Favourite Moose Caliber

[gunner022]

I just wanted to see some opinions out there on your favorite caliber for moose and the max range you would confidently take the shot.
I plan on using my .270 for my upcoming hunt, 300 max with some confidence.

[Desert Eagle]

Well here are a few:
257 WBY 400 yards, 30-06 400 yards, 7mm Wildcat 800 yards, 270 win 350 yards.

Just what I have and ranges I would be comfortable shooting. I once whacked a bull in the back of the head at 100 yards offhand>>> But I used to shoot an awful lot back then.

[Tundra Monkey]

I just wanted to see some opinions out there on your favorite caliber for moose and the max range you would confidently take the shot.
I plan on using my .270 for my upcoming hunt, 300 max with some confidence.

My favourite cal is the 300wm. Mates up well with 180's. I took a sheep last year at a little over 600m last year with this set up.

[Cal]

Its not so much the calliber I worry about but the gun itself, seems like lots of guys just look at the balistics chart and make their choice on what the numbers say. Most of the more popular calibers will cleanly take moose at the ranges that they are usualy shot at. Its somewhat amusing to look at some guys "moose guns" though. In my neck of the woods moose are rarely taken at long ranges but usualy its a hot magnum caliber, something long and heavy, to take advantage of the flat trajectory they put a high powered scope on it. So guys lug this thing through the bush all day, season after season, on the off chance that sometime in the next decade they might possibly need to shoot a moose at 400 yards. Its what I call a "someday gun" and I'm not a huge fan of "someday guns".

.270 works fine, it will do the trick at 300 yards but it is usualy possible to close the distance to much less than that. Pretty much every moose I've shot I could probably have killed cleanly with a 30-30.

[catnthehat]

.303 British in a custom ruger single shot , and I also shoot a 6.5X55 in an O/U express rifle.
Either has more than enough jam to drop a moose at 200 yards......
Cat

[Hat in the Cat]

I love my Marlin .30-30. After all, if you shoot the moose too far out, it just means that much farther of a hike to bring him back to the truck. I also like the not so flat ballistics when I am close to buildings (by close I mean under 1 km away) I know my bullet will end up in the dirt within 300-400m on a missed shot if something happens.

[elkhunter11]

I hunt all of my game with the 7mmSTW. I won't shoot much past 500 yards at any animal, but the cartridge is capable well beyond that.

[ACKLEY ABE]

338 win mag...
Why? Because I have one.

That being said I shot my bull last year with my 45.70. It worked. Bout 125 yards. Iron sites(Williams FP), I would be comfortable at 150-175 yards or if everything was right...200. Actually, I think it will now be the rifle I use for Moose in the future.


CAL: I have a lot of "someday" rifles. I like my "someday" rifles although they pretty much stay in the rack at home. Most of em have real purdy stocks and who wants to get a nick on a purdy stock.....:)



Never found the need to shoot over 200 yards at a moose.

[honda450]

I just use a 25.06. Works for me. ya ya I got the 338 the .444 the 30.06 to choose from too.

[Sled Ed]

I just use a 25.06. Works for me. ya ya I got the 338 the .444 the 30.06 to choose from too.

same here have all the big guns but always seem to go back the the old 25 06

[BigRackLover]

Victory 350 V3 Force with a rage 2 blade broadhead (100 gr).

Always does the trick for me.

[Cal]

338 win mag...
Why? Because I have one.

That being said I shot my bull last year with my 45.70. It worked. Bout 125 yards. Iron sites(Williams FP), I would be comfortable at 150-175 yards or if everything was right...200. Actually, I think it will now be the rifle I use for Moose in the future.


CAL: I have a lot of "someday" rifles. I like my "someday" rifles although they pretty much stay in the rack at home. Most of em have real purdy stocks and who wants to get a nick on a purdy stock.....:)



Never found the need to shoot over 200 yards at a moose.

Sorry there Abe, to be more acurate its not the "Someday" guns I dont care for, theres lots of pretty sweet "Someday" rifles. I just dont like to "Today Hunts" with "Someday Rifles" when the "Today" and the "Someday" are wildly different situations. The iron sited 45-70 sounds like a pretty cool "today gun" for moose. I was thinking about going the iron sighted lever gun route at one point but a good portion of my moose hunting is done on rivers. River hunting ocaisionaly involves shooting across a river though so I decided that it realy wasnt much better suited to my "today hunting" than the pump action 30-06 I already had. Can see one in my future if Remington ever gets their head out of the crapper though.

