Poll: Your "all around" AK hunting rifle-caliber?

[Milo]

I have hunted for everything except brown/grizzly bear with a 7mm REM MAG. However, after shooting my buddies 300 WSM, I may have to buy a new favorite rifle. The 300 WM is great but IMO the 300 WSM goes beyond the 300 WM in all categories. If I were to hunt with only one gun in AK, I'd choose the 300 WSM. I'm surprised you didn't include it or the 325 WSM in your poll.

I really like my tikka 300wsm and it would be my one gun if I had to hunt big game with only one. Odd thing is that I've never hunted with it because I have several others that have fit each situation just a little better. My 300wsm is squarely in the middle, but so far I've never felt it was very best choice for anything I've done. Pretty sure I'm going to break it out next time I go for goats.

[TWB]

338WM, Nosler Partitions are my go-to shell. Group very well, the expected drop is accurate when stepping up in yardage.

[akspecialus]

While I have most of the poll rifles, my preference is the 300 wby

[Arleigh]

your opinions collectively display quite a collection of expirence.
To pick one calibur,one size fits all, is funny to hear from this group of gun collectors. On the other hand ,, if you can't afoard much, and it is strictly subsistance, I can understand having only 1 or 2 guns.
It seems though ,that most hunt for pleasure, a matter of choice and being able to afoard modern means of feeding the family. One whom can afoard to make the move to Alaska expecting to pay for float planes and trips, the price of the gun is a very small part of the equasion.
Who hunts big game regularly, and owns just one Gun? out of choice, not necessity(not economicly challanged). Supprize me .
To me what it boils down to is doing the best with what you have making the cercumstances work with you for the hunt.
Afraid of the game , or it is evasive,long range accuricy is the greatest concern to me.most any 30 calibur and up. Unafraid of the game ,close range brush gun is my prefirred choice. Never ever with out a side arm.44 mag. Should I venture there in Alaska, I would add to my collection a 30.06, 7mm, and a 45/70 just for because. verity is the spice of life. I have not needed them in california thus far.
To me The sport hunt is a test. of ones skill of the hunt, to each man the limits of his fear.
Subsistance hunting, is of necessity not convienience or entertainment.
A man chooses in the sport hunt,what the challange is, Hunting is not wise, it is a choice, a challange. so the question is the level of challange one is willing to expirence. would you, can you, did you, why, why not ?
So can one take a griz with a 243, what are you willing to risk? can you take an elk with a 223, what are you willing to risk ?
a quick bad shot with a 45/70 and an irrisponsible attitude about chasing down the wounded game hardly compares to the studdied patient perfectly placed shot of a significantly smaller calibur.
Which gun is righ,might be better ballanced by, what kind of hunter are you ?

[hunt_ak]

Been behind an '06 for more than a decade now...served me well.

Never can justify stepping up to a 300WM, since you aren't really gaining much. I figure if I do make a step, it'll be a complete step...

[Phish Finder]

30.06 is my vote for a variety of reasons. You can get ammo anywhere. If you can't kill it with a 30.06, you shouldn't be messing with it.

[atvalaska]

...pettery much everything i've hit with the 30-06' was D.R.T from bears to moose..and stuff that i should have not shot at...

[H_I_L_L_B_I_L_L_Y]

I shoot a .300WSM and put my vote in the .300WM category.

I think what the pollster (and maybe he can clarify) was attempting to accomplish was validation of a ballistic "concept". ie. a 30 cal 180gr @ 3000fps is certainly the .300 mag whether a WSM, Win Mag, Weatherby or H&H and the results in the field would be indistinguishable from each other.

LIkewise the '06 and the .308- virtually identical under field conditions.

.338 WM, .338RUM and .340Wea are a lot more alike than dissimilar.

I too was a little perplexed that a few of the cartridges listed are pretty uncommon if not rarely encountered, like the .338-06 and .338RUM. Not sure either of those are common enough to see widespread use. I think even occasional users of .270s would outnumber dedicated .338RUM guys at least 1000 to 1.

The 338 wm and 338 rum are only alike in bullet dia. As for everything else they are not even close. it does ballisticly compare to a 340 wea. Hillbilly

[sayak]

... and see that the '06 is in the lead, even if only by 2.
'06... yay-ah! Not bad for a caliber more than a century old.

I guess I'll go polish up my Model 70 now.

[Hunt&FishAK]

i voted the 30-06......my opinion on this choice, is the availability of differents loads and rounds for different occasions and species. you have your big game loads, 180 and 220 grains, your deer loads (150s) and they even have small loads now for varmints.... ive never had a problem shooting my custom built 98 mauser (papas handiwork). in fact, im thinking of taking my bdc scope off my .300 wm and puttin it on my mauser. i bought my .300 ruger hawkeye almost 2 years ago, and all ive just about done with it is shot target. somehow when im gearin up for a hunting trip, the mauser just seems to always get to go.

[RayfromAK]

i was wondering how Common the .35 / 338.06/ .340 and 338 RUM are they seem to be favorites for a few shooting buffs. but really this is a poor collaboration of common hunting calibers..

