Best Alaska Hunting Rifle (Anchorage, Point Hope: live, shop, health)

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

Unfortunately I live in one of like 3 states that do not allow any form of concealed carry. Or open carry :P Unlikely to change any time soon, though statistics show gun ownership, especially mandatory gun ownership lowers crime rates significantly.

You can open carry or conceal carry with no permit in Alaska. Just be certain you let any police officer or state trooper know you are carrying if you get pulled over. Not only is it the courteous thing to do, but it is also the law.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

My backup gun at close range is a Freedom Arms 7-1/2" .454 Casull with express sights, loaded with 340-grain (300...something) Buffalo hard cast bullets. When I am not carrying my rifle, then the primary gun for bear defense at close range is a Mossberg 500A shotgun with an 18-1/2" barrel and stock, loaded with slugs. This is a very fast-pointing shotgun because of the short barrel.

Nice side arm. Too much gun for me to handle accurately I'm afraid. My accuracy improves the smaller caliber I use. With the Beretta 9mm, I'm very accurate. With the Colt .45, not as much, but still good enough. With the Ruger .44, it better be within 50 feet! With your Casull .454 I would probably shoot myself.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

That is not the mental picture I have from the lower 48. I used to have friends who would fish for salmon in Kenosha Wisconsin, if I remember correctly. And when the fish would run, there were no free spots left where there was public access. And idiots running up and down the small river thru a golf course where they could not come up on the bank. Mayhem. That's why I never went myself.

It should also be understood that fishing experiences will vary from place to place. For example, on the south bank of the Talkeetna River, right at the railroad bridge there is a small gravel spit next to a hole in the river where the salmon stop to rest. Only a handful of people can fit on that gravel bar, so the atmosphere is more of a family get-to-together, and a good time is had by everyone, whether there is salmon to be caught or not. If you do hook into a salmon and need help landing it, there is always someone nearby to lend a hand.

Everyone wants to catch salmon, tourists and locals alike. If it gets a little more crowded than you would like, turn it into a positive experience and enjoy the company. Everyone has a story to tell.

[rotorhead]

Around here we rarely have trouble finding a quiet spot to fish...unless the silvers are in. At that point we become inundated with Canadians, who park their RVs wherever they feel like and often play fast and loose with the bag limits unless the brownshirts are right there watching them. Yes, it's good for the local economy, no, it's not much fun at times. A very poorly thought-out reciprocal exchange lets Yukon residents purchase Alaskan fishing licences at in-state rates, and they take full advantage of that fact. It would be a fair trade if they let Alaskans buy moose tags at the resident rate, but it doesn't work that way. It might even be worth it if we could shoot ptarmigan up in the pass that way, but a quirk of geography puts the best hunting in a sliver of BC rather than the Yukon so that's out.

It seems a poor trade-off letting Yukoners limit out on salmon at a fraction of what my out-of-state relatives have to pay, in exchange for the handful of Alaskan residents that might want to fish at their inland lakes. It's not like we have a hard time finding Dollys or even cutthroat to fish for, it's hard to get excited about driving hours and hours for yet more trout. Moose...yes, trout...not really.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

My backup gun at close range is a Freedom Arms 7-1/2" .454 Casull with express sights, loaded with 340-grain (300...something) Buffalo hard cast bullets. When I am not carrying my rifle, then the primary gun for bear defense at close range is a Mossberg 500A shotgun with an 18-1/2" barrel and stock, loaded with slugs. This is a very fast-pointing shotgun because of the short barrel.

Colt Walker, 60 grains of powder stuffed under a ball! It'll kill a black bear nicely, brownies I'm not so sure about...

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by JohnPF

Unfortunately I live in one of like 3 states that do not allow any form of concealed carry. Or open carry :P Unlikely to change any time soon, though statistics show gun ownership, especially mandatory gun ownership lowers crime rates significantly.

Which state would that be? IL? You mentioned WI in another post, WI allows open carry (but it's tricky with their state's gun free school zone law), and the police there frequently harass and even falsely charge people with disorderly conduct...

[onthamove]

let me ask a question i have a 30/30 marlin would that take down say a bobcat or griz? or any other mammal i would prefer to keep the hell out of my way?

[onthamove]

Originally Posted by Glitch

You can open carry or conceal carry with no permit in Alaska. Just be certain you let any police officer or state trooper know you are carrying if you get pulled over. Not only is it the courteous thing to do, but it is also the law.

you dont have to have a concealed carry license?!!! SWEETNESS!!!!!!!!!!

[onthamove]

21 is only 2 years away can't wait i am so pumped!

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Colt Walker, 60 grains of powder stuffed under a ball! It'll kill a black bear nicely, brownies I'm not so sure about...

Another nice one would be a .338WM rifle, barrel cut down to 20", a 1.75-6X Leupold Vary-X II scope, and loaded with 225-grain Triple-Shock, or 250-grain A-Frame. Maybe I just have the barrel cut on my .338WM one of these days by a local gunsmith. He would have to cut and re-crown.