Best rifle for big game in Alaska?

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orangevale

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The 338 win mag was going to be my stock caliber suggestion.

If you are into reloading and don't mind a semi-wildcat round, a 35 Whelen bolt action would also be a good choice. 35 Whelen is a 30-06 case necked up to take a 0.358 diameter bullet.

+1 for the .35 Whelan. Suitable hunting bullets range from 200 to 250 grains, giving you a good range of weight for deer up to brown bear. And for cheap practice or in a pinch you can load up .38/.357 pistol bullets.

Isn’t anyone going to yank the OP around with the old “push feed vs. controlled round feed (aka claw extractor)” when hunting dangerous game discussion?
:disappoin
 

BUDMAN-BILL

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First rule of thumb is to be an effective shooter. Most guides hate the folks who show up with a new uber-magnum DU shooter that they can barely shoot. They would prefer for you to show up with your 30-06 with effective loads that your used to shooting. If you can handle 200 to 220 grain loads in your 30-06 you can take anything that walks in Alaska.

Second rule is the rifle, just as I stated above, if you can handle it, and are a decent OFF THE BENCH shot with it, you'll do well, and the guide won't have to worry about you wounding an animal he is responsible for putting down(Guides hate to have to go after something like a Moose or Brownie thats been wounded).

Third rule; Don't get carried away with all the the new out there, eskimo's go after polar's with 30-30's, a good medium weight 30-06 thats will shoot decent groups with any load from 150gr to 220gr is more than enough for 95% of your shooting.


What he said^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
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Oh yeah, +2 to ldp4570's advice. In fact, I personally "know" through the internet, from another board, an Inuit who (a) uses a Finnish M39 Mosin (7.62x54R) with military ball ammo, quite effectively, for caribou, moose, wolf, polar bear, walrus, etc., and (b) uses a .22lr to kill caribou crossing the rivers, by shooting them in the head from a boat. He also indicates that .223 rem, .243 win, and .30-30 are the most popular calibers for hunting among Inuit. IIRC, he said .223 rem was the most popular - in the 'old days', it was .22 mag, but it seems most of them stepped up to the BIG boy (.223 rem) over the years. :) Also, I've read that among non-Inuit, .30-'06 is the most popular among those that live there, with .375 HH mag coming in second, and .338 winmag 3rd, but some flavor of magnumbuttstomperloudenboomer .30 or .338 is the favorite among tourist hunters.

I've also read that, at least in the past, the .303 Brit was/is the most popular Canadian cartridge for going after moose.
 

henschman

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Your .308 is just fine for anything up to and including moose.

My uncle lived in Alaska since the 70s, and he killed a lot of moose with his .308. That was his moose rifle of choice. Just get one of the heavier loads and you'll be fine.
 

orangevale

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Oh yeah, +2 to ldp4570's advice. In fact, I personally "know" through the internet, from another board, an Inuit who (a) uses a Finnish M39 Mosin (7.62x54R) with military ball ammo, quite effectively, for caribou, moose, wolf, polar bear, walrus, etc., and (b) uses a .22lr to kill caribou crossing the rivers, by shooting them in the head from a boat. He also indicates that .223 rem, .243 win, and .30-30 are the most popular calibers for hunting among Inuit.

Sarcasm Alert

And I put 40 highway miles a day on a Toyota Corolla, so does that mean I think the Corolla is the best highway car? Nope it means I’m a cheap SOB and judge the Corolla to be adequate transportation.

Sarcasm All Clear

My gut tells me that Inuit caliber preferences have more to do with available serviceable rifles and the availability and price of ammunition than worrying about the “best” rifle for Alaska.

My uncle subsistence hunted mule deer in Northern California with a 30-30 Winchester ’94 that had the stock broken clean through and repaired with wraps of electrician’s tape. He refused to replace it, as it went “bang” every time; he probably got ten deer per 20 round box of ammo. My bet is the Inuit have a similar frugal ethos.

Uncle Gene’s top hunting tip; when shooting from a logging road only take deer that are up slope, they might run down hill toward you, but if not, it’s easier to pull the carcass down hill that up.
 

WhiteyMacD

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ALASKA TOP TEN CARTRIDGES
Cartridge # of Hunters %
.30-06 387 20.9
.300 Win. Mag. 342 18.5
.338 Win. Mag. 339 18.4
7mm Rem. Mag. 157 8.5
.375 H&H Mag. 116 6.3
.270 Win. 108 5.8
.308 Win. 65 3.5
.300 Weath. Mag. 64 3.5
45-70 Gov. 25 1.4
.280 Rem. 20 1.1

This is from wildlife.alaska.gov. Looks like the bulk uses 30-06, .300WinMag and 338WinMag. And my favorite coming in 4th, but by a decent spread between it and 3rd.
 
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My gut tells me that Inuit caliber preferences have more to do with available serviceable rifles and the availability and price of ammunition than worrying about the “best” rifle for Alaska.

I think you're exactly right on that, OV. Mostly to do with cost/availability, and not making them ideal. But, they are effective in skilled hands evidently. I think it's gonna depend (like always) on where you are hunting, and for what. On the open tundra, for caribou, you want something flat shooting, like a 7mm rem mag.

In the thick woods & swamps for moose, a .45-70 or .444 marlin would be perfect. Etc., etc.
 

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