Gun up for Alaska

[FlyinRock]

Once upon a time, I had two safes for all our guns. One was a Treadlock, the other a custom made. Both survived burglary attempts. A gun safe (or ANY safe) only provides temporary security. Most of the time, you are subjected to hit and run burglaries. A safe sometimes causes the bad guys to pass but take note and pass it along to other thieves. I was subjected to such an event and it was a fun shoot out. They thought they would have time to break into them but it happened I was home and they were rather shocked, scared shitless, and got away with their lives with shots fired.
Regardless of what safe you buy, it only buys time. If someone is determined to get into them, they can do so if they have the time and resources like a plasma cutter.
For the average gun owner, a couple of things to consider. One is a manner of humidity control in the safe and I did it with a single 20W light bulb that burned all the time. Easy to drill a hole for the cord and seal it with silicone. The 2nd is to give the Safe fire safety by putting a fire sprinkler over it. Not hard to do and makes a huge difference if your house catches fire. At that time I had over 175 guns and many of them were expensive pieces.
Now I depend on Jesus to take care of my guns.
BTW, Jesus is a 125# rottweiller who hates strangers coming into the house without Momma or Poppa
Semper Fi
Rocky

 

[BlkPny]

Look at the 35 Whelen, or if you handload the 358 Norma. What ever you dicide on, use premium bullets and learn to shoot it well.

Love my 35 Whelen. I plan on using it on my next moose hunt. I'll use Nosler partition bullets, which have never failed me.

 

[Stearmann4]

Slight course correction since we're kinda' turning toward things M-14 -- does anyone have any thoughts on a SA SOCOM 16 ??? I'm somewhat skeptical about the 16" bbl w/ a .308 cartridge, but I'd like to try one.

A-4 I'm in the process of buying a SOCOM 16 right now. I don't shoot at the ranges I needed with the M-14 so the 16" suits me just fine. I was more attracted to having a brand new M-14 type weapon with the improvements in stock/accessories and commonality of parts/mags with the 14.

MR-

 

[Gus Gorilla]

I've carried around a Springfield Armory 1911 which is .45 It's enjoyable, large, and nostalgic all in one. A classic. If your looking for a gun that will always go BANG even in the worst of situations you can count on a 1911. Off topic of pistol/rifle. The Remington 870 shotgun and the Mossberg 500A are also guns that always go BANG, always. For a rifle, I shoot a Winchester model 70, (not pre '64 for you collector types) with a Nikon scope, chambered in 300 WSM. I absolutely love it. It's a damn shoulder cannon and demands a scope with generous eye relief. So there's my .02
Go forth and slay the beasts.

 

[PropAddict]

I'm as big of a .45 ACP fan as anyone, but I do not trust it in my ohshitbigdangerousanimalattackingmustshootnow backup gun. It just doesn't have the penetrating power you may need to push through inches of muscle and bone.

 

[Pugs]

. It's a damn shoulder cannon and demands a scope with generous eye relief.

For optics with incredible eye relief. I just put one of the new Schmidt and Bender Summit 2.5-10x40's on my .257 and the eye relief at all powers is freaking incredible.

 

[A4sForever]

A-4 I'm in the process of buying a SOCOM 16 right now. I don't shoot at the ranges I needed with the M-14 so the 16" suits me just fine. I was more attracted to having a brand new M-14 type weapon with the improvements in stock/accessories and commonality of parts/mags with the 14.

MR-

Roger that; same-o, same-o, basically for the reasons you mentioned. I kinda consider it a 'ranch gun' in .308 -- a carbine. Are you going for the SOCOM 'straight 16' as well, or the II, or perhaps the 18" Scout model???

I'm trying to keep it simple for now so I'm looking at the 'straight 16, -- I'm not sure I like like the mega-rail setup on the II from what I can see and I've already got -14s w/ wood stocks. I don't really want to load it up w/ anything/everything that will fit on a 'Pic' rail, a la AR .556 style rifle/carbine, mainly 'cause of the basic operating weight of an empty SOCOM .308 is plenty by itself.

