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Awhile back I picked up a used left hand Winchester 70 in .270 Weatherby with the intent of using the action for a build and finally decided what to do with it. I choose the older style Win 70 mainly due to the simplicity of the trigger system and crf. A little history, My first few hunting trips to Kodiak Island really soured me on the Remington 700. To many issues with the trigger icing up. Moisture would get inside the trigger and have no where to go due to the side plates on the trigger. Combine this with the fact the trigger was adjusted to close tolerances and it was an accident waiting to happen. Didn't happen all the time but happened enough to me, and my hunting partners that I swore off taking Rem 700 back to the islands hunting. Other than that they are a fine rifle for all other style of hunting. I carried a lefty 375 Rem 700 from the custom shop for 20 years when moose and caribou hunting and never had an issue with it other than it was lightweight and kicked like a mule. Just trying to explain my reason behind my win 70 choice. Contacted Mark at Brown Precision Rifles in Texas and decided on a ProHunter Elite rifle in .338 Winchester Mag with the following specs: 23 inch stainless barrel and muzzle diameter approximately .670. No brake or threads. 13.5 length of pull with 1 inch black Decelerator pad. Action will be bedded in a gray synthetic stock and all metal will be finished matt black finish. The ProHunter Elite also includes iron sights with a barrel band swivel mount and 8x40 scope mount screws. I am going with Talley mounts and will use Tally QD rings. Undecided what glass to go with. Mark Brown quoted a build time of roughly 10 months. Mark explained to me the reason behind the 8x40 screws is not just the strength but it also allows him to redrill all the holes and line then up perfectly. Makes sense to me. This build is about durability and accuracy and not beauty. Using the QD rings will allow me to sight in with two scopes and carry a extra one on fly in hunts "just in case". The iron sights will be a nice addition if I ever have to track another grizzly through the alders. Rifle will be used on everything from blacktails to grizzlies. I doubt if I ever go sheep or goat hunting again but if I do will likely pick a lighter rifle shooting a flatter cartridge. My biggest fear is when I die my wife will sell my guns for what I told her they cost. | ||
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My perfect Alaska rifle is a .358 STA Winchester Alaskan Model from the Winchester Custom shop. It has a Weatherby Accubrake muzzle brake on it and kicks about like a 30-06. A 4X14 Ziess Conquest scope and is a real tack driver. 270 grain Northfork bullet at 2950 fps or 250 grain bullets much faster. It has been with me to Alaska, Canada and Colorado many trips and has performed flawlessly. Good Shooting. phurley | |||
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very good project in a great caliber. | |||
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The perfect AK. rifle for my son given to him at his high school graduation Stainless Syt. Ruger MKII with sights in 338WM. Your rifle project is very similar and should work very well. | |||
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You chose well when you called Mark Brown. While there have been many synthetic stock makers to come along since Chet Brown (Mark’s father, long deceased), I’ve always regarded Brown Precision as the best. Their stocks are all I use on the rifles I actually hunt with. | |||
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Over the past 46 years I have designed and assembled a fleet of “perfect Alaskan rifles” Over half are stainless G series stainless M70 with synthetic sticks by Rimrock,Echols, and McMillon The others are either FN Mausers or Ruger MkII Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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Listen to Phil. He knows… | |||
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Phil, your caliber of choice? | |||
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My chances of getting to hunt Alaska, are probably less than one percent. But, IF, I were to go I would take my late 1950's vintage M70 Winchester in .375 H&H. I am the third owner. It has been on at least one African Safari where it accounted for two cape buffalo and one leopard. It was sent, in the white, to Marker Machine out of Oklahoma to be "black chromed on the barrel and action, and a matte silver chrome finish on the entire bolt. All original. The only thing I have done is to seal the inside of the stock and keep the outside clean and waxed. I have taken it elk hunting in rain and snow, deer hunting under the same conditions so it has been subjected to a lot of changes in weather from getting soaked in rain to being out in the desert during camping/shooting trips. Point of impact has never changed. I only use the open sights that came on it, since, to me, the best part of hunting is to have the skill to get into "iron sight range". I will admit that approaching 70, my eyes are starting to go a bit, but if they get worse and I can't use the factory iron sights, then I have a nice Lyman receiver sight ready to go. | |||
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I would like to submit another of my rifles as the perfect Alaskan rifle. A .340 Wby Sporter with a 4X16 Burris Signature scope. It has been with me to Alaska and got me a one shot Kill on a B&C Moose in the Farewell Burn as well as several Bull Elk in Colorado over the years. Between my son and grandsons we also shoot a .338 Lapua Sako TRX with a 4X14 Ziess Conquest scope that has been to Alaska and many trips to Colorado. A 240 grain Northfork bullet at 3000 fps on both rifles will take care of anything you aim it at if the bullet is placed in the right place. Good Shooting. phurley | |||
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If forced to choose a single caliber, the 30-06 is a hard one to beat. You can make cases for almost any caliber but I don’t know of any other caliber that had factory offered bullet weights varying by a factor of two — 110 gr up to 220 gr . Small varmints up to massive dangerous game with 220 gr solids. Like virtually any “all-around choice” it may not be the best at any one application, but it can do it all. For my work, guiding for the largest brown bears on the planet, I prefer the 458 Win. It’s not the largest nor most powerful, but like the 45acp pistol round, it has a long and distinguished tract record. The more I tested and tried other large bores, the more I came to realize just how good it is. Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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Hi Phil, I believe you and your crew have added 416 rifles to you gun collection ? Do you feel the 416 cartridge is as good as the 458 WM in 'Old Ugly' ? Thanks, brair | |||
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The 416 splits the difference between the 375 and the 458, so what not to like about it? Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship Phil Shoemaker Alaska Master guide FAA Master pilot NRA Benefactor www.grizzlyskinsofalaska.com | |||
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Hi Phil, I hope you did not take my question as belittling the 416 . I know it has a great reputation. In a past post, you favored me with an answer as to why you use a 458 WM as your favorite big bear rifle. If I recall correctly , you said the 375 H &H was inadequate for your needs. The 458 was the next more powerful caliber readily available in North America. Now that 416s are readily available in North America , it appears you and your daughter are happy to use them . I guess your answer that they are between 375 and 458 tells me they are adequate but not up to the damage of a 458 ? Thanks again for your response, brair | |||
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