Alaska Fish and Game department’s thoughts on calibre selection when hunting big animals

[fishnguy]

Not sure how I stumbled on it and why, but I was reading this the other day and it made me think of many past threads here that are quite popular, likely more popular than any other, lol. Reading the other thread reminded me of this I figured I would post. Highlighting is theirs:

There are no simple answers when it comes to selecting a firearm and accompanying ammunition. How accurately you shoot is far more important than the type of rifle, cartridge, and bullet you choose. Alaska has some very large game animals, including 1600-pound mature bull moose and 1500-pound coastal brown bears. Moose or brown bear hit in the gut with a large caliber magnum rifle such as the popular .338 Winchester® Magnum is wounded and just as likely to escape as if it had been hit with a small caliber rifle such as the .243 Winchester®. The bore size, bullet weight, and velocity are of secondary importance to precise bullet placement in the vital heart-lung area.

It is important for the hunter to have a good knowledge of game anatomy, the ability to correctly judge distance, the discipline to take only shots that can be made with certainty, and the ability to shoot accurately from sitting, kneeling, and standing positions. You should be able to reliably place a bullet in a circle the size of the game's heart/lung zone from hunting positions at the distances you expect to be shooting. As long as the caliber is reasonable and a quality bullet is used, hunters kill game quickly and humanely with precise bullet placement.

If you presently own a rifle chambered for the .270 Winchester, 7mm-08, .308 Winchester or .30-06 and can place all of your shots in an 8-inch circle out to 200 yards from a sitting or kneeling position you can be a successful Alaska hunter. To be as effective as possible, these cartridges should be loaded with premium quality bullets that are designed to pass completely through a large game animal, if hit in the heart-lung area.

The rifle you bring hunting should be one with which you are comfortable. Because of the presence of brown and grizzly bears, many hunters have been convinced that a .300, .338, .375, or .416 magnum is needed for personal protection and to take large Alaska game. This is simply not true. The recoil and noise of these large cartridges is unpleasant at best and plainly painful to many shooters. It is very difficult to concentrate on shot placement when your brain and body remembers the unpleasant recoil and noise which occurs when you pull the trigger on one of the big magnums.

The two most common complaints of professional Alaska guides are hunters who are not in good physical condition and hunters who cannot accurately shoot their rifles. Because these hunters do not practice enough they cannot shoot accurately enough. They miss their best chance at taking their dream animal or worse yet, they wound and lose an animal. Most experienced guides prefer that a hunter come to camp with a .270 or .30-06 rifle they can shoot well rather than a shiny new magnum that has been fired just enough to get sighted-in. If you are going to hunt brown bear on the Alaska Peninsula or Kodiak Island, a .30-06 loaded with 200- or 220-grain Nosler® or similar premium bullet will do the job with good shot placement. Only consider using a .300, .338 or larger magnum if you can shoot it as well as you can the .30-06.

It is very popular now to purchase large magnum rifles equipped with a muzzle brake. Most muzzle brakes are very effective at reducing recoil. A .375 magnum with a muzzle brake recoils much like a .30-06. Before convincing yourself that you should use a muzzle-braked rifle, consider its disadvantages. A muzzle-brake increases the muzzle blast and noise to levels that quickly damage the ear. Even when just sighting in or practicing, everyone near you at the range will find the blast and noise bothersome. Anyone near the muzzle brake when the rifle is fired may suffer hearing loss or physical damage to the ear. An increasing number of guides will not allow a hunter to use a muzzle brake because of the danger of hearing loss.[…]

From https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cf...nting.firearms

[MountainTi]

What do the experienced guides pack for a gun?

Minimum caliber/cartridge/energy is a fine idea.
When it's my life on the line I want a big chunk of lead travelling at a high rate of speed. I know there are those that will make the perfect heart/lung shot every time, but mere mortals don't always do that. Lord knows I've made a bad shot or two. You make a bad shot on dangerous game having a chunk of lead that may travel thru enough bone/muscle to get to a good spot is vital.
There's a reason many countries in Africa have a minimum caliber.

[fishnguy]

^ From what I read, what the guides say, 30-06 is the number one choice. Other popular choices include .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag, and .375 H&H. I saw 7 Rem Mag mentioned a few times as well, but not nearly as many as others. This is all from reading though.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

What do the experienced guides pack for a gun?

