I have booked hunts in Alaska for moose and Dall sheep, and I plan to take a two-gun battery. The advice I have been getting is

[outdoorlife-editor]

I have booked hunts in Alaska for moose and Dall sheep, and I plan to take a two-gun battery. The advice I have been getting is to take a magnum rifle for moose and a smaller caliber for sheep. Right now, I'm leaning toward the .300 Winchester Magnum for the moose and the .270 Winchester for the sheep. Would this be a good two-gun battery for all types of hunting? I'm also thinking of going to Africa in 2005. --P.R., Minneapolis, MN

[outdoorlife-editor]

A two-gun battery is a very good idea, especially for an African safari. However, I think that the two calibers you've selected are so similar in performance that one could pretty well do the work of the other in most instances. Which is why I suggest a battery with more widely different calibers.

For example, the .338 Winchester combined with the .270 Winchester or the .280 Remington would be a pretty good all-purpose battery. Or if you prefer the .300 Winchester Magnum, it would be a great single-gun choice for Alaska, serving well for moose and sheep.

A smart two-gun battery for Africa would comprise a heavy caliber such as the .458 Winchester for dangerous game like Cape buffalo. Combine that with a lighter caliber such as the .270, .280, .30/06 or even the .300 Winchester Mag.

So why not do this: If you are on a budget, simply buy a .300 Winchester Magnum now, which will be a good dual-purpose caliber for the Alaskan hunt. Then when you're ready for your safari in a couple of years, buy a heavier caliber such as the .458 and you'll have all the guns you need. --Jim Carmichel, Shooting Editor

[Buckshott00]

I agree that a .300 win mag is a great all around utility rifle for Alaska, plus I am told that it is darn near ideal for large plains game in Africa if you ever end up going.

If you have a .270 already there's really no reason to change to get a different rifle, but there might be some other better alternatives as Jim Carmichel said. I agree that the .280Rem is a better round.

FWIW I thought that you needed at least .35 Caliber to hunt certain species in Africa. So I think a .300wm is great for everything up to kudo and leopards, but you need something bigger to hunt legally for bigger game.