"do all gun" for alaskan big game
 

I'm getting stationed in anchorage Alaska for 3 years and i am planning.on doing a lot of hunting. Never rifle hunted before, just bow and shotgun back in Ohio. I was wondering what rifle(s) would be a good choice for me to purchase for hunting up there? Thanks mossbergman11

Never had the joy of hunting up there, but, over the years, the calibers I hear of the most, are the 300 mags, 338 winmag, 375H&H, and 45/70, and well, the '06. Even heard some using the 416 remington/ruger mags as well. Hopefully someone with solid experience will chime in

I'd reckon a .338 Win. Mag. would be ideal. My next choice would be a .300 WSM or .300 Win. Mag.

Man I envy you. But as for a choice of rifle and not knowing what you will be hunting, I am thinking moose, and big bears. If the big bears are on the slate I would choose the .338 as minimum. on up to the .375 H&H or Ruger (if you can handle the recoil). Now these would be my choices to 'reach out an touch' the critters. But if I was goint to be hunting in close quarters I wouldn't hesiteate to get myself a Marlin Guide Gun in the .45-70 and get yourself some stout loads for it - not the wimpy regular loads designed for the old trapdoors. These heavier loads will drop anthing that walk on this continent and the rifle is a joy to carry. Topped with a quality red dot scope you will be fine out to 100 - 150 yds.

the calibers I hear of the most, are the 300 mags

If it were me I would buy one of the new Winchester M70s in 375 H&H and put the best scope I could afford on it...

Cheers/bg

In 1987 the editon of a popular hunting magazine asked thirty gun writers, outfitters, and shooting industry officials what cartridge they would pick if restricted to hunting all North American big game with one rifle. Naturally, the .30-06 was the first choice by a considerable margin. The big surprise came when the .338 Winchester Magnum, .340 Weatherby Magnum, and the 7mm Remington Magnum tied for second place. The .280 Remington came in third, followed by the .270 Winchester. The .300 Winchester and .300 Weatherby Magnums tied for fifth place.

The Reloading Bench

I own a Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker in .338 WM - nuff said.

Just go with the King. The 375 H&H will do it all.

That's a tough one. It really depends on if you want to be able to shoot further distances, or if you are okay with keeping your shots to within 150 yards. I hunt Ohio as well, and if that is what you are used to, you are already used to hunting game at fairly close ranges. I don't know if you've had experience shooting at long range, but if you haven't, I personally would not pony up for a whiz-bang long-range shooting magnum. I mean, what is the point if you are not used to shooting at long ranges?

So I would go with one of the previous posters, and based on what you are used to, get a good lever action Marlin in .45-70 or .450 Marlin. This will get the job done on any Alaskan game at ranges under 150 yards. Again, unless you are willing to invest a lot of time practicing shooting at long ranges with your new magnum, I wouldn't go that route. Just my 2 cents...

Winchester Mod. 70 Extreme Weather .338 Win Mag w/ Leupold VX3 3.5-10x40 scope is what I bought. Headed up to Kodiak next week for 3 weeks on 2 Brown bear hunts, a Sitka Blacktail deer hunt, & some fishing. Both my guide & outfitter shoot Win Mod 70 .338 Win Mags.

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!

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.

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.

I wouldn't disagree with you one bit bronko!

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.

.340 Wby

.375 H&H

.416 Rigby/Rem.Mag./Ruger

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.

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.

Whatever you get, get it in stainless.

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

Weatherby Mark V .340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

I have had a place on the Kenai for years and one of my brothers has been stationed @ Ft. Rich for the past decade...we have hunted pretty much everything that moves up there for about 20 years now and both of us use .300 Win Mag with 180g Nosler Partitions...haven't found anything it won't kill and it is the perfect combo of light and accurate and easy on the shoulder. Both of our pre-64 Winny's have taken moose, brown and black bear and caribou. His wife also uses a .300 Win Mag as well and has been equally successful. One doesn't need a 375 or 416 to hunt up there.

300 WinMag in Stainless, I have hunted here since 1989 and lived here since 1997 and that is all the rifle I have ever needed.

Bronco (Anyone) - I have a Marlin Guide in 444 Marlin. I hand load and am using either the Speer Gold Dot or the Hornady Leverlution bullet. (I pull the Hornady Leverlution factory stuff and reload with a different powder choice for optimum performance out of my rifle).

I am not likely to run into any Browns or moose down here in Alabama :). Just trying to learn of some good bullet options for hand loading this cartridge.

Thanks

I never bothered with the .444 simply because of the lack of bullets available for it. But now Hornady makes a 300 gr .429" bullet that would be ideal for this cartridge. You may want to look into load data for that bullet. It sure would be a nice bear bullet. I know for sure it is devastating on deer out of a muzzleloader/sabot.

I am guessing you are not reloading so that would limit several options for you. I would say go with something common like one of the 300 mags, 338 Win Mag. Ammo for those are pretty easy to find almost anywhere and they have a wide selection. Now if you do reload then your options would certainly be better.

any gun brands better than others in the .300 win mag?

Not really in all honestly. You're main differences will be asthetics, and action design. I personally prefer CRF guns, name the M70. Others like pushfeed guns, like the m700, etc. The quality of the trigger, and the quality of the glass and mounting system for the scope will be the largest factor, IMO.

M134..takes em all out.

check out 1:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYNbaYL-puQ

Nice toy, but its "only a 308" lol

Auction this Saturday in Paulding Ohio, a bit of a drive north of you, has a .416 SS REm and a Weatherby .300WBYmag think its also SS....google Dr. Bricker auction (garnel?bros auctions) Picture shows the huge grizzly he shot, he's a retired Dentist. Looks like a muzzle brake on the .416