I moved to Alaska from the lower 48 in the past year, and I have a moose hunt booked for 2017. I don't have anything in the gun safe that I feel confident taking on a fly-in moose hunt, and I'm looking for some input to inform how I proceed.
I am 90% sure that I don't want a magnum cartridge. I want something I can afford and tolerate practicing with. I'm a firm believer in shot placement and shooting within your abilities, and practice is more valuable to me than showing up with the baddest magnum in camp, which I could only stand shooting long enough to sight in.
These are the three options I have in front of me, and I think the last two are the most likely. Please bear in mind, I'm left-handed, I want to be able to make quick follow up shots (moose can cover a lot of ground if they decide to run after the first shot), this rifle will be for hooved Alaskan game (bear isn't on the menu).
1. I have Dad's old Remington 700 in .30-06. This rifle has a great trigger and has taken a lot of deer, but it's a right handed gun that I can't reload quickly. If I'm shooting a moose that I am going to have to pack out myself, I want to give myself the advantage of quick follow-up shots to drop it where I want. I really don't feel good about taking this gun. I'm going to be kicking myself if the difference between anchoring a bull with a second or third shot and letting him walk back into the brush with only one hole in him is me fumbling with a right-handed bolt.
2. I have a Savage Model 10 in .243 Win that I have been thinking about getting rebarreled and re-stocked (swapping wood for synthetic). It already has a Timney trigger that I like, good glass, and a smooth bolt that I can work quickly. If I go this route, I am sure I'll end up in "could have bought a new gun" territory, but I'll be able to choose any caliber I want. The .338 Federal has caught my eye as a short-action <200 yds moose-worthy cartridge that wouldn't be murder on my shoulder to practice with.
3. Just get a new gun. In left-handed, synthetic stocked, stainless guns, my caliber choices would be pretty limited. If I end up deciding I need a magnum cartridge, this is my only option, obviously. I'd probably get a Tikka, new bases, and pirate the scope from my .243 that I won't be using while I'm up here.
So, that's what I'm looking at. I know I need to just find a qualified smith, get an estimate to do the work on my Savage, and compare that to the cost of a Tikka... but it's more fun to talk to strangers on the Internet!
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I am 90% sure that I don't want a magnum cartridge. I want something I can afford and tolerate practicing with. I'm a firm believer in shot placement and shooting within your abilities, and practice is more valuable to me than showing up with the baddest magnum in camp, which I could only stand shooting long enough to sight in.
These are the three options I have in front of me, and I think the last two are the most likely. Please bear in mind, I'm left-handed, I want to be able to make quick follow up shots (moose can cover a lot of ground if they decide to run after the first shot), this rifle will be for hooved Alaskan game (bear isn't on the menu).
1. I have Dad's old Remington 700 in .30-06. This rifle has a great trigger and has taken a lot of deer, but it's a right handed gun that I can't reload quickly. If I'm shooting a moose that I am going to have to pack out myself, I want to give myself the advantage of quick follow-up shots to drop it where I want. I really don't feel good about taking this gun. I'm going to be kicking myself if the difference between anchoring a bull with a second or third shot and letting him walk back into the brush with only one hole in him is me fumbling with a right-handed bolt.
2. I have a Savage Model 10 in .243 Win that I have been thinking about getting rebarreled and re-stocked (swapping wood for synthetic). It already has a Timney trigger that I like, good glass, and a smooth bolt that I can work quickly. If I go this route, I am sure I'll end up in "could have bought a new gun" territory, but I'll be able to choose any caliber I want. The .338 Federal has caught my eye as a short-action <200 yds moose-worthy cartridge that wouldn't be murder on my shoulder to practice with.
3. Just get a new gun. In left-handed, synthetic stocked, stainless guns, my caliber choices would be pretty limited. If I end up deciding I need a magnum cartridge, this is my only option, obviously. I'd probably get a Tikka, new bases, and pirate the scope from my .243 that I won't be using while I'm up here.
So, that's what I'm looking at. I know I need to just find a qualified smith, get an estimate to do the work on my Savage, and compare that to the cost of a Tikka... but it's more fun to talk to strangers on the Internet!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk