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Hunting & Fishing Son getting stationed in Alaska, what rifle?

awmp

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May 18, 2008
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Son is graduating from Officer Candidate School and already has orders for Alaska. Got him a 6.5 Creedmore for a graduation present but I think he might want something bigger when he gets there. (going to be on his dime).

He is talking about wanting to go Elk or Moose hunting.

Thoughts for a rifle?
 
A 30-06 will kill everything in Alaska just fine. Change bullets to the application.

220 Hornady round nose or 220 partitions for bears, 180 Hornady spire point boat tails for moose and elk, 150 Hornady for deer, caribou, sheep.

More GIs spend more money on 338 win mags and 375 H&H only to find the old sourdoughs killing everything just fine with a 30-06, 270, or 6.5 Swede.

Ask me how I know.....
 
Son is graduating from Officer Candidate School and already has orders for Alaska. Got him a 6.5 Creedmore for a graduation present but I think he might want something bigger when he gets there. (going to be on his dime).

He is talking about wanting to go Elk or Moose hunting.

Thoughts for a rifle?
The creedmoor is more than enough rifle....but a little bit of 300!win mag in your life never hurt anybody

Bench
 
A 30-06 will kill everything in Alaska just fine. Change bullets to the application.

220 Hornady round nose or 220 partitions for bears, 180 Hornady spire point boat tails for moose and elk, 150 Hornady for deer, caribou, sheep.

More GIs spend more money on 338 win mags and 375 H&H only to find the old sourdoughs killing everything just fine with a 30-06, 270, or 6.5 Swede.

Ask me how I know.....

Precisely why there is a 30-06 in the safe.
 
A big bore rifle that you can warm your hands on after you fire it every time to combat the cold.
 
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Son is graduating from Officer Candidate School and already has orders for Alaska. Got him a 6.5 Creedmore for a graduation present but I think he might want something bigger when he gets there. (going to be on his dime).

He is talking about wanting to go Elk or Moose hunting.

Thoughts for a rifle?

If he's got a combat job up there forget about free time. They are in the field 3 week's out of every month.

I was never stationed up there, but I heard nothing but horrer stories from guys who had been. Things might have slowed down now that units aren't deploying every other year anymore too.
 
Will he be living of base? If he has to keep it in some kind of base armory then get something that will look good with lots of scratches, dents and dings.
 
Not to mention getting moved after a few years. Just keep it simple....
 
If he likes to fish, get a 12 ga. pump with a sling. Slugs work well on moose and bears.
 
Most use 300WM for general hunting and the stainless 45-70 lever guns for bears and in close stuff. It can be pretty thick there, so close range is needed depending on where you go.

If he is down by Anchorage have him get with Marc Taylor at Wiggy's Alaska, off Seward by the Dimon center. He is the hub for all things precision rifle in the lower part of the state. In the Fairbanks area see Bowman Arms.

We do 10 classes a year up there at Upper Sustina, guys shoot JABER for F Class stuff, they have a summer league that is shot after work as the sun doesn't set until 2 AM or so.
 
How many of the people who replied have lived and hunted in Alaska?

I did for six years.

Shit, is that even long enough for residency? I’ve got you beat by a little over 30 years;)

But I agree, lots of folks go with too much gun only to find out they don’t shoot enough to be proficient because it’s too expensive or hurts to bad. Elk are not easy to get to for hunting here, moose caribou and bear are however pretty easy. If he’s going to actively chase Bear then 375 H&H is sort of the goto otherwise I like 300 WM but 30-06 is just as common.

And for the love of god don’t let him drink the G20 is the answer to all bear problems cool-aid! Semi autos have a place...I don’t think that place is balls deep in Alaska bush.

ETA I didn’t get a 300 WM until I was 16, before that I killed everything with a .308 including two grizzly, one north of 800#.
 
@sea2summit

I forget the new guy term? Tenderfoot?

I don’t claim the most experience, just that I was there and the sourdoughs adopted me and they were wise in the way of use enough, but not too much gun.
Just razzen ya cheechako, and largely agreeing with you. Most folks that recommend 391 PRCGrendleWinchester as a minimum gun have never been there...and probably light on hunting experience in total IMHO.
 
Well, a bit north of Anchorage.... ?

As said by others with experience, it really depends on what he plans to do.

If for bear protection, an 870 works well. Thats what was carried by all guides at an outfit I worked at that flew out to the Alaska Peninsula daily for fishing, weeklong camps.
Others fish guided on the Talkeetna snd Susitna rivers when I lived in Talkeetna and carried the same. Some guides a pistol, but most an 18” pump gun.

