1dirthawker
AH elite
Beemaa,
re: the broken horn bull, exactly what i wanted. not pretty, just a cool old warrior bull. if i could have picked from 20 different bulls, big or small, i wanted one with a broken horn and a full life. thats exactly what i got.
not sure about the article you are referring to. Phil Shoemaker, a local hunting guide, had a 450-400 zoli, and wrote about it regarding hunting brown bears several years ago. in fact i discussed with him which one i should buy before i made a move on the rifle i now own.
i am a fan tho! in john (pondoro) taylors book, in the front end he wrote a little bit about the o/u double rifle, it just was not a common configuration back then, but he said good things about it. many european doubles built today are in a smaller caliber, but are o/u configuration. the 450-400 has been described as "perfect, perfect, perfect for cape buffalo" by craig boddington and taylor. on my bull it did a great job. i'm sure it will be outstanding on brown bear, and i have taken two moose with it at fairly extended (for a double gun) ranges.
so, yep, i am a fan. my gun shoots very well. i could even load it a bit hotter, but there is no need. the only thing i wish is that it was made in stainless steel. i am not a "classic" or "traditional" kind of guy, i want something that works, and up here in a corrosive environment of alaska, stainless would be hard to beat. (my rifle does have pretty nice wood on it tho)
i need to post the video of my shooting my bull (yep, got it on video!
re: the broken horn bull, exactly what i wanted. not pretty, just a cool old warrior bull. if i could have picked from 20 different bulls, big or small, i wanted one with a broken horn and a full life. thats exactly what i got.
not sure about the article you are referring to. Phil Shoemaker, a local hunting guide, had a 450-400 zoli, and wrote about it regarding hunting brown bears several years ago. in fact i discussed with him which one i should buy before i made a move on the rifle i now own.
i am a fan tho! in john (pondoro) taylors book, in the front end he wrote a little bit about the o/u double rifle, it just was not a common configuration back then, but he said good things about it. many european doubles built today are in a smaller caliber, but are o/u configuration. the 450-400 has been described as "perfect, perfect, perfect for cape buffalo" by craig boddington and taylor. on my bull it did a great job. i'm sure it will be outstanding on brown bear, and i have taken two moose with it at fairly extended (for a double gun) ranges.
so, yep, i am a fan. my gun shoots very well. i could even load it a bit hotter, but there is no need. the only thing i wish is that it was made in stainless steel. i am not a "classic" or "traditional" kind of guy, i want something that works, and up here in a corrosive environment of alaska, stainless would be hard to beat. (my rifle does have pretty nice wood on it tho)
i need to post the video of my shooting my bull (yep, got it on video!
i was fortunate to find the bull in a fairly short time. i really like my o/u double, it truly shoots great. i need to shoot a single barrel for a group just to see how well it actually shoots. i bought it to keep, but until you shoot the rifle you are not completely sure what you got.
i have shot 2 moose with it, one was 220 yards, the other was farther! i can only say that the north forks have treated me well so far, i would shoot a wood leigh or a hawk bullet if not a north fork in my gun. i nearly bought a VC, but was talked into the zoli. i believe both are fine rifles. and you picked an excellent caliber. 
