long legged wolves western great lakes making them bigger. The 60/40 wolves of eastern great lakes have a lot of coyote looks to them. More red in the fur.
nobody ever did a genetic test on an pre-colonial Eastern red wolf. Canines have been in the Americas, from FL to AK including the forest, throughout all of recorded history, except for places where theyve been eradicated by man.
When I lived in Alaska my choices were 35 Whelen 338 win and 45-70. When out fishing it was a 12ga pump
I carry a 12 gauge at work (land surveying) because a rifle seems to offend clients. Even with slugs a shotgun doesn’t measure up to a .308, especially a 10 shot “scout rifle”
@@danhiggins5393 depending on the exact load, a 3in slug has about 15-20% more energy at the muzzle than a 308
@@briant7652 I don't know if we have enough statistics to definitely say that "rifles are typically better for large bears". I've only seen one study going over all historic bear attacks where firearms were used for self defense, and every bear that was hit by any bullet at all stopped its attack. The most common used was 9mm. Now I wouldn't trust a 9mm personally. My point is the data set is small so it's definitely a debatable topic. I'm sure 308 does well, and probably has a lot better penetration. 20% more energy in a slug can't be a negative though, and you're less likely to get a pass through (so all of that energy is dumped in target). I think the reasoning goes both ways
@@briant7652 you didn't engage with what I said at all. I, like the guide, also suspect rifles penetrate better. But then the other reasoning is that if you get a pass through, and you didn't hit a vital organ, then that icepick wound cavity may be useless. Even a bear shot through the lungs or heart would still have enough time to close distance before expiring. The 12ga slug would be unlikely to have that problem.
But then what I was saying before: this is all academic because we don't have enough information. And the main study we do have suggests it doesn't really matter what you use, as long as you are able to get shots on target.
The best advice I was told years ago. When it comes to bears. and no matter what you have. Keep shooting until it goes down. I have seen a bear outrun a squirrel, and the squirrel had a ten yard head start. Also witnessed a good friend of mine get mauled, so I have a lot of respect for bears.
Ron has the absolute most polite and respectful burns of all time. From now on, he should be referred to as The Legend.
From somebody that grew up on the Alaska Peninsula with lots of brown bears. I have no problem with carrying a .308 as a defensive weapon for a brown bear.
If I was specifically hunting them I wouldn’t plan to go less than .338 caliber rifle. (There are exceptions)
I’ve heard of some people carrying A.R. 15‘s with green tips for defense from large animals?
@@dangerousfreedom4965 for defense only you can put down a brown bear with it due to sheer number of bullets on target. With a 30 round standard capacity magazine with 556 the rifle will penetrate a brown bear, but it won’t put it down in 1 or 2 shots, which would be preferred if hunting, as less bullets means less wasted meat and a better skin, and a more clean kill overall. Purely for defense it will do the job but isn’t the best for hunting
AR-15 vs AR-10 for defense id choose the ar-10 though, because it has all the same benefits as an ar-15 (semi auto and larger ammunition capacity than a bolt action) but with the larger caliber. 20 rounds of 7.62 nato will kill most all large game in North America
@@connorl.2170 Be sure that ar10 platform is reliable. Have seen my share of ar10's in action shooting events having reloading issues. My Vepr
.308 in an AK platform hasn't been as accurate at distance compared to ar10's, but it's always been reliable.
@@paraglidingnut26 Veprs are very nice I'm a big AK fan. I carry a galil ace in 308 for bear defense and I trust it's reliability more than an ar10 the ace has decent accuracy I was able to get 1.3in groups at 100 yards with a good lpvo and I have taken it out to 600 yards and made hits consistently, a guy in the galil owner's group I am in took his out to 900 yards so that is really impressive for an AK platform. Now the ace is not as accurate as my buddies Daniel Defense ar10 but I trust the reliability of it much more and the gun is still more accurate than I am. I think a scar17 would be an awesome 308 platform it has the reliability of an AK and is easily a 1000 yard gun with the right person behind it (not me) lol.
