375 h&h works great in africa will do great up there all that you need
Why wouldn't the .308 be okay for hunting big game?
The .375 H&H will do it all, and you will be able to find ammo for it anywhere in the world you might need it. Recoil is surprisingly friendly. Recoil energy is pretty high, but recoil duration (which controls felt recoil) seems to be longer than some of the smaller calibers. Ballistics are pretty close to 30-06 trajectories with about twice the weight unless you start trying to shoot at long ranges.
You can find these guns in the seven pound range, but nine or so is much more common and of course kicks less. My Whitworth weighs ten, but balances very nicely and isn't as hard to carry as one would think.
If you are just looking for bear defense, consider a very reliable 12 ga shotgun with Barnes slugs. Those will penetrate 48 inches of ballistic gel, and should stop a big brown bear handily.
All those folks who suggest little guns for Alaska are going from a "best case" assumption. Ask yourself what you want to be carrying on a bad day when everything goes to $h!+. And yes, the natives use little guns. They live there, know all the ambush points, are usually good shots, often hunt in groups, and occasionally get eaten.
They used to love .270s. A friend of mine killed a charging polar bear with one, but she freely admitted that it wasn't nearly enough gun. She was killing caribou for her dogs, and the bear decided she was lunch. She got off one shot and dodged the bear. It ran another 90 yards before it realized it was dead. She had hit it in an eye and it went into the brain. She always wore a necklace with one one of the claws after that.
I have spent some time in Alaska, but it was always work with no time to hunt or fish. Do educate yourself and get training (not the same things) on how to stay alive and well. Guns are the least of it. The weather and terrain can kill the uninformed, and does it often. CB
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