New Alaska Rifle Tips?

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I don't think the 300 ,short of a RUM or 30/378 is 1 lik better bear rifle than the 06. And the 06 ain't any kinda great brown bear gun.
However , with a load like a 200 gr TSX coming out of an 06 @ 2600 fps mv. It will kill a bear no problem. It penetrates well. If the shot is just right. That's the key to any bullet. Gotta put the bullet in the right spot.
However with my 458 or 416. There are alot more presentations that give a straight line to the heart. And bust alot of important stuff along the way.
I know far too many bear that have been shot multiple times with 30 cals and run off . never to be seen again. Dozens over the years.
The reason most trophy pics of brown bears are taken in the alders is that's where the bears run to after they've been hit but not dumped. In southeast where the brush is much thicker than the alder patches of Kodiak or the Penninsula. And it rains as much or more. A 375 is a good minimum.

 

[Don A Parsons]

The coastal Inuit at Church Hill use 2 rifles for polar bear defence,,, stubb nose 12 gauge with slugs,,, and the now 308 Winchester that replaced the Northern defence 303 British,,, folks think that brown Kodiak bears are dangerous,,, yes they can be if they decide to go that route...

Polar Bears are since the pattern of survival depends solely on Seals or Humans,,, the most dangerous time is during freeze up as the Bears,,, and I mean alot of Bears gather up in the hamlet waiting for the pack ice to thicken before floating off into the Hudson Bay...

Most humans killed by Polar Bears never see it coming since they are true killers with keen senses to not be detected in the snow and at night,,, us humans look across the mostly flat terrain thinking that there is no way a Polar Bear could get us,,, but these Bears can sneak in on most humans blind side using what little bluffs of land Contours they can to approach with the least amount of detection...

So why would the Northern people up there use those cartridges on man kinds most dangerous predator,,, its simple,,, the 12 gauge shot guns and now 308 Winchesters are supplied by the Candian Government,,, plus,,, there is no funds for folks up there to afford the luxury of owning rifle larger than that... Who has $200 for a box of ammo up there in the far reaches of the North,,, the answer is no one...

The Candian Government ain't sending expensive rifles and ammo up there when the older units work just fine...

Don't get me right or wrong,,, the odd family up there has the rare 30/06 in the North,,, the majority of rifles up there are 303 WW II army surplus units that are slowly being fazzed out... The most common of rifles the folks like up there are the 223's since the majority of kills are Seals,,, that and spears... """if""" the families have money to afford them...

We take for grante what we pay for stuff at the 49th parallel and the lower 48,,, once you land in the North,,, a person realizes that the cost of living is 3 to 5 X's if not higher up there... If not 7 X's the costs...

If the Northern Lights Store dosen't have what your looking for,,, you will be waiting for months to get your goods,,, there ain't no Cabelas or Bass Pro up there,,, never was and will never be...

Cambridge Bay,,, Baker Lake,,, Wrigley Alaska and 1000's of other communities don't have what we have,,, its just away of life,,, what the Government offers you is what you get...

Hopefully everyone gets a chance to visit the Church Hill and York River regions at some point in their life time,,, there are Inuit communities all along the Hudson Bay and Beaufort sea along with 1000's of Islands that have nill for good housing,,, fresh produce of food,,, transportation,,, and the luxuries of a fine firearm that some of us own...

Purhaps the Saying """Less is More""" rings true when you find your self in a situation where there is no extra funds for the finer things in life,,, what you have becomes the only option of what you make do with...

Funny how our brothers and sisters live with so little in a vast land that can consume us like a speck of sand on a vast desert of emptiness,,, of course this vast desert is the land of frozen snow... Ha...

That and the swarms of black flies that will eat you alive in the limited summer months...

 

[Dutch Jennings]

As a lefty, even buying a production stainless rifle there's nothing I could find in a .338 mag. Even the 300RM is limited: Savage 110 Storm or Ruger Hawkeye Hunter look like the best bets. In .375 my choice would need to be the .375 Ruger cartridge out of one of the Rugers- Hawkeye Hunter or Guide Gun. Anybody have any field experience with either of those Rugers?

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

The coastal Inuit at Church Hill use 2 rifles for polar bear defence,,, stubb nose 12 gauge with slugs,,, and the now 308 Winchester that replaced the Northern defence 303 British,,, folks think that brown Kodiak bears are dangerous,,, yes they can be if they decide to go that route...