@@connorl.2170I read about a guy in either Sweden or Norway that was some kinda law enforcement similar to our game wardens I think who killed a polar bear that was charging him with an m16, he shot him 6 times. He said the bear came up on him so fast he didn't even have a chance to shoulder the rifle he pretty much fired from the hip.
27:04 With as much as you know, still happy to admit where your knowledge/experience stops. I assume that's why you still have the respect of the community all these decades later. Keep up the good work, Ron!
Here in Sweden we shoot big brown bears with 308 Win. No problem with for example with Norma 180 grains Oyrx or Alaska. Also with 30-06 and 6,5x55.
My first rifle was a Carl Gustav sporterized carbine 96 Mauser. I took it's penetration capabilities for granted until I shot a few deer with a 30-06. 156 grain Norma round nose soft point (the old stuff with a cupronickel jacket) would shoot through any deer at any angle and deep into (sometimes through) the tree behind it.
yes, everthing between 6,5x55 and 9,3x62 is more or less good. i would prefer 8x57is
Say what you will. 308win and 338win are probably some of the best cartridges for game in the north. If i had to recommend any cartridges it would be those 2. But if only 1 it would be 308.
Oh yes you quite right.😊
Humans screw up everything.
+ .308 is ubiquitous, never have to wrry about runnig out on ammo
I think the first two say about what I was thinking. Not my 1st choice for big ones but I'd feel pretty good about having a .308 if I ran into one unexpectedly. Anything much smaller and you might want to shoot to miss.
Dead is dead. Never shoot to miss. 223 to 500 A-square are all better than getting chewed on.
@@jk-kr8jt If your about to get chewed on sure, if it's pretty calm you can sometimes scare them away by shooting. But do what you want of course. shrugs
@@jk-kr8jt WORD!
Well if a brown bear is charging you at close range, you better have that .308 in a semi-auto and try to get at least 2 or 3 hits, or you will face the unpleasant experience of being EATEN ALIVE.
@@sman3569 Lol, I'll keep it in mind.
22 Hornet is a great oldy. Takes over from the 22RF and is still quiet. Cheers
I hunted turkey for years and use a 22mag fmj reliably inside of 75 yards and shot inside 100 without losing one. No meat damage and accurate enough for a head shot if you wanted to.
In my state by law we are only allowed to use a shotgun or crossbow or bow or muzzleloader for turkey.
Wool and polypropylene are a great combination. Wool insulates even when wet.
Nylons starts stinking heavily after just a day.
I grew up on kodiak island alaska,my dad opened the airport in 1967,park muncy was the #1 guide for hunters out of state,my dad hunted with him and got kodiak brown bears,elk,deer etc,but we always had airplanes so went to the mainland for moose ,mountain goat and reindeer,I used a 30-06 while dad prefer his 7mm.At 10 that 30-06 kicked my butt lol.Shot alot of deer with 30-30 mostly,even got stationed on Kodiak 2 times in the Coast Guard,havent been back since 1990,great hunting.
I went to Alaska on a guided hunt with my cousin's guide company, they used 12ga shotguns. I went out 20 years later they used 12 gauge shotguns and 308, a few used 30-06 or 338 federal.
12 gauge is so underrated. A slug hits like a dump truck…
338 Federal needs much more use
Speaking for the Norwegians here. We often use even a 308 win for small birds such as ptarmigan, full metal jacket so we dont ruin the meat, and it works great.
I am hunting birds with both 308win fmj and 223rem fmj. I do switch to a .22lr for the ptarmigans however, but that is for precision reasons, and follow up shots is easier.
For larger game birds the minimum caliber we are allowed to use is a .22WMR, so the 22lr is mainly for the smallest birds and game here.
The law specificly says that with a 22lr you are allowed to hunt species up to the size of a hare, but not hare. anything bigger needs more velocity from a bullet that is .22 or bigger.
