Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Latest caliber strategy for Alaska

That got me wondering . . . a 338 Edge shooting a 300 gr Bergers elite hunter with G7 of .419 at above max text book load 2675 fps comes to about 1320 fps and 1160 ft-lbs at 1500 yards. I am going to assume there is some hyperbole in his post.

Oh ye of little faith ....

I did say the 338 Edge & 300 RUM were minimum ...

Now crunch the numbers again with a 550 gr 416 cal bullet with .525 G7 bc bullet at 3250 fps .....

300 Norma Mag and 375 Ruger for reference ... and yes, size does matter, just ask her, lol !

Trouble is, 99.9% of the Campfire members are referencing generic run of the mill factory vanilla cartridges and get all mired up in math that does not apply in our world

I would think that most moose are slain with vanilla cartridges at <300 yards in the real world. I may be mistaken.


mike r

Ha ha! Yup mostly "vanilla cartridges" and most shot at far, far less than 300 yards... especially since mistaking antler configuration can mess up your life a bit.

I'd stick with your 338 if it's a 338 win mag. It can be stretched to respectable distances in higher and more open areas. It's not handicapped.

I don't live in Alaska but for logistics sake I'd aquire a light rifle in 30-06 to go along with the 338. In Alaska logistics are important and I'd wager 338 win mag is more common there than the lower 48 and of course the 30-06 is universal.

I should say that I hand load and already own a 375 ruger and a couple 308's. I am thinking of adding a lightweight 300 wsm now.

Don't get me wrong, I admire the 338 win mag a lot and if I had to pick one for all of my hunting that might be it. It might be the most 'Alaskan' cartridge if you ask me. But the 30 and 375 calibers are so good at what they do and so well matched in the rifles they are used in. A 300 wsm isn't too much for a ultralight rifle and if I am going to tote around 8-9 lb rifle for coastal bears or moose in wet areas like Mainer talked about, I may as well throw a 375 bullet or more. By now, I can pretty much predict with good odds of what the shooting situation will be before I leave the house. But who knows, maybe I'll change my mind next week

Lots of my friends killed moose this year, but my wife and I didn't find a legal bull. My friends used a .270 WSM, .358 Win., .300 Win., 30-06 and .35 Whelen. Bullets were the Nosler Accubond and Partitions and the Barnes TTSX.

I don't remember any of the shots being much over 150 yards and most much closer. Most were lung shots and usually one shot. Most of these guys been killing moose for awhile and know what to expect when they shoot a moose in the lungs.

Much of the state has antler restrictions with a 50" minimum spread and/or three to four brow tines on at least one side. So to be sure before the trigger is pulled getting close is important, identifying a legal moose at long distance ain't easy.

I consider the 30-06, 35 Whelen, .300 Win. and .338 Win. Mag. very good "all around" calibers for all of Alaska's big game.

I am also a Mod. 70 fan and grew up with them and I consider the older Mod. 70 "Stainless Classic" with the old style Win. trigger a wonderful basis for a semi-custom rifle. Combined with a Bansners stock, a very reliable trigger and the ability to field strip the bolt with out tools the end result is years of trouble free service.

I hunted moose with my .338 Mod. 70 this year, if it had developed a problem my back up moose rifle was a my wife's Mod. 94 Big Bore .356 Win. loaded with 203 grain Shock Hammer bullets and topped off with a Leupold VXIII 1.5-5x20 with a German #4 reticle. I consider it a 200 yard moose set up at best.

I have owned four Three Seven Five rifles, two pre-64 Mod. 70's, a "Stainless Classic" Mod. 70 and a Sako Carbine with the two piece full stock and 20" barrel. I never hunted with any of them and never felt the need to. Winchester always put a heavy barrel on their .375's and the rifle's were to heavy. Ruger got the barrel contour for a .375 about perfect in my opinion. But, I much prefer the Winchester action and trigger over the Ruger.

Lots of different rifles and calibers and bullets work just fine for Alaska. That is proven year after year, etc. The right bullet at the right impact velocity and put in the right place on a critter works all the time.

This has been an interesting thread.

I believe in selecting a caliber, cartridge, boolit, and rifle appropriate to the quarry, terrain, and each individual’s ability.

YMMV and that’s ok. 👍

33 Years in Alaska and I mostly used a 338 Win Mag. Handled everything I needed, and was very pleased with it. Rugers Stainless rifles is good steel. Only exceptions is I shot a big moose and a grizzly in Haines with my 375 H&H, and some Caribou up on the slope with my 30-06 out of Barrow. If I was a one rifle guy it would be a 338WM, and I'm totally sold on the 250 NP. That's all I used.