Polar Bears are since the pattern of survival depends solely on Seals or Humans,,, the most dangerous time is during freeze up as the Bears,,, and I mean alot of Bears gather up in the hamlet waiting for the pack ice to thicken before floating off into the Hudson Bay...

Most humans killed by Polar Bears never see it coming since they are true killers with keen senses to not be detected in the snow and at night,,, us humans look across the mostly flat terrain thinking that there is no way a Polar Bear could get us,,, but these Bears can sneak in on most humans blind side using what little bluffs of land Contours they can to approach with the least amount of detection...

So why would the Northern people up there use those cartridges on man kinds most dangerous predator,,, its simple,,, the 12 gauge shot guns and now 308 Winchesters are supplied by the Candian Government,,, plus,,, there is no funds for folks up there to afford the luxury of owning rifle larger than that... Who has $200 for a box of ammo up there in the far reaches of the North,,, the answer is no one...

The Candian Government ain't sending expensive rifles and ammo up there when the older units work just fine...

Don't get me right or wrong,,, the odd family up there has the rare 30/06 in the North,,, the majority of rifles up there are 303 WW II army surplus units that are slowly being fazzed out... The most common of rifles the folks like up there are the 223's since the majority of kills are Seals,,, that and spears... """if""" the families have money to afford them...

We take for grante what we pay for stuff at the 49th parallel and the lower 48,,, once you land in the North,,, a person realizes that the cost of living is 3 to 5 X's if not higher up there... If not 7 X's the costs...

If the Northern Lights Store dosen't have what your looking for,,, you will be waiting for months to get your goods,,, there ain't no Cabelas or Bass Pro up there,,, never was and will never be...

Cambridge Bay,,, Baker Lake,,, Wrigley Alaska and 1000's of other communities don't have what we have,,, its just away of life,,, what the Government offers you is what you get...

Hopefully everyone gets a chance to visit the Church Hill and York River regions at some point in their life time,,, there are Inuit communities all along the Hudson Bay and Beaufort sea along with 1000's of Islands that have nill for good housing,,, fresh produce of food,,, transportation,,, and the luxuries of a fine firearm that some of us own...

Purhaps the Saying """Less is More""" rings true when you find your self in a situation where there is no extra funds for the finer things in life,,, what you have becomes the only option of what you make do with...

Funny how our brothers and sisters live with so little in a vast land that can consume us like a speck of sand on a vast desert of emptiness,,, of course this vast desert is the land of frozen snow... Ha...

That and the swarms of black flies that will eat you alive in the limited summer months...

I know for a fact that Nuiqsut AK has the highest per capita income of any town/village in Alaska. And the other villages on the North Slope are in good shape , especially since so few of them actually work.
Any you can get ANYTHING flown up. Every village has a post office. Which means regular flights in , weather depending. And pretty much every village has cell service .
I have spent hundreds of nights working outdoors in polar bear country when bears were in the area. I am well experienced with living with my head on a swivel . Especially because I wasn't allowed to have a weapon on me.
Mot saying every arctic village is on the North Slope. But anyone that wants to can have a proper bear rifle. Most of it is a cultural thing. They try to make a seal gun do what a bear rifle is needed for. Because they choose to not spend money on an appropriate rifle !!!
NOT BECAUSE A SMALL CART WORKS AS GOOD AS A BIG CART !

 

[Cold Trigger Finger]

I've had 3 or 4, 375 Rugers. Iirc 4 .
3 were M77 Mk2 Hawkeye Alaskans . 1 was a Guide Gun. All were right handed tho.
They are great rifles ! I prefer the Guide Gun/Rifle to the Alaskans tho . I prefer the laminated stock and barrel band sling swivel . Adjustable lop . And the muzzle brake. !
I don't regret trading my last one for a custom 416 Rem. Because I plan on getting another one. Guide Gun in 375 Ruger that is.
The Rugers tend to need to get broke in/ slicked up a little. But, they work , are sufficiently accurate and get classic H&H 24" velocity from their 20" barrels.

As a lefty, even buying a production stainless rifle there's nothing I could find in a .338 mag. Even the 300RM is limited: Savage 110 Storm or Ruger Hawkeye Hunter look like the best bets. In .375 my choice would need to be the .375 Ruger cartridge out of one of the Rugers- Hawkeye Hunter or Guide Gun. Anybody have any field experience with either of those Rugers?

