What guns would you take on an expedition to Alaska?

[Bikebreath]

.

This is how big a grizzly bears paw is - by the way, the bear is sedated and about to be tagged.

 

[Mr H]

Yowzers.

Nothing that potentially warm and cuddly should be that dangerous.

But then... I thought that about my ex too, once upon a hormone...

 

[photoracer]

What about a good ole lever action .30-30 carbine? With loadings from mild 125gr up to Buffalo Bores 190 gr (https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=222), seems like a good alternative to a 44 mag. During the last ammo craze, the .30-30 was one round that was easy to acquire. I know the .30-30 is questionable beyond 150-200 yards, but a good portion of your time would be spent trudging through dense forest and brush. I have never shot a 45-70 but I would imagine that with a .30-30, quick follow-up shots would be much easier.

There have been multiple cases of up to as many as 3 hunters being mauled and killed by bears in AK over the last 100 years armed with 30-30 leverguns. Not a caliber I would favor. Having lived there in the past I do not consider .357 magnum as an acceptable survival pistol, unless Jerry was behind it.
A bear could do 50 yards in only a few seconds (10-15 maybe), as they can run faster than a moose. How many of you think you could accurately fire 6 rounds or more in that space of time considering its major bones and skull will almost certainly deflect most pistol bullets? How many of you would have the ability to suppress the flight reflex to wait until it reared up about 10 yards away to pump 6 rounds or more into the center of mass? There is real info behind the old Alaska joke "what does a brown bear call a fisherman that tries to stop him with a handgun. The answer is lunch".
If you must carry a handgun the smartest thing to do is pick one that can be loaded to fire a minimum of a 275g slug to at least 1200 FPS and that means the minimum caliber is .41 Mag with a 5-6" barrel (I don't like 4" barreled revolvers unless you can hit something with it). You will never have the chance to fire more than the initial load and maybe one more speedloader if you are lucky (carry 2 in case you get so frightened you drop one). I would consider pepper spray as a close in defense if surprised at close range. Unless you have already annoyed it by wounding it. Then it might not stop like a perp on drugs. And you need to get proficient at using it before you go.
By the way its called the .378 Weatherby not a 375. I consider the .375 H&H Magnum as the best all around big game rifle when there are no elephants, rhinos, or hippos around. Less recoil than the Weatherby or Winchester magnums but fires the same size bullets a little slower. There is a reason it was considered the #1 rifle in Africa.
All this is if you are going into brown bear country. If not you then its up to you. I seldom carried anything when I was a kid although when hunting my dad tended to carry a 30-06 and I a shotgun. Did not own any handguns powerful enough (including the 1911 we had) back then. Only bears I saw when fishing were black bears.
In most cases nothing ever happens up there. But you need to ask yourself, do you feel lucky? If something does happen and you plan for it, and you can shoot whatever you take proficiently and its powerful enough, do you want your family to meet you when you fly back home or take delivery of your casket with whatever is left.

 

[Minuteman]

Ok, how's this for a compact, but more powerful alternative?

 

[honda53s]

I would take Chuck Norris as my sidearm.

 

[trickg]

By the way its called the .378 Weatherby not a 375. I consider the .375 H&H Magnum as the best all around big game rifle when there are no elephants, rhinos, or hippos around. Less recoil than the Weatherby or Winchester magnums but fires the same size bullets a little slower. There is a reason it was considered the #1 rifle in Africa.

From what I can see, it's both:

375 Weatherby Mag (Parent case was the 375 H&H)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.375_Weatherby_Magnum

378 Weatherby Mag
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.378_Weatherby_Magnum

Keep in mind, this is only from Wiki and Google-fu - I personally have zero experience with either one of those aside from things I've read in various gun publications over the years.

 

[Minuteman]

Yep, I don't know about these big bore calibers either, found this:

"Other 375 caliber handgun cartridges compared to the grandaddy of them all, the 375 H&H Magnum. The 375 Winchester and 375 JDJ can be safely chambered in the T/C Contender."

From here: http://www.handgunhunt.com/tech/t7/

 

[traveller]

Ok, how's this for a compact, but more powerful alternative?

What is the muzzle energy of a 8.5in SBS with slugs ?

 

[AssMan]

10/22 takedown, 629, .50 Beowulf. Not sure what I'd use as a long distance option (more than 200 yards) - or if I'd really need one.

If the situation only requires me to survive/hike for 60 hours, I'd just bring food and the 629. No need to schlep 30lbs of guns and ammo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cmb286]

There are some .45 ACP bear loads.... but I'm not so sure what they'd do against a brown bear

 

[Minuteman]

What is the muzzle energy of a 8.5in SBS with slugs ?

Im pretty sure we'll over 1000fps.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth.../printthread/Board/34/main/286668/type/thread

 

[PapiBarcelona]

I read a few replies, the "civilian" ammo available for the 5.7, colored tipped bullets did almost no damage at all to thin steel .22 swinger plates. I know I hit it at least once at about 20 yards, it was about a 3 1/2" diameter circle... compared to a 9mm that basically dented the entire plate with just one shot.

I have a .44 mag Ruger Alaskan, it's big, bulky, 6 shots, 300 grain hardcast is hard hitting but manageable on big grip revolver. I haven't trained too much with it in all honesty. It's also heavy, especially on your hip and you basically need a really good stiff gun belt so the holster doesn't sag and flop around.

Right now I shoot my 40 caliber Glock's the best every time I practice. I'd be comfortable with much higher capacity, less power .40 if I can get more rounds on target under some kind of stress fire scenario than being less confident taking out a much more powerful revolver.