Well, on the last poll I conducted in this forum about three years ago, a lot of people complained because I didn't include the .35 Whelen, and the .338-06. So that's the answer.

[RayfromAK]

your opinions collectively display quite a collection of expirence.
To pick one calibur,one size fits all, is funny to hear from this group of gun collectors. On the other hand ,, if you can't afoard much, and it is strictly subsistance, I can understand having only 1 or 2 guns.
It seems though ,that most hunt for pleasure, a matter of choice and being able to afoard modern means of feeding the family. One whom can afoard to make the move to Alaska expecting to pay for float planes and trips, the price of the gun is a very small part of the equasion.
Who hunts big game regularly, and owns just one Gun? out of choice, not necessity(not economicly challanged). Supprize me .
To me what it boils down to is doing the best with what you have making the cercumstances work with you for the hunt.
Afraid of the game , or it is evasive,long range accuricy is the greatest concern to me.most any 30 calibur and up. Unafraid of the game ,close range brush gun is my prefirred choice. Never ever with out a side arm.44 mag. Should I venture there in Alaska, I would add to my collection a 30.06, 7mm, and a 45/70 just for because. verity is the spice of life. I have not needed them in california thus far.
To me The sport hunt is a test. of ones skill of the hunt, to each man the limits of his fear.
Subsistance hunting, is of necessity not convienience or entertainment.
A man chooses in the sport hunt,what the challange is, Hunting is not wise, it is a choice, a challange. so the question is the level of challange one is willing to expirence. would you, can you, did you, why, why not ?
So can one take a griz with a 243, what are you willing to risk? can you take an elk with a 223, what are you willing to risk ?
a quick bad shot with a 45/70 and an irrisponsible attitude about chasing down the wounded game hardly compares to the studdied patient perfectly placed shot of a significantly smaller calibur.
Which gun is righ,might be better ballanced by, what kind of hunter are you ?

I only have and use one big game rifle, a Ruger stainless, Timmey trigger, Hogue stock, and topped with a Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x. The caliber is .338WM, and have hunted mostly moose with it each year. It's a very lucky rifle, I guess, for it brings moose meat to the table each year I just don't have the need to use another rifle, since this one does what I want a rifle to do for me. But I do understand that most rifle owners prefer a lot more than just one or two rifles.

[Vince]

I only have and use one big game rifle, a Ruger stainless, Timmey trigger, Hogue stock, and topped with a Leupold Vary-X III 2.5-8x. The caliber is .338WM, and have hunted mostly moose with it each year. It's a very lucky rifle, I guess, for it brings moose meat to the table each year I just don't have the need to use another rifle, since this one does what I want a rifle to do for me.

i agree with that one!!!!!!!!!!


mine is my ruger 300wm... it sure has done a good job!!!

[RayfromAK]

I shoot a .300WSM and put my vote in the .300WM category.

I think what the pollster (and maybe he can clarify) was attempting to accomplish was validation of a ballistic "concept". ie. a 30 cal 180gr @ 3000fps is certainly the .300 mag whether a WSM, Win Mag, Weatherby or H&H and the results in the field would be indistinguishable from each other.

LIkewise the '06 and the .308- virtually identical under field conditions.

.338 WM, .338RUM and .340Wea are a lot more alike than dissimilar.

I too was a little perplexed that a few of the cartridges listed are pretty uncommon if not rarely encountered, like the .338-06 and .338RUM. Not sure either of those are common enough to see widespread use. I think even occasional users of .270s would outnumber dedicated .338RUM guys at least 1000 to 1.

This poll has nothing to do with ballistics, but with the "all-around" rifle calibers with Alaskan hunters, a rifle one would use to hunt the usual Alaska game: caribou, deer, bison, moose, bears, and so forth.

[Mt-Rush]

The one you are most accurate and confident with. I have both 06 and 375HH and sure like to haul the 06. Note it's my 1st rifle and confidence in placing your shot is most important.

[Bill S.]

8mm Rem mag

[Chisana]

I tell everyone who will listen that if you want one rifle for Alaska the 30-06 is it. Get a Model 70 Classic FWT, have it coated with Birdsong's Black T, bedded in a McMillan Hunter's Edge stock, throw on a Leupold 2.5-8 in Talley rings, shoot 180 Nosler partitions and you are ready for anything. This is all contingent on the assumption that you are a marksman who can make a good first round hit. A moose hit in the lower leg with a 458 Win is still hit in the lower leg.

[FamilyMan]

The one you are most accurate and confident with. ... confidence in placing your shot is most important.

The part of your post that I quote above is far and away the very best answer for what is the best caliber. There is no substitute for shot placement.

I've never seen the big whoosh of a very large caliber bullet whizzing by knock them down.

One time I did see big game (shot at by a buddy) get knocked over and then get back up (with a huge headache I'm sure) after getting some antler shot off.

[kahahawai]

I voted yesterday...and now it won't let me vote today

On a side note, the .270 has taken its share of Browns and Griz. we all have certain ones for different species, but to have absolute ONE!...300WM.

[Amigo Will]

Found this intresting gun choice for Africa. Fact is it worked and thats what counts




http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.p...#msg1098612687