Im looking for your recommendations on what beartooth bullet to use in my guide gun for bear defense on my annual alaskan fishing trip also a good load that works with the bullet that you recommend.My gun is the 45-70 marlin guide gun* . Looking for something that will stop a freight train ha ha * thanks again

(Edited by idahowarden at 18 pm on Feb. 25, 2001)


(Edited by idahowarden at 19 pm on Feb. 25, 2001)

First you need a good pair of track shoes.
Second you pick a good tall tree close by.
Third you practice how to not look like dinner.
Fourth Get a crew trained in rapid reloads for your three man portable 37mm gun.
You'll be ready
Jim

IdahoWarden,

My suggestion for your guide gun without hesitation, knowing your purposes, would be these:

BTB .460"-405g LFNGC/56.0g H335/WLRP/Win Brass/2020 fps

BTB .460"-405g LFNGC/52.0g H322/WLRP/Win Brass/2010 fps

Both of the loads listed here will be in or near the single digits for Extreme Spread over the chronograph, and we have people all over N. America shooting this load with the same results... basically a big ragged hole for five shot groups at 100 yards.   It is the same load that I shared with John Taffin for his testing of our bullets... same results!

Notice that I specify a .460" diameter bullet for your guide gun.   Yes, I know that it has the new Ballard cut rifling... it also has a huge diameter throat that is rather short.   If that large throat diameter is fulled with a .460" diameter bullet, you really have to do something wrong for them not to shoot well!

We still have NEVER had a report of one of these bullets being recovered from game, Griz, moose, muskox, elk, and even some of the large African plains game... from any angle!

That bullet was designed expressly for the 1895 series of Marlin .45-70's and puts the absolute maximum amount of bullet mass outside the case, to give optimum case capacity in the .45-70, and still have absolutely flawless, perfect feeding of cartridges through the magazine.

Of the two loads, my favorite is the one with H335!

Hope this helps!

God Bless,

Marshall

Marshal do you have anything in the 500 gr class to duplicate a Garrett Load?

HI,

HOW ABOUT GOING TO THE 50 ALASKAN IT THROWS A HEAVER BULLET AT  HIGHER FPS.

I keep reading over and over, from a number of different authors, that in the case of a bear attack it happens so quickly that a rifle is almost NEVER brought into play. These articles go on to say that if a firearm is used it is almost always a handgun at near contact distance.

Thoughts??

here is another good load to try
BTB 460 dia.405g- 51gr. RL-7 WLRP-WIN BRASS- 2011fps
1 inch groups @100yds