[ACKLEY ABE]

Sorry there Abe, to be more acurate its not the "Someday" guns I dont care for, theres lots of pretty sweet "Someday" rifles. I just dont like to "Today Hunts" with "Someday Rifles" when the "Today" and the "Someday" are wildly different situations. The iron sited 45-70 sounds like a pretty cool "today gun" for moose. I was thinking about going the iron sighted lever gun route at one point but a good portion of my moose hunting is done on rivers. River hunting ocaisionaly involves shooting across a river though so I decided that it realy wasnt much better suited to my "today hunting" than the pump action 30-06 I already had. Can see one in my future if Remington ever gets their head out of the crapper though.


Sure glad you didn't throw yesterday in there or I'd be totally confused.....

So, let me get this straight I used my Someday rifle, that became my today rifle , yesterday......:)

[WOLF FAN]

A dozen guys can pick up the same gun and it shoots differant for each , shoot what your familular and comfortable with . Know your guns limitations and choose your shot placement ,if its not a good shoot dont take it for the sake of wounding and loseing the animal as some do . I have shot a 300 win mag for years lots of success out to 600 yards moose ,dear , elk . Now i also pack a win short mag both guns dead on at 200 yards if placement is right you dont lose meat and i do not find either heavy to carry , as always though EACH TO THEIR OWN ... good luck .

[Bigwoodsman]

A dozen guys can pick up the same gun and it shoots differant for each , shoot what your familular and comfortable with . Know your guns limitations and choose your shot placement ,if its not a good shoot dont take it for the sake of wounding and loseing the animal as some do . I have shot a 300 win mag for years lots of success out to 600 yards moose ,dear , elk . Now i also pack a win short mag both guns dead on at 200 yards if placement is right you dont lose meat and i do not find either heavy to carry , as always though EACH TO THEIR OWN ... good luck .

I totally agree with this statement. Shout what you are familiar with and comfortable with. Years ago I went through several rifles and was most comfortable with the 7mm Rem Mag. Practiced and made kills out to 500yds on an antelope. Hand loads and practice, practice, practice. Different game required different grains of bullet and powder loads. Again in those days I had the time to play around and be comfortable. Practice and knowing your firearm, it's limits and yours and you will be good to go.

BW

[Nooker]

took my bull moose with a 7mm-08 140gr. @ 75yds...went down and never got back up. 1 shot. 300yds is probably the top I would use this gun, but he would have to be big.

[jryley]

Its not so much the calliber I worry about but the gun itself, seems like lots of guys just look at the balistics chart and make their choice on what the numbers say. Most of the more popular calibers will cleanly take moose at the ranges that they are usualy shot at. Its somewhat amusing to look at some guys "moose guns" though. In my neck of the woods moose are rarely taken at long ranges but usualy its a hot magnum caliber, something long and heavy, to take advantage of the flat trajectory they put a high powered scope on it. So guys lug this thing through the bush all day, season after season, on the off chance that sometime in the next decade they might possibly need to shoot a moose at 400 yards. Its what I call a "someday gun" and I'm not a huge fan of "someday guns".

.270 works fine, it will do the trick at 300 yards but it is usualy possible to close the distance to much less than that. Pretty much every moose I've shot I could probably have killed cleanly with a 30-30.

bingo! I use my 30-06 savage for everything from elk, to moose to deer. Theres no need for 'specialty' rounds for anything in alberta. A well placed shot is a well placed shot. And if youre of the breed that says 'ya but id rather have the extra power for the misplaced shots', well you shouldnt have taken the shot to begin with! I equate the big gun boys to thesame guys that argue their truckis better simply because its bigger and runs diesel with60 inch mudders on it. I ask every one of my buddies that rock the bazookas why they bothered buyingtheir weapon of choice. I never get an educated answer. Why would you NOT go with something like a 30-06, .270 or 7mm? Lighter, more compact, ammo is cheaper and more common...it just makes more sense.

Dont know about most guys, but i leave the weapon size comparisons to the locker room at hockey. Which in that case im usually left in the dust :P

[duffy4]

I have been packing my Savage 99 in .300 savage. But a week or so ago I saw Grizzly track in the snow and I was wishing I had my Rem. 7600 in .35 Whelen.

