Alaska really is, ideally, at least a two rifle state. One gun can handle deer, goat, sheep, caribou, black bear, and even moose and mountain grizzly with relative ease. Throw in the big bruins in the thick alder jungles, it gets pretty tough for one rifle to be all things at once.

The sheep and goat rifles tend to be lightweight long range instruments. Because they are usually lightweight, there's a limit to the amount of recoil the shooter wants to handle. My sheep rifles have never been that specialized, but have been capable of long shots. 338, 300's, etc... You can do very well with a 30-06 or 270 class gun for these animals also. With any of these cartridges, caribou, moose, and black can be handled fairly well. Stay to the 30 cal or larger and they'll handle mountain grizzly pretty good.

The 375's and up are great for the coastal bruins, but I find their size and weight to be a hinderance in the sheep or goat mountains. The No.1 would negate that, but I just don't think the No.1 is a good "fighting" rifle for big bears. Things happen fast at close range in the alder thickets when things go wrong. That first shot is all important, but it is reassuring to have another right behind it without lowering the muzzle of the rifle or reaching for another cartridge.

Believe me, I hate to say anything bad about the Ruger No.1, they are a grand rifle and I've owned several. My No.1 S in 338 has been on more trips here than any rifle I've ever owned, probably more than all the rest combined. My No.1 RSI in 7x57 is the sweetest, most graceful rifle in my collection. Both shoot great and handle like I was born with them in my hands.

If you picked up a No.1 in your favorite flat shooting chambering, say 270 or up, and had a good bolt gun in 375, 416, 458, or more for the big bears, you'd be set.

I understand the attraction of one gun for all, but at best it's a damnable compromise. You give up too much at one end of the spectrum to satisfy the other end. There are those that come really close, the various 338's and 8mm Mags in a good bolt gun, but still not as good as a two gun battery.

For POW Island, I think you could probably get by with a one gun rig, but when you branch out to the other parts of the state and other game, it becomes quite a headache.