yhc,

Like a lot of the guys who have given you their opinions I hunt here in Alaska with a number calibers. Nevertheless if forced to pick one it would always be the 338WM. The 210 NP's shoot almost as the flat as the 300WM and are devastating on animals like deer, sheep and caribou. The 250's shoot as flat as the '06 but will do nicely for moose and bears.

I think as others have suggested that the srainless/synthetic route is the way to go for Alaskan weather and often rough hunting conditions. Also if you can do something to lighten the rifle without compromising shootability I'd do it. Often the hunts here require a great deal of walking/packing and a light rifle is really appreciated.

Regards,

Mark

Almost anything between 30-06 to 375 will work well. Premium bullets are always appropriate. I would spend more on my binocs than my scope. I would also pay good money for clothing and boots. Filson clothing and Meindl boots are very popular. You will find yourself throwing away your Bass Pro catalogs but you will become very familiar with Cabelas.

I use the gun that was made for Alaska 338 Win Mag and 250 grain bullets.

Some people here use the 375 HH had one too big don't need it sold it.

A excellent rifle I would suggest is the Winchester Model 70 in Stainless Steel in 338 Win or 30-06.

Yes 30-06 is still the most popular cal. in Alaska. With 180 Nosler Part it well handle 90% of all the game here. I have 3 in my safe. Still have my Boy hood rifle a Browning BAR Grade 2 in 30-06 and carry it often.

Alot of people come here with big rifles, unless you are going to live here the 338 Win if not I suggest the 30-06.

Thank you all for your feedback.

I already have 30.06 and .338 wm but wanted another reason to get a new rifle...I am quite sure you all understand.

With your feedback/recommendations in mind, I will start looking around for my next purchase. I wish you all a nice weekend.

Piss on it.....Buy them all! You can never have enough guns!

This is my plan...You find a RCBS check list of all availble calibers/dies. Buy a gun for each caliber.

God forbid only one gun! This ain't Canada, I would divorce or die first!

Buy a 30.06 and shoot it enough with 180 grain bullets to be able to call your shot from any field position out to 150 yards. Stainless/synthetic is a good starting point. If you want to hunt around salt water, have your stainless gun coated with gunkote in matte black for additional protection. .338's are nice but they are tools for seasoned shooters. Ask the guide of your choise if they would rather take a hunter out with an old tried & true 30.06 or a new .338.

A 30.06 loaded with premium 180 bullets will cover most Alaskan hunting situations very well.

Good luck and hope you enjoy Alaska.

When I moved here-all I had was a 7mm rem mag as a deer rifle. My hunting partner told me I needed a bigger gun. So I went out and bought a .375 H&H. Now 10 rifles later, the 7mm has collected more Alaskan game animals than all the others. Yes I have used the .375 and .338 for bears but they stay in the safe more than they hunt.

In that case you need to build a featherweight 7mm-08 for sheep hunting.

I only have one big game rifle, a Ruger M77 MK-II, stainless steel, with a Hogue Rubber-Overmolded stock, topped with a matte Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x scope. Caliber: "The Alaskan" (.338WM). I prefer heavy .33 bullets from 230 to 300 grains while hunting moose in bear country.

I agree that for Alaska hunting stainless/synthetic is a great combination, because it rains quite often while hunting, or it gets cool during the night and condensation builds on the rifle.
------------------------
This is from the NRA's January 2001 issue, American Hunter: "The Alaska Department of Fish & Game hunter safety staff in Anchorage tallied the big game rifles sighted at the Rabbit Creek rifle range for the 1999 hunting season. The top three cartridges were the .30-06 (21%), .300 Win. Magnum (19%), and the .338 Win. Magnum (18%). These were followed by the 7mm Rem. Magnum (9%), .375 H&H Magnum (6%), .270 (6%), .308 (4%), and .300 Wby. Magnum (4%), .45-70 (1%), .280 (1%), and a host of others, including many wildcats. Comparable data are not available for hunters who live in the bush."

Doesnt exist. '06, 300winny and the 338 are about the best you will find. That said, I'm feeling pretty partial to the 35 whelen I bought this winter.