Minimum caliber/cartridge/energy is a fine idea.
When it's my life on the line I want a big chunk of lead travelling at a high rate of speed. I know there are those that will make the perfect heart/lung shot every time, but mere mortals don't always do that. Lord knows I've made a bad shot or two. You make a bad shot on dangerous game having a chunk of lead that may travel thru enough bone/muscle to get to a good spot is vital.
There's a reason many countries in Africa have a minimum caliber.

Not only that, but why do I need to mess around with getting an animal to present himself for a shot? If I want to break his left shoulder via his right hip I want that option.

[huntinstuff]

For decades I carried a Marlin .444 while guiding. Open sights. I liked it because it hit hard and I could shoot 2.5" 410 shells out of it to kill ptarmigan.

Around 2007 I started carrying my 30-06 scoped rifle as some clients were horrible shots with their 338 and 30-378's etc. Many borrowed my rifle to kill moose, caribou, wolves etc as the recoil was easier for them to manage. They would pose in their pics with their rifle, but they killed the animal with mine. Same rifle I use today. A Sako A7 in 30-06 with a 4x12 Leupold vx1 on top.

[Ackleyman]

"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."
- Bob Hagel

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Ackleyman

"You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong."
- Bob Hagel

All day long.
I will be the first to admit I've had a few instances where things went wrong and happy I had a big enough chunk of lead going fast enough to make things right.

[bezzola]

Guiding i carried a 450 marlin or my defender

[fordtruckin]

Gotta say I’d carry my 45/70 loaded with hard cast 460s or heavier. Never understood the bolt action 338 or larger just because they’re slower and capacity is usually 3? Lever gun makes way more sense.

[fishnguy]

What is the (average) distance that most of these big animals are shot at?

[Smoky buck]

When I was brought in to track wounded black/grizzly I carried my 30-06 or a shotgun with slugs in really thick crap. Playing backup for grizzly I carried my 30-06

Say whatever you want but I will tell you both choices worked when things went sideways

I will always pick what is most comfortable to swing, get on target fast, shortest time between shots and shoots well in my hands. I don’t care for the extra weight of most magnums as it effects my swing and I don’t like the recovery time between shots from recoil for second shots

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

What is the (average) distance that most of these big animals are shot at?

For grizzly our goal was preferably under 200yards but no less than 75 yards(archery was different). Keep them close enough for solid comfortable shots and as the old guy who taught me put it closer than 75yards a comfortable second shot is less likely

This was they way I was taught and opinions vary

[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

What is the (average) distance that most of these big animals are shot at?

Aside from Markymark not sure how many here have hunted brown/grizz in Alaska so to get an accurate estimate on that start watching a few hunts on youtube. Pay attention to what the guides are carrying for backup as well. They're pretty experienced on the big bears...

[W921]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

For decades I carried a Marlin .444 while guiding. Open sights. I liked it because it hit hard and I could shoot 2.5" 410 shells out of it to kill ptarmigan.

Around 2007 I started carrying my 30-06 scoped rifle as some clients were horrible shots with their 338 and 30-378's etc. Many borrowed my rifle to kill moose, caribou, wolves etc as the recoil was easier for them to manage. They would pose in their pics with their rifle, but they killed the animal with mine. Same rifle I use today. A Sako A7 in 30-06 with a 4x12 Leupold vx1 on top.

I carried probably exact same 444 to guide moose hunters years ago. Mine has Lyman peep sight. Was light,handy and back then not an expensive rifle.

[dgradinaru]

I carry what I shoot and fits best. Hunting or guiding I usually have my 8x57 or 30-06. Haven't felt under gunned and have full confidence even in grizzly country.

180gr/200gr bullets do the trick for me.

[leo]

Having shot magnums for over 40 years, I find no problem shooting up to a 340 Weatherby Mag with proper stock design, with a good recoil pad. Fit is critical. I’ve cut stocks down and fitted Pachmyer Decelerator pads on any rifle I keep, so it fits me. I need around 13.5” lop. Balance is also important for me. I prefer a #3 contour pipe on anything bigger than a 300. On a bigger caliber, I prefer the weight a bit forward, it seems to help with muzzle jump. My preference is a straight style stock, McMillan, Brown Precision or something similar. Not saying you need these bigger cartridges to hunt Alaska, but if I was pitching out $15-$20G for a hunt, I’d take the biggest I could shoot accurately and practice with it from field conditions from 10-300 yards.