The aiming point you mention for the birds are spot on! FMJ is the key her to not obliterate the bird. The capercaille has a white spot that almost works as a target to aim for (but only directly from the side)
Please let us know how your .375 H&H with the HammerHunter performs. Thanks Ron!
My suggestion for a rifle for an Elk and Brown bear on Afognak Island. Is the .35 Whelen loaded with good quality 225gr bullets like Nosler Partitions, Barnes TSX or Swift A frames.
No
How about a 338-06 ?
@@billfrederickfrederick2791 That's an excellent choice also.
In Germany they liked the 22 hornet and 222 and Remington did the twist magazine in the 141. I was going to say, you dont need antimony in black powder and a lot of guys are going to powder coating. A mixture Tin and lead makes good bullets for low velocity, like black powder and hand guns.
Lead styphnate is also used for primers. Old potassium chlorate is no longer used because they were corrosive.
I was a 308 detractor for a long time but to be honest it still is a pretty effective cartrige, i still think sniper system should have better range cartrige like .338lap and have 308 for battle rifles or dmr
With the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, it is easy to lapse into criticism of the .308/7.62x51mm NATO cartridge as the choice for military for an alliance like NATO. There are more-efficient choices available, such as cartridges which fire projectiles in the 6.5-7mm (.264-.284-cal.) range. However, if you look at the major powers and what they have used to arm their fighting men since the turn of the 20th century, they have consistently selected cartridges in the .30-.32 caliber range.
The British Empire relied upon the .303 for years, which is classed in the .31-caliber range. Germany relied upon 8mm Mauser (7.92x57), which classes in the .32-caliber range. Japan started WWII using 6.5x50, which is a .264-caliber cartridge, but switched midway to 7.7mm, which is of .31-caliber. Italy started and finished with 6.5mm Carcano. France used the 7.5x54mm, which is a .30-caliber & the Swiss used 7.5x55, also a .30-caliber chambering.
Russia's 7.62x54R, which is still used today more than 120 years after its introduction, is also in the .30-.31-caliber range.
Some smaller nations had more-unique and offbeat choices, such as Sweden using the 6.5x55, but in the main, thirty caliber cartridges were chosen. Many militaries liked the aerodynamic efficiency and modest recoil of 6.5-7mm projectiles when fired from rifles, but preferred heavier projectiles for use in automatic weapons, such as medium and general-purpose machine guns, since the heavier .30-.32-caliber bullets retained momentum better at longer ranges and thereby had better terminal performance.
For snipers, until maybe thirty years ago, any shot past a thousand yards was considered quite long, and since most snipers and designated marksmen took their shots inside 800 yards (or meters, as the case may be) the majority of the time, there really wasn't much of a sense of urgency about adopting something more efficient. The .308 may not be the "best" performer inside that range, but it was/is a good one, which was apparently enough for their uses. It is an excellent general-purpose cartridge, which is one reason it has remained in use for nearly seventy years since its introduction in the 1950s.
Remember, too, that the senior officers making the choices of cartridges for the NATO alliance at the time, such as the now i(n)famous Colonel Rene Studler, U.S. Army Ordnance Dept., were men born in the late 19th century and who came of age during the era of WWI. A period of time in which thirty-caliber cartridges were the king of the hill.
The problem with Pronghorn in the Sonoran Desert in AZ was poaching and its devastating effects in addition to the impact of the regular predator population. The problem in CA with cougars was that about 40 years ago, Fish & Game failed to file an environmental impact report by the deadline and a conservation group was successful in getting cougars placed on the endangered species list. That really screwed things up. It wasn't until people were being attacked on a regular basis in CA that cougars were taken off the list. Then there are extraordinary wildfires due to improper land management.
Finally, someone with a brain. Mis-
management in CA forests is the real reasom for their continued forest fires.
Black Grouse full metall jacket 6,5x55 is standard. 22magnum is the minimum legal cartridge in Sweden for tjäder and orre ;)
In Sweden it is generally like this.