For hunting, I would say ‘06.
Pretty easy shoot one well, ammo is all over, not crazy expensive to shoot, and works for all other big game in the lower 48.

Some dont like the G20 and a lot do.

My good friend has lived there (guided for several years) for 40 yrs. he carries a 475 Linebaugh as his sidearm.
Its not too bad to shoot. Again, not a ton of use outside of AK except maybe in WY, MT, or ID.
He also carries a .338 win mag as he is OAF and likes the power.

Army or AF?
Tell him congrats.
 
I think the Ruger American Predator is a great choice for what you want. My dad has a .308 700 AAC and it's a heavy sumbich. He shot a nice elk with it this year just over 200 yards with Hornady 165gr SSTs. I highly recommend that as an ammo choice. They recovered the bullet in the far shoulder and it expanded perfectly. Back to the Ruger. I own a few M77s that are very accurate hunting rifles and are light weight for doing a lot of walking. I don't think you can go wrong with the Ruger American Predator, I've read a lot of reviews on them and people really seem to like them. Threaded barrel is a big plus if you plan to suppress someday.
 
He will need a 4x4 dually with camper, wheeler, trailer, snowmachines, Stika high end camo just to get started. Might throw in jet boat too to jet up the rivers full of wakes. And of course top shelf hunters have to have a cub or poor mans TC on floats. For those in AK they get it.



Don't be typical military. Alaska is full of AD and retires but cheechako AD can get a bad rep will quick. Alaska is kind to station AD Vs those who are not with the up to 24 month wait times for residency so don't be that guy. Be thankful and learn the regs. Good thing is, wont see rigs parked everywhere with base decals like the days of old.

Beta is hard to come by, well sort of. Most sourdough will not divulge beta. If you hear of something, keep it secret. This comes from AD who pass through. Has ruined many good areas.

Time off most is hard to come by for any Alaskan. Everyone wants and has their hunt blocked out for the year. Depending on his unit, mission still comes first. Throw in permits good luck!

It can take 2 years to get on first big hunt, with a 4 year tour, thats average of 2 hunts depending of many factors. Hear every year, I thought AK was full of moose.

While I am out of the business for awhile, F&G data report 30.06 is used by 35% of alaskan hunters with 220gr classic ammo as preferred. Of course,, things evolve and AK is no different. Now days hunter have high dollar super laser with telescopes attached. There is a term magumitise, the closer to Anc you get the bigger the magnum.

If lucky enough to hunt the true bush, dont take that 6.5 due to ammo avail in the villages. 300wm, 30.06 338wm can be found in most villages. Dont think ammo wont get dumped, then you have never hunter the bush. Friend got dump in Bethel last year, lost everything and almost his life.

Suggestion is Tikka t3x SL in 300wm, 200gr partitions, Leuply 2.5-8x. Learn the regs, lean the weather, learn AK and tips on how to work on that tipped over moose, hunting is easy, once Bullwinkle is on the ground, now the work starts.

Anchorage is like any mid sized city. But, Alaska is still present in the city. Moose, bears, yotes, 2 wolf packs. Had moose calf in our yard. Trails to hike, bike and ski. Its not expense like 20 years ago. Housing can be small rocky yards for 360k built in the 70s are everywhere. Crime is rampant as the city and state have turned liberal. Our neighborhood 3 break ins this summer. You can see passed out people laying around, sometimes in the street, walk right out in front of you, some are having sex, homeless camps everywhere, even where we are use to safe family area but city polices have crime rampant.

Most places you wont get the eye with your 44 on your hip or chest. Ak is gun culture, CC without permit.

Economy is way down with not much improvement forecasted. Closed business everywhere, empty houses, its a buyers market. Be careful where he lives. Amazon is ruining AK too.

If your son has questions or something, ask.
 
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That creedmore with Barnes x will be fine. And if he’s worried about bears get a big bore pistol. Most likely he can get anything off a departing GI from a base oriented for sale web/Facebook site. I have shot 4 moose with a 6.5.
 
Army, just got back pinning on his butter bar. He was 7 years enlisted so he has a good background. Gave him his 6.5 and he loves it, but was built more like a target, long range rifle than a hunter (again no knowledge he was going to AK months ago), more to follow I"m sure thanks for the info and open to more.
 
Congrats!!
CF1_0460-XL.jpeg
 
Os that have Es experience seem to have good head. I wish him great success.

Villages have turned to use 223 and MSRs and they eat. Don't over think it. My suggestion is, toting a rifle can get heavy, not so much for wheeler or fly in stomping around for bou and Bullwinkle but weight still matters in my experience. I want light and short. I went from 24" tube 338 to 16" tube 308 and moose is not less dead with 308. But my legs, back, heart and lungs feel the difference. The average shot in Alaska is around 300 yards per F&G data. I agree.

