DROX

I lived up there from 1986 to 2002. Of course, most of the people that lived out in the Bush used what ever they had to take moose, bear, caribou for subsistence; .303 British, 30-40 Krag, 30-30..... However, my hunting partners or other folks I spoke to by and large used .338 WM or .375 H/H for coastal browns, moose and bison; and .30-06 or 7mm Mag types for caribou, sheep, goat, elk and deer. A couple of my friends used .458 WM and others used the Weatherbys. To each his own! Just keep in mind that shot placement is the key to success!

jerry d

I posted on another site "most popular caliber in Alaska". I asked {in an Alaska forum}what do you guys carry when hunting non-dangerous game but with the possibility of running into bears.The overwheleming reponse was the 30-06.

bronko22000

Jerry - that may be correct. But personally, if I were facing a charging brown bear or a ticked off girzzly I believe I would want something a bit more potent than the vunerable old '06. (even with 220 gr bullets). I'd want something with more KE and more frontal mass on the bullet. Something like a 375 or .45-70.

jerry d

I wouldn't disagree with you one bit bronko!

cheeseball

A lot of people are talking about the 45-70. I don't get it. It shoots with a trajectory of a rainbow and hits only a little harder than a .243. There are so many better choices.

salukipv1

.340 Wby

.375 H&H

.416 Rigby/Rem.Mag./Ruger

bronko22000

Cheeseball - It depends what data you are looking at. While it's true the trajectory of the .45-70 isn't flat, we are talking about yardages here 100 and less - sometimes measured in feet and not yards. In a modern lever action the old .45-70 can be juiced up to be a considerable powerhouse. And in the a Ruger #1 or Browning 78 it can be loaded to almost 458 Win potency. And even with the same KE on paper, the dimutive .243 (albeit a great cartridge for what it is intended for) fails in comparison to the larger frontal mass of the .45 cal bullet in the way it delivers that energy.
Long ago there was once an article written in one of the outdoor magazines where the author was hunting in grizzly country and on two consecutive hunts he noticed the guide was carrying a .45-70. When he asked the guide why he wasn't carrying a more modern magnum chambering. The guide simply responded "because a grizzly ain't dangerous at 300 yards."
Personally I know what the old cartridge can do on bears - at least black bears. Having taken 3 of them with as many shots I can honestly say that the big old slug ruins their day.

streetglideok

Yep, what he said. Also, with the much larger mass of a 458 caliber bullet, you will see much deeper penetration then with a 243 caliber bullet. You'll notice the big bore guns do not rely on velocity for their damage near as much as small caliber guns. Its all about blunt force trama,lol. Trust me when I say, when you shoot a 45/70 loaded warm in a lever gun, you'll forget anything the 243 has for an advantage on paper.

goalie

Whatever you get, get it in stainless.

jerry d

Bullet construction is totally different. The 243 would have a thinner jacket than the 45-70 even on identical bullets.