For hunting I think it's plenty given a good shot any time to let it take effect. For stalking in heavy cover I would want a 45-70 or a 12 gauge.

 

255, 265 or 275 hardcast flatnose should have plenty of penetration for hunting. I believe the 357 mag was used to take one shortly after it's introduction and the 44 mag has certainly taken a few. I would prefer bigger, but if yer pucker string is needin tightened up:ahhhhh:, I guess that would be one way of doing it. I think the 375 win. and heavy loaded 38-55's will do more than most people think. I'd like to see Flat Top do his magic on the 38-55, I KNOW a 300-335 gr hard cast bullet would travel length ways through any game in the lower 48 and maybe Canada and Alaska. DP

 

Yup, i would using 255 gr Barnes Original's bullets @ 1,900-2,000 fps. I think the .375 would make a strong argument against anything in the lower 48. My opinion is if you have confidence in it, than go for it. They are bigger and badder rounds, but i certainly believe it would get the job done. Range would be the only limitation, i would try to keep it close.

 

The inuits, or eskimos shoot bigger bears with smaller calibers. There was a guy on 24 hour campfire who shot a big grizz with a 6.8 spc in a Ruger ranch rifle, one shot and one dead bear. If i was paying all that moola to go on a grizz hunt i wouldnt use my 375, probably use my 35 Whelen as it has the reach over a 375. I wouldnt want to see the bear of a life time and have to pass because it was a little too far. If i lived in grizz country i wouldnt feel undergunned with a 375 but i wouldnt load it down, they would be either hard cast or 250gr fully stoked loads. A 375 aint gonna destroy a bullet with its lethargic velocities

 

I would say lower 48 griz up to 600 pds fine. Canadian and alaska 1000 pds + bears = thin. The question is will it kill him? Sure but when. After him chewing you does not count. Have fun and bangaway.

 

I have to agree with Bangaway since I actually spent two years hunting in Alaska while in the Army there. Probaby the 375 Win would be a good camp rifle but wouldn't work well in Northern Alaska where the terrain (mostly tundra) is wide open and the shots could be 400 yards or so. I would take it black bear hunting there--I used to bait hunt blackies in AK when I was there in the early 1990s (don't know if this is still legal there). Many guys used 45-70s or old 348 Wins while in a tree stand overlooking their bait piles. Keep in mind the blackies up there are usually larger than what you would normally find in the lower 48.

 

REt Eng, i live in Jersey, and yes i have hunted in Alaska, but thats another story, last year a guy here killed a 700 plus pound blackie, the Pennsylvania state record is in the 800lb range, i would guess that wilderness blackies in other states dont even approach those proportions, but i could be wrong.....

 

Some blackies were taken up around Ft Greely in the 800-900 LB range when I was there in the early 1990s. Haven't been up there since so I don't know what is the norm now.

 

I think that the .375 has the grunt for the job but, not with a 220 grainer. Last fall I shot a whitetail with a chest shot at the upper end of .375 velocity range-around 2250 to 2300 FPS impact velocity and found bullet fragments from entrance to exit.I talked to a Hornady Tech about it and he suggested keeping velocities below 2200 because they are a bit fragile at higher speeds.A tougher bullet should do your task if you do your part on Grizzly at shorter ranges.

 

I would be very comfortable with a Marlin 375 Win in a tree stand in southern Alaska. Had a 8 Ft Grizz basically trap me in my tree stand while in the Ft. Greely Training Area during black bear bait hunting season. She was very angry and kept circling my tree and yelling at me for about 5 hours until she got bored and left. In those days--you had to be in IMMEDIATE danger of life and limb before shooting a brown bear out of season. Had she reached up (can't figure why she didn't--probably could have hit my lower legs) I would have had an airtight reason to shoot her with my 338 Win Mag. My buddy and I hadn't seen any signs of brown bear prior to putting out our bait piles. Even checked with range control prior to setting up our stands and nothing out of the ordinary had been sighted--just moose, caribou and blackies. Like anything else in AK--put out a food source--and something big will come to check it out.

 

I love the .375 in a Marlin, but not that much. Not an expert here, but did get a very good look at a very big Grizzly in Alaska (actually considered a brown bear due to it's location) when I was on a DIY drop-off black bear hunt and I'm not wanting Marlin .375 in my hands when I want to shoot one. The fact that I own lots of other rifles more suitable for such a task could have something to do with my opinion, I reckon. FWIW, my minimums among what I own start at a stoutly loaded .444 and .35 Whelen.

 

Plenty of Canadian hunters down huge moose each Fall with 303 Enfield rifles and moose are much bigger animals than grizzlies.

