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Friends, please tell me about your rifle that has the characteristics to resist rusting and all other harm that comes from the HARSHEST conditions. Name your manufacturer, model, accessories, and if a custom build please state ALL of the details. If your rifle can handle being dropped into the salt water, (by accident of course) while you are getting off of a boat along the Alaskan coastline I want to hear about it. Thank you all in advance. D/R Hunter Correct bullet placement, combined with the required depth of bullet penetration, results in an anchored animal... | ||
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Ruger stainless MKII boat paddle stock one would have to work hard to harm it. I used my 416 Taylor in a MKII stainless for four rainy days put away wet in a case left it there over night. Just for testing purposes at the end of 4 days it looked just like it did at the start. If one would take even minimum care it would be even better. If it was dose with salt water I make dang sure it got sprayed/hosed down with some type oil. In that case WD-40 would drive all the water off. One thing about syt stock you can hose them down with oil and not harm them. I know one guy would had his Blued Weatherby dose in salt water he did not clean the inside of the barrel and ruined it. | |||
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The Montana Rifle Company's X2 should fit your needs. Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. | |||
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I'm not a scientist, but have done a few trips in Alaska. The first was a Weaver Pre War Mod 70 340 Wby with a HiTech stock. The original bluing showed some pin head rust spots after only its first trip on a grizzly/moose/caribou hunt north of Tok. I cleaned it & took it to Kodiak for a hunt with miserable weather and it came back almost blanketed in rust. I then had it then cerakoted and it went back to Kodiak again, this time 6 days of full blown sleet & it took a drink in West Ugak bay. I did a quick field cleaning and then full blown fresh water bath before a reg cleaning at the lodge when we returned- zero rust. Took it to the Wrangells for another grizzly/moose hunt. Zero rust. After that I then cerakoted my 375 H&H Pre War Mod 70 as well. It lounges in its original wood stock or hunts in an Echols (McMillan) Legend stock. Took it to Iliamna on a brown bear hunt- zero rust. My blued P.L. Holehan (Win) 270 fared well in the Wrangells on a sheep hunt. It has both a wood and McMillan stock for hunting. Zero rust. If you really took the time to care for your rifle you can hunt with a wood/blue rifle. However; I've yet to be on a country club hunt in Alaska where after a leisurely stroll in the countryside i'm sippin brandy and wiping down my rifle. It's tough, you're dog assed tired & look forward to your Mountain House and your sleeping bag.........let alone carry 10 days worth of wipes, oil, etc in my pack. FWIW my outfitter in Kodiak uses a Sako in a synthetic stock. The blue has been worn off, he usually Rustoleum's it before the season. Hope that helps. There are two types of people in the world: those that get things done and those who make excuses. There are no others. | |||
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Great stuff guys! Please keep the info coming! D/R Hunter Correct bullet placement, combined with the required depth of bullet penetration, results in an anchored animal... | |||
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Under Rugged Alaskan conditions EVERY rifle will eventually a little TLC, but stainless/synthetic rifles require less attention and I also agree that the stainless Ruger M77 rifles in their old boat paddle stocks are about as tough as they come. 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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What Phil said. When I lived in Alaska I hunted most of 12 years with custom 338 WM from Brown Precision that was stainless/synthetic and found it to be about ideal for any situation from moose to sheep. Mark MARK H. YOUNG MARK'S EXCLUSIVE ADVENTURES 7094 Oakleigh Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89110 Office 702-848-1693 Cell, Whats App, Signal 307-250-1156 PREFERRED E-mail markttc@msn.com Website: myexclusiveadventures.com Skype: markhyhunter Check us out on https://www.facebook.com/pages...ures/627027353990716 | |||
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I’ve seen more issues with optics in extreme weather than I have guns. Like others have said, just take care of your stuff. Stainless and synthetic is less effected by weather but still needs a little lovin’ from Time to time. | |||
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FourtyOneSix, Please go into detail about what you've seen with scopes having trouble, and which scopes fared the best there, in the 49th State! D/R Hunter Correct bullet placement, combined with the required depth of bullet penetration, results in an anchored animal... | |||
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They all fog up on the outside. Seen a couple get mouisture on the inside. My swaro spotter has water on the inside. tasco scope that you couldn’t even see out of. A couple others that did the same but I can’t remember brands. Guns work when they are foggy and wet. Covered in ice they stop working however. | |||