(With a 1000 exceptions of course)
If your hunting forest grouse with a dog. The 22 wmr is popular (but not exclusive)
If your hunting it with skis on your feet the 6.5x55 or 308 is very common. But you often bring your most accurate rifle for this job. The ranges can be long. That big bird shrinks at 250 meters 😅
The .30 cal is great, but only as good as the next bullet!
The 308 Marlin Express is loaded with a 160gr FTX (flex-tip) bullet that is constructed to not open as quickly as the same weight bullet used in 30/30 ammo of the same type. The problem is the case is truly unique, being loosely based on the 220 Swift. To further confuse the issue, the 338 Marlin Express is built on yet another case, the 376 Steyr, so despite the very similar naming of these two cartridges, their cases are not at all the same.
Ron: I heard you talking about using a 375HH. In the early 70's I was introduced to the 375 by a guy at elk hunting. He moved down from Alaska to Wyoming . I happened to notice some BIG cartridges in his ammo belt and inquired about them, he said they were 375 H&H. I got the bug and had to have one of the big guys. Over the years I killed many Elk Moose and a yellowstone buffalo . Early on I started loading with H4894 and using Speer 235 gr bullets . All were 1 shot kills except a moose which took 2 shots because of misplacement on my part. I don't know what you are after in Africa but you may want to give Speer 235 gr.hot core a try. I recovered mostof the bullets and they mushroomed very well and never came apart and had very good velocity. I enjoy your shows keep up the good work.
Afognak has had several fatal bear/hunter encounters. Some bumping into each other on game trails, which are the easiest routes through that rainforest, others due to the bears wanting what the hunter has brought down. Years ago there was an ADF&G biologist who went into the pucker brush to take out wounded, by others, brown bears. He used a .308 Winchester at close quarters. But then, he might be the exception in the cool customer department. Ranges on Afognak are not long distance shooting. A .338 WM or .375 H&H, with proper bullets, will do nicely for the elk and bear, if you are not over gunned.
A good cool headed shooter is better off than a casual not so good shooter with a big magnum!!! I can practice twice as much or more with my 308 than most magnum guys can unless they reload and built their stock years ago and then they might be equal to me, but not cheaper.
also the ammo choice for me was 180 grain winchester soft points
or core locks 180 and 220
none of those were hard enough but I think the aluminum tip 180s for elk we have now
for 300 mags and bigger they had solid brass and copper
but honestly cause of what the pipe line opporators said
Nothing shy of a 50 cal is going to stop the realy big bears
For elk and in grizz country use a 325 wsm or 338 lapua or if ya wanna reload hot loads 35 whelen is a beast i use 338-378 weatherby but i know not everyone has the $for it
Well, if I remember my human history, I think early humans used to kill cave bears with spears, and more recently, American Native tribes with spears, and bows/arrows did in some more modern bears on this Continent. No doubt a number of other races/cultures elsewhere have done similarly, soooo, I suspect it IS possible to take out a bear with a .308 ;) LOL.
However, For Myself, back in the distant past when I frequented areas where BIG bears ("Brownies) hung out, I used to carry either a short barrelled 12 Gauge full of heavy slugs, or one of my .375's , depending on whether I was river/lake fishing, or hunting...(course I'm a chicken:)(btw, felt recoil was actually a little LESS with the .375's LOL)
I've had a 308 marlin express for about 12 years. Love my rifle and the cartridge. Ammo is only made by the Hornady Leverevolution and Remington core locks round nose. I always used the hornadys as my rifle does not care for the remington too much. Not as accurate and seems to swell a little and hard to eject. Ammo has always been hard to find and pretty much impossible now but I have enough to last me a bunch more years. Wonderful woods rifle for deer. My shots are pretty much limited to under 100 yards as I hunt in the woods in Maryland. Every deer I've killed with it has dropped in its tracks. Glad to see someone asked about it. Thanks for your question and answer on it.
for hunting or combat accuracy you can use different brass. you can weigh mixed brass & bullets to get good accuracy. the main thing is powder charges , slower powder & fast burn rates to barrel length& bullet weight.
