In my notion there are two different types of guide rifles: 1) Stopping rifles-those that you can count on when your client fuxes sh_t up and you have nearly a1 ton of the most dominant, strongest, toughest mean azz hellbringer on earth incoming. My big levers can fire very quickly and work handily in tight places. That is not to say that if you practice with a slicked up bolt action stopping rifle that stuff can go down quickly. 2) Guide rifles that are both incredibly dependable and yet idiot proof. These are an over sized deer rifle or maybe a 338 Win or 375 Win with a brake that my little niece who barely weighs a buck can shoot and hit a volleyball at 150 yards. You can set up a 45-70 with a red dot and it will do the same thing.

I have never been a certificated assistant guide or worked as a packer. My brother and I attempted to get three good ole boys from Oklahoma with white cowboy hats and camo on Moose helping out Ace Dube and it was sheer misery. My brother and I were probably 17 or 18 and we found two really nice upper 50 inch bulls that had everything in palms and browtines and were beautiful moose rutting and fighting with each other. The Ginnocks(our word for dumb idiotstick outsiders) thought that they were too small and complained about the brush, the trail, the snacks, the smoked fish we had with us for provisions. They decided that they wanted to float the Copper River for bigger moose down below Woods Canyon. They were unsuccessful. I have helped numerous out of state hunters who have luggage that is lost or give them insight I what I would do in their situation. I make more than 500 dollars per day as a teacher and most outfits pay their assistant guides less than this. I will retire soon but unless it was a guide who I really respected I probably would pass. I might enjoy packing more than guiding but that is because it is less babysitting and more tough labor in beautiful country.


Today, with many of the Bro Hunters who want a big bear but do not have the time to work their rifle to the level of skill necessary to get the job done. I would be more likely to bring a Marlin 45-70 with a 3 X leupold or Burris with a 3 moa target dot on a thin line crosshair. I would have them shoot the powder puff light 325 grain cowboy rounds until they were on paper then I would switch them over to buffalo bore 430 Grain LBT-LFN at 1925fps/3537 flbs of energy for shooting the bear. I loaned out and got ridiculed for it my Winchester Model 70 Classic SS/SYN in 375 H+H to a young guide friend who put a red dot sight on it for guiding. He didn't have to use it for Brown Bear but did have a client in the North Wrangells who brought a rifle that they couldn't shoot after 2 missed opportunities on the same bull he lent it to the client who downed the moose with the first shot. He was using factory Nosler Trophy Grade 300 grain Nosler Partitions. I also have an old homestead gun which would make everybody happy except for the packer. It is a 1950s Husky FN Mauser action 30/06 with 24 inch barrel with an old weaver K4. I think that it weighs about 10 lbs and it is stocked in heavy birchwood. The checkering is real but it would never win in a beauty contest. It shoots the Federal APHA recommended 200 grain Trophy bonded rounds very accurately and it handles well when you shoot it off hand. It kicks like most 243 winchesters. Like you mentioned, it is easy to maintain. There is a reason that the best camps might have an arsenal of different rifles for a client who brings in a 378 Weatherby Space blaster that weighs 7lbs with the second coming of the hubble space telescope on top.

You correctly guessed that I personally like CLR in old Winchesters or smoothed out mausers. I really like my Flaig's FN 458 Win Mag with dakota 3 way wing safety and laminated stock. It has an oval ferlach barrel with a peep sight. I also take my cut down Whitworth 458 Win mag that is magnaported with iron sights. But I would be equally happy with my OG 1950 348-450 Ackley Improved model 71. My handloads of 61 grains of 3031 yield 2025fps with .458 cal 500 grain Swift A-Frame bullet. It yields about 4300f/lbs of energy with five rounds in the magazine. It is a 24 inch barrel so it isn't as easy in the brush and I haven't shot anything with it yet but it does really kick hard even with a large pachmayr recoil pad. I would not worry about that rifle in the thickets. You can never tell though Joe Want used his 500 Nitro Dominion HH double for many years on Kodiak with it only needing 1 shot to close out the books on the bears in his area near Saltery Cove. He had one bear that was just under 9 ft that he had to shoot 13 times. That 71 is handy to go and runs ammo like poop through a goose.

I hope you are doing well Old Sourdough. CLR is where it is at even in the modern era but it is hard to find great guns. 458 Win is a super round for guiding and I hope you find success selling your rifles. I know that many of the young buck guides keep trying to buy my guns off of me so I think that you would sell them quickly if you took them to a gun show.

Last edited by kaboku68; 01/16/23.