Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles You're Rifle Of Choice For Alaska Big Game Hunting?

Everybody's wife is better looking than you.

fixed it for you....

I have 3 favorites. My Sako AV 375 H&H in a McMillan Stock, Ruger M77 MkII in 338 WM, and a Winchester mod 70 Classic Stainless 30-06. Doesn't matter where I live or what I hunt I'm good to go. I used the 338 WM probably a little more than the rest and it's what I took to So. Africa, Actually I took a Winchester mod 70 stainless 338 to So Africa. Don't see how a guy can only have one of any caliber.

True dat.

Your wife has a nice rack there.
Back to the topic at hand... Is it true that the upper limit of recoil tolerance for most hunters is a 30-06 or so???
I know my grandpa's old M54 with a steel butt plate kind of punishes you off the bench but with decent fitting stocks and good recoil pad my 375H&H is perfectly tolerable off the bench and anything smaller is no problem. And I am not some macho man, in fact I don't like recoil.
Do we have a generation of wussies?

Never been up there hunting but was a fishing guide, I would take the 30-06, 200 partitions.

Three good choices in my gun safe. A Model 7 SS in 300SAUM, a Model 700 SS also in 300SAUM, and a Model 700 EddieF cerakoted in 30-06. I guess I'd take the 06 based on ammo availability in an emergency. Bullet of choice either 180 grain Speer Grand Slams or Nosler Accubonds.
Now I just need the funds and conditioning for the trip!

.358 Norma Mag with a Luepy 1.75x6 - Mauser action with a heavy contour barrel. Ceracoat, bedded, and time tested. But that is just me.

300 Win Mag launching 200 Grain Barnes LRX topped with a Nightforce 2.5-10x42

I'd probably run either the Montana 280AI or the Montana 7WSM.

Pretty much anything fairly accurate, very reliable and reasonably light would work for me.

The Alaskan F&G website on cartridge recommendations replace a lifetime of gun magazines. But a guy has to have a little fun.

Damn straight !

If you had spelled that with a P it would be even closer to the truth !

Killed two coastal brown bears with pre 64 375's Not saying SS would not have been better but I watched a couple of SS rifles just blossom rust while there.

You gotta take care of all of them.

If one does not mind manly rifle with wood stock this would be hard to beat for all around North American hunting piece:

Runnin' game special....

Good handling, extremely durable and ERA-Recknagel running game sights are big plus in case one needs to shoot bunnies for the pot. While magazine and magazine release are solid I suspect spare mags would be quite expensive if found for purchase. Big plus is US made hunting soft points can be found for $30 per pack 24 hours a day at all night Walmart.

Have several friends hunt kodiak using stainless model 70's no issues but one of th guys had a stainless browning and it started rusting.

The Wildebeast is better looking than you!

79: Funny....the Brownings were the rifles I saw rust.

If non-magnum, probably a 30-06 or 9.3x62. If it had to be magnum, maybe 300 or 338WM.

Out the box stock, probably a Sako. If worked over and done nicely, probably one built off a M70 classic. If on the cheap and sledge hammer tough, maybe not quite as refined, probably one built off a Ruger M77.

Whichever version, the closer to a Mauser design but with modern materials, having fewer parts in numbers, with those parts being simple and robust, the better I'd like and prefer, if stuck with a singular rifle that I'd need to keep running without fail.

If on the other hand, you truly do not mean in the intent of this thread, a one and only rifle for all times, but just a single rifle for that purpose of hunting AK, to be replaced at whim. Then I'd still choose the same chamberings, but would pick whatever rifle I fancied at the moment, and I would then replace that particular make/model of rifle whenever something else became more desirable. In that case, it could be anything. I may have a desire to take a single shot, or some other unique rifle to increase my enjoyment of hunting AK.

I'll stick with my two most proven ones. Old decrepit Ruger 77 MkII in 7x57 and an FN custom in .338 WM.

I recently went over my old M70 Classic 375 with a stainless steel brush and managed to get most of the red crud reduced. Stainless rusts, stainless pits. And you are quite right about taking care of 'em all. Open coastal skiffs are not kind even to stainless rifles.