Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska anything use for a mini 14 in Alaska

I plan to move to Alaska (near Soldotna) in a few years and I am trying to determine what guns to bring and what to get rid of or trade for something I need.
I have a Ruger Mini 14 223. Is there any use for a caliber like this?
I have a Marlin 45-70, Winchester 44mag, 12ga pump, 22 rifle and pistol and a 44mag revolver.
Anything else I could use?
Any comments or recommendations will be appreciated.

They make great boat paddles.

You can use them to trade for beads with the locals.
Like Big Stick. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Regardless of location, I'd say ditch the Mini-14, keep the .45-70, the 12, the .22, and the .44s.

They'd pretty well cover the gamut for most stuff, no matter where you move to.

Add to that list a long-range, larger centerfire ('06 class), and a bolt-action varmint or dual purpose rig (.223 to .243 class) and you're pretty good to go.

That mini can be a lot of fun and if reasonably accurate 1.5"-2" at 100 yards will make a fine snowmachine gun for the odd run in with a coyote or wolf. A lot of people really diss the mini14 because of poor accuracy but your not going to be shooting gophers at a half mile with it, at normal run in ranges with rabbits, and small predators it will work just fine. The only thing I would add is a bolt action centerfire in 30/06, 300 win, or 338 win and call it good. Properly outfitted that marlin 45/70 can be a great alaskan gun, I wouldn't do without mine.

What does the Alaske State Trooper carry for a long arm? I was waching a tv cop show and saw a mini-14 being carried in Alaska on a warrant arrest.

The mini-14 also makes a great "when you don't expect someone at your door gun."

What does the 30-06, 300 mag or 338 do that the 45-70 won't do. What game do you use these calibers for?
Thanks for the response

Shoots flatter. Much flatter...

What game do you hunt at 200+ yards in Alaska?

Depends on location, I suspect.

Big Stick and his bunch regularly punch tags at WAY more than 200.

I'd figure any of the sheep would be 200+ games.

No flies on the .45-70 for up close and personal, but reaching out there just gets done better by other stuff.

Of course, ymmv...

Just shot a sheep at 325 yards. Does that help?

What's the prefered caliber?
Will a 270 do?

+1 I much prefer the above calibers. Don't really care for the 270 but it's up to you. Tough to sell up here if you change your mind though. Even caribou might be a tad farther than you want to reach with your 45-70.

Anything under a 30/06 is pretty light for a dedicated moose rifle. Actually you might be surprised where you need that extra range. I also have the 45/70 and really like it but when your up high or up on the tundra you can be surprized how wide open it is. Sometimes those darn carabou will keep you at that 300-350 yards all day no matter how sneaky you think you are being. My last moose was shot at 280 yards across a large swamp.

There are a lot of time when we are in large swampy areas or recovering burns that we could easily see moose out to 500-600 yards away at times. You try sneaking up on a moose out in the middle of a large swamp feild with 12" of water and 18" of grass, not easy.

I really recomend the 300 win mag. It will do pretty much anything you can ask of a big game rifle up here from blacktails to brown bears. While light for a brown bear rifle it will work in a pinch with premium bullets and is about perfect for carabou and moose, plenty of range and power while still manageable recoil for those without a lot of experience with big bore rifles. Its also about as common as any other caliber up here. In a word it just plain works. Kind of the jack of all trades. THe only thing it really has over the 06 is a little more velosity with the heavy bullets. I really like 180gr Partition and triple shocks for just about everything. I'm giving the accubond a try this year.

My hunting buddy has used a Ruger 77 MkI in 300 win that he has drug around all over alaska for the last 20+ years, it has taken everything but a coastal bear, this includes two interior griz and a moose a year since 84.

There are probably more Mini-14s owned by bushkins than any thing else.
I'm willing to bet most households along the Yukon and Koyukuk have one. I personally know of a few that have more.

Keep what you've got and add a 300 mag to your arsenal.

The mini-14's are very popular among the natives for subsistence hunting. Generally speaking the further folks come from out of state the bigger the rifles they bring. If you're living day-to-day in the bush a lighter rifle is fine. If you're coming exclusively for brown bear, that's another matter.

I also say keep the mini-14, you could use it for wolves or coyotes. I would also suggest a long range shooter as well and something with some knockdown power, like RWL99 suggests, the 300 win mag would be a good choice.

Retire09

I would buy a good bolt gun in stainless with a syntheic stock, if it were me i would probably opt for a 300 WSM or 300 win mag, put a good scope on it(Leupold 6x42) and be done with it. I would also keep the mini-14 , cant ever have too many guns.

Add one more vote for the Mini-14. It's a decent utility rifle that you don't have to feel bad about throwing behind the seat of the truck and just leaving it there... or keeping it beside the door for varmints that wander into the yard.

I'd go for any of the .30 caliber cartridges for a general purpose bolt gun: .308 or .30-06 will do, and one of the .300 magnums will do better and aren't that much harder to shoot. I wouldn't sneer at a .270 or .270 WSM, but it's not a popular caliber in AK. I know a lot of people buy .338 Win Mags thinking they need that much power, but find they can't handle the recoil. You can find a nice selection of very lightly used .338 Win Mag rifles in almost any gunshop in the lower 48.