Author Topic: All around Alaskan rifle: Mini-14 .223? (Read 2140 times)

shootercochran · « **on:** April 20, 2009, 05:13:42 AM »

I'm about to move to alaska in a year and I'm looking for a good all around rifle for hunting in Alaska.

I want something from snowshoe rabbits to moose. FMJ for the small stuff and maybe solid copper bullets for the big stuff if I can find it.

Would you consider the .223 effective enough? I know it's not the best round, but it is easy for me to shoot and I can hit what I shoot at. All shots under 100 yards and using the best bullet I can find?

I also want this to be a good fur gun.
It will be basically a substance rifle as alot of food will be needed from it.

I currently have a .300wm but I'm not that great of shot with it. Kicks to much, and ammo is really expensive.

corbanzo · « **Reply #1 on:** April 20, 2009, 08:57:27 PM »

Well how good of a shot are you with the .223? The only way it would be effective on any big game in Alaska is if you hit them in their egg yolk sized passage straight through their brain every time.

I would consider the .223 effective on anything up to the size of a wolf. You get above that, then no. For a fur gun, the .223 would be great.

Keep your 300WM. Use it on moose, caribou, bears, etc. That way, you only need one box of bullets a year including sight in. And really, you don't need to be a crack shot. For moose you can get fairly close pretty easy, and if you can hit a pie plate at 100 yards, you are good to go to hit that shoulder.

And for my sake, don't try and shoot big game with your .223. Please.

shootercochran · « **Reply #2 on:** April 21, 2009, 04:36:24 AM »

THANKS!

Winter Hawk · « **Reply #3 on:** April 22, 2009, 09:14:52 AM »

The other route wold be to reload for the .300. You can load it down with light plinker bullets for small game, or go full throttle for everything up to the big bears. I know there are folks who don't feel it would be big enough for them, but my ex father in law had shot a ton of bears (blacks, grizzlies, brownies, even a polar bear) back in the '60s with one and didn't feel undergunned....

-WH-

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** April 22, 2009, 09:39:10 AM »

Trade your magnum for a .30-06 or .35 Whelen or even a .338 Federal and have less kick, better accuracy since you won't be afraid of the recoil and then pick up a smaller rifle for varmints and predators.

shootercochran · « **Reply #5 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:10:03 AM »

THANK YOU GRAYBEARD!

I'm not much into reloading. Or I would go that route.

I'll see what I can find!

Graybeard · « **Reply #6 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:16:07 AM »

If you chose the .30-06 to replace the magnum you'll find ammo for it anywhere ammo is stocked. Pretty much the same I suspect for .223. Now the Whelen and .338 Federal are gonna be harder to locate ammo for but it can be ordered via mail. Right now ammo for anything seems hard to come by but hopefully that situation won't last forever but then it just might. Not reloading these days is becoming pretty close to the same as not shooting.

shootercochran · « **Reply #7 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:22:39 AM »

What .30-06 would you reccomend?

I'm thinking of buy a lee loader for the rifle and do some reloading.

Graybeard · « **Reply #8 on:** April 22, 2009, 10:48:28 AM »

I ALWAYS recommend Remington rifles. For Alaska I'd get stainless metal or even stainless with the new coatings Remington offers to make it even more weather resistant. They make an SPS stainless that's economical and accurate. Others likely will recommend other brands but when I buy I buy Remington.

shootercochran · « **Reply #9 on:** April 23, 2009, 07:00:59 AM »

Ok THANKS!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #10 on:** April 23, 2009, 07:07:51 AM »

i like the 3006 also but would look at Ruger as the scope base is part of the rifle and not prone to come loose ,the rifle is also controlled round feed and can be had in SS . If you want small game with the 3006 get a 30 carbine adapter for it .

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #11 on:** April 24, 2009, 01:43:34 PM »