I’ve shot a couple large snowshare hares over the years with a .243. Thought with the small diameter bullet and only taking headshots would be ok… I was definitely wrong. Back legs were about all that was salvageable and you had to go find them 10 feet from where it was standing when you shot it!
Use an FMJ then.
My mate shot a rabbit at a distance of about 6-10 feet with a Lee Enfield 303 FMJ.
It basically just had a pencil hole though it.
I was sitting beside him when he did it.
We ate that little fella for dinner over the fire.
I crank out my reloads with a few proven recipes. They have generally the same characteristics. They shoot around 1 MOA, deliver good velocities and I use good bullets.
What bullets do you use? I’m just starting to look into reloading and trying to get everything in line before I put my orders in. Any recommendations?
That 308 Marlin Express was released along with Hornady's new Leverevolution ammo. Theory is sharp rubber tipped bullets in the lever action will not act as a firing pin in the tubular mag while having the same velocity as the 308 Win. Not a a bad idea but it never caught on. They also had a 338 Marlin Express.
.35 Rem 200g leverlution as well. Will lay down most things that need laying down.
Saw some of that in the 444 marlin. Looks like a nasty load!!! That leverevolution adds basically 100 yards of effective range to your lever gun especially in the 30-30.
i have known of three bears taken on kodiak years ago with a 243, one with a 7x08, one with a 7 mag helped by two 300winmags and an interior griz with a 270 but it seems to me like taking a supercub up against a su35 in ariel combat. at the same time i knew of one on the kenai took 4 shots from a 458 and afriend fired 4 rounds at a bear with his 460 weatherby when the scope went black. there are many good bear rounds so it just depends on what you can shoot reliably
338 win mag I think would be best overall for Black or Grizzly bears. I wished they would make a modern and improved 338 win mag something similar to the 338 lapua but even better developed and affordable.
Taking a coyote is limiting its ability to reproduce, .338 rcm is my pick for elk in bear country/ bear rifle. Sako made a round called the 7×33, labeled a bird round, 98 grain sp or fmj. I like the 6 arc or 204 or 223.
Have to agree, Ruger guide gun (20” barrel) in a McMillan GSR stock so Mag fed, in 338 RCM. Loads are 185gr TTSX at just over 2900fps. Good elk meds and in case mr bear shows up.
I am picking up a Springfield M-1A Socom 16 for a guide gun. It is short, reasonably light, and you can lay down several rounds in a short time.
Have you ever shot a 16" 308? Lol. Had a 16"ar10, loudest thing ever lol
You can buy a high capacity drum magazine too. Carry the drum in your ruck sack.
That SOCOM is an excellent choice, with .308 solid bullets in case of the biggest bears, and fast follow up shots. You can't ask for a better formula.
A 35 Whelan or 9.3x62 would be a really handy big bear rifle as well. Both are still good to 250yds, and are std 30-06 size actions....might be worth a look.
Recoil's not horrible either, considering. Just an option.
Quail was plentiful here, rare to see them now
I love your videos. I have learned a lot.
Just ordered my first TAG shirt. Thank you for the sugestion.
In Maine we can hunt partridge with rifles. Usually get one with a 22 rimfire or AR every year. Lots of meat damage. Best gun for meat hunting on grouse is a 410 TC Encore pistol 3 inch 7.5 lead. Aim for the head. Shoot them at close range. Fun birds to hunt.
Agree that bullet placement with enough energy and size does the job. In a dangerous encounter at close quarters a big bullet with the ability for FAST follow up is better. I asked my Doctor when any animal becomes incapacitated and unable to continue. His reply other than a shot disrupting the nervous system and locomotion (spinal/brain shot) any animal becomes unable to continue when blood pressure drops in its brain. A heart shot doing this quicker than a lung or vital organ shot was my takeaway.