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Here is another thing to think about: on a trigger with a middle lever, don't adjust the sear such that it barely has contact or a little grit or rust will cause it not to fire. Otherwise, any synthetic stock and stainless is my choice, but like others said, if you take them out in rain day after day and don't wipe them down, they will eventually rust. | |||
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I had missed opportunity on a whitetail with a Ruger No. 1 it had been raining and then sudden drop in temperature. A hour or so later a doe stood in front of me I shouldered the rifle and the safety was froze solid. Stuff happens. | |||
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Stainless/synthetic is a no brainer, but a really quality optic to deal with wet is key. Brett DRSS Life Member SCI Life Member NRA Life Member WSF Rhyme of the Sheep Hunter May fordings never be too deep, And alders not too thick; May rock slides never be too steep And ridges not too slick. And may your bullets shoot as swell As Fred Bear's arrow's flew; And may your nose work just as well As Jack O'Connor's too. May winds be never at your tail When stalking down the steep; May bears be never on your trail When packing out your sheep. May the hundred pounds upon you Not make you break or trip; And may the plane in which you flew Await you at the strip. -Seth Peterson | |||
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Fell thru the ice on the Chitina river hunting bear one November. Gun was a walking stick within seconds. Client fell in a creek later and when he pulled his gun outs the water it was already to late. Couldn’t even lift the bolts. We went back to camp and toasted expensive rifles over an open fire.... | |||
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Alaska = HARSH Conditions... no doubt... D/R Hunter Correct bullet placement, combined with the required depth of bullet penetration, results in an anchored animal... | |||
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so no love for laminated stock? | |||
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Mine started peeling the finish off two months into my season. It now has a synthetic stock. | |||
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AAW makes a very good point above. Stainless rifles aren't all stainless throughout. Not to name names, but Savage is probably the worst offender. Most of their internal components are carbons steel. I'll qualify that with I have not looked closely at a new rifle, but my late 90's and early 2000's rifles have mostly carbon steel innards. I would suspect that isn't a Savage only issue. Triggers are definitely not stainless, but are well protected. That said, I have had them freeze solid. Made the elk happy, and me less so. That was a Jewel in a Rem. A Ruger M77 Mk2 probably won't do this. Jeremy | |||
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I use pretty much the same as P-dog. I don't hunt near the ocean but I did hunt the back areas of the great salt lake a lot. it is even worse on guns than the ocean water is.[much higher salt/mineral content] there are some big bucks in those back marshes if you know where to look. I replaced the MK-II boat paddle with a Hawkeye a couple of years ago but haven't hunted that area since then. the MK-II still looks pretty darn good, except for a gouge and a scratch here and there, and it took some pretty nasty dunking's in that salt water marsh. I had to replace the sling a couple of times since those are generally what gets tore up first. | |||
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This dudes a metallurgist. He knows big words I’ve never heard before.(not typically a surprise). He’s not just spouting internet fact. | |||
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Regarding the optics, on my last sheep hunt in AK, we got rained on a lot. No surprise. What was a surprise was my Swarovski binos with moisture in them one morning. Fortunately, as the temperature rose, the moisture would go away. Repeated this daily. | |||
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Send em back!! That’s no good. They got a leak and water got in. Cold and warm air changes the inside is no good. | |||
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the weather is definetely dryer here ... but i will keep an eye on mines | |||
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I have and just put the first 15 rounds down range from my Montana X2 270. I just posted my first rang session in America hunting sub forum. Stainless Steel barrel and action. The stock is reinforced with Kevlar. It is pillared beded and the tang and recoil lung is beded. The trigger is pre 64 Winchester only three parts that you can actualy clean. The front of the action is master 98. The stock is a little low for my lanky head and scope mount. PM me your email or or iPhone number and I will send you pics of the rifle and the first 15 round target. I bought it to be a more rugged partner to my wife's 270 super grade FN Winchester. It holds 6 270 Winchesters in the magazine. | |||
