Recent content by rain4est

The titanium 44 is lighter and, therefore, rarely is left at home on most of my backpacking hunts. It does not kick as much with the somewhat mellower ammo (Underwood 220 gr) compared to the bigger stuff (300-330+ gr.). I practice enough to be quick & proficient. Although I am faster on...

When hunting anything up here in Alaska with a bow, I carry a S&W 44 mag. revolver (model #329PD). It is made out of a scandium alloy & titanium cylinder & weighs 25 oz without bullets (+5 oz). https://www.smith-wesson.com/firearms/model-329pd As del2les mentioned earlier, some magnum loads...

Related to Barnes copper bullets (TSX), they rarely "fragment into numerous pieces" much - even at very high velocities and close range. I have witnessed this many times with double shoulder hits on brown bears, moose, mountain goats, black bears, etc.. The bullet weight retention is truly...

I have owned the Marmot Helium for 20+ years. It is the 15 degree F equivalent of the Lithium 0 degree F bag. It still is in perfect condition and has never failed me. I have the EQ version - which has a waterproof treatment on the outer shell. Nowadays, they treat the down with...

I would wear the down pants & jacket over a merino base layer or a separate "sleeping-only base layer" to keep sweat scent down. All of the new down bags (what mountaineers use) have a down waterproofing treatment (Kuiu-Quixdown, Marmot-Down Defender, etc.) which will minimize any...

Arctic Oven's lightest tent (Quest) is 17.5 lbs without a stove. https://arcticoventent.com/tents/all-tents/arctic-oven-quest/ They are nice tents (I have had one for 18 years), but not really ideal for one or two hunts in Idaho. They are made for Alaska/Canada Tundra wind/weather and -10 to...

Down should be next to your base layer/long-johns, not on the outside of regular pants. It needs to be closer to your skin. For sleeping bags, nothing beats down for high warmth to weight. When you reach in a good down bag for a minute or two - you can feel your own body heat reflecting back...

I have hunted all over the state for over 40 years and guided for 10. Your 30-06 is a good all-around gun to hunt with in Alaska, but.. If you are in coastal brown or grizzly country hunting, fishing, camping, or otherwise - it is a little light in the protection department. A 7mm Mag. is too...

@ Wby Fan - How does it shoot? MOA or better? Load? Your... Ok just for you lefty's, I just had this built as a gift for a great friend, 30-06 1991 LH Rem 700 action Rem stock bottom metal 23" #2 Benchmark non fluted LH Grayboe Outlander stock Talleys holding a Leupold VX3i 4.5-14x40 CDS 30mm

@ Wby Fan - How does it shoot? MOA or better? Load?

Most folks, here in Southeast Alaska, hunt Sitka blacktail deer with nothing less than a .30 caliber magnum with a heavily constructed bullet (Barnes, etc.) - as the brown bears enjoy dinner bells (i.e. rifle shots) similar to Kodiak, except we have a lot more brush for them to hide in.

I can confirm that the 460 Weatherby can create phenomenal damage with 450 gr Barnes TSX bullets. On brown bears, entry is usually a typical ~1/2" hole. If you hit bone, the exit can be between 2" and 8"+ in diameter. They rarely go far when hit with these. On one hunt, the 450 gr TSX...

Having hunted big game 40+ years and guided 10 of those years here in Southeast Alaska, I would say that you cannot go wrong with a Barnes-X bullet. That would include all versions (TSX, TTSX, flat base, boat tail, etc.) The weight retention is usually 95% or better no matter what you hit...