What rifle for Alaska

Status
Not open for further replies.
My main cartridge is the 06 in a model 70. When I'm in big bear country up north, the 06 will work fine, but I grab my 338 mag just because. And because I'm just as comfortable with the 338 as I am with my 06. I'm also slipping into the Whelen as the do all cartridge as it's just a do everything comfortably cartridge. It also helps that the Whelen I have is a rebored Featherweight so it's a twin to my 06 Featherweight. Easy change.
I ended up with the 338 Win mag rather than the 375 because I ran into a deal on 3 pre-Garcia Sako's at my LGS. The 375 would have been a slightly better cartridge, but back then the 375 was a rare expensive item. This was about 1969 - 1970 time. My Father and his best friend wanted to go to Alaska to hunt the big bears. I wanted to have rifles and cartridges alike for such a hunt. So the deal on the Sako's made since. So I ended up just sticking with the 338 which has worked quite well. Started playing with the Whelen in a limited capacity in the late 70's.
When I worked on the coast or when I finely got my Father up here to hunt in the Wood Tikchik lakes area, I was carrying a 458 mag I had built. On the coast I carry a 338 Win mag, a 458 x 2 American or a 50 Alaskan.
Long story short, the ADF&G article is pretty right on. Two reasons, there's a lot of 30-06's around, and for the most part, fairly easy to shoot.
I feel the 06 will do about anything, and everything that needs doing in Alaska. I'm very comfortable with the 06, but, I'm also comfortable with healthier cartridges as I shoot them all about as well. I'm not a great shot, so in recognition of that I just keep ranges short or don't take the shot. Any rifle that I was not comfortable with, usually had to do with fit, either the rifle was altered, or it went down the road.
 
Last edited:
H&Hhunter said:
The continental version of the .375H&H. There was a whole lot game up to and including elephants potted with the various 9.3MM rifles in the era of the German colonies in Africa. But the Brits and Americans preferred the 9.5MM round AKA the .375H&H because .375 is more better than .366 don’t you know. :)
Click to expand...

Out to 300 yards, the 9.3x62mm/ 286 gr. (SD=.305, same as the 300 gr. .375), handloaded to just over 2400 fps., looks to be a very good round for the Big stuff in AK... almost ideal, in fact, considering the action length, rifle weight, and recoil.

(and I think it's "more gooder")

:D




GR
 
H&Hhunter said:
The .35 Whelen is fairly popular in AK but just like here it will always be on the fring. The Whelen just never has had a mainstream following.

I have a question, and I’m not trying to be a jerk or a wise Alec. Is there a “thing” with Whelen fans about mispelling Whelen with “Whelan”? I see that a lot and was wondering if there was something to it or if it was a colloquial thing or what?
Click to expand...

It’s not misspelled nearly as often as Creedmoor.
 
Is my memory faulty Caribou or does your wife have a .303? I thought I saw an episode where she was hunting caribou with one.
 
Alot of game around the world has been taken with a Enfield in 303 British
I have a No.4 in my safe ... And a few boxes of Winchester 180gr SP on my ammo shelf ... Im sure alot of you have also..
 
Ive been on a few hunts where I regretted taking my 6.5x55. Mainly hunts where in order to get to the sheep you spot on the hillside, you must pass through the alders in the river bottom where you have spotted 1 or 3 grizzlies.
 
Garandimal said:
Out to 300 yards, the 9.3x62mm/ 286 gr. (SD=.305, same as the 300 gr. .375), handloaded to just over 2400 fps., looks to be a very good round for the Big stuff in AK... almost ideal, in fact, considering the action length, rifle weight, and recoil.

(and I think it's "more gooder")

:D




GR
Click to expand...
I’ve got a 9.3x74R in a double rifle. It is one of my “most goodest” and funnest double rifles for sure!
 
Alaskan Ironworker said:
Ive been on a few hunts where I regretted taking my 6.5x55. Mainly hunts where in order to get to the sheep you spot on the hillside, you must pass through the alders in the river bottom where you have spotted 1 or 3 grizzlies.
Click to expand...

"ay, there's the rub"
- Wm. Shakespeare -

To me, there seems to be an "ideal AK rifle" bell curve - with the heavy 30-06 at the apex. 6.5mm starts to fall off the minimum energy side, while the .375 H&H starts to fall off the rifle wt./recoil side.

