Who makes the best Alaskan rifle today?
- Thread starter Northern Shooter
- Start date
Yes, several times, and twice that were very memorable. Both in B.C. Once, after shooting a big bear (in the chest from the front, so not breaking any big bones) near sunset and having him run into black timber between me and my truck. In the growing dark, I had to sneak down a narrow logging road trace to get back. So I took off the 4X scope (QD mounts on a Steyr-Mann Pro) and edged down the trail. Slept in the truck and found him dead in the morning only a few yards back from that road. Convenient for loading him though. The other time I remember best was in the pouring rain during a Blacktail hunt. I couldn't see much through the scope, so I took it off. I was soaked and was about to head back to my little camp when my personal best Blacktail buck walked out into a clearcut right in front of me. I had only a split second to shoot. He went down but got up, and ran into dense cedar. I thought he was gone. The faint blood trail was hard to follow in the rain but I did find him, dead. Dragging him back uphill to a logging road in the rain was the hard part. However, on the west coast, if you don't want to hunt in the rain, you won't hunt much. It can rain every day in November.
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When I shortened my 25" BRNO 602 to 20" I had Tom Norman re install the front sight 1/2" from the cut muzzle so it was easier to tape off.
I had to install a different height blade so I shot a group at 100 yards with Federal 270 gr ammo. The target was an 11"×17" paper with a large inverted black triangle with POA the bottom vertex.
I shot it off bags with the set trigger to test the rifle, not me.
It shot a genuine 1" group.
I couldn't believe it.
I've never shot it again at 100 yards with the express sights......
But they can be accurate, even after shortening and crowning by a good gunsmith.
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When I shortened my 25" BRNO 602 to 20" I had Tom Norman re install the front sight 1/2" from the cut muzzle so it was easier to tape off.
I had to install a different height blade so I shot a group at 100 yards with Federal 270 gr ammo. The target was an 11"×17" paper with a large inverted black triangle with POA the bottom vertex.
I shot it off bags with the set trigger to test the rifle, not me.
It shot a genuine 1" group.
I couldn't believe it.
I've never shot it again at 100 yards with the express sights......
But they can be accurate, even after shortening and crowning by a good gunsmith.
That's a good looking rifle. Very nice. - dan
nowarningshot
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Guess I'll chime in. Usually I'm going into an area, sleeping in a home or large RV at night. Since I own a bunch of choices I take a backup, not worried about backup sights.
Most hunting in Alaska is accomplished by normal rifles. Even there, the need for large magnums isn't everyday, every hunt.
If we're talking large magnums. I'd probably buy a model 70 extreme weather in 300wm or 338wm, top it with a good 3-9, call it good.
Rifles in big calibers I own, that would do for larger than 30cal, described in this thread.
M700 lss 375rum, muzzle break, barrel docked 1", wearing a leupold vx3.
Weatherby MarkV 340wea
Browning Bar 338wm.
Most hunting in Alaska is accomplished by normal rifles. Even there, the need for large magnums isn't everyday, every hunt.
If we're talking large magnums. I'd probably buy a model 70 extreme weather in 300wm or 338wm, top it with a good 3-9, call it good.
Rifles in big calibers I own, that would do for larger than 30cal, described in this thread.
M700 lss 375rum, muzzle break, barrel docked 1", wearing a leupold vx3.
Weatherby MarkV 340wea
Browning Bar 338wm.
At our northern ON deer camp we have had a couple rifles dropped and then loose zero. The good part is that we could then just swap-out for a complete spare rifle, rather than have to rely on back-up iron sights. I can see the value of back-up sights on a remote hunt where the option to change firearms is not available.
Twice I have had the rings loosen or break which caused the rifle scope to be off, in a remote location backup iron sights would have been a hunt saver. WK
I like open sights on a rifle cause I like the look, I do use them from time to time, but not that much and like some said having a back up scope already zeroed for that rifle make some what more sense!!
As far as Alaska goes, I don’t know but up here we’re pretty close to what you would encounter other than coastal #### like weather and costal big brown bears, the rest is all the same and I would go as far as including parts of BC and Alberta! I never felt under gunned with my 30-06 or even my 7x57r(I sold that one)! In my 26 years up here, I never got charged by a bear and I never had a bear come onto a kill while we were there! It will happen at some point for sure and I did loose a really good friend and her daughter to a grizzly bear and know of two other one that were not close friends but people I knew… still find my 30-06 appropriate!