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by larryshores: Regarding the optics, on my last sheep hunt in AK, we got rained on a lot. No surprise. What was a surprise was my Swarovski binos with moisture in them one morning. Fortunately, as the temperature rose, the moisture would go away. Repeated this daily.[/QUOTE Larry, don't hesitate to call Swaro and send those back - they will fix them toot-sweet. Antlers Double Rifle Shooters Society Heym 450/400 3" | |||
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Over the past forty years we'll over 90% of the rifles my clients have used had Leupold scopes on them. In that time I have seen one Leupold scope fog up internally, yet have seen multiple failures of virtually all the other makers ! 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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I’ve got a luey 1.5-5 on my 416, front sling stud came out once and dropped the rifle right on the scope. Bent the eyepiece down. Power adjustment was crimped and wouldn’t adjust and you had to look up into the scope, It almost touched your thumb when you shouldered it. Scope was still on and it never leaked. Never seen a bad luey that I can remember. Even their cheap ones are still going strong. Shot one (2.5-8)out on my light weight 416 once but otherwise I’ve been happy. | |||
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That happened to me in Africa once, so now most of my guns have a washer type deal embedded in the stock (like how McMillan does it). I have never had a Leupold fog either and it is all I have used in Alaska. I love Nightforce though...have you guys ever seen a Nightforce fog internally? | |||
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I’ve never seen a nightforce on a gun. Lol all the clients you’d think by now I’d remember one. But I don’t. I have seen their price tag though.... | |||
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Put a teflon, ceracoat, or plasma type coating on a stainless rifle with a plastic on strong laminate stock. In some regards I like the laminate as it does not make a scratchy noise going through brush like a plastic one but it is heavier. Take some duct take of electrical tape to put over you muzzle. Lens caps for your scope and there are lens wipes that will help with the external fogging issue. Remove your muzzle break if you have one. Any idea what might happen if you pull the trigger with one filled with ice?? | |||
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I don't think you need the coating on a stainless rifle. Two things are going to fail that will screw you up: your scope will fog or your trigger will fail to work. My solution: use a high quality scope, wipe down the rifle every night, and test your trigger every morning to make sure rust didn't gum it up (obviously with an empty chamber). Bring the right tools to take the bbl action out if you do need to fix the trigger (or keep it at the manufacturers recommended minimum or higher). I do follow your muzzle tape advice and obviously use scope caps. Here is another one of which I would like Phil and Jake's opinion: in driving rain, stay in the tent; you are likely to cause more damage than good (I speak from experience) and your odds of seeing game are pretty bleak. | |||
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Phil would have a handle on the bears he lives with as far as rain goes. My experience has been different in different areas of the state. Coasts bears seemmmuch more tolerant of rain and are still fairly active. Interior grizzly and black bear seem to hate rain. I’ve watched them run when a squall hits them on several occasions and can count the inland bears I’ve shot in the rain on one hand, outa a hundred or so. Coastal bears on Kodiak, the upper and southern Alaska Peninsula and Prince William sound still seem to regard rain as not much of a big deal. Those are the areas I have experience with. The down side to severe rain is your visibility is hampered a lot so you tend to see less bears even if they are active. For inland bears, any gun will be fine as the bears are more of a fairweather critter. Coastal weather with that salt in the air/rain chews stuff up faster than bug spray on a rubber wrist watch!! And typically you would probably be hunting in more crap weather on coastal hunts as well. | |||
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Thanks Jake; I was talking about a driving rain. Hunting in rain is just part of the deal in Alaska. While I don't enjoy it, HH gear makes it tolerable. | |||
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Driving straight down, sideways, or up? Either way with the term “driving” rain, I’ll be in the tent. | |||
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I don't hunt near the saltwater and am not sure of the harshest conditions. But usually for 3 weeks my rifles see more rain and/or fog than not. Unfortunately, at times they may get a dose or two muskeg splattered over them. Those holes in the bogs can be sneaky and can result in a face forward fall. They get dried whenever the sun sees fit to pop out and stay in the tent vestibule at night. I wipe them with an oily rag. If there are blued parts on the exterior, sight screws/blades, and or rings; it is not unusual to find some small light surface rust spots. I mostly use Ruger Mark II / Hawkeye stainless rifles. I have used all the various synthetic stocks that have been issued on them as well as McMillans. I have also used stainless and synthetic Winchester M70 Classics with the same results. I have not used blued and walnut in many years.
