I'll through out another option, and add a bit of personal reason for it. My first AK big game rifle ended up as a 350 rigby magnum on a mauser action, 250 gr @ 2700 fps and consistant 3 shot 3/4" 100 yd groups. On paper and behind a computer it sounds like the perfect AK big game rifle, and fealt good in the hands. The trouble is hunting hard for a week with that rifle in my hands, a 10+# rifle didn't feel good at all.
So it was replaced with a Ruger M77 allweather 350 rem mag. My thought was, since Ruger used their wsm actions to build the 350, all I had to do was have it rechambered to a 358 wsm and I'd have the perfect AK hunting rifle. Well, I shot it as a 350 rem mag, and figured in an ~8# rifle, 225's @ 2700 fps was all I really wanted in the recoil department, and honestly with todays bullets, if you can't kill any and all AK game with a 225 @ 2700 fps, that same bullet @ 2900 fps or a 250 gr @ 2700 fps isn't going to solve the problem.
So I'd say if he's set on putting a different barrel on the gun for the hunt, 350 rem mag in the lightest contour barrel he can get is the best choice.
