Rocky Mountains Woods Bumming Rifles
Key Takeaways
Sauer & Sohn 9.3X62
Winchester 338-06
Winchester 30-06
Marlin 45-70
Ruger 10-22
Savage 243 Winchester
Rossi 454 Casull
Transcript
Good morning, folks. Welcome to our Idaho office! We'll be doing a lot of videos from here until a couple of months from now, and then we’ll move to our Africa lodge, which I’ll call our Africa office. There, we’ll be able to talk about different topics specific to Africa.
Today, I want to do a video on something I probably spend more outdoor time doing than anything else, and I call it "woods bumming." Woods bumming is just going out into the woods and goofing around. More than half the time, Kim is with me. We might be riding horses, fishing, or hiking; we take some incredible hikes up on the Continental Divide, just a mile and a half behind our house. We woods bum a lot, and there are certain guns that I use specifically for this.
If I lived in West Virginia, my needs would be different than here on the Continental Divide, right along the Montana-Idaho state line. Here, we have Grizzlies, whereas in West Virginia, you might encounter a few black bears. You don’t need much of a rifle for black bears, but a Grizzly is a different story. Where you live and woods bum should influence the rifles and handguns you use.
My main concern is Kim’s safety, as we hike a lot. If it were just me out there, I wouldn’t worry too much. But when I have someone else with me, especially someone less powerful or capable, I feel responsible for their safety. So, the rifles I carry reflect that.
Let’s start with the rifles I use the most for woods bumming. I have a lot to choose from, but these are the ones I always go back to.
The first is a 9.3x62, an old JP Sauer & Sohn made in Germany. It’s a really cool rifle with beautiful metalwork; they didn’t have CNC machines back then, so this barrel starts octagonal and transitions to round. The machining is incredible. It’s a Mauser action, so it’s a controlled-round feed. I have an aperture rear sight and a white line front blade for quick acquisition in low light, like in dark timber or at dusk. The 9.3x62 cartridge is powerful enough for our Grizzlies here, who rarely get above 600 pounds.
Next, we have a 338-06 with a 2.5-8 Leupold scope and a 19-inch barrel. I had this rifle made specifically for carrying on a horse. It doubles as a hunting rifle up to 300 yards and has taken its share of game, including bears. It’s a Winchester-controlled-round feed action, the pre-64 style.
Just last week, I used this rifle to lead pack horses while helping a friend retrieve an elk he’d shot. When we returned, a Grizzly sow and her cub had found the elk quarters. I was holding this rifle, and I felt comfortable knowing it would seriously hurt the bear if needed.
The smallest caliber woods rifle I carry is a .30-06, a general-purpose gun around here. It has an older Weaver Grand Slam scope and has seen plenty of use on critters like coyotes. It’s just a dependable woods bumming gun.
My next rifle has iron sights, with a large rear aperture and a white line front sight for fast acquisition. It’s a Marlin .45-70, all stainless with a laminate stock, so it’s weather-resistant. I have eight Marlin .45-70s, but this is the one I use when I don’t want to worry about wiping it down with oil. It’s seen a lot of use on our hikes and explorations.
Now, let’s talk about the guns Kim uses. When Kim is with me, she doesn’t need to carry something that can stop a Grizzly at five feet—I'm there, and I’d handle any dangerous situations. So, her rifles are a bit different.
This is Kim’s Ruger 10/22, with a Leupold 2.5-8 scope. It’s one of Ruger’s target models with a heavy barrel, which I chose intentionally. I wanted her to have that weight for offhand shooting, which is a skill all its own. A .22 is great for practice since you don’t need hearing protection, and there’s no recoil to worry about. I think anyone new to guns should start with a couple of .22s—a rifle and a handgun—because they’re indispensable.
Kim’s next rifle, which you’ll see in some other videos, is a Savage 110 chambered in .243 Winchester. It’s versatile for coyotes and other varmint. She’s even taken a black bear with it, as have I in the past. Our mule deer here can get big, sometimes over 300 pounds, so the .243 is suitable for deer under 300 yards. It’s also equipped with a Leupold scope; I think the Leupold VX-3 (or now called 3 HD) is the best bang for the buck in scopes.
Finally, this is a newer addition for Kim: a Rossi Model 92 chambered in .454 Casull with iron sights. It has a large rear aperture sight, which makes it fast and precise. With Buffalo Bore ammo, this little 16.5-inch barrel carbine has some serious stopping power. It weighs just over 5 pounds, so it’s easy for her to carry all day. Out of a carbine, the .454 Casull gets extra velocity, making it very capable for Grizzly country.
Kim hasn’t yet trained extensively with this rifle, but that’s something we’ll be working on. Proper firearm handling and training are essential, and I think everyone should take them seriously.
So, those are our woods bumming guns here on the Idaho-Montana state line in the Continental Divide wilderness. They’re chosen with our environment and needs in mind. Next, I’ll show you what I use in Alaska. Alaska presents a whole different set of challenges, with much larger animals like 1,700-pound moose and massive coastal brown bears.
When we get to Africa, I’ll share my woods bumming guns for that environment. A woods bumming gun is an important part of any firearm collection, especially if you’re in remote areas like we are.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the outdoors, have fun, stay safe, and God bless. Thank you.
