We decided to start homeschooling this year and with that comes the freedom in our schedule that I can now start chasing elk in the western states again and applying for my dream hunts. I’m gunna start applying for moose, brown bear and bison hunts and need a rifle to fill that role. Trying to sort through the bs from the gun writers and and I figured instead I could just ask you guys, the ones with the boots on the ground. Been looking at 30-06, 338-06, 35 whelen, 300wm and 338wm in a Ruger m77. I’m not recoil shy and have been successful hunting with borrowed 300wm and 300wsm. What would you guys suggest?

350 Griffin and howe

375hh all day.

338 WM hard to beat.

.338, or .375.

338 is pretty popular here, but I carry a 30-06. I think being more comfortable (quick and accurate) with a gun is more important than size and a lot of big animals have been taken with a 30-30, but that doesn't mean it was the best gun for the job though either.

.300 win mag

30-06 is enough. Nothing wrong with more, I'm pretty happy with what 338 Winchester does.

Any will work, but I would recommend 300 win mag out of your choices. Versatile and flat shooting, and very common so easy to find ammo for. Chances are if you are in any hunting camp in the west and something happened there would be someone else in camp with one you could borrow ammo from.

I used a 30-06 for many years but about 10 years ago I upgraded to a Rugar 7mm mag. Its a heavy gun, kicks like a mule but shoots nice and packs a wallup. I have broken through both shoulders on moose. Never brought out the 06 since I got the mag.

A well-placed, well-constructed bullet is far more important than caliber. Most of my personal hunting is done with 7mmRM.

That said, 300WM will do the trick. If brown or grizzly bears are on the "to do" list, 338WM or 375H&H won't hurt.

Pete

I'm with Pete on this... The caliber isn't near as important as bullet placement.. While guiding up here in AK, i've been lucky to spend time with most of the new and old calibers of rifles, many different bullet configurations and all the optic options. I've seen poor shot placement with the biggest calibers resulting in follow up shots. I've also seen pure marksmen with a .270 take all of the biggest of our game with a single well placed shot. Caliber and bullet are not near as crucial as placement... I heard a professional archer say that "The bow is only as good as the jerk behind the trigger" and that goes for the rifle as well... Practice, practice, practice and get to know your weapon. I carried a Winchester .300WM for many years guiding with great results but switched to a Winchester .375H&H when we started messing with the bigger bears. When a guide needs to fire his rifle, things have went South and the bigger caliber just gives you a little more help. I now carry my .375 most of the time as I am very comfortable with it. The 30-06 is probably one of the most versatile calibers on the planet. From 55 grain to 220 grain bullets available opens a whole range of options. Whatever you choose, Shoot it and get comfortable with it. Good luck

300WM or 375H&H
Don't get some obscure caliber. You can find ammo for either of the
above anywhere. And you won't be compromising anything with either of the calibers.

I would pick the .300 WM. If you hit something and it takes off, a flat shooting cartridge is preferable for follow up shots. The follow up shots may be chaotic. Also, I believe a .300 WM holds 3 rounds in mag, vs. 2 in .300 WSM. More is better in that situation as well. Obviously, first shot placement is the most critical consideration. My second choice off your list would be .338 WM. I've had good experience with that cartridge, not as much meat damage as 7mm RM or .300 WM. Never shot a bison, but I would feel undergunned with a 30/06. My primary meat gun is a 7mm RM.

9.3x62 is my go to.

Hard to argue with a 300 mag as an all around big game cartridge. But I have and use a 30-06, a 300 WSM, a 338 Win Mag and a 375 H&H.

All good info. As the O.P. stated he isn't recoil shy, it's hard to argue against horsepower.
Of course shot placement is paramount, but field conditions don't always provide for ideal circumstances.
That said, the step up from .30 caliber to .338 is dramatic. The next step is equally large.
And if you don't mind a push in the shoulder, try a modern muzzle loader with a max load of 120 grains of Blackhorn 209 powder, a 370 grain .50 cal. bullet, and a plain recoil pad!
It is my current set-up.

I’ve loaded my Encore with a mag load of 777 and 300gr SST’s for whitetails. It’s a lot of fun. I have thought of using it if I ever draw that bison tag because I love muzzleloading. But I think I read too many stories of them things running dead on their feet and if a guy ended up in the wrong spot and no time for a reload I’d be wishing I could chamber another round!

For what it's worth I'd like to add the .300 Weatherby mag to the list the the .338 Winchester mag and the .375 H & H these aren't in any particular order they're all top shelf calibers it will help if you reload .
Allan

Yep… my 300 mag Weatherby M V , with precision placement has, and will put down anything that walks on this continent.

Second on the not getting an obscure caliber. I use a 7mm STW and love it, but don't recommend it to the average hunter who doesn't reload. While you can buy factory ammo for it, the choices are somewhat limited and you aren't going to find it on the shelf of a mom and pop sporting goods store unless they or one of their good buddies owns one.

.338 WM. Common, plenty flat shooting and is nice when you encounter a bear. It's about all I've used for big game hunting for years. Mine is a Ruger.

^^^^^
I've only shot a couple of 338WM rifles, but they all kicked like a mule; never have figured out why my 375H&H rifles are so tame compared to the 338.

If big bear are on the menu, I would opt for the 375 H&H. More recoil push than the sharp kick that you get from the Winchester Mags And if you handload you can generate some sweet but effective reduced loads. If your shooting across cannons for elk, goats or sheep, I'd go with one of the 300 Weatherbys. In all fairness, the 30-06 will take everything on your list with patience and good shot placement.