Black bears, yes. Grizzly bears, maybe, if you're hunting them. Anything under. 338 is not going to stop a charge.
Depends where you hit them.
Anything is better than nothing. 30-06, 300 mag all are good. Or just jump up to 458 Lotts. But a 338 is a great caliber. I only have experience with the Win, RUM and 340 Wby. I hear good things about the 338-06 which is just a slimmed down 35 Whelan.
I know when you talking about quail or some people causing partridges. I haven't seen one in 20 years and when I was growing up those thousands of them running around everville. I don't. It's bobcats or coyotes killing them out but in my neck of the woods I ain't no quail anymore and I love your show
When it comes to capercaille and black grouse, a lot of Germans use combination guns. They will be chambered in .222 or .223 Remington under a 12 gauge barrel. Another favorite combo is the .22 magnum over .20 gauge. I think our Norwegian friend should look into a combination gun.
Good choice!
I think that copper solids really enhance the effectiveness of the .308
The guy that asked about .308 for grizzly.
Keep the .308, buy a high capacity pistol, in 10mm.
Sig xten, S&W m&p 10mm, my favorite is the springfield xdm elite.
10mm is weak. .454 Casull, .460 Magnum, and .500 Magnum aren't.
For Black Bears, sure. I would want more horsepower for the bigger cousins.
A Family member of mine exclusively uses .308 and has took many black bears some from 400+ yards
and also straight walled case and very very accurate
And I would even use my 303 and 308 ..... but really love my 6.5 Creedmoor....
I've added plumbing solder to my lead to harden it.
Why doesn't anybody talk about the 300 rum they're the best all-around rifle in the book kill anything on Earth doesn't collapse your lungs when you shoot it faster and more powerful than a 7 mm Magnum shoots almost as far as the 338 Lapua and nobody talks about the 300 ultra mag
I’d go with a 30/06 loaded hot with a 220 partition in a heartbeat, but the 308 is a tad small to me.
It's ballistically the same thing lol. Same bullet
@@Nick-fs8vgit's not ballistically the same. Yeah the diameter is the same and there's some overlap in bullets used, but you have more case capacity and can use heavier bullets in the 06 than the 308 and not only that, but with the same bullet the 06 is pumping along at 150 to 200 fps faster if not a bit more, and one thing you'll learn is that even if the box lists the BC, it's not set in stone and changes based on your velocity. That's why serious reloaders need to know their exact velocity in their specific rifle and load because the BC changes especially in long range shooting.
Try the Nosler Partition 180gr. for .308 WIN--the energy numbers are close to the .30-06 Springfield with the same bullet weight.
Canadian Rangers are issued 200 .308 Win 180 grain Nosler Accubond rounds every year and they hunt polar bears.
Berger makes a 185 gr. Match .308 hunting load that’s pretty good.
Used to get Quail here in the back yard every year.. haven't seen quail around here in 20 years =/
When it comes to copper bullets people look at the recovered bullet after it stops and worry about the petals that have broken off or bent back to the shank. But they should consider what was going on halfway between the animals skin and the point the bullet finally stops. At that mid point or near it those petals are fully deployed and spinning like a buzz saw. For a ten inch twist round leaving the muzzle at 2700 fps that saw is spinning at 3250 rps. So the expanded diameter while the bullet is doing it's best work is probably much more then can be measured on the recovered bullet. A test medium that lets you measure wound diameter at various points in the bullets impact zone is the key with total wound volume being the goal. For cheap I suggest paper plates soaked in water over night with a hardwood block to catch any pass throughs.
