I am hoping to go north on a caribu hunt in the next couple years. wondering what I would take . I really don't like stainless rifles but I mabye should have one anyway. On the other hand a nice tefflon coated rifle might work real well. Mabye get a model 70 in a 300 win or 7mm Mag have it coated and put it in a Mcmillan stock, I have a model 70 in 7mmSTW that would be great but it shoots to good as is to make the weatherazation changes. I would not insist on a magnum, either a 30,06 or a 280 would be fine for the caribu but they are usualy hunted in areas where you might not be on top of the food chain. And although I would not buy a 7 mag for griz, in a pinch with a good tripple shock bullet I think at close range you would stand a prety good chance of comming out alive,
Might need a good laundry lady though...tj3006

You probably won't run into biting things in Quebec (Labrador) and the 7 STW is as good as it gets for that game. However to hunt Caribou in NWT or Alaska one needs to consider the other issues.....usually called big bears!!!

I had a friend go to NWT with a .30-06 for caribou and he asked me for some 220 grainers just for the pocket.....He darn near used them but came home with his caribou and the ammo in tact.

I used a stainless M-70 in .300 Win Mag.....next time I'd go with the lighter gun in .30-06

I don't think there is a "best" cartridge for caribou (perhaps it is just a matter of opinion), but when I lived in Alaska, I took 9 caribou, all with a 270 Win. Years ago the blued/wood rifles were the norm, so I suspect they would do just fine today. SS/synthetic should work as well or better.

i am sure a good blue and wood rifle would work , but I think somting like a laminate or a decent synthetick might be better. I hear Kimber will be making long action rifles soon
A SS kimber in 30,06 witha good scope ! or the same rifle in one of many other calibers might be wonderfull. I like the sako rifles but i do not like detacable mags...tj3006

The best caribou round is the one you can shoot effectivly and consistantly and always place a lethal shot in the animal. Caribou aren't particularly difficult to kill with any deer rifle.

Remember to take bacon with you. Fresh sliced caribou liver dragged in flour with some salt and pepper and onions fried in bacon grease makes the trip worthwhile. A few red potatos in the pan don't hurt the meal either!! A pot of fresh coffee and a Snickers bar for desert.....hard to beat!!

I have shot caribou with the 7x57 and the 300 Win Mag. They are not hard to put down but they can be very hard to approach, the flat trajectory a round offers is much more important than its foot pounds of energy. Practice shooting unsuported because you are often in open country without any trees around, a rock might be the only rest you have. A wood stocked rifle can take quite a beating if the weather turns on you and I have seen all four seasons in the same day while hunting caribou in northern Quebec.
bigbull

I took several Caribou with a .300 Win mag, using the same I was Brown Bear hunting with, a 200 grain Nosler Partition at 2900 fps. We took two trophys and the rest were on native tags for winter meat. Anything from .22 up is plenty of rifle, however is you are hunting in Big Bear country I would suggest the larger chamberings. My next two trips there was with a .340 Wby and then a .358 STA and all the remainder of my trips will see me with the later, or my .416 Rem. I had a run in with the Big Bears that gave me a great deal of respect for the rascals. Good shooting

I have shot 13 caribou. 11 with a 7mm Rem Mag, one with a .30-06, and one with a .300 Win Mag.

they all worked fine. And I have never seen bears while caribou hunting.

I think anything like a .270, .280, .30-06, etc. all work fine. Bring a bipod, a synthetic stocked rifle, and above all bring a good pair of ankle-fit hip boots. Oh, don't forget a rangefinder.

quote:

Originally posted by Lowrider 49:
The best caribou round is the one you can shoot effectivly and consistantly and always place a lethal shot in the animal. Caribou aren't particularly difficult to kill with any deer rifle.

Remember to take bacon with you. Fresh sliced caribou liver dragged in flour with some salt and pepper and onions fried in bacon grease makes the trip worthwhile. A few red potatos in the pan don't hurt the meal either!! A pot of fresh coffee and a Snickers bar for desert.....hard to beat!!

Lowrider:

My best outdoor meals have been in Alaska. I remember on one trip I shot a really nice caribou. I went back to our camp to work on the cape and do some fishing. Caught a bunch of grayling. Filleted them up, then we had surf and turf using a caribou backstrap. I like to bring an old pie pan for that kind of cooking - very light, and when you done, just throw it away (not in the bush, of course).

On my last trip my brother and I fried up some liver for our last meal. Delicious.

I'm heading to Alaska next year for a caribou hunt and I'm saving for Kimber 8400 Montana. If they come out with a .300 Win Mag as rumuored, then that will be the choice; otherwise, it'll probably be a .300 WSM. This choice has been largely dictated by it's light weight - I'll be flying/packing in with a couple of other guys on a drop hunt. I've got some moderate back problems, curved spine, that tells me I've got to limit my weight regardless of my conditioning level. The .300, of either variety, with 180 to 200 grain bullets is flat shooting with enough punch to give me a little comfort in case a bear gets a little too interested in me. If you go on a guided hunt in Canada then lighter calibers might be a reasonable choice.

I've got a good friend that has been on 5 trips to Alaska and one to Africa, and he swears by his .300 Win Mag and Federal Premium ammo with 180 grain Trophy Bonded bullets.

As all have mentioned, there is no ideal cartridge for Caribou.

I have shot LOTS of Caribou. Practice with your rifle is MOST important. Practice close offhand shots and shots from field positions out to 300 yards- 99% of your shooting will be within that range. Keep in mind that the Caribou are usually slowly walking or walking and feeding when on Migration; thus, be ready to compensate for their movement. If you have a good standing shot, take it but always make sure no other caribou are behind your target, they are herd animals.

What comes down to BEST is probably as follows:

1. Stainless, synthetic rifle.
2. Top Quality Scope (Leupold, Swaro, Zeiss (Conquest better than avg. Leuppy).
3. Any cartridge from a 270 win. on up that you are comfortable shooting accurately in field poistions at both close and long range.
4. IF hunting in Big Bear country, and IF you already have used and are comfortable with a .300 win. mag. or .338 Win. mag. use it. Though completely unecessary for bou, they work and work at surprizingly long range.

I would just take the 7STW myself. Stainless/ synthetic rifles are new kids on the block still, and while nice, people were killin' 'bou long before they came along. And with a lot of less powerful rounds than the 7STW. Just my opinion--2MG

AZwriter,

I lived in Glendale for a few years and had a lot of good meals in AZ too!!! I spent as much time as possible on top of the Rim and really hated to leave. After AK, AZ is my favorite place to be!!

Hunt safe!!