Savage 16/116 bear hunter in 338 win mag?

[Joshua Blosgov]

hey guys so I'm looking into a good western rifle for big game in Wyoming or Colorado. My 30-06 is perfect but I want a rifle dedicated to elk hunting. Anybody have any expierince with the 116 bear hunter?

 

[Bullthrower338]

Can't go wrong with a 338! My favorite cal for North American game. Savage is turning out a darn good rifle.
Cheers,
Cody

 

[Mekaniks]

I am a huge fan of the .338 win mag. Lots of choices in factory ammo but even more if you hand load. IMO Probably the most versatile caliber for North America big game.
I don't own a savage 116 but have a buddy that does and he loves it. He has had no problems with it.

 

[ack]

Nothin wrong with your 30/06..It is an elk cartridge for most of us in the west and it won't kick you too bad..

 

[Savage Hunter]

well, I don't have a 338 or a Bear Hunter, but I do own 4 Savages (a 300wsm, 2 in 7-08, and a .22 rifle) and love them all.
My next Savage will be a Bear Hunter in 375ruger. It looks awesome to me.
All my Savages shoot very well and are dependable.

 

[Rob404]

I have 4 Savages all of them are Sturdy but not overly fancy some have been re-barreled into different calibers (Savage's Modular Bolt makes it EZ)They are all great shooters and very accurate, and if you like wood stocks E-bay is full of them

 

[CAustin]

Joshua as already mentioned you 30-06 is a very good elk rifle. Now if you want to step up to something bigger that could also server you very well in Africa for dangerous game then a 375 would fit the bill.

 

[curtism1234]

That 116 is a synthetic I do believe. A 7 1/2 pound 338 win mag is going to kick pretty good. Though it has a muzzlebreak so you'll just loose your hearing instead

How about the good ol 300 win mag or 300wsm? It's a reasonable step up from the 30-06

 

[cpr0312]

Certaily as stated, a 30-06 is a good elk gun, but I would agree with @curtism1234 , a .300 would be an excellent choice with much less recoil than a .338.
My .300 WM kicks less than my 30-06 and much less than my .270 WSM. I took an elk, mule deer, black bear, kudu, blue wildebeest, and many other plains game with it.

 

[gebo824]

I have a 116 Bear Hunter in 300 WM. Won it at an friends of NRA banquet! Taking it to S Africa this July. I haven't hunted with it yet, but shoots right at an MOA with Federal Premium Trophy Bonded Tip in 180g at the range. I'm really liking this Bear Hunter in the 300 WM & it may become my favorite real soon. It also shoots a Partition in 180g almost as accurate at 100yd. I've shot elk with a 264WM & 270WSM, so know this 300WM should do just fine. BTW, my 270WSM kicks really hard as well.

 

[ChrisG]

Used to have a Savage Hog Hunter in .338 WM. It was 7 pounds so it kicked, but MAN was it accurate. I only had it for about 6 months and it wasn't during any hunting seasons here so I can't comment as to how it was on game, but I probably put 200 rounds through it! It was scary accurate for an inexpensive production rifle. The Accu-trigger makes a big difference and Savage is one of the few large firearms companies that use button rifled barrels. This only contributes to their accuracy, although Ruger's hammer forged barrel technology has come a long way.

 

[Divernhunter]

I do not have that rifle but I do have experience with the 338win mag in my Ruger M77 and the cartridge is great. My Ruger also shoots well. The Savage that I have is also good.

 

[larry4831]

I have a Ruger Mark two model 77 in 338 Winchester Magnum. It's a really good shooting rifle and doesn't kick much at all it has the laminate stock. It weights 10.5 pounds but I don't mind the weight.

 

[gebo824]

To follow up my earlier comment about my Savage 116 Bear Hunter in 300wm, it was a deadly killer in Africa. I took 12 animals (10 one shot kills). My trip report is posted (find Authentic African Adventures). I also just got back from an Idaho black bear hunt, where I used it again. I shot my ~320lb bear at ~250yd on the opposite ridge with a Nosler Partition 180g. The bear wouldn't tree & had already got a hold of one of the dogs, so it was a long shot to save the dogs. I was actually surprised I hit dead on the shoulder where I aimed with the Partition. I jacked a second round real quick, only to watch the bear roll down the mountainside to the creek below. I loaded that round thinking I'd have a close range tree shot, or would have used the Trophy Bonded Tip that grouped better at the shooting range. My old Ruger '06 won't group a Partition worth a crap, neither would my Remington XCR 270WSM. So this Savage must have the right twist rate to stabilize a Partition for more than a 100yd accurate shot. I am now extremely impressed with this rifle & highly recommend it. Even with the compensator closed (to save the PH/Guide's eardrums), some gas still escapes & I don't even notice the kick during hunting shots.

Savage 116 Bear Hunter with the bear (after dragging it out of the creek & finding a more scenic location - Idaho is is just beautiful country).