Back in the 70s I took my ALaskan Brown Bear with a 30-06 with the Remington 220 grain round nose Core-Lokt. one shot nust nicked the bottom of his heart and destroyed his lungs
good old versatile Springfield
I live in Norway, and just want to point out that in Norway, it is not legal to hunt western capercaillie with .22LR, as the hunting laws say that you are allowed to hunt everything up to the size of hare with a .22lr, but not hare. An average norwegian hare has a weight of about 3.1kg (about 6.8lbs), while male western capercaillie can usually way up to 4.5 kg (9.9lbs) with individuals with a weight of 6.5 kg (14.3 lbs) not unheard of. So while a clean headshot with a .22 lr would certainly do the job, it wouldn't be legal according to norwegian hunting laws. I would just use a .22 magnum instead, I think.
Excellent advice! Those coyotes are eating pets like crazy, and the cottontails are gettimg scarce. Shoot the coyotes if your area allows.
Great video Ron.
I don't care what i am hunting. If I see a coyote it is turning into a coyote hunt.
Many years ago a friend shot a big black bear right behind the front shoulder at very close range with a 7MM Magnum. It blew a big hole on the other side of him about 10 inches in diameter. The bear dropped right there but to my friend's surprise it then got up and tore a path through the woods knocking over small trees in a rampage. He got his uncle next door for help and caught up to him about 15 minutes later and his uncle finished him with a .308 to the back of the head. I seen the hole that 7 Mag put in him and it's incredible that bear got up and ran in a rampage after that hit. I'm guessing this was an anomaly because I know many people have dropped grizzly with 10MM's but after seeing that I'm weary to trust a .308 for bear.
I know of some great Alaskan guides who take a 458 Lott rifle, while others take a 458 win mag. some take a 338 in various cartridges not including 338 federal, of course, the 338's are flatter and so better suited for longer shots, the 458 lott and 458 win mag are great at close range, but thats all. the same goes for the 416's like the rigby, the same goes for 375's. I'd take a 338 with a heavy bullet, which would be better for long range shots on elk/moose. its always best to over powered than under. hungry bears are not very understanding if you ask them to not eat you. keeping a back up high powdered handgun is also a good idea, nothing less than a 10mm. that mean no 45 acp. if your in black bear country its a different story
The 17HMR is terrific with head shots flat Shooting No meat lost.
To a good Stewart we all have to do more culling on these elk herds less hunters today so when the opportunity presents itself we should all be prepared to take multiple animals and reuse our tags
222/20ga combo o/u from savage/stephens. Excellent for turkeys
I go bear hunting with my bow and 308. I do carry a 1851 as side arm. I went out looking for northern lights and thought about shooting a coyote last bear hunt. Need 8 coyotes for a coat. The wolves will take over if the coyotes are gone. I got fisher cats too.
I had the opportunity to see in North Forth Worth Texas Deer and Cayotes separated and isolated by corporations spreading up hear HWY 170 off of Interstate 35 across from Alliance Airfield..
I only try head shots bc birds don't have much meat , Usually I use a high BC .22 hornet up to .22-250 depending on size if I am using a rifle
Rifle had a bunch of articles on rifles for bears, and the general fact of the mater was that sports shot more rounds the heavier their rifles were. So they would show up with 416s, or more, and the guides would have 375, or 338, and basically the sports did terrible jobs with the stopping rifle. So 338 is probably optimal for non pros, or folks who do not want to put in the extra time to learn to shoot the heavy stuff. And in one of the camps the 338 was all the pros used. Maybe part of the reason for that is they would get asked what they used. The better answer would have been 375 H&H, but then the client brings one. In the hands of a pro, the 338 with good bullets is every bit as good as the 375. But the outcome is worse if the client brings a 375.
I would personally use the 9.3x62. There are no magic cartridges, but this is one of them. :) Basically almost an '06 case, yet a solid reputation on the biggest game in Africa. Very versatile cartridge. 286 bullet designed for whatever you are trying to do. I would go Nosler partition. But a case could be made for Barnes, I just don't know that line as well. Only downside to 9.3 is if you can't get the ammo, but I hear it is easy to get in Alaska, certainly Canada. Just be sure to check.
if you had to choose between a lever , bolt or semi auto would it be 45/70 or .308/30-06 or? for your one rifle and lets say a 10mm auto or? as your hand gun what would your pick be for your hunt and hand gun for the best combo where you might run into bear. of course a guide with good bear cover would be best right? Thanks,Tom
I see and hear grouse a lot. The 1851 works good for grouse. You just gotta see them first. Some times they walk right by. I got some pics of one while sitting in the truck at camp.