A friend in Sitka has the left hand version and he loves it. Has killed tons of game with it.

 

[LDHunter]

I just did a quick google search and Bud's Gun Shop lists a Browning A-Bolt SS Stalker 375 H&H Left Hand but it's out of stock and yet it's only $903 so you don't necessarily have to spend a small fortune to get a perfectly correct left hand big bear rifle.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog.../browning+a-bolt+ss+stalker+375+h&h+left+hand

If I were going brown bear hunting I wouldn't want a rifle that was "adequate" for a bear rifle but instead would carry one that is a no compromise bear rifle. Sure a 30-06 is an "adequate" bear rifle but why bet your life on it? If you somehow screw up and **** off a brown bear or just happen to come upon one in a bad mood then even a 375H&H will feel like a pee shooter in your hands.

A 375H&H defies all logic. It is the perfect sweet spot in a truly dangerous game rifle that simply doesn't have the recoil that you'd expect it to have for the massive energy it delivers to the game you're shooting. That's why it's so incredibly popular among big and dangerous game hunters the world over, especially in Africa.

Yes... I speak from experience at least in the recoil department. I have a 375H&H Alaska Wilderness Rifle from the old Remington Custom Shop back when their rifles were still built by gunsmiths. I bought it about 15 years ago and still love it. It's light (7 pounds) and yet the recoil in my opinion is quite a bit less objectionable than you'd imagine. It's a push rather than a teeth rattling intense whallop like a 338WM or similar delivers.

Everybody is recoil sensitive if they have any common sense. Heavy recoil will do a lot of damage to your body that you won't feel until you get older. Muzzle brakes will destroy your hearing even with hearing protection. Look for those sweet spots with cartridges that deliver what you want in terminal ballistics and yet still are easy on the shoulder and that have readily available ammo at moderate prices. If you only reload it's a PITA to have to feel rushed just before a hunting trip and have to handload at the last minute. I've been there....

Just one man's opinion....

 

[RH300UM]

Your '06 with a 181 Hammer hunter will be a good combo.
Plenty of brown bear and interior frizz have been killed with a '06

 

[Don A Parsons]

Yes, Alaska is much different than the NWT,,, these folks have the longest shore line and the least amount of money then the folks in the south...

If it wasn't for our government,,, there would be no one living there,,, The Church Hill and York rivers are on the Canadian side... Barker Vill and lots of other coastal communities...

I spent a short stint on the Beaufort sea project on Methane Gas discover wells on man made islands,,, these pads were like landing pads for polar bear,,, if they returned a few times to the same work site Island the Polar Bears got a free helicopter ride North to the pack ice,,, a big red X of paint on them before getting dropped off... Ha

If a red X bear showed up after that,,, it was game over... No telusal sleeping dart on the 3rd go round... Just a good old 212 gr 303 British Lee Enfield shot to the hart,,, DOD,,, """Dead on Delivery.""" LOL...

We got a chance to touch a live tranquilized Polar on telusal,,, very freaky experience since their eyes are open,,, but their body is a sleep,,, if they start to move they get another needle before rolling them into the net for a flight...

Any-who,,, the medium size cartridges dispatch class 4 game just as good as the next,,, put the iron sights where they need to be and game over,,, a person soon learns to land the shot placement higher than on hoved furry critters,,, the vials are a fraction higher in the bears...same for cats...

If I owned a 30/06 and shoot it good like the OP said,,, I'd run with it,,, and yes,,, I own a Ought-6 and I do hunt with it... Ha...

I've shot the odd black bears over the years,,, and darn lucky to pass up on a few Grizzlies since I didn't have a tag,,, we spotted 8 or 9 of them that year,,, would my 308 with Bounded Grand Slam 190gr decompress them,,, yes they would of...

This I know for my self becuase Ive shot medium bore rifles longer than my magnums,,, don't get me right or wrong,,, I liked my Mags,,, but I found out over time that my shoulder did not,,, much like the idea of scaling back a bit more this year...

Shot placement and Jack rounds hard and fast are my only options these days,,, hopefully things stay on track as I continue year 40+ of predator control in the North... Its super fun and what a rush...

