Back before WWII the 1917 was one of the few affordable actions that could fit the long H&H cartridges. Many were converted to 300 and 375's. And in Alaska, for your use I figure .308 caliber would get used more often than the larger calibers. You can load it as mild as 30-06 or step it up to 300 WinMag. To put a modern cartridge in one seems like putting fuel injection in a '32 Model A. Just doesn't match; too disrespectful to the chassis.
I've often thought about a 300 H&H on a Rem Model 30 (commercial action of 1917 origin) I have that is in 30-06 AI. But you can't ream a 30-06AI to 300 H&H.