"grizzlies in the alders," is probably the defining point.




GR
 
Garandimal said:
"ay, there's the rub"
- Wm. Shakespeare -

To me, there seems to be an "ideal AK rifle" bell curve - with the heavy 30-06 at the apex. 6.5mm starts to fall off the minimum energy side, while the .375 H&H starts to fall off the rifle wt./recoil side.

"grizzlies in the alders," is probably the defining point.

GR
Click to expand...
I'll fall off on the heavy side. But, I can handle the recoil. There's something uncomfortable about a critter with big claws and teeth when it's up close and personal.
 
It's like the old saying about guns, "better to have one and not need it then to need it and not have it" While any gun is better then no gun, It's better to have enough gun and not need it, then needing it and not having enough gun. But I don't hunt bears any more, so I'm just in the carry mode. The best bet is to be able to reliably hit your target with any gun. For most that's a comfort level with recoil and the personal weapon. The 6.5 will work fine if you do your part.
 
The ridiculousness, when reading this kind of post, is the unrealized biases.

These articles have been published by AK for decades, the 30-06 remains a favorite, as does the analogous 7RM. Taking heartier game in harsher conditions, occasionally at relatively longer ranges, and often MUCH larger and even sometimes dangerous game. But the 30-06/7RM remain a favorite, and folks are quick to chime in and support the evidence.

Then we see a thread about whitetail hunting in the lower 48, and often these same folks will label a 243win or 6.5 creed as marginal at best, and state a .30-06 is necessary.

Doesn’t make sense to me to claim the same cartridge is ideal for white tails as well as AK hunting, when the lightest of common game discussed is twice as heavy, or more, and other common game will go 3-4x as heavy, and a hell of a lot more robust than lowly lower 48 white tails. Must not be much logic applied in these selection processes for many folks.
 
KnightHawk said:
I'll fall off on the heavy side. But, I can handle the recoil. There's something uncomfortable about a critter with big claws and teeth when it's up close and personal.
Click to expand...

True.

But closer to the apex is the 9.3x62mm/286 gr./ SD=.305/3500 lb-ft at 25 yards in a std. action 8-lb rifle.

Is smokey in the alders goin' to tell the difference?

9.3x62mm-Mauser-featured.jpg ​


GR
 
Guess it depends on what you're doing.

If what you need is a client rifle for non-dangerous game, any normal plains game/western hunting rifle will work. The 7mms probably offer the best compromise, although the 6.5mms are a close second. The .30s are for people who like their rifles to be less capable in the name of nostalgia. Personally I'd use a 7mm WSM with 175gr Weldcores.

For a bear stopping rifle, there's no reason not to go big assuming you can handle the recoil. The rifle should be a Mauser-type CRF bolt, 1886/71 lever, or double. I'd use my B71 in .50-110 with a 500gr Weldcore followed by 510gr cutting edge solids.

If you need a crossover rifle that has both long range non-dangerous-game performance and decent bear stopping ability, your options are limited. I think the 8mm WSM with 220gr Weldcores at about 2800 ft/s is the best option. The .30s don't produce the same sort of wound track, and lose again (they're good at that...). Various .33, .35, 9.3 and .375 caliber cartridges are options, but long range performance goes south very quickly as bore size goes up unless an ultra-magnum case is used or two loads are used. The two load option is a bad one IMO as you'll consistently have the wrong one in the pipe. I like the Montana AVR in .325 WSM due to the highly reliable action and trigger. The 220gr Weldcore is the winner.

People who are worried about ammo or reloading component availability crack me up. For the traveling hunter you're way more likely to have your rifle disappear in transit than your ammo. Shipping ammo to Alaska is a bit more expensive, but no big deal. There's no reason you have to share the cartridge preferences of a bunch of toothless gomers in the interior just because they don't have a shipping address and are constrained to buying what's for sale at the general store.
 
Llama Bob said:
Guess it depends on what you're doing.

If what you need is a client rifle for non-dangerous game, any normal plains game/western hunting rifle will work. The 7mms probably offer the best compromise, although the 6.5mms are a close second. The .30s are for people who like their rifles to be less capable in the name of nostalgia. Personally I'd use a 7mm WSM with 175gr Weldcores.

