Hypothetical question...... Your in Alaska.... You want a firearm for bear protection..... A long gun... Would it be a shotgun with slugs?... Or would you use a rifle chambered in a large caliber.... A .300 Winchester Magnum or larger?..... Seems like this is being asked quit a bit this evening....
Bear Crap
Favorite Answer
.338 win mag it works
Tell you what I have seen them hit numerous times with big rifles but they never survive for long being pumped full of 12 ga slugs.
Edit;
A real nice gun for them is the .458 Lott. It hammers them down better than any 12 ga slug. But then how many what to shoot that?
.458 Lott 450 gr (29 g) Barnes Solid 2,450 ft/s (750 m/s) 5,996 ft·lbf (8,129 J)
Edit; I didn’t give you a good answer last night. Oh what I said was true. But to be clear 12 ga shotgun slugs are for close range protection that’s why Alaskan state troopers carry that as well as federal agencies that work in the Arctic and Alaska.
As for rifles bigger is always better. Although Alaska fish and game suggest the 30-06 as the minimum I think the 7mm mag, .300 win mag should be considered the minimum. This is why I said the .338 win mag or larger rifle. The .458 Lott knocks the hell out of even the largest bear. As does the .375 H&H mag. You want a real bear killer that’s what you want. Problem is most people cant handle the recoil from such big rifles and that’s where the .338 win mag comes in. Such big rifles do work better than any 12 ga slug because they penetrate better.
Hope that answers your question. It also backs up the answer you gave about bears. I just tell people to use 12ga slugs because few will buy a big bore rifle for bears. I mean what other use is a .375 H&H mag or a .458 Lott? Its expensive to shoot, expensive to buy and it kicks like hell. And most bear attacks people deal with are close up and the 12ga slug is good for that.
Uncle Lar
A Marlin lever action in .45-70 has become a rather popular choice. Plenty of stopping power, fast follow up shots, and effective out to a couple hundred yards if needed. Purely for defense you could also go with a 12 gauge loaded with slugs or heavy buckshot, but you limit your effective range to at most 100 yards with slugs and 50 or so with buckshot.
azdrifter
its the same questions that had been asked and answered in African hunting.Its the diameter of the bullet,bullet construction and the shooter.I would feel good with a 45/70 or 444 Marlin.Encounters would be close(in your face).When up close you want a big diameter bullet.The bear doesnt care if its a Magnum.Best is to break his shoulder with the first shot.Stay kool and follow up.Bullets from magnum caliber break apart at close range..Like African Dangerous game...use a big bullet and place it in the right spot.Magnums sent small bullets out to the next county with little bullet drop.But when you are 50 paces from an animal that will kill you?Big bullet,place it right.I say I would take my 416 Rigby
Taino Johnnie
.338 Winchester Mag with 300 grain round nosed cartridges.
Bocan
340 Weatherby magnum($$$) or for much less money, a 12 gauge with slugs.