Hawkeye African in Alaska?

[MISportsman]

I have a friend in the Air Force who is getting ready to be stationed in Alaska for the next 3 years. I am planning on going to visit him and do some hunting probably next year. I have a ruger Hawkeye African in 9.3x62 that would be great for moose and maybe big bear if we ho for it. My concern is the wood stock and blued would become an issue in the very wet climate. I thought about getting a hogue stock for it, but I do like the original wood one.

 

[JimP]

Thousands of hunters have taken that exact type of rifle to Alaska and hunted with it with zero problems.

If you take it and it gets wet take care of it once you reach a dry spot for the night

 

[CAustin]

Take your rifle as is and wipe it down with an oil cloth twice a day!

 

[Ryan]

Coastal hunts tend to be the wetter ones, so if you're a non resident that would be blacktail deer and maybe black bear on some islands. There I'd go with synthetic or at least a laminate stock, though I know some people who use a wood stocked rifle for deer. You won't be brown bear, goat or sheep hunting as a nonresident with him, that requires a guide or a resident relative. Inland more and interior I have taken my wood stocked rifles caribou, sheep, and moose hunting and been fine. August and September is an iffy time. Could be dry the whole hunt, mixed or even all rain. Keep the metal parts oiled, or as I read once waxed with a good wax like Renaissance Wax. Keep the wood as dry as possible and maybe covered in a scabbard when not on a stalk and you should be OK.

 

[MISportsman]

You won't be brown bear, goat or sheep hunting as a nonresident with him, that requires a guide or a resident relative

I guess I will be saving my pennies for a guide or just use my .300 win mag then lol

 

[M McDindi]

Take the stock and receiver/barrel apart. Give the stock barrel channel and the inner receiver area a couple of good coats of Johnson's Paste wax. Then get a bottle of this - https://www.strikehold.com/ and give every metal part, including the inside of the bore a spray and wipe down with it. Put a little rag in a zip lock bag with a little of the Strike Hold on it to wipe it down occasionally during your trip. It's hydrophobic, which means it gets under water and doesn't float on top of water like a petroleum based product. In the dry dusty areas, it actually repels dust and leaves behind a layer of dry lubrication and doesn't gum when it dries like WD-40.

I've been using this stuff for the past 12-years and will never use anything else

 

[MISportsman]

That won't effect the bullet like oil in the bore would?

 

[M McDindi]

No, not a bit because it is not petroleum based. If you've looked over the info on their website, they recommend and I've done, is to clean the bore to as close to bare metal as reasonable. They run a wet patch of Strike Hold down it a few times let it sit and then a dry patch.

All I can tell you is, I've been using on every firearm I own. After use cleaning of the barrel just requires a wet patch of S/H, let it sit a minute and then a couple of dry patches. Use it on all my tools, saltwater fishing tackle, use it like a penetrant to loosen rusted nuts etc. I've found it to be the real deal. Just go to their site and watch the videos. I've actually seen the light bulb and drill demo live in person at the gunshow where I first found and tried it.

The last couple of years I was on active duty, I was a staff wennie at HQ USCENTCOM and would have to make short trips into various places that were...dusty. We didn't take weapons with us since we were only there for a week or two at a time, we'd just draw weapons from the armory. I started taking a small bottle of this stuff and the very first thing I would do is break everything down and give it a good cleaning with it. The weapons would just not attract the dust and burnt power residue like others. Even the inside of the receivers and bolt carriers/assemblies just never seemed to collect the dust/residue others did.

Now, when I come in from fishing (saltwater), I just rinse the rods and reels with tap water an give them a light spray with Strike Hold. Even leaving them sit for months unused, WD 40 would dry and gum up the internals, not this.

You do have to be careful using it on some polystyrene based plastics.

I don't have any financial stake in the product.

 

[MISportsman]

Give the stock barrel channel and the inner receiver area a couple of good coats of Johnson's Paste wax.

Should I do anything special to the exposed wood or just keep it wiped dry?

 

[M McDindi]

A coat of paste wax to the exposed wood isn't going to do any harm.

Here's the thing, wood, even dead and dried and used in furniture, houses and rifle stocks, is going to be expand/contract a bit due to changes in temp and humidity. That's just wood and what it does. No real way to stop it. Laminated wood stocks are a bit less susceptible or more "stable" then full wood due to the layers being bound by epoxy. Even full synthetics will expand/contract a bit due to temp changes but not humidity.