300wm ammo can be found in just about every hunting camp and village, not so 6.5 but it will tip over meat. If he plans to hunt the triangle, it doesn't really matter but can find 300 and 06 in camps.

Once again, the Army and Alaska should take care of him but if he needs anything, don't hesitate to ask.



Army, just got back pinning on his butter bar. He was 7 years enlisted so he has a good background. Gave him his 6.5 and he loves it, but was built more like a target, long range rifle than a hunter (again no knowledge he was going to AK months ago), more to follow I"m sure thanks for the info and open to more.
 
Lifelong Alaskan here. He’ll definitely want something stainless/synthetic- it rains all the time, forecast be damned.

Most of the guys I hunt with use a 338 Win Mag or similar chambering. There are lots of bears in AK, and you might meet one even if you’re not looking for one. It takes lots of practice to shoot an 8# 338 or 375 really well.

Shot placement is #1, followed by bullet construction. A guy is better off with a 6.5/A-Frame or TSX combo that he shoots well, than a 338/SST combo that makes him flinch.
 
Good advice. I hear it every year, I smacked him with 270gr 375 and he didn't go down, next year I am going with 416. Show up a sighting in and see all the shotgun pattern holes from a large chested bearded sourdough wearing his stika then walk to the end and see the 125 pound female stacking 243s, who has the better chance of tipping one over. Animals only care about a hit in the engine room with a quality bullet, headstamp means nothing. I prefer partitions, never failed since I started using them in 76 or so.

But, I have only used carbon blued barrels, and never had a single issue but it does rain. If I ever bought another hunting rifle, I would go with SS just because.


Lifelong Alaskan here. He’ll definitely want something stainless/synthetic- it rains all the time, forecast be damned.

Most of the guys I hunt with use a 338 Win Mag or similar chambering. There are lots of bears in AK, and you might meet one even if you’re not looking for one. It takes lots of practice to shoot an 8# 338 or 375 really well.

Shot placement is #1, followed by bullet construction. A guy is better off with a 6.5/A-Frame or TSX combo that he shoots well, than a 338/SST combo that makes him flinch.
 
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I lived and hunted in Alaska! A 458 anything is my recommendation. My 45-70, put down two black bear, a nice caribou and a trophy moose. I wasn't there very long and didn't get a chance at interior grizz or coastal browns. The nice thing about a slow and heavy bullet is no bloodshot meat. A freight train doesn't have to go fast to kill something.
 
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Good luck to your son, thanks for his service. I have no experience in Alaska, but love to keep learning. Great thread to ge able to have so many experienced guys on here.
 
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Son is graduating from Officer Candidate School and already has orders for Alaska. Got him a 6.5 Creedmore for a graduation present but I think he might want something bigger when he gets there. (going to be on his dime).

He is talking about wanting to go Elk or Moose hunting.

Thoughts for a rifle?
When I was stationed there, I used a 30-06. Then, I think I used Hornady Light Magnum ammo(that was in the 90's, Superperformance has eclipsed that I believe). Worked great on bears and caribou. Now, I would go with a caliber just larger than .300 Win Mag, WSM, or something along those lines.
 
Kodiak resident here. 300wm in stainless/synthetic would be useful to hunt the state with. Lots of opportunity for those willing to work and travel for it. Anchorage has everything anyone would need in terms of ammo, reloading supplies, gunsmiths, and hunting gear. Several big sporting goods stores and gun shops.
 
I highly recommend a 358 winchester great all around gun. Good luck to your son.
Hope he enjoys Alaska.
 
If he's got a combat job up there forget about free time. They are in the field 3 week's out of every month.

I was never stationed up there, but I heard nothing but horrer stories from guys who had been. Things might have slowed down now that units aren't deploying every other year anymore too.


I’m at wainwright now. We are deployed currently. But in the last two years i been there I have hunted every caribou. Every moose and every bear seasons. Idk if he’s going. To wain or JBER May have missed that
 
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Used a Rem700 Sendero SF in 300winmag for tundra caribou. Buddy used 45/70 lever gun for bear and 300winmag for caribou
 
What and where he hunts is going to matter. And how. Some guys hunt off four wheelers. Some rent up and glass the same valley looking for something to wander in. Shots could be up close or far off. Caribou are easy to kill. Moose are easy to kill but hard to drop. I wouldn’t want to fight a bear over a gut pile with a 6.5, I used a 375 or 9,3. A G20 is fine for bear, if you can’t do it with that a 44 wouldn’t get it done either.

if you want to do something semi custom a mid weight 300 PRC would be my pick. But where I hunt in the occasional years I go back, 500 yards is as likely as 50.
 
