Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Alaskan Big Game Rifle?

True...

Most of us aren't as good as Phil, who's been known to kill a big bear with a 9mm pistol...

The '06 with the right load is a formidable weapon, no doubt, and in the right hands, deadly.

If and when I spend big bucks on a big bear hunt, I'll feel better with my .375, would probably leave my '06 in the safe. It's a big gun, but I can shoot it. It's heavier than the '06, but I can pack it. All things being equal, it may give me an edge. So, why not...

DF

There's nothing wrong with using a big gun if you shoot it well...

My thinking on a big gun is to shoot it a lot, load for each and every use, use it on hogs, on WT's, on everything. That's exactly what I would do if I was getting ready for an Alaskan hunt.

I'm thinking about doing that anyway, just for the heck of it. A .375 H&H gets a lot of attention at the hunting camp, even with moderate loads, (more than an '06) .

It's a fun gun handled like that. Those big slugs, even at moderate velocity, sure do put a whack on hogs.

Whoops, I'm starting to think like gunner500....

DF

I've always enjoyed using "this and that" just to try (or prove) different things. However, for so much of my time and miles when "going hunting", I've simply carried a 7mm-08 or 30-06 because they are enough, but more importantly, are handier than carrying bigger rifles (which I also like depending on my whims). 'Standard' sized/chambered rifles are just so darned versatile. But that never stops me from choosing the 250 Savage specifically for caribou, or the 358 Norma specifically for moose.

The biggest problem with saying "375 H&H" is ideal is that then you have to decide between the 'nice' one, the stainless/plastic one, and what about a bolt gun or single shot?

HAHA ain't that the truth!!!

I don't think MarineHawk's question was answered... or perhaps understood.

Having never been to Alaska, I claim no expertise. But I've hunted bl. bears for at least thirty-three seasons, the majority of that solo. And, at times I've had to do my own follow-up. So I tend to use more than needed for killing a bear, just in case I have to go into thick brush, where you can't see the bear until you nearly step on it. For that nasty business, I like a lever-action Marlin in .45-70.

I too have wondered why the 9.3 x 62 Mauser wasn't mentioned. I've killed a few bears with mine, and I have confidence in it, but it's not a stopper any more than a .35 Whelen or a .338 is unless it's a CNS hit. I've stopped several with .458" bullets, particularly from a .45-70, that were NOT CNS hits! I blew the lungs and heart to jelly using a 250gr AccuBond from my 9.3 x 62 leaving the muzzle at over 2700 fps. Range was 85 yards. There was a blood trail that a blind person could follow... the bear still went 20 -25 yards into thick alders!

Do you want a stopper? You've got it in a big bore where you may not have time or space for precision shooting -- you and I are not Phil Shoemaker.

Edit to add: some may recognize the name Kelly Ross -- he's one of the field writers for Sports Afield. He's Canadian and also an outfitter for big bears in Manitoba, and has done work in the past for an outfitter in B.C. for grizzly on the border of Alaska. I've had considerable correspondence with him in recent months. His "weapons" for big (400 to 600 lb black bears) starts with the .338 Win Mag and includes a 9.3 x 62, a .375 H&H and finishes with a .458 Win Mag. This fall he's returning to B.C. to work for the same outfitter -- taking with him those same rifles. But there will be no grizzle hunts in B.C. because the government has shut down grizzly hunts.

Bob

www.bigbores.ca

I should think shot placement to be more important than cartridge choice . . . within reason of course. I would value reliability in my equipment over cartridge choice as well. A jammed rifle could make for a well fed griz.

Absolutely true !
But there is nothing wrong with medium sized guns if you shoot them well either and truth be told, we all tend to shoot better with them!

[quote=super T]A Ruger SS with a "boat paddle stock" in 30.06. ]

This but in a 338. It has worked for me several times and if it's lost or stolen or damaged you can always get another one.