Take a little pocket screwdriver/wrench etc to take your stock off and take a small rag with a little gun oil/cleaner or better yet Strike Hold on it in a plastic zip lock bag. Take another small dry cleaning rag in another separate zip lock bag. In the evening IF the rifle was subject to rain/wet, in the evening, pull it apart and clean and dry the outside, then give it a little wipe down with the Strike Hold rag. I know a lot of people don't like them but I always take a caliber correct bore snake with a LITTLE Strike Hold on it. Even if I don't fire a shot I'll make one pass through the bore just to dry it out or wipe out the day's accumulation of dust or dirt. I also carry it in my vest pocket just in case something might get in the barrel during the day's.....adventures.

In my opinion, for a normal person a lot of things are "over thunk". With just some reasonable pre- hunt care, cleaning, oiling (Strike Hold) and waxing and making sure your barrel is properly floated and no tight spots and just a little reasonable care and evening maintenance at the end of the day and you'll be fine. Enjoy your trip with whatever rifle you choose. Sounds like a great trip!

 

[MISportsman]

Thank you for all of your great advice! Usually if I'm hunting wet weather I just use my .300 win mag or my .270 which are stainless with a synthetic stock and wipe it with rem oil at the end of the day, I just thought if I could use it up there my 9.3x62 would be a great fit for Alaskan big game.

 

[M McDindi]

Most people sometimes forget that wood stocks either have some kind of sealed, oiled or varnished/lacquered exterior finish. For some reason the interior barrel channels and receiver, magazine, trigger group areas are left kind of rough and unsealed in any way - maybe a little oil stain. Never hurts to put a couple of coats in there. Wipe/rub each coat in good and let it sit open and dry for a day and repeat. Will NOT make your stock water proof, but with a little daily/evening care and air drying in your room/tent/shelter whatever will be fine. Important thing is not letting the "wet" sit there against the wood/metal and generate the rust.

IF you decide to get a little bottle of Strike Hold to try. I have a little challenge for you. Clean your rifle as you normally do. Then when you're done, take a little 2"x2" clean patch and put a little Strike Hold on it and wipe your barrel and receiver and see what you see on the patch. Stainless or blue will be the same.

The other thing you'll notice is the barrel will LOOK like it's wet when you freshly oil it, BUT it will be dry to the touch. Us it on your scope (but don't get it on your lenses) rings everything. Be sure to pull your firing pin and spring and clean with it. You can give a little spray on your trigger group and just wipe off the excess - it will not gum up like WD-40.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

I have a friend in the Air Force who is getting ready to be stationed in Alaska for the next 3 years. I am planning on going to visit him and do some hunting probably next year. I have a ruger Hawkeye African in 9.3x62 that would be great for moose and maybe big bear if we ho for it. My concern is the wood stock and blued would become an issue in the very wet climate. I thought about getting a hogue stock for it, but I do like the original wood one.

Want to swap your wood for a Hogue ?

 

[Alaska Luke]

If you aren't hunting big bears I think your 300 Mag is a better choice. It's a very popular round here.

Hunting Alaska is great but you might only get one opportunity at your quarry. Critters move around a lot over big rough country and bad weather can ruin things. A bit of extra range might make the difference between a trophy or going home empty handed. The only place I think the 9.3x62 had an edge is (maybe) as a close range bear stopper. Even then I'm not sure. Also 300 ammo is easier to find in Alaska.

 

[MISportsman]

Want to swap your wood for a Hogue ?

I think I will stick with the wood for now. Thanks.

 

[Viral_SIGness]

I think I will stick with the wood for now. Thanks.

I'm not sure what they feel like in wood, but I shot mine today, and that Hogue must soak up recoil. It was nothing! A little shove, whereas my .300 Win Mag is a sharp jolt.

 

[M McDindi]

Yes, it does! The synthetic gives a little and it's got that nice squishy pad. My wife loves hers and will run 30-40 full up rounds off the bench with no issues. 5'4" and 135lbs. But too, she's learned how to properly shoot heavy recoiling rifles off the bench.

DON'T lay on it like you do with smaller calibers. Use higher bags/rest and sit up straighter in the chair. Lets the recoil roll you back a bit instead of sending the shock down into your shoulder/back.