What's the perfect Alaskan rifle/round?

[sask boy]

No doubt the 338 is a great caliber. I have shot every animal that Saskatchewan has to offer using just one bullet and that was the 235gr. speers over top of 75grs of IMR4895. Most shots were bang drop.The 375 H & H is as good as they come.
The 235 traveling at 3000fps reaches out and can touch things.

Blessings,
Dan

 

[Oldtrader3]

I used to own both the .338 and the .375 H&H. Recently, I compromised my principles and pulled my bolt action inventory to a skeletal level of (7) rifles. The .338 WM went and the .375 went as well but that was too much of a good thing. I compromised on a Mark V, .340 Weatherby to add back which, with 250 grain tough bullets, will do any job that I need done. I felt absolutely naked without a .338 in elk country!

I shot the Speer bullets, both Hot Cor and Grand Slams for the .338 WM for several elk and they did just fine with both 225 and 250 grain bullets.

 

[Mooswa]

No doubt the 338 is a great caliber. I have shot every animal that Saskatchewan has to offer using just one bullet and that was the 235gr. speers over top of 75grs of IMR4895. Most shots were bang drop.The 375 H & H is as good as they come.
The 235 traveling at 3000fps reaches out and can touch things.

Blessings,
Dan

I never got down that light in the .375, the 260 AccuBond is the lightest I have loaded, but then I usually was packing it as a back up in big bear country when guiding out west on the coast or
up north where we occasionally had problems with the barren ground bears or the big fuzzy white ones.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

The one on the left is a .338 Win Mag I had assembled from parts. The barrel came to me from Anchorage, a Ruger take-off that was fluted by a previous owner. The one on the right is a .30-06 that came in a laminate stock. Both have 22" barrels.

Seems to me like they would make a great pair for Alaska.

 

[Anonymous]

Coyote hunter-
Those "boat paddle" Rugers have something of a following up here. I like them better than the current plastic stock for most things but you hear a lot of comments about how unforgiving they are on hard kickers. What recoil pad is on your .338? It doesn't look factory if I recall what they look like.

 

[Anonymous]

I never got down that light in the .375, the 260 AccuBond is the lightest I have loaded, but then I usually was packing it as a back up in big bear country when guiding out west on the coast or
up north where we occasionally had problems with the barren ground bears or the big fuzzy white ones.

I usually shoot 270s or 300s in my .375s but when I need to load another batch the 260gr AB is on the short list. If I need to stretch out the barrel in open country I use my .300 instead of the lightweight screamers in the big bore.

I hate to say it, but after hunting a good while here, I haven't really shot anything that requires that much juice. Its comforting out in the toolies, but I've not shot anything with it an '06 wouldn't have handled nicely.

I picked up the .375 (and earlier a .338) thinking the "one rifle for Alaska" line...but after dragging those heavy things into the mountains for sheep and caribou a couple of times I picked up my lightweight .300WSM- it gets most of the field time now.

If I ever go back to a .338 (no reason to, but my taste in rifles has little to do with reason)- I'll probably get a really light one and primarily shoot it with 180ABs and keep a few 250s in the pocket for a pack out.

 

[akhunter]

I own neither, but think a 300 WSM or a 300 Win. Mag. would be the ideal round for all AK big game hunting if someone was a one rifle hunter. Myself, I've switched to my 7WSM for all my hunting.

 

[IdahoCTD]

3000+fps out of a .375 caliber 260gr AccuBond would be my choice. The caliber doesn't really matter as there are several that will do it. They shoot nearly as flat as the .300 mag's with nearly 50% more energy. I've killed elk over 600yds with my .375-.358STA so I know they have long range capability. They aren't for the recoil shy but it wouldn't be too often you'd need or want more gun.

 

[35 Whelen]

Hodgeman says:
I hate to say it, but after hunting a good while here, I haven't really shot anything that requires that much juice. Its comforting out in the toolies, but I've not shot anything with it an '06 wouldn't have handled nicely.


