Backpacking gun, .308 or heavier?

[rocinante]

This is a single shot pistol but MAN what a blast.

T/C Encore with a 15 in. 45/70 barrel. Barrel has adjustable sights, blued frame and wood furniture.

 

[D*N*R*]

Shotgun with 2 slugs up front and 2 000 or 00 buck for up close!

nuf said.

 

[1stmarine]

The options will be further restricted if your friend wants the system to be able to fire folded vs unfolded.
The keltec SU-16 was conceived for that purpose but the cartrige will be limited to deer and smaller critters although good neck shots can take care of bigger game. Some folks converted this to 6.8 spc but it doesn't seem to be a good conversion for this one.
Anyway a hot .223 load with a barnes TSX 70gr is a very nice round and will do more than most people think. Also this rifle is extremely light and 1MOA accuracy.
A saiga .308 converted with a light folding stock and tapco dressing will be around 7.5 pounds and it is also very accurate...
Keep in mind that the bigger the rifle round normally the heavier it gets.
It looks that the Remington 7600 Police with folding stock above could be a good option too.
What about a short marlin lever action in 40/70 and have a custom job for a folding stock?
I would also consider a Benelli M2 tac. with folding stock and short rifled barrel. Very light and the loads with barnes and hornady slugs are pretty lethal, consistent and accurate.
What about an AR in 50 beowolf with a short barrel and light short stock? The rifle in 2 parts fits in a large backpack and it can be pretty light.

That is a tricky one and worth giving some serious thought.

 

[Maverick223]

What about a short marlin lever action in 40/70 and have a custom job for a folding stock?

Lever action rifles and folding stocks don't play nice because of the lever. A takedown version is a much more practical, albeit slower to ready, option.

 

[TCB in TN]

Hey Geloog, I have that same Gibs (the synthetic one) bought it when I was stationed in Kodiak.
I'd have to agree with a 12ga. or .45-70, leaning towards the .45-70 simply because I'd feel like getting off a second shot in a hurry would be easier.

I am a big lever gun guy, but I know very few people who can put rounds downrange as fast with a stock lever gun, as they can with a stock pump.

 

[Maverick223]

I am a big lever gun guy, but I know very few people who can put rounds downrange as fast with a stock lever gun, as they can with a stock pump.

To be perfectly honest I can, but I have greater familiarity with lever rifles so I believe my experience is atypical. Whether that shows my prowess with a lever or deficiency with a pump I don't know!?!

 

[Cryogaijin]

A saiga .308 converted with a light folding stock and tapco dressing will be around 7.5 pounds and it is also very accurate...

I have one of these, and lubs it long time. So far he seems to like the folding 7600 best.

 

[Grousefeather]

backpacking gun

My vote is a Tikka T-3. I have one in .308 with a 1.5 to 4 scope. Light weight and very accurate. Also available in various 30 cal magnum rounds as well.

 

[iamkris]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Co-Pilot from Wild West Guns

http://www.wildwestguns.com/copilot.html

Again, though, if it is stowed inside a pack or broken down like this, doesn't help much if you surprise Ms Grizzly with her cubs near the den or food. You have to make a choice between compactness / stowability and firepower RIGHT NOW.

Personally I think you'd be served well with either a 12 ga shotgun or a .45-70 lever. You can work the lever very fast (look at videos of Cowboy Action shooters). I'd vote for the shotgun though because of the versatility of using birdshot in a survival situation. Hunting for rabbit / birds for food.

 

[1stmarine]

Lever action rifles and folding stocks don't play nice because of the lever. A takedown version is a much more practical, albeit slower to ready, option.

By most standards that would not be ideal but folks will be surprised what a true gunsmith can come up with that will suite all your needs. Not long ago it used to be all "a la carte" configurations and it is still a common practice for special purpose and competition systems. I have a good 'old school' one a couple of miles from my house.

 

[KodiakBeer]

There are very few long guns that fit in a backpack. There are even fewer that can be quickly accessed if you need it (I mean you don't want to assemble the damned thing if a bear busts out of the alders!).
My solution is the picture below. It's a Baikal Coach Gun. You stick it in your pack with the butt hanging over your right shoulder for a quick draw. Baikals are hard to find right now, but the Stoeger coach gun is almost as good.

The nice thing about a shotgun is that you can take ptarmigan, grouse, rabbits (any small game) for camp food and still have a credible defense weapon with slugs or heavy buck.

Anyway, I've been toting mine around Alaska for a dozen years and haven't found a better solution.

If you do want to disassemble it, it will break down in a few seconds to a package 18 inches in length.

 

[Panzercat]

Mossberg cruiser or pistol grip of your choice.
6lbs unloaded and $300 less (conservatively) than the new keltec bullpup and over a $1000 less than the RFB.

Not saying it's the most ideal solution, but putting high priced keltec out as suggestions (good luck finding either) makes me giggle. A mossy crusier and a well constructed slug will do any job you ask of it for a fraction of the price. A coach gun is fine, too.

 

[huntershooter]

Kimbers 84M in .308 weighs around 5.5 lbs. sans scope.
Accuracy with Nosler "Accubonds" is better than minute of angle. It's no feat to ring 6" plates to 500 yds.
Recoil is noticeable, but not abusive with this light weight rifle.
With a fixed 6X Leoplold with ballistic reticle (and rings/mounts) mine weighs a bit over 6.25 lbs. Obviously this won't fit inside a back pack, but is about as light as you're gonna go, short of a full blown/extermely high dollar custom rifle.
I use mine for "still hunting", spot and stalk.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

What about a mare's leg in .44 mag?

