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With what rifle on your dream hunt?

3K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  *Moose 
#1 ·
Hopefully in a year or 2 I am planning to go out for my first elk hunt. My question is ......What gun would you take on your dream hunt? Would you purchase new or hunt with something passed down or a gun you have already. What caliber would you use and why?

I purchased a Howa stainless 300 win mag for mine. I'm installing a new timney trigger on it and I'm in the process of looking for another scope for it. The VX-III didn't hold up for some reason. I want to be able to shoot accurately up to 600 yards. I will have a plenty of time to reach my goal by the end of this year.
 
#3 ·
It would depend on what I was hunting and what calibers I owned. My safe is well stocked so personally I would use something I have.

Being you have a 300 Win you are in great shape for the hunt you are planning. Also good move on swapping out the factory trigger for the Timney as the factory triggers on the Howas and WB Vangaurd are really bad. I did the same move on a Vanguard I own in 7 mag and it made a big difference. Getting back to your 300, not sure what loads you are looking to try but my Rem 700 in 300 Win loves Barnes 168 TSX's and RE 22 - it chronys 2970 fps. I have it sighted in 2.5" high at 100 and it is 14 inches low at 400. Using a ballistic calculator shows I should be -32" at 500. I didn't calculate the drop at 600.

Regarding your Leupy VX III, they will repair or replace it free of charge if it is defective. I have the newer VX3 3.5x10x40 with the B&C reticle and really like it.

Good luck on getting your gun dialed in and ready for the hunt. Pre-hunt prep is a fun and important part of doing a hunt.
 
#5 ·
caliber is good if not great as long as you are completely comfrotable with it, that means lots of practice. at 70+ grains of powder per shot or the price of factory stuff you are gonna need a good ammount of rounds to reach the 600 yard mark. for a scope I tried a womans 300 ultra with a burris scope that had a range finder built in, it was very easy to use and was dead nuts with range and where it put the reticle. I would use one of those scopes but they run around 700-800 but for a "hunt of a lifetime" I would spare no expense. another way to look at it, if you spend $xxxx for the hunt and $xxxx for the rifle package and hunting clothing why would you cut corners on the glass? I learned on a antelope hunt that yardage is hard to eastimate when you are a flatlander.
 
#6 ·
pha I have right now 14 howas and Vanguards and I replaced them all. The bolt will get polished and fluted and the trigger switched as i said. The barrel accuracy is great from these guns.Some people like em some people don't but I can honestly say I have never had one that would not shoot well.......As far as bullets I don't reload so I am at the mercy of factory ammo. So far I like the Hornady ammo.With a year of shooting and my treadmill I should be ready for next year or the year after.
 
#9 ·
My ruger M77 MK II in 7mm-mag with a Hogue full-length bedded stock (got one with and excellent factory trigger) Stoked with Barnes Tripple Skocks or Swift Siroccos and topped with a VX III BDC scope, there isn't an elk within 450 yards that's safe. If I was going to travel/hunt "light" and knew the shots were going to be 300 yards and under, my TC Prohunter in 7mm-o8 loaded with some Barnes Tripple Shocks and topped with a Nikon Monarch 3-9 gets the nod.
 
#10 ·
The pounds don't bother me at all. I'm a 250 lb guy that works with stone. Moose thats why i started shooting this 300 early before the trip. Who would have thought 12 shots and a VX-III would have been no good. I'll find that perfect combo. I also will be bringing a back up rifle too.
 
#12 ·
I am lucky enough to be leaving for my dream hunt in 74 days. Going to NE of Tok, Alaska for grizzly and caribou. I am taking my Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Win Mag and I did buy that rifle new about 2 1/2 years ago. I've used it here in PA for deer and bear since then to get used to it so I'm not going up totally unfamiliar with it. Went with the .338WM so I could easily handle the griz and just take what comes on the caribou. Had a .338 a few years back that I sold for some reason I can no longer recall. I shot several black bears, woodland caribou and moose with that rifle so I know the .338 is capable.
 
#14 ·
kudu58 said:
I am lucky enough to be leaving for my dream hunt in 74 days. Going to NE of Tok, Alaska for grizzly and caribou. I am taking my Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Win Mag and I did buy that rifle new about 2 1/2 years ago. I've used it here in PA for deer and bear since then to get used to it so I'm not going up totally unfamiliar with it. Went with the .338WM so I could easily handle the griz and just take what comes on the caribou. Had a .338 a few years back that I sold for some reason I can no longer recall. I shot several black bears, woodland caribou and moose with that rifle so I know the .338 is capable.

Sounds like a great adventure. Good luck. Interesting to see that you have taken a Woodland Caribou, that's a dream of mine. I hope the populations stabilize.
 
#15 ·
moosehunter said:
kudu58 said:
I am lucky enough to be leaving for my dream hunt in 74 days. Going to NE of Tok, Alaska for grizzly and caribou. I am taking my Ruger Hawkeye in .338 Win Mag and I did buy that rifle new about 2 1/2 years ago. I've used it here in PA for deer and bear since then to get used to it so I'm not going up totally unfamiliar with it. Went with the .338WM so I could easily handle the griz and just take what comes on the caribou. Had a .338 a few years back that I sold for some reason I can no longer recall. I shot several black bears, woodland caribou and moose with that rifle so I know the .338 is capable.

Sounds like a great adventure. Good luck. Interesting to see that you have taken a Woodland Caribou, that's a dream of mine. I hope the populations stabilize.
I have actually gotten six woodies so far. I know caribou populations can be cyclical, but I think there is more to the decline on the island right now. There are widespread timbering operations going on for years now. These caribou depend on the moss and lichens that grow on and hang from the trees to get through the winter. I believe the timbering may be impacting their wintering grounds and now it is unable to support the numbers of 'bou they once had. I think you'll see the populations come back around once some of the growth comes back. You can still get woodie tags, but the cheapest I know of right now is one on one guided for six days, $6000 for 'bou only. If anyone is interested in that I can put you in touch with the outfitter.
If I get a barren ground 'bou in Alaska, I'll be halfway home on 'bou and will only need an arctic, a mountain and a central barren ground to have them all. (Got several Quebac-Labs before also.) Thanks for the good wishes.
 
#17 ·
i would take my rem 7600 factory carbine in 35 whelen. i had a trigger job on it and put a bushnell elite 3200 2-7x32 on it and it is ready for anything north america has to offer. i love it. i can't wait for this fall to get it broke in right.
 
#18 ·
I would take a rifle I already own. It's a Weatherby Mark V Stainless 340 Weatherby Mag. topped with a silver Leupold Vari-X 3 2.5 x 8x. Good up close and at a distance! I handload 210gr. Nosler part. bullets. The rig has power to spare and shoots very flat for a big gun!
 
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