Who makes the best Alaskan rifle today?

.375 Ruger, either the old Alaskan or an African in a McMillan stock (I have the later). Hard hitting, not too heavy, nice iron sights, easy to reload for. And as a bonus, it is The King of .375’s. Lol
 
HeadDamage said:
The reason I want iron sights on a rifle like the Ruger guide gun is two fold... one is to act as back up sites in a pinch if the scope is damaged. Two, and the main reason, is that I can remove the scope when packing out meat or other situations when I'm expecting to need the rifle as a defensive weapon. I don't want to try and shoot a charging bear at short range with a high power scope. I don't scope my bear defense 12ga for the same reason, if I need it it will be at very close range and happening fast.
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Abosolutey makes Perfect Sense ! RJ
 
Ruger guide gun in 338 winmag or 375 ruger. Winchester model 70 stainless in 375hh would be another in standard config or a takedown
 
I have been using my Ruger Alaskan in 375 Ruger for over 13 years. Its been great. Mine weighs a hair over 10lbs loaded with 3 rds and Leupold VXIII 2.5 - 8 X 36 and Ruger neoprene sling.
The open sights are great, but I have only used them 2x at the range. I dont worry too much about open sights all the same. Good Scopes are pretty hearty. My yearly moose, bear, and woodland caribou certainly do not like the gun. I tried a laminate stock on it, but ended up putting the hogue stock back on. I like the grippy texture and it just feels full in my hand, which helps mitigate the sharp recoil.
 
The Kimber Talkeetna is also a nice option. I am a Ruger fan, but not a fan of the Matte finishes on the Hawkeye rifles. One of the desired attributes of an "Alaskan" rifle are solid iron sights, but it always amazes me how many guys scope their rifles out of the box and never shoot using the iron sights... they would have no idea where the rifle shoots if they ever had to resort to the irons.
 
Has anyone actually removed a scope in the middle of a hunt?
Iron sights are for nostalgia. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
 
You don't have to remove scopes and resort to iron sights when hunting on the prairies, or Eastern woodlots... Northwest coastal mountains though? I imagine scrambling over slippery rock crags, smashing through tag alder thickets etc... increases the likelihood of a scope mishap. Iron sights are just insurance to salvage a possible write-off hunt... but as I said above, you actually have to practice and learn to use your iron sights.
 
Buckmastr said:
Has anyone actually removed a scope in the middle of a hunt?
Iron sights are for nostalgia. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
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Had to take off a Weaver some years back, fogged up on me. Hasn't happened often though. For most of us, it is a what if kind of thing. The majority of my hunting rifles don't even have iron sights. - dan
 
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pounder said:
I would bet that more guides and trappers are using off the shelf with maybe a few tweaks rather than a full blown custom rifle.
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I know a handful of guides in NW BC and North East/Central, all former grizzly guides. An overwhelming majority , have a Tikka t3 stainless, all but one in 300 win mag.

Though I hear some use double rifles and glocks :dancingbanana:
 
Buckmastr said:
Has anyone actually removed a scope in the middle of a hunt?
Iron sights are for nostalgia. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
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I owned a Rem M700 XCR 11 375 H&H with factory sights on it . I did shoot the rifle at 50 yards and could hit a Pie plate no problem . Good Enough for backup . I mounted a Leupold Vx11 2-7 in Leupold Quick Detach rings and they mounted to Leupold rail . great set up except it had a 24 “ barrel . Should have kept it and had it shortened it to 20 “ THAT 375H&H feed EXTREMELY well thru that Action.
But to answer Bucks question I never needed to remove the scope and use the Irons . RJ
 
I have the same gun RJ, shortened to 21” no iron sights and in a McMillan. I took it to Alaska but didn’t flip the switch there with it. Mozambique was a different story. It worked well on a bunch of plains game including a couple big eland bulls. The scope stayed on, stayed sighted in, no issues. The Model 700 in 375 H&H is a great combo imo.
 
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