Caribou Rifle

[OXN939]

Doing a semi-guided Caribou hunt this August in the Brooks Range of Alaska. The choice for said hunt is as follows:



Remington 700 Mountain SS in 7mm-08
Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10
Warne Mountaintech Rings
Warne 2 Piece Bases
Nosler E Tips (140 gr.)

Thoughts? Bump it up to something .30 cal with more magnification, or right on the mark for Caribou? Let me know if you'd do something different. Thanks guys.

 

[marshland_max]

Doing a semi-guided Caribou hunt this August in the Brooks Range of Alaska. The choice for said hunt is as follows:



Remington 700 Mountain SS in 7mm-08
Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10
Warne Mountaintech Rings
Warne 2 Piece Bases
Nosler E Tips (140 gr.)

Thoughts? Bump it up to something .30 cal with more magnification, or right on the mark for Caribou? Let me know if you'd do something different. Thanks guys.

What you got there will kill caribou no sweat

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[hodgeman]

That's pretty much a perfect rig for caribou. My son and I have dropped several of them with the 7-08 with no difficulty.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Looks perfect for caribou.

My caribou rifle is the same one I use for sheep, a kimber Montana 308, tally ultralight low rings, leupold vx3i 2.4-8x36.

I just got another rifle so this year the caribou rig will be:
-tikka t3x superlite 6.5cm
-nightforce shv 3-10x42 MOAR reticle
-warne mountain tech rail
-nightforce ultralight rings.

I’m debating on chopping 2-3” off the barrel just because 24” is pretty long.

 

[OXN939]

That's pretty much a perfect rig for caribou. My son and I have dropped several of them with the 7-08 with no difficulty.

Awesome, thanks for the first-hand account! The idea with this guy was to have as light and handy a rig as possible while maintaining a confident effective range of 300 yards. So far, the Noslers are impressive... holding right under MOA.

 

[OXN939]

Looks perfect for caribou.

My caribou rifle is the same one I use for sheep, a kimber Montana 308, tally ultralight low rings, leupold vx3i 2.4-8x36.

I just got another rifle so this year the caribou rig will be:
-tikka t3x superlite 6.5cm
-nightforce shv 3-10x42 MOAR reticle
-warne mountain tech rail
-nightforce ultralight rings.

I’m debating on chopping 2-3” off the barrel just because 24” is pretty long.

I'm a big fan of the 3-10 mag scope on guns like this; lends itself well to rounds with impressive ballistic coefficients like 6.5 Creed and 7mm-08. Gotta say, the 22" barrel on the above rifle is a very pleasant length. If only we could get a range day in the south that didn't include a triple digit heat index...

 

[amassi]

Looks perfect for caribou.

My caribou rifle is the same one I use for sheep, a kimber Montana 308, tally ultralight low rings, leupold vx3i 2.4-8x36.

I just got another rifle so this year the caribou rig will be:
-tikka t3x superlite 6.5cm
-nightforce shv 3-10x42 MOAR reticle
-warne mountain tech rail
-nightforce ultralight rings.

I’m debating on chopping 2-3” off the barrel just because 24” is pretty long.

Bet you could find someone with a t3x and the 22.4" barrel that would love to trade you for the longer tube. Might even make some $ on your end

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[thinhorn_AK]

Bet you could find someone with a t3x and the 22.4" barrel that would love to trade you for the longer tube. Might even make some $ on your end

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Really??? Did they ever make the superlite in 6.5 with a 22” barrel???

Remember this isn’t a lite, it’s a fluted barre superlite.

 

[carter33]

You mentioned the hunt is semi guided, will this allow you to shoot a grizzly? Often people do combos and have pretty good odds of shooting a griz in caribou country. That may sway your decision and the advice your getting as well. Of course what round is “big enough” for a grizzly is hotly debated and you could probably spend a few days reading various forums and digging through google and still have plenty to read on the inter webs.

 

[amassi]

Really??? Did they ever make the superlite in 6.5 with a 22” barrel???

Remember this isn’t a lite, it’s a fluted barre superlite.

Yep, I sold a ton of them when I worked selling guns
Then the 24.3" came out and a bunch of the guys were pissed
If your near a sportsmans they can probably get you one with the shorter tube

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[luke moffat]

You mentioned the hunt is semi guided, will this allow you to shoot a grizzly? Often people do combos and have pretty good odds of shooting a griz in caribou country. That may sway your decision and the advice your getting as well. Of course what round is “big enough” for a grizzly is hotly debated and you could probably spend a few days reading various forums and digging through google and still have plenty to read on the inter webs.

I would have zero qualms about going after grizzly with anything 243 on up. 7-08 will be more than enough. Pop holes in the lungs and they die like anything else in my experience. Shoot one through the leg but miss the lungs and they will 3 wheel it out of sight if you can't get the air bags popped.

7-08 is a great round...rock on and fill us in on how the hunt goes when you get back. Nice rifle BTW.