Boots on the ground make it happen more than the irons I'm packing,,, Ha

 

[FamilyH]

LARGE & DANEROUS GAME (GRIZ) RIFLE....needed for Alaska trip, shots out to about 500 if needed. I'm a big guy and like 300 Win Mag, but hesitate buying one due to recoil. Don't want to buy a rifle I hate practicing with well enough to learn well at distance with with my scope. I like the 7mm Rem Mag a lot but am wondering if that's big enough for brown bear close range (including defensive role). I could use my 30-06 with 220's but there again same thing. Any Alaska guys, what do you recommend?

I lived in Alaska for four years in the inside passage. I started out with a 300 win mag. Then I seen a brown bear grizzly, at that time I sold the 300 and picked up a 375 H&H. After talking with the old timers in that area they all told me that the smallest bore they would use is a 35 cal, and they did not care about the velocity. I put to get her a 358 STA, it tops in at 12 lbs and the draw length is a 1/4 in long to help with the recoil. It may be heavy but is a pleasure to shot. Hope this helps you.

 

[73driver]

I'm a Minnesota boy so know what ice and cold are all about, yet Alaska would seem to be a whole new level of "cool".

Minnesota winters are worse than winters in Anchorage. But the lack of sun is palpable.

 

[86alaskan]

When I lived up there, I carried a tikka T3 in 338WM. plenty of gun, took 2 brown bears and a number of caribou. Watched the 338wm kill several moose. Lots of good over the counter hunting ammo available for the 338WM. Toward the end, when I stopped actively hunting big bears, I sold the 338 and used a tikka t3 in 300WM for several caribou. With a good suppressor the 300WM was the ideal hunting rifle. Tikka shows a T3 lite stainless LEFT HAND 300wm. https://choose.tikka.fi/usa/code/JRTXB431
I'd use that as your starting point for the perfect rifle. In time, add a better stock, maybe a suppressor and you'll have a one and done do it all killing machine.

 

[org57]

I think the best weapon that I would use to hunt grizz is a TANK

 

[Knightvision]

I've hunted and stomped the bush in Alaska for more than 50 years and never carried anything other than the venerable .375 H&H. Most of the ole boys I hunted with carried the same. I bought a .300WM in the early 60's soon after it came out and loved it and still shoot it. It will do the job on big Brownie or Grizzly on your terms in fine fashion but sometimes it's not on your terms but his, that's why I loved the .375 H&H

 

[Dutch Jennings]

I just did a quick google search and Bud's Gun Shop lists a Browning A-Bolt SS Stalker 375 H&H Left Hand but it's out of stock and yet it's only $903 so you don't necessarily have to spend a small fortune to get a perfectly correct left hand big bear rifle.
https://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/28843/browning+a-bolt+ss+stalker+375+h&h+left+hand

If I were going brown bear hunting I wouldn't want a rifle that was "adequate" for a bear rifle but instead would carry one that is a no compromise bear rifle. Sure a 30-06 is an "adequate" bear rifle but why bet your life on it? If you somehow screw up and **** off a brown bear or just happen to come upon one in a bad mood then even a 375H&H will feel like a pee shooter in your hands.

A 375H&H defies all logic. It is the perfect sweet spot in a truly dangerous game rifle that simply doesn't have the recoil that you'd expect it to have for the massive energy it delivers to the game you're shooting. That's why it's so incredibly popular among big and dangerous game hunters the world over, especially in Africa.

Yes... I speak from experience at least in the recoil department. I have a 375H&H Alaska Wilderness Rifle from the old Remington Custom Shop back when their rifles were still built by gunsmiths. I bought it about 15 years ago and still love it. It's light (7 pounds) and yet the recoil in my opinion is quite a bit less objectionable than you'd imagine. It's a push rather than a teeth rattling intense whallop like a 338WM or similar delivers.

Everybody is recoil sensitive if they have any common sense. Heavy recoil will do a lot of damage to your body that you won't feel until you get older. Muzzle brakes will destroy your hearing even with hearing protection. Look for those sweet spots with cartridges that deliver what you want in terminal ballistics and yet still are easy on the shoulder and that have readily available ammo at moderate prices. If you only reload it's a PITA to have to feel rushed just before a hunting trip and have to handload at the last minute. I've been there....

Just one man's opinion....

Yes finding rifles out of stock is almost the rule rather than the exception for lefties. Availability I mentioned before was based on a search on Gunbroker and on Ammoseek. Thanks for finding and mentioning this option, will keep my eyes open online as no gun shop around here will have one of those babies on the rack.