the ultimate Yukon rifle ... your thoughts

Now I've never been to the Yukon but I have shot elk, moose, and black bears.......my choice would be a synthetic, stainless (for the weather) in either a .340 Weatherby or .338 RUM. with optics of 3.5x10 or 4.5x14. Max with possability of open sights or quick detach mounts on optics so a red dot could be used in tight situations!!!. Also be in the 8-10 lb mark so its easily carried and soaks up a bit of the recoil.

Why???

Cause in my experiance these are the 2 most versitile rounds for most of North America..........from antelope to Moose / Grizz........and plains to mountain tops there is probably no equall! they can and do handle the heavy bullets well and can make the long shots easy when needed to do so (with bullets of hgh B.C.). Up close they can easily handle the "Grizz attacks" (snicker) and will anchor any elk or Moose with athourity!!

So there ya have it one mans view of the best Yukon rifle available......oh did i mention it works really well in Saskatchewan to!! HAHA.

Oh ya as far as ammo being available in the local stores......now that Cabelas and wholesale sports and not to mention Prophet River, can ship ammo to anyone with a valid PAL....I see it this way....if you run out of ammo up there cause you cant find any at Canadian tire....then your a dumbass for not having a surplus on hand!
 
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c-fbmi said:
Boomer; I'm neither ditching the 366 Wagner nor am I praising the 270 (God forbid), and while many cartridges could fall into the "all around" Yukon gun/cartridge combo I feel there are better ones than the 9.3X62, having said that a very good friend and hunting partner used a 35 Whelen for everything in the Yukon for several years and did not find it lacking much at all. He did finally go to a 7mm Mag for sheep and goats though, as he did find the Whelen came up a tad short in this instance, where shots can stretch out there.
Let's face it though, the 300 mags up to the 340 have few peers as all around rifles anywhere any time. They just do everything very well, close up and way out, hard to beat the energy and trajectory and relatively mild recoil for the external and terminal ballistics given from a 300 mag. The 340 is just more of a good thing, however not every one has the recoil insensitivity to handle a 340 and for those the 300s are the answer, for those who CAN handle a 340, it is without peers in the "one cartridge does everything" category. It is the killingest long and short range cartridge I have ever cut loose on game, it makes long range hits exceptionally easy, and with over 2 1/2 tons of energy close up it absolutely smashes big animals that may be too close. It also has the bullet selection to rival even the 30 cals with bullets from 180 gns to 300 grns. I would use the 340 with confidence on any game in the world including elephant with a 300 gn solid............but I digress.......as a Yukon "all around rifle/cartridge" it is certainly one of the very best.
PS......my current one is a rechambered Mod 70 Super Grade..........absolutely gorgeous rifle and it loves 225 ABs.

It's the one in the back with the 3-9 Zeiss Diavari on it.

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Its hard not to like the M-70s. I don't have the energy to point out all the advantages the 9.3X62 has over the .35 Whelen, but the basics are more powder capacity and a better selection of bullets, none of which really matters because the Whelen works just fine. There was a time in my life that I thought a .340 was simply the best big game cartridge available, but then I shifted gears and began to think of the .375 in a North American context. In those days one didn't have to clarify which .375 you were talking about, there was only one that wasn't obsolete, well the Weatherby too I guess, but .375 meant Mr. Holland's cartridge. If I was going to be honest, any .338 bullet of equal weight, and similar construction, and shape to any .375 bullet, the .338 has the advantage of sectional density and ballistic coefficient when impact velocity is the same. So the .338 flies farther, hits harder, and penetrates deeper. But today we have the .338 Ultra, the .338 Lapua, and the .338-378. So if the .340 is better than the .366 Wagner, by then by virtue of the same argument, aren't the very big case .338s a better choice than the .340. Of course I already know the answer, but its fun to stir the pot.
 
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I've only been to the Yukon once, but since it is the Internet I will voice my opinion - 300 Win Mag.
 
c-fbmi said:
Boomer; I'm neither ditching the 366 Wagner nor am I praising the 270 (God forbid), and while many cartridges could fall into the "all around" Yukon gun/cartridge combo I feel there are better ones than the 9.3X62, having said that a very good friend and hunting partner used a 35 Whelen for everything in the Yukon for several years and did not find it lacking much at all. He did finally go to a 7mm Mag for sheep and goats though, as he did find the Whelen came up a tad short in this instance, where shots can stretch out there.
Let's face it though, the 300 mags up to the 340 have few peers as all around rifles anywhere any time. They just do everything very well, close up and way out, hard to beat the energy and trajectory and relatively mild recoil for the external and terminal ballistics given from a 300 mag. The 340 is just more of a good thing, however not every one has the recoil insensitivity to handle a 340 and for those the 300s are the answer, for those who CAN handle a 340, it is without peers in the "one cartridge does everything" category. It is the killingest long and short range cartridge I have ever cut loose on game, it makes long range hits exceptionally easy, and with over 2 1/2 tons of energy close up it absolutely smashes big animals that may be too close. It also has the bullet selection to rival even the 30 cals with bullets from 180 gns to 300 grns. I would use the 340 with confidence on any game in the world including elephant with a 300 gn solid............but I digress.......as a Yukon "all around rifle/cartridge" it is certainly one of the very best.
PS......my current one is a rechambered Mod 70 Super Grade..........absolutely gorgeous rifle and it loves 225 ABs.