I'd say 338wm is a great all around caliber if large game is on the menu. Best be prepared for the worse case, then the best case. I was given Alaskan Bear Tales then More Alaskan Bear Tales to read as a kid up there. So that might still be clouding my reasoning.
 
I carried a Savage 99 in 300 Savage. A lever action 308 is ideal for most big game in Alaska, I was in Fairbanks in 1968 during the oil lease sales & later stationed at Ft Wainwright with 4th Bn 9th Infantry I hunted on a subsistence license from 75 till 79 Dall sheep, caribou, moose & black bear (not Brownies or Grizz ! ) the 180 grain 300 Savage stopped them all, although for Sheep I found the 150 grain gave me more range. I suggest a good pump 12 gauge as well. I fed my family many a duck or goose dinner with my Ithaca model 37 12 gauge.
 
Well in Army wisdom he was stationed at Fort Sill and now they are moving him to Fort Drum, lol.
 
After living there for 18 years, I moved away decades ago. I still regret leaving. When I left Anchorage, they were still called Ft Richardson and Elmendorf AFB. When I was there, troopers carried shotguns with slugs and birdshot for defense against bears. Don't shoot them unless you have to but if you must, blind them with birdshot and a slug in the chest. Do they still do that?

I hunted blacktail deer and moose with a 7mm mag and 308 - there were some long shots. I bought a 375 H&H as a trunk gun - it was a post '64 model 70. When I went fishing, I threw it into the trunk then carried it to the creek. I wanted it in case I was jumped by Mr. Bear but it was also sufficient for most everything. I didn't care what it looked like but it went bang every time and, I hoped, it would make a mess even if I was under stress and blew the shot. I took my dad to Brooks Camp in the 70s and we fly-fished for steelhead. There were several bears with us - in camp and in the river. Big sow, twin year-and-a-half old cubs, in and out of the river getting reds. Juvenile 3-year-old boar that bluff charged to steal steelhead from guys who caught them. Big, I mean REALLY big, boar that patrolled the lakeshore at sundown and worked the river at night. That was sporty.

The 375 used to shoot under 2 inches at 100 with a 4x scope - sometimes about an inch. I used to be able to shoot it standing, it isn't a bench gun. It doesn't have a brake and it has a somewhat noticeable recoil, especially with 300 grain solids. I recently sexed up the stock, installed magazine bottom metal, and remounted the scope so I'm thinking I might go out this weekend and see if it will still go bang. It's a little big for whitetails.

I'm a big fan of stainless and composite and ammo you can find. Da' bruddah in law took his first bear with a remington 74x I think it was a pump gun in ought-6. His second one he took with a 458. We all laughed at him - he bought it because it could. He was all about that whole "too much gun" thing. Don't overdo the caliber, it isn't necessary. That being said, I would want something bigger than a 6.5. I own a 300 win mag set up for long range shooting - with 230 grain bullets and a brake it is a sweetheart. A couple year ago at a range I shot a 7-lb gun in 300 win mag. Some years before that, I put three rounds through a 10-pound or 11-pound 470 capstick. I wouldn't have either one - way too much recoil. The 375 is much more manageable.
 
30-06. It is what I carry, it can be used on anything up here, it is light enough for chasing goats and sheep, but has enough punch to drop a big brown. The only thing that will reliably stop a charge is a CNS hit, so once you can bust through heavy bone placement and the stones to pull it off matter more than the size of the round. I will admit, I want a 375, but that is a want, not a need. The 30-06 also moves slow enough that bullet failure at 10 feet away is unlikely. Mine is always loaded with 180 gr copper bullets. Before I had small kids, I used 180 gr Accubonds.

Get something stainless and synthetic, unless he just likes oiling things in the field. Conditions can rust things pretty fast depending on where one is hunting.

Or, get him a good pack and let him pick his own rifle. I have Seek Outside and Exo Mountain Gear packs. Nothing wrong with Kifaru and Stone Glacier either. A Seek Outside hot tent is also nice up here.
 
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I lived up there in the interior at Wainwright and know Marc Taylor. .300WM is a great round, good range, solid for Caribou, moose etc.
 
I’m currently stationed here in Alaska and use a multitude of calibers. 300wm for moose/bear, 6.5 PRC/308win for caribou, .243/.223 for coyote/wolf. I know plenty of people here that shoot 6.5 creed for most game but for me anything larger than caribou is getting the 300wm.
 
My vote is for 300wm. I have not had any no matter what the game is big or small.