What guns?? I don't know nothing about any guns.

Is this the best site or what? I mean really, talking about Maules, flying and guns. This place is the best. What's left to discuss here?
Shoot straight, reload fast and keep yer powder dry........

Ya all belong in the Northwest!

What do you guys in Alaska use for big game? I have a sweet Browning X-bolt .338 Win Mag stainless barrel that I love. I have a Nikon 4-9X BDC scope on it now but I'm planning to replace it with a 4-16X Nikon.

Andy,

The 338 is a nice all around gun for up here. You'd do just fine if your good with it and you've got the right ammo.

MikeW

TomD wrote:What guns?? I don't know nothing about any guns.

Me neither. Beastly noisy things, just like Maules. Would have nothing to do with either if my employer didn't force me...

www.jacksonrifles.com

Talk about politically incorrect--- suppressors-- takes about 6 months just to get the paperwork around here. I've got a buddy that's a contractor for Blackwater he's got some he put's on a 30.06 the deer would never know when went one down.

I think the guys down under are required to have suppressors, no 6 month paperwork trail!! .338 is good caliper up here for big game, although I know people who use .30-06 as well... And that .338 mag will just about rip shoulder off if you have to go to range to sight in scope? First few shots not bad, but kind of starts building after several shots!!

aero101, I've fired my Browning X-Bolt Stainless Stalker .338 Winchester Magnum many times and the recoil doesn't bother me. It's less than my Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun. It has a really good recoil pad and I think there's something about the composite stock and floating barrel that absorbs part of the recoil. The biggest drawback is the cost of the ammo, which is about $40 for a 20 round box. I like the Hornady Superperformance 225 gr., 2840 fps round. I spent a lot of money at the range sighting the scope in at $2.00 per cartridge. I should have gotten the Nikon 4-16X BDC scope instead of the Nikon 3-9X BDC scope. Eventually, I will.

I'm researching replacement rifled slug barrels for my Mossberg 500. The 12-gauge, 24", rifled, cantilevered scope barrel is looking pretty good. It's really easy to replace the barrel on the Mossberg 500. One of the mechanics at work is an avid deer hunter and prefers shotgun slugs even to rifles. I guess it depends on the range.

aero101 wrote:...I think the guys down under are required to have suppressors...

Yes, that's more or less correct for all of Europe. It's a "nanny state" requirement to reduce harmful noise at source, so far as technically possible. Being a European Directive, it has the status of a treaty obligation which overrides any local or national law.

Still, mustn't grumble, peddling gun silencers to folks who are obliged to buy them pays for the essentials of life...

Andy-

Mine is Win Model 70, with no pads... That Stalker sure looks nice though. I also have several AR10 based rifles including DPMS using the .338 Fed which I really like, good long range, and for sporting purposes, I throw in a 5 round magazine which also helps with weight. Played with buffer springs, and now has not much more kick then a .223 .. Still playing around with suitable scopes which is as costly as rifle itself or more!! Especially if you want to reach way out there and touch something!! Model 70 is good rifle, but kind of old technology, heavy, and will work your shoulder pretty good. Next one I build, going to try the .338 Lapua....

Andy, I subscribe to the KISS method. I hunt with a Husqvarna 30-06 (light and accurate for the first three rounds anyway) with a 4x Leupold and I fish with a 45-70 w/ 400gr Hornady interlocks over AA2215 going 2100fps. It bites at both ends.
I've never found anything that won't succumb to a well placed .30 round and I can buy shells in any Village store.
I agree with the effectiveness of the .338 I just have never found one I like to shoot. The recoil has a sharpness to it I just don't like.
I have a feeling that there will most likely be a .375 H&H in my future. There's a CZ 550 I've had my eye on for a while.

Uggg! The first time I cranked off a round of Buffalo Bore in my 45-70 I thought I'd broken my cheek bone! It kind of made me punch myself in the face like a school yard bully! That thing is unpleasent to shoot with heavy loads! Excellent brush gun though!

One of the few joys of living in SA lots of guns, lots of reloading, lots of game. The two most popular calipers in SA is the 30-06 and 375H+H.

Pigeon season is in full swing, burning far to many shotgun shells

Here is a question for the more knowledgeable gun guys out there.

I have an old...my Grand Dad's... Stevens 12 gauge "Long Tom" with a muzzle opening I can cover with a dime.

Grand-Dad called this his "goose gun" as it held a pattern WAY out, while delivering a pretty smart kick to the shoulder.

Now we cannot use lead shot, is there anything safe to fire through this old guy that will not split the barrel. I know steel shot is out, but not sure about Bismuth or other metals.

Any thoughts guys? I am not cutting the barrel off and putting a new choke on it.

My 12ga Ithaca pump is not an "heirloom" and is modified from full to accommodate steel.

TD