go with a 50bmg,it will work for anything anywhere and a glock 20 for the bears that chase ya.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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