The 375 H&H runs lower pressures than the Win Mags. At least in factory loads. This helps tame recoil, and stock design of specific rifles and how they fit an individual makes a big difference on felt recoil.

When I was guiding brown bear and grizzly bear hunters and a client hopped off the plane in camp with a 30.06, I was always excited.

It meant that the guides were going to get in on a lot of shooting too....!

Pete

Bahaha that’s good stuff. Been looking around since I started this thread and it’s hard finding the 375H&H but I can find the win mags. So I’m thinking 300 or 338wm. Leaning towards 338 wm. I do handload but it’s nice being able to find boxed ammo, especially because I can’t find brass right now. Looks like 7mm mag can be necked up easily too. I also would like to get a suppressor for this rifle and now Rugged came out with what looks to be a pretty sweet .35cal can that a guy could actually lug around the boonies without a huge weight penalty

Ha! We always think the opposite (with black bear). The guys who show up with the latest super ultra magnum cannon and $3000 scope usually can't hit the broadside of a barn. On the other hand when the guy showed up with grandpa's 06 with half the bluIMG worn off, chances were he could actually hit what he was shooting at.

Been shooting a 338 mag for years but with the monolithic bullets like the Barnes ttsx I'm considering going to something smaller. Haven't seen any 338 mag on the shelves in Fairbanks for two years, lot's of 308 and usually some '06................not sure how it is in your area but food for thought.

The Homeschool option is a great decision. Congratulations
I run a tikka lite in 300wsm with handloads and can't complain

Whichever cartridge I pick I plan to use monolithics in, if it’ll shoot em well. Shot a few does with .223 62gr TSX’s and that sold me on the bullet. I’m mostly an archery hunter so placement, pass through and hemorrhaging are my main concerns. I tried the fabled nosler partitions in 25-06 on some deer in SD but didn’t like the results, have had better luck with softpoints and SST’s.

My second choice after 375hh would be the 300 winnie, third would be the .348 in the M71.

Sam Fadala, .54 RB, Henry Mountains
One of my favorite pics...

Yep.

I've shot 2 of the 3 you have listed with a 338 wm and never felt I was undergunned. . My tikka 695 is very pleasant and with good bullets it never disappoints. Bullet placement is key but in means nothing unless you get good penetration. I typically use 210 or 225 gr barnes bullets which provide great penetration and weight retention.

I am still shooting the same 06 my Dad gave me when I was 14 so 46 years 40 yrs of that has been in Alaska. I wouldn’t hesitate to shoot a brown bear with it have killed more moose and caribou then I can remember along with a few bears both brown and black Familiarity with the gun and shot placement are key I am so familiar with this gun is pretty much an part of me when I pick it ip to shoot. That being said if I was going to do a significant amount of bear hunting I would opt for the 300win mag them bears just don’t always know how to die even when they are dead

You can do moose and bison within a day or so drive from where you live. They aren’t that hard to kill. Where would you apply for a brown bear hunt? Generally a very expensive outing due to paying a guide.

As far as I know Maine and Alaska are the only places allowing nonresidents to hunt moose. Our DNR is letting the wolves have a hayday with our moose so we haven’t had a moose season in years. I won’t participate in a fenced buffalo hunt. Not my style. But applying for Sd’s hunt and looking into MT’s for the future. As far as Brownies go, I put my foot in my mouth. Since starting this post I started digging around and yes it’s quite expensive chasing bears up in AK. Too expensive for me at the moment.

You can hunt moose here in Alaska as a non res. without a guide. Still an expensive undertaking. If you reach the point you want to do a moose hunt up here there will be plenty of members to help you pick where and how to get there.

Thank you. I’ll be sure to keep that in mind.

You can hunt moose in Idaho and Wyoming as a non resident, I'm not sure about the other states that offer moose hunting, but I think most of them allow nonresidents to apply.

30-06 has taken everything in the world. Jack O'Conner used to write about the virtue's of a .270 for many years and took everything on the planet with it, the .270 has less "juice" than the "06", Now for the best part , not only does the"06" have light recoil but the ammo is some of the least expensive out there, and available everywhere, in many different weights and loadings.

Yes, a 30-06 can do it all in competent hands, and most situations.
You hunt bears, particularly BIG bears, enough, you will inevitably find yourself in a situation where you wish you had major fire power.
I hunted with a great 30-06 Remington Mt. Rifle, (one of the very first built), for over 20 years, and took many, many animals with it, including my first brown bear.
That said, if I was looking for a single rifle for Alaska, that wouldn't be my choice.

I like my .300 Win Mag. It's taken most of Alaska's game, except for a big bear. For a big bear, I'd prefer something heavier.

Let's hold down the voices on this "one all around rifle" business. If my wife hears that, what might she do with my gun collection?

Jim

Definitely the .35 whelen out of all of those. Col Townsend Whelen hunted a lot and invented the .35 Whelen. Its more powerful than a 30-06, and will kill the first elephant, and knock down the other 2 behind it.

I would go with 300 PRC. I have killed 2 elk, mule deer buck and 2 whitetail does with mine this year. It really hammers them with 212 gr ELDX.

Good luck finding ammo for 35 Whelan or 300 PRC in Alaska. Luggage does get lost or arrives late, especially to the hubs. If there is any local ammo, it's likely to be a common caliber.

There nothing wrong with the Marlin 45/70 I would use that if I lived there. It proved that it can kill the big bears.