I had a discussion with someone thay had spent a lot of time in Alaska, several years. He indicated that the most popular cartridge with the locals was the 30-06. He noted that not many used the larger magnums, that was the domain of visiting hunter.

With the exception of the Brown Bear, it sounds logical to me, but you tell me. Is this accurate?

Thanks

Yes - I'm speaking for myself as a life long Alaskan that grew up in Kodiak - To this day the 30-06 in a Model 70 pre-64 type claw action in SS is my favorite rifle to hunt with- Loaded with a Nolser 220 gr. at 40 yards I took my first brown bear without a hitch, plus the Caribou in my side picture fell victim to the 30-06 in a Barnes 168 gr Triple XBT at 200 yards - Its never let me down.

i hunted deer on kodiak with a m70 s.s. .30-06 with nikon s.s. 3-9x scope with boss accuracy system. worked well for me. most reliable action. not too heavy to carry. very acccurate.

the rifleman's rifle.

Recently retired Alaska outfitter Larry Rivers always said, "The .300 Win Mag is to Alaska as the .30-06 is to the Lower 48."

The way I've always heard it "The .338 Win Mag is to Alaska as the .30-06 is to the lower 48". But what do I know, I've only lived up here all my life.

If my wife would only let me have one gun it would have to be my VZ24 30-06.
Yes they still sell more 30-06 amo than anything else. Even in ALASKA
Have a good one!!

I have several 30-06's but my favorite is the 338 Win Mag.....that Winchester built on the Model 70 called the "Alaskan". I will continue to hunt with my 30-06 and 338 Win mag. here in Alaska for all my game. The 30-06 with 180 Nosler Part is excellent here and in my 338 Win I use 215/250 Sierra Gameking's. I even carry a 308 Win alot with 180 nosler's with great results on moose. The Marlin 45-70 guide gun loaded at higher vel. is excellent also for a close range rifle, that I like to carry on the bear stand.

I did go buy a 300 WSM in Win 70.....although.

Trigger:
I'd probably have to agree about the .30-06 being the most popular here. While I'm not a fan of any .30 cal. chambering, it'll work just fine for about anything. There's no way I'd use it on a Brown Bear & I really think it's very "iffy" for grizzlies, but otherwise it's fine.

My 2 "go to" rifles are my .270 Win. with 150 gr. bullets & my .338 Win. Mag. The .270 is for sheep & caribou and although not ideal, I'd use it in a pinch for moose & grizzlies. The .338 is for moose, big bears & an occasional elk hunt on Afognak Island. A former hunting partner used nothing but a .270 in the Brooks Range on everything up to & including moose & grizzlies. Keep in mind that on a hunt up here you always have a partner so at least you have a backup.
BTW, during the 2002 moose season, my current partner & I were with a guy who nailed a moose at about 300 yds. with his .30-06 and it only went about 30 yds. after the 1st shot. As I recall, he shot 3 times hitting the animal twice & I think he missed one the 3rd. This was using factory, 180 gr. ammo. Also, as a side note, I ALWAYS use premium bullets when hunting Alaska. Bullets are cheap, hunting trips aren't.

Bear in Fairbanks

The 30-06 is a great flexable all around cartridge. I have a 30-06 barrel for my encore and along with a 22-250 barrel it is my traveling gun. Doesn't matter where I'm going those two barrels will handle 95% of all my hunting. I also have a late 70s winchester model 70 in 30/06 sitting behind teh seat of my truck at all times. Its seen a lot of hard alaskan use and is ever dependable. For bigger game and longer ranges I like the 338 WM with 225 Barnes TSX and for close in work the marlin guide gun with 405gr Kodiak bonded bullets. While not the best on big game the old 06 will handle most hunting challenges up here with good 180gr bullets.

quote:

Originally posted by trigger:
I had a discussion with someone thay had spent a lot of time in Alaska, several years. He indicated that the most popular cartridge with the locals was the 30-06. He noted that not many used the larger magnums, that was the domain of visiting hunter.

With the exception of the Brown Bear, it sounds logical to me, but you tell me. Is this accurate?

Thanks

The 30:06 IS really popular up here as is the 300 Win Mag and the 338 WM. Lots of guys will carry a 300 or 338 WM just in case they are guests of Mr. Brown Bear or Grizz. A black bear can be brought down by a 30:06 handily (with the right bullet)and is a great choice for deer and caribou and moose too. I've got three 30:06's myself. Its been my experience though with talking to a lot of hunters that the 30:06 lags a bit behind the 300 Win Mag and 338 WM in popularity in AK but I don't know for sure. My favorite are the 35 calibers. I have them all except a 350 Rem Mag and the 358 STA. My 358 Norma Mag is my favorite 35.

The 30-06 was one of the most popular rifles with residents when I lived in Fairbanks. Other popular cartridges: 270, 7mmRM, 300WM, 338Wm. Never saw too many resident hunters with 375s. We used to always joke that you could see the non-resident hunters by all their cabela's camo and the 375s