I can remember when guys would call to book a hunt for Alaska and old Ward Gay would get on the phone and they would start talking about buying a 300 Weatherby or something bigger. And ask his opinion, and he would say "what do you use at home for hunting" and a huge percentage would say "well I got a 30/06" So then he would say "can you shoot it?" And they would usually answer something like this "I can snip a knats knuts off at 400 yards" or that it had "piled up so much game you would need a Cat 966 to move the pile around".
So he would tell em to just bring that, and they would be fine, Of course they had already made up their minds to buy a new gun, usually cause some gunwriter had informed them you need a canon to hunt Alaska. So then they would always broach that question "what about the grizzlys" and he would just tell them simple as this. "Bring a box of 220 gr Peters"! Ward used to have the Peters shell people up there hunting, and they used him in alot of advertisements. If you go back, and look at ads from Peters from the 1950's . I have some framed here at the lodge . He started with Madsen down on Kodiak in the 1930s, and owned SeaAirmotive Airlines in Anchorage. His experence was over a 50 year period, when guiding in Alaska was in its hayday. His advice was sound then, as it is today . When I was flying one time for Kelly Vrem we where operating out of Kenny Clarkes place over on Alexander Lake Lodge; and we had a Moose strip up on top of Mount Susitna, it was actually one of Ward Gays old strips; and is same place Bert Klinberger shot the world record moose with Joe Delia that stood for around 30 years. There was a gold miner that lived in there on Wolverine Ck, that was probably in his late 70's then [1987] and we used to take him in supplys from time to time. He got to telling me storys, about shooting bears in there, and claimed he had to kill a couple every year, that would start making trouble for him. He said he had mined there for over 50 years, so I guess thats around a hundred bears ?. He had an old Springfield, with a reciever sight on it in 06. I asked if he had lost many, and he said he had never lost ANY. I then said "would you say its enough gun" and he told me" I never had a problem with 220's".............................. simple as that. I also asked him one time "Hey how much gold have you pulled outta here over the years"??? And then his eyes lite up with some fire in them, and he smiled and said "Wouldnt you like to know!"

footnote: I got throw this in here on the 06 stuff:
Old "Sourdough" Hosea Sarber, noted Alaskan game warden and guide used his 30/06 on all of the Alaskan bear varieties with a Western Tool & Copper 172-grain bullet, it is fairly well documented he killed hundreds of Brown Bears with it. Jack O'Conner reported that: "...Hosea killed more girzzlies than I have ever seen [with it]. And Jack himself killed 8 Grizzlies with his '06. And interesting fact was that when Jim Carmichel interviewed Jack at his home when he was replacing him at Outdoor Life as the Shooting Editor he asked him if he could only have one gun to hunt the world with and Jack replyed instantly "The 30/06" simple as that.

 

[Guy Miner]

35 Whelen - that's a mighty fine tale. Thanks for taking the time to type it up and post it.

Regards, Guy

 

[35 Whelen]

Guy Miner.
Your most certainly welcome and I am glad you enjoyed it! 8) And for the typing when I took it in high school I was only about 30-40 words a minute but now after messing with computers for almost 20 years I am up to around 60 wpm!! So it dont take long! My wife is over a hundred wpm so when she is typing, it sounds like an old teletype machine rattling over there!!

 

[Mooswa]

Yes I won't argue about the merits of the old .30-06, I have been using one for far too long. Truth be known at home if I head out for moose, elk or bambi I pretty much always grab my old '06 pre 64 Model 70 and it always gets the job done. I have used it to kill a few grizzlies over the years, killed a couple with a .270 a couple as well.......... but that is me hunting.

When I am guiding and have had to shoot a big bear it is because it is already pissed off and I prefer the bigger cartridges and heavier bullets with more frontal area.