For a bear stopping rifle, there's no reason not to go big assuming you can handle the recoil. The rifle should be a Mauser-type CRF bolt, 1886/71 lever, or double. I'd use my B71 in .50-110 with a 500gr Weldcore followed by 510gr cutting edge solids.

If you need a crossover rifle that has both long range non-dangerous-game performance and decent bear stopping ability, your options are limited. I think the 8mm WSM with 220gr Weldcores at about 2800 ft/s is the best option. The .30s don't produce the same sort of wound track, and lose again (they're good at that...). Various .33, .35, 9.3 and .375 caliber cartridges are options, but long range performance goes south very quickly as bore size goes up unless an ultra-magnum case is used or two loads are used. The two load option is a bad one IMO as you'll consistently have the wrong one in the pipe. I like the Montana AVR in .325 WSM due to the highly reliable action and trigger. The 220gr Weldcore is the winner.

People who are worried about ammo or reloading component availability crack me up. For the traveling hunter you're way more likely to have your rifle disappear in transit than your ammo. Shipping ammo to Alaska is a bit more expensive, but no big deal. There's no reason you have to share the cartridge preferences of a bunch of toothless gomers in the interior just because they don't have a shipping address and are constrained to buying what's for sale at the general store.
Click to expand...

Well...

The 9.3x62mm will throw a 286 gr. Swift A-Frame at 2400 fps without a sweat.

That bullet, sighted in at 200 yards, will not rise above 3" on the way there, have 2,500 lb-ft of energy when it gets there, and be ~ 12" low at 300 yds with 2,000 lb-ft of energy.

And, up close? That A-Frame will drop a Cape Buffalo, so it should fix a bear problem.




GR
 
Garandimal said:
Well...

The 9.3x62mm will throw a 286 gr. Swift A-Frame at 2400 fps without a sweat.

That bullet, sighted in at 200 yards, will not rise above 3" on the way there, have 2,500 lb-ft of energy when it gets there, and be ~ 12" low at 300 yds with 2,000 lb-ft of energy.

And, up close? That A-Frame will drop a Cape Buffalo, so it should fix a bear problem.




GR
Click to expand...

The 9.3 is a proven and capable thick skinned DG round. Its just not as well known as the .375H&H. In fact you've got me drooling over an African Hawkeye in 9.3....You rotten sun of a gun!
 
H&Hhunter said:
The 9.3 is a proven and capable thick skinned DG round. Its just not as well known as the .375H&H. In fact you've got me drooling over an African Hawkeye in 9.3....You rotten sun of a gun!
Click to expand...

Well...

Happen to know where the Last One (of 250) on the entire Interweb is.

93636.jpg ​

Pretty sweet cash price, too.
( mine comes in on Tues.)

:D




GR
 
Last edited:
Garandimal said:
True.

But closer to the apex is the 9.3x62mm/286 gr./ SD=.305/3500 lb-ft at 25 yards in a std. action 8-lb rifle.

Is smokey in the alders goin' to tell the difference?



GR
Click to expand...

The 9.3x62 would be a great choice...
Its just a hecka of round ... In a 8lb
22 inch barreled boltgun with a compact scope , with open sights ...

I wish in away I would have kept old Mauser in 9.3X62 ...

Here , in my neck of tbe woods my Savage in 270 Winchester takes care of everything I need .. Whitetail ,
Black Bear , Dogyotes and coyotes ..
The 270 Win along with other " Deer "
cartridges will handle anything in North America... but I feel the Great Bears a person needs a 30-06 or up
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
Shooting in the North American Big Game Country
Replies
19
Views
683
hinton03
H
C
  • Locked
Rock River Arms or STI Varmint AR?
Replies
18
Views
797
Boomie
B
D
  • Locked
Marlin 795
Replies
7
Views
3K
shaggycat
S
M
  • Locked
Alaska rifle
2
Replies
49
Views
2K
Cocked & Locked
Cocked & Locked
B
  • Locked
Kit Build Question
Replies
10
Views
596
B_Li_Ber_Tar_Ian
B
Back
Top