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Definitely a leak. No good. Send them back. Brett DRSS Life Member SCI Life Member NRA Life Member WSF Rhyme of the Sheep Hunter May fordings never be too deep, And alders not too thick; May rock slides never be too steep And ridges not too slick. And may your bullets shoot as swell As Fred Bear's arrow's flew; And may your nose work just as well As Jack O'Connor's too. May winds be never at your tail When stalking down the steep; May bears be never on your trail When packing out your sheep. May the hundred pounds upon you Not make you break or trip; And may the plane in which you flew Await you at the strip. -Seth Peterson | |||
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Interesting notes on the Swaro's. I owned a pair of SLC's quite a few years ago. I am pretty hard on my equipment and have hunted some pretty rugged areas and busted my rear more times than I can count. I had two instances where the SLC's were knocked out of alignment. As others have mentioned Swar. takes care of the issues fast but that does not help you while you are on a mega$$ hunt. I think they are wonderful glass however I question their durability. Might be the best thing for "birders" or hunting out of a truck but?? I switched to another Alpha brand and have been very happy. I know everyone may have different horror tales on their optics. I will throw in with Leupolds on the durability as well and they are light weight. Someone mentioned Night Force. Great stuff but I have no interest in carrying a 30 oz scope very far. Great for hunting in a blind or a truck. EZ | |||
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Swarovski has always produced great optics but for many years they used a glue to secure the lens' that would eventually dry and shrink, reducing waterproofing. The current models seem to work a lot better and longer, plus their warranty and service are one of the very best in the industry 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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I don't live in AK. but hunted there a few. Here's my 2 cents worth. People hunted in bad weather areas with blued steel and walnut before any stainless steel and tupperware stocks became the fad. Wet inclement conditions demand maintenance, no way around it. You have to keep all metal surfaces PROPERLY cleaned and lubed. Taking into account the extreme freezing weather and what will freeze your moving metal parts. Stainless Steel does rust, it just takes longer than Carbon Steel. With Ceracoating and similar coatings, made it much easier to maintain. They have been tested against salt water immersion etc... and have been proven superior. With coatings, metal material are equal. Make sure to have ALL the metal coated to limit the problems. If your rifle takes a special tool to disassemble the bolt. Get it. take it with you to use in camp and most important, learn how to use it quickly and effiecently. Take the proper allen wrenches or screw driver to disasseble the barreled action for maintenance or to check scope bases and ring screws. The metal that is not visible to the naked eye is the hardest to asses and maintain. The bore can rust easily or have obstruction. Keep in camp a cleaning rod and bore snake. Run a patch through the bore and check for color and lightly oil and wipe off. The bore cleaning can throw your first cold shot lightly. You are not hunting praire dogs, whatever minute changes are worth it. Walnut stocks that are PROPERLY sealed everywhere including the bedding areas are not a disadvantage. A wood factory stock that has a quick cheap coat on the exterior surface is. Wood is quieter and does not resonate like hollow plastic. It is much easier to tolerate in extreme weather on your extremities. It cannot become brittle or soft in hot weather. IF the stock get some character, big deal. Scopes is another disputed subject. I prefer Leupold low fixed power scopes. I don't need 30 or 34mm. 1" is plenty and light weight aluminum tubing handles the weather and recoil much better than the hubble telescopes. No extra parralax adjustment dials/water funnels needed. My favorite as of late is the Leupold M8 4x28mm long tube. Fits all the actions and various LOP's. About $150. Save the difference and put it into binoculars and Helly Hansens Impertech rain gear. We are all bombarded by successful marketers for the newest and greatest. Let reason be your guide and don't let equipment choice stop you from going hunting. | |||
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