 

[DrMike]

Great account of hunting Alaska, Earl. Thanks for posting, even if you're typing at only "60 WPM!" Both entertaining and informative.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

Coyote hunter-
Those "boat paddle" Rugers have something of a following up here. I like them better than the current plastic stock for most things but you hear a lot of comments about how unforgiving they are on hard kickers. What recoil pad is on your .338? It doesn't look factory if I recall what they look like.

The pad is a SIMS LimbSaver 10011. I had to drill a screw hole in it to match the stock and it is very slightly oversize, but it really reduces the recoil of the fairly lightweight .338WM.

 

[DrMike]

Man, those boat paddle Rugers were ugly; and everyone who had one loved it. It was undoubtedly one of the most utilitarian rifles built. They did (and still do) carry the goods. People were not afraid to carry them anywhere, and as a result they accounted for a lot of game in these parts. A fine pair of working rifles, CH.

 

[Jager1]

Well I guess that was kind of a loaded question. I guess my real question is I'm looking to complete
my 3 gun battery for Alaska. The first two are taken care of -06 and a 300wsm. Now I've been thinking of the 3rd witch will be the top "DOG" in my battery. Mainly looking for a "Bear rifle" I guess. I do have a line on a New Haven M70 SS 375 H&H but the 338WM and 358NM also sound appealing. Thanks again guys, Jager1

Although this thread sure has made for some "good reading" I must say!
Pics of current bear rifles is all this thread is missing. We do have 1 so far. :grin:

 

[Coyote Hunter]

Man, those boat paddle Rugers were ugly; and everyone who had one loved it. It was undoubtedly one of the most utilitarian rifles built. They did (and still do) carry the goods. People were afraid to carry them anywhere, and as a result they accounted for a lot of game in these parts. A fine pair of working rifles, CH.

Thnks. I like them a lot.

Here is my other one, also my first, a .300WM:

 

[gerry]

Well I guess that was kind of a loaded question. I guess my real question is I'm looking to complete
my 3 gun battery for Alaska. The first two are taken care of -06 and a 300wsm. Now I've been thinking of the 3rd witch will be the top "DOG" in my battery. Mainly looking for a "Bear rifle" I guess. I do have a line on a New Haven M70 SS 375 H&H but the 338WM and 358NM also sound appealing. Thanks again guys, Jager1

Although this thread sure has made for some "good reading" I must say!
Pics of current bear rifles is all this thread is missing. We do have 1 so far. :grin:

I would rate the 338 WM the most versatile followed by the 358 Norma and then the 375. The 300 gr AccuBond in the 338 would be pretty good bear stopper. The Outfitter I guided for shot lots of big coastal grizzlies here with his 338 in the worst imaginable curcumstances and lived to tell about it.

Here are my bear guns

35 Whelen

375 Ruger

 

[Anonymous]

Well I guess that was kind of a loaded question. I guess my real question is I'm looking to complete
my 3 gun battery for Alaska. The first two are taken care of -06 and a 300wsm. Now I've been thinking of the 3rd witch will be the top "DOG" in my battery. Mainly looking for a "Bear rifle" I guess. I do have a line on a New Haven M70 SS 375 H&H but the 338WM and 358NM also sound appealing. Thanks again guys, Jager1

Although this thread sure has made for some "good reading" I must say!
Pics of current bear rifles is all this thread is missing. We do have 1 so far. :grin:

If you already have a .300WSM and an '06 (which really fill the same role), I'd not stop at the .338 bore and go straight to a .375 of some flavor. The .30s and the .375 compliment each other pretty well in there's no real overlap between them but no real gap either....

 

[Oldtrader3]

I FWIW would elect to buy one of the .338 variants unless, you are planning to varmit call hungry Coastal Grizzly bears onto dinner while in an alder patch where you will be shooting at shooting lanes of 10-15 yards. For that duty, nothing is to big! However, a .375 will certainly do the trick even under those conditions.