I might put an Aimpoint dot on it, as depicted:

I've got a new AccuPoint 1-4X24 that I'd like to try on it as well ...

I notice their barrels all seem to have twist @ 1:11 RHT -- so what bullet weight(s) are you considering using? I normally favor USGI type weights in USGI style rifles -- somewhere @ 150 gr for the 7.62/.308. I saw some tests (I think they're in the link and article above) where the lighter bullets seemed to be more accurate in these barrels ... ??? I think it likes Hornady bullets, overall ...

 

[eddie]

So, IS there a pistol that can stop large bears?

Or are you just kidding yourself?

 

[H60Gunner]

So, IS there a pistol that can stop large bears?

Or are you just kidding yourself?

One of these bass turds would do it at close range. But might as well pack a decent rifle or 12ga for the weight:range trade off.

Edit: a well placed shot from a .22 caliber pistol will stop a large bear. Just gotta have the balls to make the shot and you might only have one.....

 

[Rocketman]

So, IS there a pistol that can stop large bears?

Or are you just kidding yourself?

I don't have any first hand experience in killing large pissed off charging bears but I'm with H60Gunner on this. I'd feel a whole lot better armed with something like the SOCOM M1A (or a Guide Gun in 45-70 with a slicked up lever action) than I would with just a pistol, of any caliber. Shooting a pistol well is hard to do under the best of circumstances and only hits count. Not to mention accurate follow up shots could be much slower with a hand cannon.

Break...A lot of states have restrictions on magazine size when hunting. Don't know what the law says in AK but to stay legal your 20 round SOCOM mag might turn into a 5 round mag. Not sure you'd have time to get off more than 5 rounds anyway. Plus another 5 is just a mag change away.

 

[RyanF]

I've got a new AccuPoint 1-4X24 that I'd like to try on it as well ...

My friend just picked one up and let me try it out on his AR last week. It was super sweet....too bad it is way out of my price range.

 

[DangerousDan]

Are you talkin' 'bout the SOCOM 16 ... ??? It's still 9 lbs dry (hey, it's an M1A -- a 'fancy' GARAND), but it's 'handy' w/ a 16" bbl.

You cant go wrong with either a Garand or an M1A. Below is a pic from my latest trip to the range with my dad.

View attachment 10985

 

[govols]

as an avid hunter, big game hunter that is, I would not shoot a moose with anything smaller than a 30-06. 300 mag would be best, moose are very, very big animals and a .308 would kill it, but there can be issues with exit wounds, blood trails and that sort of thing. shot an elk with a 30-06 that was quartering away, never had an exit wound, liver and both lungs were hit, found 2 drops of blood. luckily he fell in some timber cuz i would have never found him.

for a handgun, most people do carry big heavy revolvers, I carry a glock 21 with 13 hollow point rounds when I am out west. I think 230 grain bear spray works best

 

[C420sailor]

for a handgun, most people do carry big heavy revolvers, I carry a glock 21 with 13 hollow point rounds when I am out west. I think 230 grain bear spray works best

Nice choice. I just bought a Glock 20 (10mm Auto). With full power loads it makes my G21SF feel anemic. Not everyone likes the big Glock grip though.

 

[H60Gunner]

as an avid hunter, big game hunter that is, I would not shoot a moose with anything smaller than a 30-06. 300 mag would be best, moose are very, very big animals and a .308 would kill it, but there can be issues with exit wounds, blood trails and that sort of thing. shot an elk with a 30-06 that was quartering away, never had an exit wound, liver and both lungs were hit, found 2 drops of blood. luckily he fell in some timber cuz i would have never found him.

for a handgun, most people do carry big heavy revolvers, I carry a glock 21 with 13 hollow point rounds when I am out west. I think 230 grain bear spray works best

Check out the .308 ballistics as compared to the .30-06. You might be suprised to find that the .308 is actually just as "big" as the .30-06.

As far as handguns go I would not carrry a .45 in Alaska for bear protection. Bear spray has been proven. C420sailor has a better idea, the ballistics of the 10mm.......