I know that there is no such thing at the "Ideal" cartridge for this task but want to initiate a discussion on the subject. This past week one of the bad influences (not) in my life, texted me to invite me to go on a 2028 hunt for Muskox and Caribou in Greenland. Knowing next to nothing about Muskox, I set out to do my homework and soon began to ponder what rifle from my existing collection would be the closest to ideal? BTW - the outfitter can take up to six (6) hunters the week we plan to go (Aug 21-25, 2028 Lord willing). We have all six slots on hold for a week and have only filled four of them tentatively counting me and I am still on the fence. If you want to bring a buddy and join the adventure, PM me for details. If you have access to a private jet, we will make you a real deal, lol. The logistics of flying into Greenland are a bit sucky. Fly to Copenhagen and spend the night and then fly to Greenland or choose the one flight each week to Greenland.
All I know about Muskox is that a mature male is about 600-700lbs live weight or about the same weight as a Blue Wildebeest with similar toughness. Long hair makes them look larger and also makes finding the kill zone more tricky. The open tundra of Greenland lacks cover but has enough mountainous terrain to enable stalks to get close enough that ELR shots are not necessary. While shooting off sticks is always an option, this hunt is one of the places where going prone and shooting off of a rucksack is a realistic possibility which could make it realistic to shoot out to 400sih yards if necessary. My desire is to get within 200y if possible and that seems realistic.
If you have hunted Greenland or hunted Muskox anywhere, I would love to get your perspective about what to take and how to hunt these animals? But, the main purpose of this thread is to discuss the merits of my rifles that I might choose for this trip. I have eliminated the lightweight precision options like my 243 because it is too small and the 6.5CM because I do not have one. Following is a list of what I do have and while I would not be opposed to buying another rifle, I think we can find one or two on this list to do the job. I might take two rifles. One optimized for my ideal range of about 200y and the 2nd better capable of longer shots out to about 400y.
- 1. CT Edge in 7mm/08 - This is a carbon/titanium featherweight built on a Sako 85 action and topped with my favorite 1-8x LPVO hunting optic. It is a proven performer but might be a bit light for this task? It can hit a 8" gong at 400y with a number of 139 & 140g bullets. I killed a Blk Wildebeest with it at 314y which is also my longest shot on big game.
- 2. CT Edge in 7mm RM - Another Carbon/Ti lightweight albeit longer and slightly heavier. Topped with a nice Swarovski Z5 3.5-18x optic that is too much scope for most hunting but for the wide open tundra might be just the ticket. As a 2FP optic it is not my favorite as it does not dial well and accurate hold overs require zooming to 18x which can be clunky. But it has supreme glass and shoots flat enough that holdovers are usually not necessary. This rifle is also 400y capable and very precise. Most loads are in the 160-175g weights.
- 3. FN Browning Mauser in 308 - A tiny featherweight with pencil bbl, this vintage rifle is a proven performer in Africa with a long list of one shot kills with zero failures. Topped with an equally vintage Balvar 2.5-8x scope that has only a simple tapered crosshair. This limits its use to about 300y but that is enough. A pretty, classic hunting rifle. Some would say too pretty to hunt with.
4. Husqvarna Swedish Mauser in 30-06 - Possibly the perfect rifle for this hunt. The rifle is equipped with a FFP 4-16x optic that dials precisely or can be used to hold over as needed out to about 400y. Slightly heavier than the first three but not more than about 8lbs all in.
- 5. Tikka T3X in 300 WSM - The newest of the list and only fired for the first time yesterday. Also wears my favorite 1-8x LPVO hunting optic but one rifle that I would consider replacing the scope if this was the best choice. Even with the low power optic, this combo is capable of 400y shots. While zeroing at 100y it printed three <1" groups with each of the three loads that I tried and the best was 0.7". Shows promise.
- 6. Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact Magnum in 338 RCM - Tiny, short, light thumper. The Ruger also wears my favorite 1-8x LPVO. It is handicapped by the fact that the only factory ammo available today is Hornady Superformance 225g SST. Adequate for the task but not ideal. If this was my top choice, I might gear up to reload for this one to load Nosler AB's or Barnes TTSX bullets. With the factory ammo, this is the only one in the group that cannot hold sub moa at 100y and barely does 1.5" sometimes and usually closer to 2". Still it is good enough to be a solid 200y rifle and has been getting better with use and who knows what good reloads might do?
- 7. Sako 85 in 338wm - This is a proven performer and used to take both Nilgai and Moose this year. Also equipped with the 1-8x LPVO. Heavier at about 9lbs all in but not terrible. Shoots the Barnes 225g TTSX best and the Federal 200g Trophy Bonded Tip almost as good. The later being the load, I would use for Greenland if chosen. It is a solid 300y rifle. Not much more as equipped. But, this one does have a secret super power. The scope mounts are Leupold QD's and I have a 2nd scope zeroed at 200y for it that is a nice FFP 4-16x that enables a bit more precision at longer ranges. Takes only seconds to swap out if conditions make it necessary. Still terrain in Greenland seems to support the plan to stalk within 200y in most cases which would make the bigger scope unnecessary.
- 8. FN Browning in 375HH - This fine old vintage rifle is a chunk to lug around at about 10lbs but is very accurate. I also have a DT factory load using the 235g Barnes TTSX that is flat enough and fast enough to shoot out to about 350y. But, the rifle is slightly handicapped by its Swarovski Z6i 1-6x optic that is more optimized for DG in Africa than long range Muskox in Greenland. Nice to have but too much gun in this case me thinks.
There are others but this is the short list and I can boil the favorites down to rifles 2, 4, 5 and 6 by virtue of their adequate power and lighter weight. Further distilling them to rifles 2 or 5 since they have stainless/Ti actions and synthetic stocks since it snows and rains in Greenland, they would fair better than the walnut/blued steel crowd. I could rescope the Tikka but would likely just take the 7mm Mag and be done with it. It is a proven 400y rifle and while I do not plan to shoot that far, it is nice to know that you can, plus at 7lbs all in it is one of the lightest of the list. Downsides? Its 26" bbl is unwieldy but in the open tundra would probably be ok. It is so long that it will not fit in many gun cases even without the muzzle brake and with a can attached, it is long enough to poke a Muskox in the eye at 100y (almost). Thoughts? Comments?
What bullets would you use for Muskox? I lean to a bonded core or copper mono. Fusion, AccuBond, TTSX, Trophy Bonded Tip.
View attachment 802649