 

[OXN939]

You mentioned the hunt is semi guided, will this allow you to shoot a grizzly? Often people do combos and have pretty good odds of shooting a griz in caribou country. That may sway your decision and the advice your getting as well. Of course what round is “big enough” for a grizzly is hotly debated and you could probably spend a few days reading various forums and digging through google and still have plenty to read on the inter webs.

It does not allow us to harvest a grizz. We're theoretically allowed two caribou per person, but I'd be thrilled to harvest a single decent bull. We've got 8 days on the X, which I did to allow us time for a move if necessary, so hopefully between that and covering lots of ground we can make it happen.

 

[OXN939]

I would have zero qualms about going after grizzly with anything 243 on up. 7-08 will be more than enough. Pop holes in the lungs and they die like anything else in my experience. Shoot one through the leg but miss the lungs and they will 3 wheel it out of sight if you can't get the air bags popped.

7-08 is a great round...rock on and fill us in on how the hunt goes when you get back. Nice rifle BTW.

Thanks boss. I've had her for two years and a bunch of trips, to include one to Alaska last year, and she's never ended up being in the right place at the right time to take anything. Fingers crossed that changes here shortly. Any of y'all use a rifle cover like this guy? Going to pick one up I think.

 

[marshland_max]

Thanks boss. I've had her for two years and a bunch of trips, to include one to Alaska last year, and she's never ended up being in the right place at the right time to take anything. Fingers crossed that changes here shortly. Any of y'all use a rifle cover like this guy? Going to pick one up I think.

Yes, I use that exact cover from them this year in Montana. Started to rip after 3 weeks of traveling. It surved it's purpose for sure, but it's shredded now.

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[OXN939]

Yes, I use that exact cover from them this year in Montana. Started to rip after 3 weeks of traveling. It surved it's purpose for sure, but it's shredded now.

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Interesting. There are some other brands out there, might check and see if reviews indicate one being a little more resilient. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Bearlodge10]

OXN939, On the rifle cover... I just returned from a bear hunt in Alaska and purchased the Solohuntr rifle cover just for that trip. My thoughts being, mainly covering country and glassing before doing stalks, known high risk for rain and moisture, and fairly good reviews on something that I could use with multiple other rifles and should hold up nicely. So, it fit my rifle well (very snug fit) and I liked that aspect of it. However, I would suggest a little larger size or to stretch it if you can to allow a quicker on and off if you think you might need the rifle in a hurry. It did its job in protecting it from the elements especially the brush but it did fray a little. It seemed to keep rifle dry from outside but also seemed to keep moisture in. I left my rifle unchecked for a day and I had surface rust on it. It wasn't anything a quick gun cloth couldn't take care of and something I expected but also hoped that the cover would prevent. Your stainless would fair a little better with the weather anyway. So far it seems to be holding up and we covered over 70 miles in some gnarly country so I believe it to be worth the money. Just my take...

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Yep, I sold a ton of them when I worked selling guns
Then the 24.3" came out and a bunch of the guys were pissed
If your near a sportsmans they can probably get you one with the shorter tube

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I just bought this rifle so I’m not going to go through the hassle or take a bath dumping it so I can try to get a shorter barrel, I can get it hacked off and re crowned for 100 bucks since my buddy works for the gunsmith. No reason to go switching guns.

 

[OXN939]

OXN939, On the rifle cover... I just returned from a bear hunt in Alaska and purchased the Solohuntr rifle cover just for that trip. My thoughts being, mainly covering country and glassing before doing stalks, known high risk for rain and moisture, and fairly good reviews on something that I could use with multiple other rifles and should hold up nicely. So, it fit my rifle well (very snug fit) and I liked that aspect of it. However, I would suggest a little larger size or to stretch it if you can to allow a quicker on and off if you think you might need the rifle in a hurry. It did its job in protecting it from the elements especially the brush but it did fray a little. It seemed to keep rifle dry from outside but also seemed to keep moisture in. I left my rifle unchecked for a day and I had surface rust on it. It wasn't anything a quick gun cloth couldn't take care of and something I expected but also hoped that the cover would prevent. Your stainless would fair a little better with the weather anyway. So far it seems to be holding up and we covered over 70 miles in some gnarly country so I believe it to be worth the money. Just my take...

Yeah, keeping moisture *in* as well was definitely a concern; guess maintaining a good surface coat of oil is crucial. I'll pick one up and see how it goes. My rifle is on the shorter side of the bell curve, so I wouldn't anticipate length being an issue.

 

[OXN939]

Necromancing this thread with a few key lessons learned from Alaska.

1. This setup ended up being just about perfect. Lightweight, handy, plenty of power for a ~400 lb bull Caribou.

2. Stainless/ cerakoted guns are a must. Blued firearms intriduce a hassle in an environment as austere as Alaska in the fall.

3. Waterproof rifle cover was the right call all day long.

4. Nosler E Tips in 7mm-08 were awesomely effective; dropped both of the Caribou we took in their tracks. I'm sold on the copper mono bullet gig.

Any other questions, feel free to ask.