I'd leave the Mini-14 alone you need a real (If your gonna live on the last fronteer) rifle!, dont mess around with them little sissy guns you need a mans gun! You want the respect and awe of the locals right off ?? Nothing says skill and hunting prowess like a monster magnum rifle (dosent matter the caliber) as long as it has a magnum belt on the cartridge "your golden"! the locals will be more impressed if it has a $4000 scope with laser range finder and a tricked out futuristic target stock (dont forget the stainless fluted bull barrel with muzzle break) The wildlife will just fall over from heart attack at the discharge of shuch a impressive weapon!
Also you need to buy all your clothing from the Master Cabalas Catalog "Cammo is real lots more better" the locals will be impressed especially if the tag is still atached! gotta show them backwood's sourdoughs with them scoped Mini-14's what a real He man 21'st century modern hunter is all about!
It will be of upmost importance in purchaseing preimum magnum ammo the higher the price means its guarenteed fresh, nothing boosts the local's economy like that $65-$120 a box magnum ammo! that darn wimpy 30-06 ammo them locals buy only costs $39 a box so it stands to reason to buy only the expensive stuff its more powerfull!!! when you run out of cartridges the real hunter should go to the main transportation hub 80 miles away to get more ammo!! you wouldent want to stoop to buying that cheap/weak ammo from the local village store, that's slumbing, the locals would lose ther respect for your hunting skill if you saved time cutting corners buying the localy low powerd cheap ammo.
And you will definately need a powerfull hand cannon for "Bear Protection!!" (remember all of Alaska is a dangerious bear attack zone)at a minimum you'll need 500 S&W or 454Casull all the big game guides recomend the 4" barrel (stainless steel for shure and ported) make shure the front sight is filed down!!!! also its a manditory state law you will need to carry at least a 100 round's of this ammo in addition to the state required 150 rounds of magnum ammo (local residents are exempt), now you will be required purchase these firearms in the state you intend to use them so the gun will work properly in that locality! Jet lag has affected the accuracy of many imported firearms, so you may have to purchase a accuracy variance permit to be allowe in the state to hunt as too much game has been lost so be shure to spread that cash round good & thick in Anchorage!!
How Im doing so far fellow Alaskans did i miss anything the new guy needed to know?

Yes a Mini is just fine for caribou, very light for moose "ya hit em right".
too damb bad they dont make a Mini 14 in .243 or 7mm-08 that would be sweet.
Magnums to hunting is the snagging rod's to fishing,
Mini-14's is to hunting is what the fly rod with 3# line is to fly fishing,
fish or cut bait its your choice.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #12 on:** April 27, 2009, 03:39:18 AM »

mag's are surf poles !

shootercochran · « **Reply #13 on:** April 27, 2009, 11:02:18 AM »

I think I'm going to keep the .300 mag without dobt.

I'm just going to invest in a REALLY good recoil pad.

I've already heard about "FILE THE FRONT SIGHT OFF YOUR REVOLVER". LOL

I'm skippin the mini.

Dand · « **Reply #14 on:** April 27, 2009, 11:14:58 PM »

Nothing wrong with the 300 win mag - LOTS of rural and urban shooters use it here. I have carried one since about 1981 or 82. I'm a life long Alaskan. But if you get tired of being whacked by the 300 (don't blame you at all) then a 30-06 might be a better choice. Yeah a lot of game is taken with all sorts of rifles here and the autoloading 223s are pretty popular but I really don't think its the best choice for big game. Just today I had a guy here in Dillingham telling me about all the caribou he's shot with a .22 lr and moose with .22 Mag or .223 - yeah I suppose its done but a good friend of mine, a villager, who set up some careful tests decided it was a bad idea. His favorite for close caribou was a 30-30. For moose and bear he settled on the 300 win mag. Oh and back when we had a lot of caribou near Dillingham it was strange how local folks were using .223's and various 7.63x39 autoloaders then blaming the wasted caribou found along the river on sport hunters. Stranger was the fact these animals showed up mostly in the winter when no "sports" were around but snowmobile travel was easily available to us locals. Lots of herd shooting going on too.

Truth is if I didn't have a lot of bills and kids coming up with more needs, I'd probably be looking for a lighter weight stainless 30-06, maybe 338-06. A 270, 280, 7mm mag or 308 will work for much of Alaskan shooting too.

Rex in OTZ · « **Reply #15 on:** April 28, 2009, 11:26:29 AM »

We can recomend all sorts of calibers and such, you use what you got, you will learn through experence what works best for you, I think off the shelf ammo prices may be a little steap for magnum ammo.
If you dont mind the recoil by all means carry one sooner or later your experence will lead you the direction you want to go, so mabe starting off on the heavy end of the caliber range isant all that bad, better than starting off on the light side to discover your under gunned!
Good luck where ever you end up.

thxmrgarand · « **Reply #16 on:** April 29, 2009, 04:14:17 AM »

In the part of Alaska where I live, Southeast, caliber choice is determined by whether you are in brown bear country. Mostly that is the so-called ABC islands and the mainland. These small deer would make a .243 ideal, and that is a common caliber on the islands that only have black bear. However, in places where a brown bear comes at the sound of a shot it generally takes more that a .243 to talk him out of what he has in mind. Just last year a local fellow was thrashed badly as he didn't get a good shot off in time with his 7mm Rem. A year or two before that a fellow was hunting with his .243 because he thought it was late enough that the bears had all gone in. He emptied it into the bear but the bear still picked him up and threw him some distance before walking off with his deer. These brown bears are quite amazing.

shootercochran · « **Reply #17 on:** April 30, 2009, 07:24:37 AM »

Thank you for the advice!