 

[TonyAngel]

I've never been to Alaska, but do have a few "specific purpose" firearms. What you need to do is decide on the qualities that the firearm must possess and then figure out what firearms have those qualities.

You said that others knowing that he is carrying a firearm is an issue. That's a problem. If you stick a lever gun or other rifle into a backpack (or scabbard rigged to a backpack) and it's poking out so that you can get to it, then others are going to see it. If you have a firearm in a package that allows you to conceal it in the backpack, then odds are that you won't be able to get to it, if you need it.

Since defense is more of a concern than hunting, I'd have to lean toward a handgun of some sort. Doesn't Ruger make a revolver called "The Alaskan?" .44 Mag, I believe. There are also other options when it comes to big bore handguns. The point is that they are concealed more easily and are faster into action, should the need arise.

I know that the .44 Mag doesn't garner the respect that it used to, but personally, that's about as big as I'm comfortably willing to go with and can shoot proficiently.

 

[islandphish]

Curiosity: where on the tundra or on a yukon river float would a native with a rifle be out of place?

 

[KodiakBeer]

I think the idea is that he wants something he can break down and conceal in his pack when he is in town.

 

[Maverick223]

I was curious as to the need to conceal as well, your response makes since, KodiakBeer.

 

[Cryogaijin]

Curiosity: where on the tundra or on a yukon river float would a native with a rifle be out of place?

When you're an eskimo floating through an athabaskan town. Believe it or not, there actually is some "tribal rivalry" still going on up here, in places.

 

[Maverick223]

That being the case, I believe that the suggestion to use a take-down model of the Marlin 1895GG (or perhaps a 12Ga. SxS double as was mentioned earlier) would be the best option. I still feel that a good scabbard would be a beneficial accessory, and could be folded up and placed in the backpack along with the broken down long gun.

 

[1stmarine]

Talk to your friend about the Keltec SU-16C and CA. A hot load with Varget and a 70gr Barnes TSX does much more than most people would expect. My hunting rounds clock at 2970fps with pretty high BC.
Also I would tell him about the possibility of a Saiga .308 lightened up and with folding stock but might be too big depending on the backpack.
In 3rd place I would look into the .460 alliance and see if they could build one looking civilized and with hunting in mind. The carbine size barrel would be heavier than the saiga .308 but not sure if the overall weight could be kept around or even below 7lbs. Also this other one could be an option but he might require special permit so he will have to talk to the local sheriff if he doesn't have one....
http://www.alliancearmament.com/460AK47-1.aspx
The same idea could be done less expensively with the .308 saiga in a 12-13" barrel and then less than ideal for longer range but still pretty adequate for 300 yards kills, and after overcoming the initial concussion of course.
Ask him to think about all the good options that others posted and in the end if he needs something special talk to the local sheriff and explaining purpose and might not be a problem in Alaska in Inuit territory but I am not sure. Also he could consider a Class 3 Weapons Owner License but for this purpose he does not need to dance the BATFE requirements and paperwork tango with all that this entails.

Whatever he does make sure it follows federal, state and local laws.

 

[islandphish]

cryogaijin, interesting. I've not seen that up close but I have no time in remote villages.

I'm surprised I never encountered that though, I'm constantly being asked where I'm from in Alaska. I've always felt welcomed by natives, eskimo or indian, and never felt that sort of racism.

Now anti-goosik feelings are something else altogether. (goosik=derogatory for outsider/non-native) similar to anti-haole sentiments in Hawaii.

Still, no one in AK is going to look twice at someone with a long arm in a proper carrier attached to a pack. If they get upset about that, you all probably shouldn't be in that town at all.

My recommendation- a basic 870 with a short barrell, no extra anything. Or a BLR in 30-06 or .300 Win Mag or a 7600 in 30-06. Lots of things will work, few will work as nicely and conveniently as the above. Personally I would want the shotgun for birds, hares, squirrels,porkies, dang good bear protection and the cheapest of them all.

 

[Panzercat]

70gr is pushing the edge of an SU's twist. You really think .223 would provide that much of a deterrent? I mean, I love velocity, but that's not a large hole or mass creating it. Sure, shot placement and all that...

Anyway, I guess I fall in the 'you'd be surprised' camp. Especially since I just picked up my C.

 

[Cryogaijin]

Alaska in Inuit territory

There are no "Inuit" in Alaska. It is a canadian term. Most groups that would be referred to as "Inuit" in canada self-identify as "Eskimo" in Alaska. To further confuse things, there is a distinction between "Eskimo" and "Indian" as well. Inupiat and Yup'ik are eskimo. Athabaskan and Aleut are Indian. (There are MANY other groups, just naming the ones I have frequent contact with.)

Referring to someone up here as "Inuit" is considered mildly offensive/ignorant by much of the eskimo population. It is considered an intentional insult by much of the indian population. So. . . skip the PC bull****.

For the record, I'm a honky. (And dated a yup'ik halfskimo for a couple years, and am friends with an inupiat halfskimo. . .) Anyhow, enough for that digression.

I'm going to be taking my inupiat friend out to the Birchwood gunrange soon to fire off my Saiga .308. He's interested in it, but is more interested in getting something either significantly shorter and lighter. . . AND the Saiga. (Or getting two in one with the RFB)

So far he really likes the looks of the Rem 7600 with the folding stock. Will have to see if we can find one local.

Phish:

never felt that sort of racism.

Me either, to be honest, but I do know from my ex-gf that in some places it can be REALLY bad.

 

[Ironclad]

Why not a long barreled .44 magnum or 500 s&w revolver? It would pack a heck of a lot better than a rifle and you wouldn't be lacking power. Even put a scope on it if that floats your boat.