A Hunter’s Top 8 Calibers To Score Alaska Big Game

The following appears in the September issue of Alaska Sporting Journal:

BY SCOTT HAUGEN

I was headed home to the small Arctic village of Anaktuvuk Pass, driving a snowmachine through the valley. Temperatures were below zero and the crusted snow glistened white.

I stopped, turned off the machine and enjoyed the silent beauty. With the sun slipping below the towering peaks of the Brooks Range, I couldn’t help but get lost in all the great moments I had had in this majestic land.

From where I sat, I could see where I’d taken a stunning grizzly bear as it ambled through the spring snow and dug for Arctic ground squirrels. Not far from that spot two years prior, I called a bull moose to 12 yards, an animal that provided my wife Tiffany and I, along with other families, some great-eating meat through winter.

Many great caribou hunting memories also came back to me. And I could stare into the rocky peaks and see where I’d taken Dall sheep, a number of them. Sheep meat was my favorite. That’s what I was hunting on this day.

Before firing up the snowmachine, I glassed the pinnacles for rams one more time. I saw nothing. Then, from nowhere, the most grand Dall sheep I’d ever laid eyes on stepped from the snow onto a rocky point. It was big in horn and body.

I scampered up the hill, afraid the crunchy snow would give me away in the quiet, calm valley. I closed the gap to nearly 200 yards, then waited. One shot from my .30-06 dropped the ram. It toppled over, slid down a snow chute and came to rest 50 paces from where I shot. The year was 1996.

That grand ram was the last animal I shot with that rifle. I retired it. The coveted gun was one my grandmother gifted me when I turned 12 years old. It was my grandfather’s favorite rifle, one they found cradled in his arms when he suffered a massive heart attack while deer hunting. Grandpa’s pre-1964 Model 70 Winchester was good to me over the years of living a semi-subsistence lifestyle in the Arctic. It never failed me in Anaktuvuk Pass.

When I lived in Point Lay – prior to Anaktuvuk Pass – I killed a man-eating polar bear using that rifle. One shot with 220-grain handloads put the polar bear down. All the other animals were taken with 180 Nosler Partition bullets, also handloads.

WHEN IT COMES TO big game hunting in Alaska, what constitutes the best all-around rifle caliber has been a topic of conversation for decades, something that will continue to be long after I’m gone.

Collectively, I’ve lived in Alaska for nearly a decade, but I have hunted there for more than 30 years. During that time I’ve taken many big game animals around the state.

I’ve also had the luxury of making my living as a TV host and outdoor writer for the past 25 years, appearing on hundreds of big game hunts around the world. So when it comes to choosing the best calibers for big game hunting in Alaska, I’m basing my picks on personal experience, not what fellow hunters or ballistic charts tell me.

Keep in mind that what might be one hunter’s favorite caliber may not be the same as the next. Recoil, bullet weight and long-range performance are just some of the factors that go into what makes an ideal, all-around caliber for Alaska’s big game.

My picks aren’t in any order. They’re also not heavy on today’s wildcat rounds. Of course, the calibers that follow are suitable for any big game in Alaska save for coastal brown bears, which need their own caliber and bullets; I like nothing less than a .375 for those beasts.

I think one of the best all-around calibers for big game hunting in Alaska – if not the continent – is the trusted .30-06. One friend took the entire North American Slam with his .30-06 Springfield, including polar bear, brown bear and grizzly. As with any rifle, shot placement is everything when it comes to efficiently killing big game. In order to efficiently kill, a thorough understanding of animal anatomy is necessary. You must also trust the gun and bullets you choose to do their job. Fail to master these and it doesn’t matter what the best all-around caliber is.

I’ve shot more big game around the world with a .300 Winchester Magnum than any one caliber, so I can best speak to its performance. I’ve shot this one many times in Alaska – having taken moose, several black bears, many deer, elk, mountain goat, African lion, leopard and loads of heavy-boned African plains game while using a .300 Win. Mag. I love the flat-shooting performance of this caliber, which translates to precision accuracy and optimal bullet performance, provided recoil doesn’t bother you.