As far as Alaska goes, I don’t know but up here we’re pretty close to what you would encounter other than coastal #### like weather and costal big brown bears, the rest is all the same and I would go as far as including parts of BC and Alberta! I never felt under gunned with my 30-06 or even my 7x57r(I sold that one)! In my 26 years up here, I never got charged by a bear and I never had a bear come onto a kill while we were there! It will happen at some point for sure and I did loose a really good friend and her daughter to a grizzly bear and know of two other one that were not close friends but people I knew… still find my 30-06 appropriate!
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I have three that don't quite fit the criteria. Two stainless Weatherby Vanguards both in Bell and Carlson stocks 22" barrels by K and S, 416 and 375 Ruger, so push feed and wrong stock. Winchester 70 stainless, Boyd's laminate stock,338 wm CRF with a 26" barrel. Where my Wife and I camp in the fall it is thick and there are quite a few Grizzlies, and the area sees some rain. I usually am alone and carry the .375.
Have an M700 350RM iron sights glass stock and QD rings.... when hunting in close wooded terrain I take the scope off and stick it in my pack. The scope is a 4x36mm obj. There are two advantages to removing the scope: the iron sights are quicker to get on target at close range as you can keep both your eyes on the game - and the rifle is much more 'lively' without the weight of the scope and rings on top of it. The largest deer I have shot was with iron sights on a running buck ascending a ridge at about 40yds.
Scopes can change the handling of a rifle and introduce other factors like fogging or flare or difficulty in finding a thin reticle against lots of thin branches.-- they certainly have their place but its not everywhere.
I dont hunt (and probably never will) in Alaska but if money were no object one of these Sako 100 rifles in 9.3x62 would be nice. It looks like the Sako 90's top out at 300 Win Mag which would probably be more than sufficient but I seems to me that 338 WM is designed for Alaska ... and Sako doesnt chamber that anymore .. so 9.3x62 seems like the closest comparable.
This is all speculative and subject to what people with proper experience suggest.
Scopes can change the handling of a rifle and introduce other factors like fogging or flare or difficulty in finding a thin reticle against lots of thin branches.-- they certainly have their place but its not everywhere.
I dont hunt (and probably never will) in Alaska but if money were no object one of these Sako 100 rifles in 9.3x62 would be nice. It looks like the Sako 90's top out at 300 Win Mag which would probably be more than sufficient but I seems to me that 338 WM is designed for Alaska ... and Sako doesnt chamber that anymore .. so 9.3x62 seems like the closest comparable.
This is all speculative and subject to what people with proper experience suggest.
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When I shortened my 25" BRNO 602 to 20" I had Tom Norman re install the front sight 1/2" from the cut muzzle so it was easier to tape off.
I had to install a different height blade so I shot a group at 100 yards with Federal 270 gr ammo. The target was an 11"×17" paper with a large inverted black triangle with POA the bottom vertex.
I shot it off bags with the set trigger to test the rifle, not me.
It shot a genuine 1" group.
I couldn't believe it.
I've never shot it again at 100 yards with the express sights......
But they can be accurate, even after shortening and crowning by a good gunsmith.
Nice Rifle -Good shooting .RJ
Not a BAD idea at All . RJ
IMO picatinny or weaver bases, QD scope rings and an Aimpoint Micro in a pocket are probably superior to backup irons, especially if the task is packing meat back when it's getting dark.
I like the Burris Extreme Tactical two piece steel picatinny bases. I like the two piece as it leaves the loading/ejection port open. Good quality and will take any Warne or Weaver QD rings, and the QD mount for the Micro also works. No tools needed.
As to the rifle, a Winchester 70 in .30-06, .338 Win Mag or .375 H&H magnum would be my choice. The Blaser R8 might also be a great choice. Many love the Tikka T3s and the Ruger 77 Mark II is also excellent. The Ruger ring mount doesn't seem to have an Aimpoint base for it though.
I like the Burris Extreme Tactical two piece steel picatinny bases. I like the two piece as it leaves the loading/ejection port open. Good quality and will take any Warne or Weaver QD rings, and the QD mount for the Micro also works. No tools needed.
As to the rifle, a Winchester 70 in .30-06, .338 Win Mag or .375 H&H magnum would be my choice. The Blaser R8 might also be a great choice. Many love the Tikka T3s and the Ruger 77 Mark II is also excellent. The Ruger ring mount doesn't seem to have an Aimpoint base for it though.