I think I can handle the .300 with a pad. At least I'm going to try!

It has a nice thump!

Thanks

Sourdough · « **Reply #18 on:** May 01, 2009, 07:35:45 PM »

Get a good recoil pad, and practice. After a while you learn how to hold and position the gun into your shoulder to where it does not hurt. That only comes from experience, plus you toughen up so to speak.

I have Remingtons and Rugers, prefer the Rugers. Rugers are virtually indestructible. The stainless is good for Alaska, but make sure you have a synthetic stock. Alaska does not like wood, weather variations are too great.

The rifle I carry now is a NEF Handi Rifle in 30-06. In fifty years of hunting only needed a second shot twice, so why carry anything heaver than a single shot. I carry this gun year round. 30-06 is totally adiquate for anything up here. Your .300WM is just a souped up 30-06.

Now in the winter I also carry a Mini-14 on the handlebars of my snowmachine, for fast access for when a targeted fur animal shows up on the trail and a fast shot is needed. It's only for wolf size game and smaller.

As for ammo availability, 30-06, .300WM, .300 H&H, .35 Whelen, .338 WM, and .375H&H are the most popular calibers and found everywhere. The .338WM and the .223 Rem are by far the most popular cartridges in Alaska.

S.B. · « **Reply #19 on:** May 03, 2009, 08:26:23 AM »

My only comment would be live next to a good gunsmith and get to be good friends with him, if your going to depend on a Ruger Mini 14. The prisons here in Illinois use them and must work on them constantly to make them work, if at all? I don't think I would depend on one for much accuracy, either. I've personally seen parts break on these, even new from the factory.
Steve

Sourdough · « **Reply #20 on:** May 06, 2009, 07:02:03 AM »

S.B. I respectfully disagree with you, and I own two Mini-14 Ranch Rifles. While one of my Mini-14s is only good out to 150 yards, the other one is good out to 400. By good I mean I can consistently hit a 4" clay skeet target. I've owned one since 1984, the best shooter, and the second one since 1987. Both have seen hundreds of rounds shot through them and have never seen a gunsmith. I have never had the first problem with either one, they just keep on shooting and shooting. Just be careful of the lube you use. Stayaway from petroleum based products.

teddy12b · « **Reply #21 on:** May 06, 2009, 07:25:35 AM »

If I were going to Alaska I'd probably get a 30-06 that's weather resistant like everyone here said. I like the 223, but GI's have been been complaining about it since it was introduced and If I'm going to be in bear country I'd want something bigger. I'm not from Alaska and have only been there once, but I know all real world hunting shots aren't going to be perfect. I'm a believer that a 30-06 can't handle anything on earth with the heavier 220gr bullets. When you go post some pictures. I never get tired of looking at pictures of Alaska.

S.B. · « **Reply #22 on:** May 06, 2009, 10:56:51 AM »

Quote from: Sourdough on May 06, 2009, 07:02:03 AM

S.B. I respectfully disagree with you, and I own two Mini-14 Ranch Rifles. While one of my Mini-14s is only good out to 150 yards, the other one is good out to 400. By good I mean I can consistently hit a 4" clay skeet target. I've owned one since 1984, the best shooter, and the second one since 1987. Both have seen hundreds of rounds shot through them and have never seen a gunsmith. I have never had the first problem with either one, they just keep on shooting and shooting. Just be careful of the lube you use. Stayaway from petroleum based products.

I was talking about part breaking, I've seen new guns fresh from the factory with broken parts in them.
Steve

shootercochran · « **Reply #23 on:** May 07, 2009, 05:08:35 AM »

Thanks for the help. I may buy a mini-14 soon.

But I'll also have a .300 win mag.

Thank you for all the help.

corbanzo · « **Reply #24 on:** May 09, 2009, 02:55:15 PM »

Just wanted to add one more thing... I too love to -06, and recommend it highly. But since you already own the .300 mag, you can just look for the controlled recoil rounds. In a nutshell, they are 30-06 rounds that have a 300WM headstamp.