I have been invited to Fairbanks area a year from September for moose. I have never been up there, so looking for the perfect rifle to take, which I have quite a few. please give me recommendation's both for moose and for any other critters that might lurk and want to eat me for lunch or something. Try to keep the entire package at $1500 or less if you can. I will load my own, am thinking of a 338-06, but don't want to be stymied in stores if for some reason my ammo does not show up. looking for help !
thanks
The rifle calibers you will see the most around Fairbanks during moose season are the .30-06, .300WM, and .338WM. The 30-06 and loads with 180-grain NOS or other bullets should be just fine, or a .300 with the same bullets. If you want more punch from a bullet, the .338WM with a 250-grain NOS Partition will be great, but my favorite is the 225-grain Barnes TTS-X (tipped) as an all around bullet. The choice is yours; just pick the one you can shoot well.
While stainless steel rifles are a good idea if raining, snowing, or a mix of both, a lot of hunters around here also carry blued rifles. I got .338's in both finishes, and keep the rust off the non-stainless one by cleaning it at the campsite at night. Never had any trouble with rust. Anyway, the .338 Ruger Hawkeye African I have (sort of a blue dull finish) is my favorite. It does not have a muzzle brake like the other African versions, has a 22" barrel, and express sights. I installed a Leupold scope that has a #4 reticle with an illuminated dot in the middle. I put the great-looking walnut stock away, and bought a McMillan plus a Decelerator recoil pad that is fitted for a 12.5" LOP. No problems with recoil for me. The bolt is smooth as silk, and also of a gray dull finish.
Mine is this one, except that it was a custom built without a brake, and also with a sort of parkerized (?) finish, even on the bolt, instead of the shiny one you see here:
https://ruger.com/products/HawkeyeAfrican/specSheets/47120.html