It's the one in the back with the 3-9 Zeiss Diavari on it.

Click to expand...

I presume you're talking about a 340 Weatherby Magnum which is kinda like a 338 Winchester on steroids.
Seems that you are to the 340 Weatherby what Jack O'Connor is to the 270 Winchester.
I kinda like the Ruger 77 stainless in 300 Win.
It's a lot like the pre-64 Winchester model 70 with CRF and 3 position safety but a lot tougher.
It has a super tough Zytel synthetic stock and packs a Leupold 3-9x40mm scope on top.
That rifle once rolled down a rock cut and landed in some talus 30' below.
Just a small nick in the black synthetic stock and still on target.
 
Oh ya as far as ammo being available in the local stores......now that Cabelas and wholesale sports and not to mention Prophet River, can ship ammo to anyone with a valid PAL....I see it this way....if you run out of ammo up there cause you cant find any at Canadian tire....then your a dumbass for not having a surplus on hand!
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I don't think Cabelas is going to ship me a box of ammo to a motel or field camp, but thanks for insinuating I am a dumbass...
 
conor_90 said:
Sucks to hear that, thanks for the replies guys.

c-fbmi just to clarify this shotgun was bought for and carried in northern vancouver island and the broughton archipelago, it has nothing to do with "the perfect yukon rifle" which I am starting to think may be a 30-06 for me at least. I only mentioned it to counter the notion that I should buy a guide gun for the scary bears before I go to the Yukon.
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I understand......bear defense and hunting are two totally different and diverse topics. My pet defense choice would not be my pet hunting choice at all. Were it legal in Canada my pet defense choice for the Yukon bears would be a 44 mag 5 1/2" super Blackhawk with 300 gn loaded to the nuts. Easy to carry, light, 6 shots available, deadly accurate within the 15-25 mtr defense ranges anticipated and 100% reliable.........My first hunting choice is almost always my old 300 Wby or for bears exclusively in the spring, my 350 RM Mod 7 KS.


Gunoholic.........I love the 300 WM as well and used one with great success for years including my first trip to Africa, I don't have a disparaging word to say about the 300 WM, it is an outstanding choice in my opinion as well. I'm not particularly fond of Rugers, however I do have several and they are a very utilitarian firearm..........as most know on here, I'm a serious Remington fan but not blinded to other quality makes like the old Sakos, the new Winchesters, Brnos and CZs etc., there are but two makes of bolt guns, that come to mind immediately you'll never, ever see in my rack.........Savage and Mossberg.......
 
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conor_90 said:
I don't think Cabelas is going to ship me a box of ammo to a motel or field camp, but thanks for insinuating I am a dumbass...
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OP was best caliber and gun for Yukon.....if your a traveling hunter then take enough with you for the hunt.......if your a resident then Cabelas etc. will ship to home address..... And probably a good chance they will send to a motel address if that is you temporary residence!!
 
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Yep believe it or not apapro some people do not have a fixed address for a large portion of the year.

C-fbmi, how is the black bear hunting during spring season? Good meat bears?
 
I put the following rifle/cartridge combo together when I was working as a self employed free miner throughout BC & Alberta mostly northern areas.

I used to pack a Marlin 1895GS 45-70 loaded with 525gr or 550gr WLNGC's @ 1600fps & 1580fps but it just didn't have the reach during hunting season if I happened upon a game animal I wanted to take at longer ranges.

My pick is my shortened to 21" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 375RUM loaded with 260gr Accubonds @ 3020fps and a Leupold VX3 4.5-14X40mm B&C reticle scope it is my one true 500+ yard rifle cartridge combo.

Pop in a 300gr Partition or A-Frame @ 2775fps (yep down loaded) it is a perfect all round take anything combo.

When I want a true defense rifle I pop off the scope and install a rear XS Sights tall Weaver ghost ring backup sight load the rifle with 350gr TSX @ a reduced to 2450fps gives cloverleaf 50 yard groups and I wouldn't hesitate to shoot this load combo out to 250 yards.

Yes I know that I can't walk into a store and buy the ammo if I lived there it wouldn't matter and if I was going to take a flight there I would ship ammo and other supplies so I would not have to worry but I would probably drive there for the fun of it.
 
conor_90 said:
Yep believe it or not apapro some people do not have a fixed address for a large portion of the year.

C-fbmi, how is the black bear hunting during spring season? Good meat bears?
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I don't eat 'em but have given several away that weren't shot up too bad and was thanked profusiously by the recipients who declared them absolutely delicious.
 
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