TR

 

Plenty of Canadian hunters down huge moose each Fall with 303 Enfield rifles and moose are much bigger animals than grizzlies.

TR

Difference, to me at least, is that I've seen numerous moose in the woods, but none has ever made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.....:flute:

 

No doubt the .375 could kill a grizzly. But I don't think I would consider it... especially at short range (i.e 50 yds). A grizzly can outrun a horse. A mad, wounded grizzly needs to be put down quickly. I'd opt for a .45-70 with hardcast +P ammo.

 

I have seen (from Pics only) the crazy claws, the hostile teeth even the build of a grizzly turns it into mean man munching machine on a bad day. Why dabble on the fringe? if one is not sure or even comfortable with the rifle to do the job step up to the one that is know to be an effective stopper, the venerable 45/70. That is not to say other can't or won't do the job, but the rifle and shooter have to be a matched pair. I you do not have the confidence in hitting the kill zone and backing that up quickly, go some where else or have someone with you who can.

The 375 300gr Woodleigh Hydro in a 375, Yes, I think I would feel very comfortable but I doubt I would be hunting Grizzlies at my age or in Australia.

 

Ok, what a fun read this was!!!!

Now i got a few thing's to add, Chuck Adams completed the grand slam using a bow & arrow to harvest one each of all North American large game animals. I'm an avid bow hunter myself, and would certainly feel alot more comfortable with my .375 win than with a bow. I hope you can see what i'm getting at here, in a pinch i'd like to complete a grand slam someday using my favorite rifle the .375 win cal. I have no doubt's about it being able to knock down a grizzly bear, but i thank you all for your opinion's.

Now lets look at one last thing, fact the 45-70 has a proven track record and alot more power. However, it also has alot more recoil, and i shoot a .375 much better. I like the light weight and ease of handling without the recoil of a .45 cal. Just for instance i shoot this gun better, and could likely place multiple shot's into Grizzly bear more accurately and faster than i could with a 45-70! My opinion is it's alot easier to handle, point, and carry than a 45-70. Plus like i said, i would get alot more satisfaction out of killing a grizzly with my .375 like Chuck Adams probably does using a bow.

I know its an odd choice but that's exactly why i like it, and want to use it. Just about anybody can go get a 45-70 and kill a grizzly, what funs that? ;-) I think a good hard cast bullet would be the way to go but the Barnes 255 gr flat nose is certainly a stout a bullet. Again thanks for your input, i have really enjoyed reading this post. If i ever do get the chance to hunt a Grizzly their's no other gun i would take....

 

Even though "lower 48" griz go 600 lb and AK griz go 1000lb, I think disposition and atitude have a lot to do with it. I see pix of people in close proximity to AK griz while fishing. In WY if you are within 50 yds of one and he wiffs your scent - he's coming after you - FAST.
The 375 Win will kill a griz but if you are going out looking for one I would prefer an H&H. I used to hunt elk with a 6.5-06, but due to the chance encounter with a griz, I now hunt with a 358 Norma mag.
All that being said. When I take my dogs out to do their business I take a 356 Win with 280gr cast bullets loaded hot. Go with a 300gr cast bullet with a large meplate if you have to use the 375 Win.

 

The 38 55 has probably taken many Alaskan Brown Bears. One in particular on the unuk river sometime in the mid thirties. The 255 grain bullet is an excellent penetrated. The 38-55 will do anything the 45-70 will do with a lot less fuss.

 

If I was selective in the situation and had someone with me as a backup, then fine. Same thing if I were to bowhunt a grizzly. Nothing wrong with pushing the envelope, but definitely have strict guidelines and a backup plan.

 

Old thread, back from 2013. Bears, bear hunting, bear defense are all interesting. I remember this thread.

Used a 30-06 with 200 gr Nosler Partitions for my Brooks Range grizzly in 2017. Turns out that despite the potential for long shots in that area, all the shooting was done at 40 yards and less. It got a bit intense there for a while. Final shots were at about 15 yards. Dropped the grizzly twice, he didn't get up after the second drop. Finished him with the guide's 338 Win mag when my 30-06 was out of ammo.

Good hunt. Kind of a wild ending with a lot of shooting happening in a short amount of time.

Looking back, if I'd known I was going to be shooting him at 40 yards and in, I'd have been quite happy to have had a 45/70 Marlin in hand, loaded heavy.

Regards, Guy

 

I have been run up trees by Griz, before. I'm in the camp of having a 3.5" Rocket launcher!

 

To paraphrase: You don't shoot a Grizzley until you think it's dead. You shoot a grizzley until it thinks it's dead. Practice with that 45/70. You won't notice the recoil when that bear shows. Trust me. There is no feeling quite like the one where you shoot something bigger and badder than you and it just looks at you.