Who makes the best Alaskan rifle today?

[Ardent]

Less than you think, I prefer to disagree like grown ass men rather than sporadic dancing banana campaigns, but I’ve been accused of being old fashioned.

Specifically a North American heavy game rifle, or Alaskan to Americanize it, isn’t a model or a chambering. It’s a 150 to 300 grain bullet travelling at 2500fps or better from an action that suits your preferences. Winchester probably did the best factory interpretation of that and claimed the name, to this day I regret not buying the stainless laminate Alaskan .375 I handled in Corlanes on the way through a dozen or more years ago. I didn’t know they’d be so rare.

Here’s the fodder of the smallest ‘Alaskan’ rifle I saw out, though fully meeting the formula, .358 from a handy stainless Ruger belonging to a good and oversized member here. Had everything from it to a .450 Marlin show up with clients and guides, the evening gun talk and comparison is a lot of fun. For some reason folks seem to forget that’s what we’re all doing here too. Our favourite subject, Grizzly guns, is back and as inevitable as the night folks.

 

[boxhitch]

A local gunsmith has built several Model 71's for the .50 Alaskan cartridge, surprised one hasn't shown up here
Although some creations seem to languish into obscurity, like his .35/.284 BLRs, have never found one for sale

Guide guns can have various forms, depending on the type of hunts
45/70 was the go-to, until two hunts came up requiring a b/u effort on wounded game at distance, so swithched to M77 .338, which worked admirably
then went into boat/truck hunting so a drop mag was favoured in something light and handy, a Kimber Hunter enhanced came to the task.
It felt almost pocket-sized compared to the M77

 

[boxhitch]

It does actually... there are a couple options to convert the proprietary Ruger mounts to a picatinny rail.

For a simple red dot, we cut down a couple ruger ring lower-halves and screwed a rail on top. Likely not suitable for a scope, but has held up so far

 

[hoytcanon]

For a simple red dot, we cut down a couple ruger ring lower-halves and screwed a rail on top. Likely not suitable for a scope, but has held up so far

There are two companies making rails that mount to the integral Ruger ring mounts, Weigand and Hi-Lux. There is also a company that makes an attachment for using a single Ruger mount, but the name escapes me at the moment.

 

[rifleman338]

There are two companies making rails that mount to the integral Ruger ring mounts, Weigand and Hi-Lux. There is also a company that makes an attachment for using a single Ruger mount, but the name escapes me at the moment.

You might be thinking of NECG sights from Australia.

 

[Ardent]

There are two companies making rails that mount to the integral Ruger ring mounts, Weigand and Hi-Lux. There is also a company that makes an attachment for using a single Ruger mount, but the name escapes me at the moment.

I have one of those somewhere, have a use for it? No idea who made it.

 

[JIMMY 808]

Hard to take suggestions on rifle cartridge's for grizzly when so many will also recommend what hand gun cartridge works the best.

 

[MiG25]

Hard to take suggestions on rifle cartridge's for grizzly when so many will also recommend what hand gun cartridge works the best.

If you said you bought a Winchestet 1905 in 35 WSL for Bear you'd get laughed off the internet, yet it is more powerful than the 10mm.

 

[dan belisle]

Hard to take suggestions on rifle cartridge's for grizzly when so many will also recommend what hand gun cartridge works the best.

Most folks understand a handgun for grizzlies is a "better than your fingernails" option. - dan

 

[dan belisle]

If you said you bought a Winchestet 1905 in 35 WSL for Bear you'd get laughed off the internet, yet it is more powerful than the 10mm.

I'd use that on black bears. I've used a 32 Remington which isn't much more powerful. If I was in grizzly country I'd prefer something a tad more stout. - dan

 

[geologist]

Most folks understand a handgun for grizzlies is a "better than your fingernails" option. - dan

A .357 Magnum is definitely better than your fingernails.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.fie...ing/2008/01/grizzly-attack-caught-camera/?amp

 

[pathfinder76]

Spomer has shoemaker on his latest podcast. Handguns on bears is discussed

 

[pounder]

I carried a 4" Redhawk .44 mag. for many years , I thought it was better than nothing. But when you bump into 1000 lbs. of P bear it just seemed inadequate. I always thought 5 for him 1 for me.

 

[geologist]

I carried a 4" Redhawk .44 mag. for many years , I thought it was better than nothing. But when you bump into 1000 lbs. of P bear it just seemed inadequate. I always thought 5 for him 1 for me.

I had to draw my 4" .357 mag on a close in black bear sow east of Terrace.

She was very big and my revolver felt like a pellet gun. My GSD I was holding back with my left hand was what convinced her to go back into the tag alders.

I bought a Ruger SRH .454 Casull after that..

 

[blakeyboy]

There’s some Alaska YouTube guy that did a pretty good 40 yard charging bear simulation with a skidoo pulling sled with the bear target and the pistols were awful on placement alone, large group, minimal face hits. Then he did a long guns same day and they all weee in the face. Ar15.223 got 6, the savage 99 lever got 2, the bolt action 30-06 got 1 and the pump shotty got 3. Either way he stopped the bear with all 4 long guns. He was rodeo with the pistols. That said there’s a link I’ve posted before with bear defence kills by pistol caliber and the 9mm has at least 4 and when you study sd and velocity across them you learn why the 9mm is the blend perfect for max penetration for hp etc globally for all defence work. That’s what I’d carry as less recoil equals more shots and more chance at the face hits which is the number one problem with the pistol so stack the odds in your favor. Penetration and placement is your goal, achieved easier with the 9 imo. Anyway, been around a few bears and even a 300wm feels small when a big grizz is inside 100 yards. A bazooka would feel small. So once you realize they will all feel small you can start choosing things you’d most likely get those face hits with. 40 yards and less it would seem a semi auto 12 would be the ultimate. The guy got second most hits to the AR with a pump shotty and when you look at pump vs semi shotgun speeds it’s not hard to see that he would nearly mirrored the AR hit count but with something that stomps so hard inside 40. Fun topic. Pure defence math says 12 gauge semi, and a 9mm semi.

 

[pathfinder76]

Honestly, I’ve never even thought about cartridge in close proximity to grizzlies. Last thing on my mind.

 

[9.3mauser]

Spomer has shoemaker on his latest podcast. Handguns on bears is discussed

This is actually a pretty interesting interview.

 

[hoytcanon]

Here’s the fodder of the smallest ‘Alaskan’ rifle I saw out, though fully meeting the formula, .358 from a handy stainless Ruger belonging to a good and oversized member here. Had everything from it to a .450 Marlin show up with clients and guides, the evening gun talk and comparison is a lot of fun. For some reason folks seem to forget that’s what we’re all doing here too. Our favourite subject, Grizzly guns, is back and as inevitable as the night folks.

Nicely done...

 

[hoytcanon]

I carried a 4" Redhawk .44 mag. for many years , I thought it was better than nothing. But when you bump into 1000 lbs. of P bear it just seemed inadequate. I always thought 5 for him 1 for me.

Is that you, Pounder? That is pretty much the picture my mind had painted... glad to see you are vertical and posting. Cheers!

 

[pounder]

Ya that's me Hoyt. Standing in my yard. Wife say's I look like an old fat biker.