The Federal steel shotgun shells with a mix of sizes Really work.
So I can not speak specifically on the 308 marlin Express, but I can on the .338 marlin Express. Now I personally I never achieved the accuracy I wanted. This about the same time I discovered I could not shot well through scopes with my glasses on at the time. However with glasses off though me vision was blurry I could focus the scope to my eye. Advertised at the time velocities was put at middle ground between the. 300 savage and the. 308 Winchester simulator to the 307 Winchester. It is also important to note the the marlin Express was a calibration between marlin and hornady. Among the first to be loader with the flex tip bullet. In fact I don't remember ever seeing any factory loads with flat point bullets except for the .450 marlin Express (with a belted rim). If I was ever to invest in another marlin Express it would be the. 450. It is hard to justify as I love my .444 marlin. I have taken pronghorn to moose with it.
Could they not use tin to harden lead like the hard cast guys do? This assuming the shortage does eventually reach to an extent that alternatives are needed? On that note, a jacketed "hard cast" should preform nearly as well as a bonded bullet right? While being able to be made like a traditional cup and core, like make a lead tin wire and swedge it into a copper jacket, upon penetration who cares if the jacket peels off because 90% of the weight will remain in the core and continue on with minimal deformation (of course lead:tin ratio should be researched enough to mushroom some at a given velocity I suppose, or possibly just made it super hard and ad a polymer tip to aid in expansion) essentially using the jacket like a plastic sabot, with the intention of it just to keep from leading the barrel.
Island hunt with bears close. 338 Marlin Express nice lever gun and you can still find them.
23:32 - As someone who has no experience at all, I would suggest a 35 Whelen???
A possible good answer to bear question might be 375 rugger mag short barrel plenty power
9 mm Rifle works great for birds with Fmj
Question what about the 360 buckhammer for bear?
Just bring your Scar 17 with you. Light weight and battle proven.
22 WRM for the grouse👍
The increased offspring hypothesis is really simple.. Fewer coyotes means that there are more prey animals just because there is more for the existing animals to eat. More nutrition means more animals of a given litter of pups will survive. The number of pups born is determined by how much coyote food is available in the month or so before the mating season. More pre mating season food means more ovulation for the girl coyotes, which in turn translates into more puppies being born.
best
Bruce Peek
I've got some Winchester 350 legend ammunition that is advertised as a bear round. A 180 grain jacketed lead nose. I really don't want to test that claim. Maybe a small bear but I can't believe it would be a good round for big grizzly or Kodiak. Not to say impossible or couldn't be done but with those large teddy's if their close enough to drop with those rounds chances are you are in big trouble already. However I could be very wrong as I often am.
Hilarious 🤣! Ron is so fantastic! At 24:00 as to bear 🐻 rifles and cartridges! The options make this great RUclipsr CRAZY 😜!
.338 No .30-06 No .308 wait.270 short range! 45-70 ! People there are not that many bears and If you should actually see one you may be interested in photography than rifle/ cartridge combinations. Unless you are Big Jim Shockey or Michael Waddell!
What does any of this have to do with 308 VS Big Bear?
30-06 or 6.5 prc? Trying to decide on next rifle.
3-400yds I'd go 30-06, further out 6.5 PRC. To be fair most choices are made simple by getting closer. Under 400yds I'd say it's hard to beat a .30 cal.
@@redrock425 7 mm rem mag?
No,no,no, little silver bells 🔔 & bear spray is all you really need. I saw it on U TUBE
I just love your videos