Posted on 05/07/2019 5:19:07 AM PDT by w1n1
I’m going to replace my truck gun with a .375. I used to roll around with a 45-70, but then I traded it for some gear when things were tight in Alberta, and then used my Ruger scout in 308 for truck gun. After seeing too many monster grizz, and I often work alone, I’m opting for more firepower. Last fall I had a black bear that wouldn’t take off either. He was aggressive and no amount of yelling, loud diesel etc would deter him.
I don’t like the internal mag, I prefer detachable, but it’s not a perfect world.
I thought .375 was a distance large game knockdown round. If you’re looking for closer self protection from grizzly it seems like your original 45-70 rifle would have been a good choice.
I don’t live in Alaska, my stomping grounds are urban, semi-urban, and keep a 870 12 gauge in the trunk. It seems more appropriate for that scenario for many reasons. Top two being it doesn’t carry for a half mile, and if it’s stolen it’s just a couple hundred bucks.
I’m just curious why you would want a Bolt gun vs a Lever gun when MOA is not an issue for a trunk/truck gun.
I find bolt more reliable, and also easier to load/unload.
Distance isn’t an issue, and the ft lbs of energy is what I look at when eyeing up a dangerous game rifle.
Even better when used in a ground support mode.
I can’t find a 45/70 in the platform I want.
I like ghost ring sites on a bolt for protection.
Lol, I like it, though fish and game might frown on me.
“I thought .375 was a distance large game knockdown round.”
Nope, the .375 H&H is the entry-level elephant gun and is considerably more powerful than a 45-70. (Elephants are not often shot at long range.) The .375 Ruger is a slightly more powerful modern cartridge.
Mind you, you can use a bullet like the 260 grain TTSX (tipped mono copper bullet), and it will both penetrate a grizzly end-to-end, and shoot well out past 300 yards.
“If you’re looking for closer self protection from grizzly it seems like your original 45-70 rifle would have been a good choice.”
45-70 is also fine, and might offer faster follow-up shots.
If I was strictly concerned about bear self-defense I think I’d lean towards a defense 12-gauge loaded with 7+ Brenneke rifled slugs and topped with a dot sight.
Makes sense, most dangerous game I’ve bagged are bunnies, birds, and occasional opossum among a few dangerous critters.
Don’t underestimate the birds, they can poke an eye out. Also there’s some real nasty big birds around.
I did have extraction fail on the Ruger Scout, the extractor claw snapped right off, thankfully I was putting down a coyote that I had shot at a long distance, he was around 1200 when I took him down, but just really wounded. I went out there to put him down, I don’t like them to suffer, and it fired once, then wouldn’t pull out the empty case. As I said though, thank the good Lord it wasn’t a more dangerous animal.
Did Ruger get involved?
Wow. Busted off a claw extractor. How many rounds did you have through the gun?
I’m curious about this happening
To a Ruger Scout.
I understood it to have a
Very well designed system.
Not only will it take down a grizzly, it’ll gut it, too.
Yes, but I had to send to Quebec to get fixed.
What really made me angry was that it looked diecast to me. I called and asked if it was forged or diecast and they wouldn’t tell me.
Only maybe 200 rnds.
It’s based of the 98 mauser action. It’s supposed to be rock solid. I told them on the phone I was dang lucky it was a coyote and not a bear, and they didn’t even seem to care.
I also just bumped into a grizz 45 mins ago with said rifle lol. It was tall, but not real heavy yet, hungry, but he ran thankfully.
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