I'm in WV a lot, and I would be fairly uncomfortable using a 5.7 for Black Bear protection, and we're talking about Grizzly's and Brown Bears with thick skin, muscle, thick bone unless you get lucky shot. I just picture someone using multiple mags of 5.7 to down a grizzly. It'd be like shooting at it with a pellet gun.

It's probably the worst feeling in the world to be on foot, perhaps alone and hearing a big bear move about stalking you. As far as the OP, I think I'd have a shotgun in Alaska. Probably a million threads on the internet about this, I think a lot of people get caught up thinking about stopping the threat on just 1 particular animal. How many other bad critters are in Alaska? Do you drop a round of shotshell in the cylinder on your first trigger pull for snakes?

 

[boss66tcode]

Rem 870 or Winchester 1300 12 gauge
9.3x62 bolt rifle with irons and scope
10mm 1911 or s/w 29 44 magnum in a shoulder holster

Sarah Palin's cell phone number

 

[fabsroman]

I read a few replies, the "civilian" ammo available for the 5.7, colored tipped bullets did almost no damage at all to thin steel .22 swinger plates. I know I hit it at least once at about 20 yards, it was about a 3 1/2" diameter circle... compared to a 9mm that basically dented the entire plate with just one shot.

I have a .44 mag Ruger Alaskan, it's big, bulky, 6 shots, 300 grain hardcast is hard hitting but manageable on big grip revolver. I haven't trained too much with it in all honesty. It's also heavy, especially on your hip and you basically need a really good stiff gun belt so the holster doesn't sag and flop around.

Right now I shoot my 40 caliber Glock's the best every time I practice. I'd be comfortable with much higher capacity, less power .40 if I can get more rounds on target under some kind of stress fire scenario than being less confident taking out a much more powerful revolver.

I'm in WV a lot, and I would be fairly uncomfortable using a 5.7 for Black Bear protection, and we're talking about Grizzly's and Brown Bears with thick skin, muscle, thick bone unless you get lucky shot. I just picture someone using multiple mags of 5.7 to down a grizzly. It'd be like shooting at it with a pellet gun.

It's probably the worst feeling in the world to be on foot, perhaps alone and hearing a big bear move about stalking you. As far as the OP, I think I'd have a shotgun in Alaska. Probably a million threads on the internet about this, I think a lot of people get caught up thinking about stopping the threat on just 1 particular animal. How many other bad critters are in Alaska? Do you drop a round of shotshell in the cylinder on your first trigger pull for snakes?

This is Alaska, not Arizona. Snakes are cold blooded, so they would be hibernating a heck of a lot in Alaska. You don't see many snakes during the winter.

Funny you should mention the pellet gun scenario, because I was thinking about it that way the other day. Using a 5.7 on a grizzly would be like using a pellet gun on a human. You are going to need one heck of a good shot, even with a fully automatic pellet gun. Getting to the vitals on a grizzly is a lot tougher than getting to the vitals on a human. I've seen deer get gut shot or butt shot with a high power rifle and go for miles before they laid down to die. I've killed a deer that had been shot in both front legs prior to me killing it, and it was still alive and walking. However, infection had started to set in on the front legs.

End of the day, a handgun, even a .454 Casull, wouldn't be my first choice for defense against a grizzly or any other large game in Alaska. It would be my "Jesus, I am getting mauled to death and cannot get my long gun into play. Hope this handgun will get the job done or I will be meeting my maker." choice of weapon.

 

[Dieselfool]

Nuf Said...

 

[Streetgang]

Lot of good ideas here.
I was deployed to Kodiak AK in 97 training Navy in Arctic warfare at what is now called NSWC Det Kodiak.
Our SOP then was two person integrity one carried a long gun (M-14) and the other a pump shotgun with slugs alternating with 00 buck. Both carried 1911's. This was in the late 90's when we still had 1911's in the inventory.
Today I would carry a S&W 500 in .50 magnum and the shotgun.

 

[boss66tcode]

Lot of good ideas here.
I was deployed to Kodiak AK in 97 training Navy in Arctic warfare at what is now called NSWC Det Kodiak.
Our SOP then was two person integrity one carried a long gun (M-14) and the other a pump shotgun with slugs alternating with 00 buck. Both carried 1911's. This was in the late 90's when we still had 1911's in the inventory.
Today I would carry a S&W 500 in .50 magnum and the shotgun.

That sounds like a hell of a detail.
Someday maybe I can travel up there

 

[Streetgang]

That sounds like a hell of a detail.
Someday maybe I can travel up there

Amazing place. Legendary fishing and hunting. My first Halibut was 17lbs. Legal but for Kodiak way too small. If they aren't 100lbs, they're too small.

Our training was great except when we got wet. Five minutes in the water with UDT's and dive booties. They called it dry suit appreciation. I called it painful.

 

[boss66tcode]

Amazing place. Legendary fishing and hunting. My first Halibut was 17lbs. Legal but for Kodiak way too small. If they aren't 100lbs, they're too small.

Our training was great except when we got wet. Five minutes in the water with UDT's and dive booties. They called it dry suit appreciation. I called it painful.

"Our training was great except when we got wet".

Your definition of "wet" is far, far more extensive than this civvy if you trained with UDT's.

coronado/miramar, MDL Jersey, and Virginia Beach can't come near Alaska pacific kind of cold.

 

[Streetgang]

"Our training was great except when we got wet".

Your definition of "wet" is far, far more extensive than this civvy if you trained with UDT's.

coronado/miramar, MDL Jersey, and Virginia Beach can't come near Alaska pacific kind of cold.

Yes the water was 34 degrees the day we did our dry suit appreciation.
Talk about shrinkage... That sucker was lost for days.