bear rifle suggestions?

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im looking for a bear hunting rifle, something with ko power, preferably big bore i was thinking 444 marlin, what do you guys think?
 
.45-70, end of conversation.

.444 Will work as will others but when you can get the .45-70 which is arguably the best and you go into thinking "bear" why buy anything else?
 
ripnbst

thanks for the suggestion i thought about it myself but i have no experiance with the 45-70 ill definetley look into it
 
A 450 Marlin or 45-70 in a lever action would be good choices IMHO. Either one of those is what I would choose because they can be had fairly cheap and have plenty of bear killing power. I think a 444 Marlin would also work but as long as your thinking about that caliber why not just step up to the 450.
 
Marlin makes a few guns in .45-70 if you like Marlin. It's hands down no questions asked what I'd buy if I was thinking, "I need to buy a bear rifle". Nothing else would even so much as cross my mind in terms of a rifle.

A 12 GA shotgun with premium dangerous game slugs(Brenneke) are another option if you've already got a 12GA shotgun. Not as much range as your rifle options but will work very well without needing to purchase another firearm.
 
What kind of bears are you talking about? If you are talking about black bears, jsut about abything you would use for deer hunting will put them down nicely. If you are talking grizzly, then there are several better options than 444 or 45-70 (300 Win Mag, 338 Win Mag, 375 H&H or Ruger, a variety of 416s, etc). So first of all, what kind of bears?
 
My bucket list hunt is an Alaskan Brown bear hunt... I have 2 Browning Stainless Stalkers, one in 338 Win Mag, one in 375 H&H...

... also have a stainless Marlin Guide gun in 45-70... got a hold of some load recipes for maximum 45-70 loads for African Buffalo hunting... the author actually shot 2 water buffalo with one shot ( by accident ) where the bullet passed fully through the intended bull, & still had enough energy to to kill a cow standing behind the bull...

I'm also in the middle of a custom rifle project building a .416 Rigby...

which 2 rifles will win out to go to Alaska if I can ever get to do my hunt ???

only time will tell, as I develope loads over time & decide which rifle I shoot the best...

as mentioned, if you're after "normal" sized blackies... most any rifle you'd hunt big deer with would work... 30-30 would be a minimum for me ( if you're looking at a lever gun, I'd prefer a 35 Remington, 375 Winchester, one of the new Marlin cartridges ( like 338 Marlin etc. ) or the 444 ( which would be a fine cartridge for even bigger bears IMO ) or the 45-70 / 450 Marlin
 
bye bye bear

I'm a big .444 fan and have had great success using it on bear and boar alike.

If you reload, the .444 has it all over the .45-70.

A grain hard cast bullet lead with a gas check is absolutely devastating. Check out its TKO rating.
 
If you reload, the .444 has it all over the .45-70.
Click to expand...

While I love the 444 & the 45-70, & do reload both... I wouldn't go as far as saying that either one is better, as ( with reloading ) they can be both improved in the same ways...

I do think the 444 may have better balistic coefficents, & if chambered in long rang guns like the 45-70 is used sometimes, it might even be a better long range cartridge than the 45-70...

... but for bear purposes I don't think ( apples to apples in your reloading ) that there is much difference or that one would be clearly better than the other
 
It all depends on what you are intending to do with the gun and how much recoil you are able to handle. For bear hunting in Alaska for grizzly, most guides will want a weapon that has power and distance. In that case, the magnums are the way to go starting at .338 magnum levels and up.

For close quarter brush protection, the 45-70 is the most popular loaded with +P loads such as the 540 gr Garrett Hammerhead that will get attention at both ends of the barrel. Recoil energy for many is over 40 ft-pounds. For practice, you can use standard loads that are very reasonable.

I chose the .444 for large bore protection and reduced recoil especially by adding some weight and concentrating on recoil pads. The way I have mine set up, it is like a 20 ga in recoil. The .444 is a VERY accurate gun as well. With my Skinner sights, I can put a 1.5 inch group at 100 yards.

The difficulty in the debate between .444 and 45-70 is the lack of popularity of the .444 giving few opportunities in real to show it is a real contender. A couple months ago, a hunter in Canada stopped a large grizzly in full charge with two well placed shots to save his life. I posted previously on TFL that encounter:

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467334

As much as I love my .444, if I was younger, I would indeed consider the 45-70 if you are looking at getting the power of +P rounds and 500 gr bullets. In my .444, I use the Buffalo Bore 335 gr bullets at 2025 fps. I feel comfortable that it will do what I want it to do as a defensive woods gun God forbid I ever needed it.

Bottom line, it all depends!
 
Black bear or what?

An uncle of mine killed the largest black bear in Virginia west of the Blue Ridge during 1963 with a .35 Rem lever action Marlin.

Another uncle used a .444 Marlin lever regularly around Charlottesville for the better part of a decade and it too worked, but was a little bit of overkill when he used it on deer. Heck, his .30-06 BAR was a bit of overkill.
 
I say a Remington 7600 in 35 whelen. Or if you want a lever gun look at the BLR they come in alot of great bear calibers. I would stay away from "new" marlins even from before the Remington take over. If I were to buy a new marlin there is guy on gunbroker customizing/refining marlins in 35 Remington I would get one of those or call him and have him due 45-70
 
bear rifle suggestions?
im looking for a bear hunting rifle, something with ko power, preferably big bore i was thinking 444 marlin, what do you guys think?
Click to expand...
I think you want to buy a .444 Marlin and are looking for us to say yes. Well you better hurry, Marlins are disappearing from the store shelves and aren't being replaced. You don't need a .444 but if you want one and can afford it then just get it.
 
Marlin 4570 or 450 Marlin will fit the bill . The 4570 will be the best for ammo availability . if you need more power ,reload or get some Garret Hammer heads.
 
Are you wanting a gun to go bear hunting or a gun to use for bear protection. For protection and short 50 yard shots the 45-70 is the gun for that. But if you want a hunting gun forget about it, get something rugged and light that you can hunt all day with like a simple 300 ultra mag or if you dont mind cost .338 lapua mag. Either kill just as fast but are much better suited to go bear hunting
 
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