An overlooked cartridge is the .30 TC. My wife loves shooting this caliber, as did our sons when they were young. Loaded with custom 165-grain SST Hornady ammunition, Thompson/Center’s .30 TC Icon was one of the best calibers I’ve ever shot. I took a record-book Sitka blacktail on Kodiak Island with it. It also accounted for elk and black bear. It’s easy to handle and light on recoil, yet hits hard.

A fourth option also has applications of light recoil and flat-shooting accuracy. It was famed Jack O’Connor’s favorite caliber, with good reason. I’m talking about the .270. I’ve shot deer and black bear with this caliber and have seen it effectively take caribou and moose. Introduced in the 1920s, the .270 Winchester is a necked-down version of the .30-06 Springfield. It’s a flatter, faster-shooting caliber than the .30-06 with less recoil and better ease of handling.

While on the topic of the .270, one I really like for hunting big game in Alaska, is the .270 Weatherby Magnum. I’ve taken deer, elk and moose with this caliber. The .270 Weatherby Mag. was the first belted magnum based on the .300 H&H Magnum. It was developed back in 1943 by Roy Weatherby. The rifle has a longer barrel in order to maximize the velocity by taking advantage of the extra powder.

ONE OF MY FAVORITE shooting rifles is Nosler’s Model 48 chambered in .325 Winchester Short Magnum. Yes, it’s a bit heavy for Sitka blacktails and caribou, but it doesn’t result in meat damage to the level I’ve seen in some other hyped-up calibers.

The .325 WSM is a very accurate, extremely efficient elk gun, and I love its performance on black bear, especially in rugged, brushy country where I want to put them down on the spot. I’d not hesitate using the .325 WSM on inland grizzlies and big-bodied Roosevelt elk.

The 7mm Remington Magnum is another proven caliber that’s withstood the test of time. I’ve seen this caliber effectively take caribou, deer, moose, elk, black bear and wolf at long distances. It’s my hunting partner’s favorite caliber to hunt with in Alaska. I sat by him one day when he hammered a moose and wolf with it.

The 7mm can pack a punch, which is the reason some folks aren’t overly fond of it. It’s a belted magnum designed to provide precise headspace in order to achieve precise shooting and extraction. If recoil is a concern but you still want to shoot the 7mm Remington Magnum, make sure you choose a bullet that has optimal weight retention for the game you’ll be targeting.

The 7mm Rem. Mag. was actually derived from the .375 H&H Magnum. Many hunters would choose the .375 as their top choice for hunting any big game in Alaska. The reason behind this is simple: bears. If you want a caliber that effectively kills brown bears and grizzly bears, and will handle lesser animals, then the .375 H&H might be for you. I’ve seen it cleanly kill grizzly bears and moose. Many hunters regard this as the best choice for an all-around big game caliber in Alaska, especially when in bear country.

THREE YEARS AGO I had my dream rifle built. Curt Mendenhall of Curt’s Custom Guns in Oakland, Oregon, crafted a 28 Nosler for me. In over 45 years of hunting, it’s the best-performing, most accurate, lightweight big game rifle I’ve shot. I’d use it to hunt any big game animal in North America except for polar bear and coastal brown bear. Even at that I would trust my life with it should I find myself in a predicament with an unruly bruin.

A full-titanium Pierce action was used on my 28 Nosler. The Benchmark match-grade barrel sits in an MPI Kevlar stock, which weighs only 15 ounces. Hawkins Precision aluminum rings are machined with a 25 MOA to extend the range. A TriggerTech trigger completes the build, which weighs in at a mere 5.5 pounds. Topped with a Trijicon AccuPoint 4-16×50 scope with a capped elevation adjuster, scope caps, scope dust cover, and a slender custom sling created by Oregon Paracord, overall weight of the setup is only 7.25 pounds. I shoot 175-grain Nosler AccuBond Long Range factory ammo that moves at 2,900 feet per second.

I have been very happy with this bullet’s performance on every animal it’s hit, including elk, deer and black bear. Mendenhall’s craftsmanship is top-notch. It’s a luxury rifle, but it’s worth it.

There it is: My top picks for all-around big game rifles in Alaska. Of course, know that the ammunition and scope are nearly as important as the caliber, so don’t try cutting corners. The right setup will last a lifetime. ASJ

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s best-selling book, Hunting The Alaskan High Arctic, visit scotthaugen .com. Follow Scott’s adventures on Instagram and Facebook.