Calling all folks who deal with bear on their property....

[GJM]

That's cool man. We've not had a moose show up of course, but we've had our share of nuisance critters. I still greatly prefer that to the knuckleheads I dealt with in the suburbs.

Looks like you are carrying a Guide Gun in the pictures from earlier. I think I'm going to pick one of those up in the next couple of years, as we hunt Elk in the thickets at bad breath range down here, plus we'll likely wind up in Alaska at some point. What load do you use in yours? What are you running for a rear sight?

My wife and I each have a few Guide Guns, all modified by Jim Brockman. Running his front and rear sight. We have had good luck with the Garrett Cartridges 420+P load, and have harvested brown bear with that load.

[Lester Polfus]

cool thanks. I'm digging your sling and light rail setup too. That looks like a handy rifle.

[GJM]

On a lever gun, I want the rear sling attach on the side of the butt stock, so the lever doesn't poke me in the back. Want to be able to quickly remove the sling, with a minimalist sling that easily goes in a pocket, for being in thick cover. Dehorn the rail for the light, so an edge doesn't cut your thumb open in recoil with the heavy loads.

[Lester Polfus]

perfect. Thanks.

[Malamute]

That damn moose moved in -- has been decimating our pretty fireweed. I just went outside to shoo him off, and the thing charged me. I beat feet and got back in the front door.

MGC -- was wearing the FNS .40 in a JM appendix holster, but crocs were all I need to make my escape.

A guy I knew in Fairbanks had a BB gun for his yard gun (may have been his only gun). I saw him shoot a cow moose several times to annoy her and make her and her calf leave. I thought he was out of his mind, but it was hilarious. She'd grunt when he hit her in the flanks and hips. I think he was worried about his garden.

[Haraise]

It amazes me that people recommend the most skill intensive firearms for those who are new. Shotguns are difficult to reload, comparatively. Pump actions are easy to short stroke. Lever actions require the same kind of movement. Big bore revolvers in double action is about the furthest thing from my mind when I think 'what to recommend.' Lever actions and revolvers take massive skill to reload fast compared to a box magazine.

Pistol: Glock 20 or another 10mm semi auto, or a .45 super conversion for a semi auto.
Long gun: AR10 in .308 would work well. Be simple, easy. Ergonomic. Browning BAR if you'd like to shoot .338 and have an older feel. Lots of options.

Box magazines and semi automatics are perfect for new people. Pumps, levers and revolvers for bear are on the other side of it.

[Lester Polfus]

I appreciate that but...

There's a kind of Darwinian selection at work here. Folks in Alaska have access to all the firearms you mentioned, and while there might be outliers, they all tend to gravitate towards a small number of solutions: shotguns with slugs, Marlin Guide Guns, bolt action rifles in .338 Win mag, and big honkin' revolvers.

I wonder why that is?

[Haraise]

I appreciate that but...

There's a kind of Darwinian selection at work here. Folks in Alaska have access to all the firearms you mentioned, and while there might be outliers, they all tend to gravitate towards a small number of solutions: shotguns with slugs, Marlin Guide Guns, bolt action rifles in .338 Win mag, and big honkin' revolvers.

I wonder why that is?

When I lived in the country, it was the same way, and the answer was simple: because traditional is the default to most everything, and old is treasured above effective.

EDIT: There's also that a lot of things in the country were handed down rather than bought new, that people were trained on items that were already old when they were born so it's their defacto standard, and that not having a lot of money to spend on a gun can get you into old technology.

[GJM]

It amazes me that people recommend the most skill intensive firearms for those who are new. Shotguns are difficult to reload, comparatively. Pump actions are easy to short stroke. Lever actions require the same kind of movement. Big bore revolvers in double action is about the furthest thing from my mind when I think 'what to recommend.' Lever actions and revolvers take massive skill to reload fast compared to a box magazine.

Pistol: Glock 20 or another 10mm semi auto, or a .45 super conversion for a semi auto.
Long gun: AR10 in .308 would work well. Be simple, easy. Ergonomic. Browning BAR if you'd like to shoot .338 and have an older feel. Lots of options.

Box magazines and semi automatics are perfect for new people. Pumps, levers and revolvers for bear are on the other side of it.

I think there are two reasons, folks gravitate to the firearms you consider hard to shoot, and it has nothing to do with tradition.

First, the shoguns and lever guns are relatively size efficient, with a lot of power per pound. While that box fed semi might be fine for shooting a moose from your front door, pack an AR-10 all day in the bush, and between the weight and sharp edges, it likely won't be carried long. Glock 10mm and .40 pistols are becoming more commonly carried in the field in Alaska in recent years, which I believe is a function of them being lightweight and weather resistant.

Second, these firearms aren't used to win a shooting match, they are used to stop a charge. Since we don't shoot bears and moose "out there," it typically means one or two shots fired inside 10 or 15 yards. If you don't get the job done quickly, you are likely in a world of hurt, making box magazines less important than when engaging in a prolonged firefight.

Finally, folks that thrive in rural Alaska aren't put off by operating equipment. They may well have flown a plane or boated to get there, and activities of daily living in rural Alaska are more complicated than suburbia.

[Malamute]

^ ^ ^ This.

When I lived in the country, it was the same way, and the answer was simple: because traditional is the default to most everything, and old is treasured above effective.

EDIT: There's also that a lot of things in the country were handed down rather than bought new, that people were trained on items that were already old when they were born so it's their defacto standard, and that not having a lot of money to spend on a gun can get you into old technology.

^ ^ ^ Not this.