Rifle and cartridge selections are extremely subjective, everyone has their favorites. My one cartridge for the game listed would be the 338 Win. with a monolithic expanding 225 grain bullet of respectable b.c. Many others of course will work. The rifle would be a stainless, synthetic, with an open style trigger, and preferably control round feed type. Iron sights would be optional, though a good option. I would mount a quality 1.5-6x42 scope for a single choice. Or have both a straight tube 1.1-4 / 1-6ish and 2-10x42 type in detachable mounts for varied terrain.
At times, I wonder why I own/use any thing else, but I do. I mostly hunt moose with a 375 Ruger. I have used the 416 Ruger and might this year. Neither have dropped a moose any faster than the 338 Win. But, I like the larger bores and for the distances I shoot trajectory is not an issue.

A .458 Winchester handloaded with 350gn TSX bullets make a great .375 load while maintaining .458 caliber for those that use recoil as the excuse not to step up to the best caliber for dangerous game.

A 300gn .375 bullet is good but a 350gn .458 bullet at the same speed is damn good. Besides, my .458 is Hard Chromed and I also have a plastic stock for it. Having said that, I would take a .30/06 handloaded with 220gn Partitions or 200gn TTSX's if hunting with Phil, but would more likely take the .458 hunting with others. When back up is needed, it is really needed.
John

Remington 700 AWR 30-06. Most expensive glass you can get your hands on in Talleys.

30-06 is plenty for any bear that ever lived

Go hunting

Coming from a guy with the name "Three30Eight"....

I was starting to think you were gunner...

I'm not going to agree with, we "all" shoot better with them. Maybe a little quicker with our follow up shots. If that's what you mean by "better", I'll agree....

Hmmm...that "The Alaskan" is a shooter (I am looking at the targets you posted)

By the way, the .338WM is my favorite for hunting in Alaska.

Shooting at targets is nowhere near the same as shooting in the field. Think no bench or lead sled.. All things being equal as far as the rifles accuracy goes, the vast majority will shoot medium calibers much better. Everyone has their preferences and thats OK but the fact is that any medium bore is perfectly fine for anything in NA. You will be packing your rifle more than you will be shooting it. Believe me you will appreciate a nice lightweight, short rifle when your boots are on the ground in AK or northern Canada. Im mid fifties now and I refuse to pack a hunters rifle for them anymore, and I bet 75% of the hunters that come north have a hard time carrying their own rifle. Any guide will tell you they love to see a hunter get off the plane with an old worn deer rifle....those are the guys that kill stuff. If I had a dollar for every hunter I've seen that was over gunned I could retire.

I have a .338WM in that configuration, but replaced the stock with a Hogue Rubber-Overmolded. From a cold and clean barrel it never fails to put the first three 225-grain TTSX a tad to the left and +2" (100 yards). But several of the moose I have killed with it have dropped to one shot, thus all I am concerned with when hunting is to hold the rifle steady and on the right spot. The scope on this one is a Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x.

But this year I am planning to use a Ruger Hawkeye African .338 that was designed without a muzzle brake. It looks like the other African versions, except that the finish is matte black, and the bolt is sort of dull gray. The barrel is 22" long, and has express sights. Mounted a Leupold 30mm 3-9 x 40 that has a #4 reticle with a red dot in the middle.

Good points about rifle accuracy. But there is something else that I have realized relating to shooting efficiency: For some reason the accuracy of one's rifle boosts ones confidence in it. Those tight groups at the range require lots of practice, and that practice always carries afield during the hunting season. Nothing worst than not knowing if my rifle is not shooting straight before I leave hunting.

As I mentioned before, one of my .338's is not supper accurate, just accurate enough. Yes, there have been times at the range where the first two shots at 100 yards are about 1/2" apart, and the third shot about 1" away from the first two. But there are no doubts in my mind that this rifle will always hit the right spot from a cold and clean barrel. It has never failed me once during the moose season in Alaska.

Yes I agree, good accuracy boosts confidence and that goes a long ways.