IB I don't see you being to old to use a 338 WM. Might be the right caliber for you.

you're quoting incorrect velocity for 300 gr Berger bullets in the 338 Edge, average velocity is around 2850 fps for most rifles, mine has a 30" barrel and runs right around 2900 fps, that's a big difference .... Shawn Carlock and many other have shown how effective it is in killing elk out to a mile and we've taken large bull moose out to 1270 yards with the 300 RUM

run into a bunch of guys who complain that they saw a "giant bull with two sheets of plywood attached to his head" off a hill, but it was 600-800 yards out and when they tried to close the distance the bull vanished

All I could think is "fookn idiots" ... could of shot the damn thing from where they were at... these guys set themselves up to fail before they left town, shi tty choice in cartridge and bullet, lack of proper practice .. true story

as for the "it's not hunting, it's shooting" guys .... I've never met anyone who tracked a moose to death, everyone shoots them... regardless of range

Yeah, buddy. Mighta been a wee bit tongue-in-cheek! Also, it was off the bench and not ‘holding on hair’.

Yeah, buddy. Mighta been a wee bit tongue-in-cheek! Also, it was off the bench and not ‘holding on hair’.

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Yep, "holding on hair, makes all the difference." Hope you have a good hunt this year.

Of 21 or 22 moose bulls I've killed, only 3 were over 100 yards, none over 200. Average even with those is about 60 yards. I cannot recall ever seeing, while hunting, a "shooter" (God I hate that term!), farther than 300 yards out to a mile that would have given me time , to find or build a rest before he disappeared. Terrain features in the hunting area could make a difference no doubt. I've just never hunted in such country for moose.

Caribou, on the other hand.... but I can still usually find one within 500 yards, and/or close the difference.

The problem with the shootzenboomer boys is they tend to stretch their own capabilities beyond the bench. Not unique in that regard, I will freely admit. It's just that the longer the distance, the more can go wrong. Some are willing to push that. Some make good judgement calls, and have the necessary skills and equipment to make those questionable shots. Usually. I have no doubt there are a number on here that can make 1,000 yard shots on paper, and probably on game. But should you?

I think it was JJHack that said "There are 100 things that can happen at long range, and only one of them is good".

My opinion is based on several observed instances of "crack shots" with all the "right" equipment and hours of practice, mostly on the bench.

YMMV - opinions are worth what you paid for them.

Swamplord,what is your scope choice and what does your rifle weigh?


mike r

If I was restricted to one caliber I would choose the .338 Win Mag. My rifle puts most bullets of 200-225gr into almost a ragged hole. The rifle doesn’t like Partitions and they open the group up to 1.5+” which would work for damn near anything that rifle would be asked to do but since it loves TBBC, TSX, TTSX, A-Frames, Core-Lokts, Power Points… and every other bullet I’ve tried (except Partitions) I don’t care if it doesn’t like the Partitions. It even liked the notoriously picky original Barnes X bullets. The original X bullets are what initially turned me on to the monos. It shot them into less than .5” for a 3 shot group….which for a magnum hunting rifle is more than good enough. A 5 shot group is pointless in a rifle that doesn’t even hold 5 rounds….mental masturbation for midget minded target shooters. 😂. Give me an accurate cold bore shot and 2 more touching the first and I’ll keep killing everything I point it at. Longest kill with that rifle was a cow elk at 537 yards down in the Uinta’s in Utah.

Mine isn't that good - but with shoulder spaced handholds it will go MOA without too much trouble for 3 shots . I have one load using 250 SGK that was not worked up - just thrown together to get rid of the GK- that put 3 into .75, then the next 3 into 1.1 at 200 yards, the next 3 printed between those two group sizes.. That was in the swamp out back, using the snow machine seat as a rest. So much for junk loads to just shoot up!

I used those for a couple years - I still have 3 rounds left - maybe I should look that one up and do some reloading again.

Same thing happened with some really ugly Hornady 250RN, which go MOA +/-consistently. I've about 30 of those left.

Haven't hunted with the rifle in 15 years or so. Put 3 RN thru it at the range back in late July when it was being considered for the caribou hunt - still MOA.

I hope those cartridges don't spoil over time.......

I am surprised no one is using AR-10 for big game hunting Alaska. I now mostly carry an AR-10 with 12.5" barrel chambered in .308 Winchester.

I guess with the AR-10, a heavy rifle, one would have to empty the magazine on a big brown bear.

I've always read a bigger caliber was best for a big fat bear. The reason was that there was so much fat on one, as well as muscle, that the bear wouldn't show a good blood trail if you had to find him. A big hole would open up the wound and he would bleed out quicker. That is/was the reasoning for a minimum 375 in most African countries. I would suppose it would be the same for Alaska, especially with the big bears.

I've never been to Alaska, but if I did, I would take my minimum 35 Whelen. Or I would buy a new Ruger 375 or 416, since they are lighter for all day carry and have standard length bolts. Otherwise it would be a 375 H&H, or 416 Rigby.

The 9.3x62 might also be a good one.

I'm taking a 338-06 deer hunting to one of the ABC islands this year. 225 Accubonds at 2720 fps. All shots are short range.

I think my classic stainless model 70 in 338-06 would get the nod.