Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Good choice for float hunt?

Planning a float hunt next year and am looking for opinions on what is a good all around caliber and model for that purpose. I assume we'll get tags for moose, bear and wolf. I'm from a slug hunting state so have little rifle experience. Also, any input concerning appropriate optics for the rifle would be helpful.

I don't need the Rolls Royce rifle or scope, just something reliable, functional and fairly accurate.

Thx

Just get a rem 700 in 30-06 or 300 winmag with a decent leupy 3x9 and go hunting. Simple, economical, and it works.

Pick up a used Winchester 70 stainless classic in .300 or .338 Win. mag and top it off with a Leupold 2.5x8 and you will be good to go. There is usually someone on this forum that is looking to part with one.

X2 on what Jim said, but 1 change, I'd go .300WM with a .375H&H as the backup second. It's a personal thing as I prefer the .375's less sharp/abrupt recoil and superior smashing power. I'm beginning to think that hitting a moose with a .375 if he's really close to the water to plant him hard to avoid the swim is a good idea. A .45-70 is a slammer too. And of course, bigger is always better with bears! (in my opinion)

Honestly, you don't need a big magnum sized rifle to kill moose, the old reliable 30-06 will do it in spades. I've killed all but 2 of my moose with my 270 and they were all drd shots using 150 NP's.

A plain ol' 30-06 is all you need. I'd use 180 gr. premium bullets tho - Northforks or Partitions here. An Extreme Weather would be just right and as for a scope- ya won't need more than a 2-7x Leupold.
Although I generally use my .338 WM for moose, we've had guys nail 'em with 7 mm Rem Mags. and .30-06's with no problem.
Get or load inexpensive bullets for range parctice.
Good luck.
Bear in Fairbanks

If it's a float trip, use a synthetic/stainless steel if possible. The world record B + C moose was shot with a .270 by the way. Use a quality bullet and practice. You will be fine.

It ain't what you hit them with mostly, but where. Stainless/synthetic is a good choice (you still need to do the cleaning regimen...), float trip or not, and if buying new, I'd go with a .300 short mag. Probably more than you need - .270 or '06 will do fine, however.

I've killed 20 or 21 moose now, including one each with a .243, .270, and at least a half dozen with the '06, and an equal number with a .338 Mag. Also one with a .12 Ga. with slug.

They all died about the same. I'm looking to kill my next one with a .260 - just because I haven't yet.

Be aware that moose die pretty easy....just slowly with a heart/lung placement. In thick cover, they can be hard to find even if they only go 100-150 yards. I've lost two "boiler room" bulls long enough for the meat to taint, so I now use CNS shots if I can get 'em - but then my average range is running about 60 yards, only one has been in excess of 100 yards (160).

Good luck on your hunt.

find a used stainless Ruger 30-06 and 4x scope at your local gun shop - or go to the local Wal-mart and get a new one and you will be well armed for anything Alaska had to offer - or has to throw at you.

Or if you don't want to spend that much you can buy one of the new Ruger Americans or look for most any brand name 30-06 or 270.

I have an addendum to my previous post:

He did say float hunt. This means two rifles to me if you can. All that work, all that effort, I like taking a backup. A rifle can get stomped, lost, or broken, no matter what the make. Again, he's hunting near the water. I've only taken three moose. Two of my 180gr. Nosler Partitions bisected the heart, one took out both lungs. All three moose took a walk of varying distances. I agree with a CNS shot if you're that close and that good. I saw one get spine hit and he dropped on the spot like someone pulled his fuse. Since you're likely hunting near the water, the more you can do to make sure he drops on LAND the better. I watch every video about moose hunting I can DVR or buy and I see a LOT of moose take a swim when hit. I've parted out half a dozen moose with a lot of friends but last year I did it myself. On land, it's a lot of calculated hard work. I don't even want to know what it's like to be by myself with a moose in the water! So, more shock, more energy, less walk. I agree that moose are easy to kill, heck, easier than caribou, but they still like to run into the water it seems. Ugh. That's my reason for more rifle. Heck, a thutty thutty'd put a moose down easily!

He did say bear. I'm gung ho but more rifle is better in that department. There are interior bears just about as large as those Kodiaks. Maybe not as bulky, but as long. A big bear will not react the same being shot with a .270 as with a magnum with partitions or a .375. Just sayin'. He won't be hunting a brown or grizz, but one might try to ruin his face for him.

Then there's the wolf shots. I'd like to have a go at those moose eating rascals! Of my moose, the yardages were 266, 135, and 200 with my .300 WM and three others on the hunts I was on were 70 to 150yds. There are a lot of arguments about scopes as the purists believe in fixed lower power but I like having the choice. I stalk and hunt brush on low power, turn it up whenever I'm on the sticks or across a rest for better shot placement or just looking at the critters through the glass. I've not heard many folks talk about the average distance for a wolf. About how far is the average big dog shot?

Good stuff. I love these kinds of posts just to see what everyone's doing. Everyone's eating moose so it all works!

BIG bullschit flag waving here, and if you think there is any difference in "stopping" power between a 300mag and a 30/06, you REALLY need to stop giving rifle/ballistics advice.

And here we go again.

You know these kinds of topics always get into a pissing match. Cheap entertainment