[trainerdave]

Use your 270. They shoot moose with bows and drop them. I use a 7mm but I believe a well placed shot from a 270 will be as lethal as a well placed shot from a 460wby. Hit them in the vitals and they drop. Dead is dead. The only difference is sometimes they travel a bit further after being shot with a lighter bullet. Look at the energy readings for your ammo. A heavier bullet with magnum energy that does not expand properly can also cause the same problem. It may not deliver it's energy any better than your 270 if it sails right through. That extra 1000 pounds of energy may just be trimming branches on the downrange side of your target. Use the best quality ammunition you can afford as it is probably still less expensive than most bigger magnums cost per shot. Heavier bullets usually have more energy to deposit, not sure of your 270 but I think it may come with up to a 150 which should do just fine...Federal has a 130 grain barnes ttsx in .270. I use a 160 grain barnes ttsx and I have been extremely satisfied with the knockdown power of this bullet design and it's ability to expand and hold together. No lead in your dinner either as it is made out of copper. Save your money. You are going to need it for gas.

[Dumbo_Dave]

The Mighty 99. A .308 Win Savage 99. I load it with 30-30 bullets and run them at nearly .308 kinda velocities. Just devastating to 300 yards. Put 2 rounds into the lungs of a 3 year old Bull last week. He collapsed where he was standing. We picked him up with the FEL and hauled him into the yard to dress him out. Easiest Moose ever!

[sprinklerdog]

In our group there is one 270, one 7-08, one 338, one 303, and four 30-06 and every one of them has dropped moose and taken many a deer.

What you're comfortable and familiar with along with the knowledge of what you reach out to and shot placement is the bigger key. It doesn't matter if you're shooting a cannon or not when you miss. Hit 'em in the right spot and they drop.

Geo

[Lefty-Canuck]

The .308 cals have served me well over the years. Taken moose with .30-06, .300win mag, and .300Wby.....still using the .300Wby. Most shots I try to keep under 200yards if possible but I would shoot out to 400.

LC

[pickrel pat]

since we are talking strictly moose, and not an "all round" rifle, I like the .338, big animal.......... smack it hard!

[whitetailhntr]

My hunting party killed 3 bulls this fall. 2 were 54" and one was 45". the first one was killed at 140 yrds using a .338 rum, the second one was about 40 yrds using a .300 win mag and I shot mine using my .280 AI. Not one was deader then the other. Shot placement was either on the shoulder or just behind. Mine and the one shot with the .338 rum were shot with barnes TSX and the other was with 180 gr Winchester silver box ammo. They all worked quite well... we had in excess of 1600 lbs of moose meat and a whole lot of antler to show for it!

[TheLegend]

My buddies swear by the 300 winnie

[Flight01]

Took my first moose with my dads 308win and my first alberta moose with my first rifle, in 308 win. Keep it less than 300 yards and the 308win can do just as good as any. I'm sure lots of guys shoot well past 300 yards with the 308win but thats my own guide lines.......:fighting0021:

[Cal]

I have been packing my Savage 99 in .300 savage. But a week or so ago I saw Grizzly track in the snow and I was wishing I had my Rem. 7600 in .35 Whelen.

Some pretty sweet moose rigs on here! The 99's are pretty sweet but a 7600 in .35 whelen, I cant think of a much better moose rig than that!

Heres some pics of some .270 killed moose again just for the heck of it.

150 grain fusion bullet, one shot kill, went about 30 yards.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/338.jpg

130 grain Winchester Silvertip, one shot kill, went about 20 yards.


http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/Scan1-1.jpg

150 grain Corelokts, I gave him 3, distance traveled was a couple steps.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/09%20Hunt/IMG_2941.jpg

150 grain Corelokts, shot him a couple times, died where he stood.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/hunt/012.jpg

And just to increase the Chuck Norris factor in a thread about little guns :).

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/scan.jpg

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/RedneckFun.jpg

[JEHL75]

30.06 with a 180 grain what ever you are accurate with in your rifle. Great caliber if you like to walk in the bush. You wont get to many long distance shots there. Im good to around 300 yards with regular practice and handloads. Never had to take a shot over 150 yards (walking):sHa_shakeshout:
B.H.

[7magtime]

I've been using my 7mm Rem Mag with 160's for years. Flat shooting, hard hitting and usually I get complete pass through's(blood trails easy to see).
30-06 and 300 Win Mag work good too.

[NIKON]

For me , love the .338
Hits like a brick sh*t house...lol

Nikon

[huntin]

for me , love the .338
hits like a brick sh*t house...lol

nikon

x 2

[yoteblaster]

270 will work just fine. Shot 2 moose with it, both 1 shot kills. Many other calibers will work as well, I just happen to own only one big game rifle.

[greywolf]

30.06, 165 grain hornady BTSP, handloaded, for Moose, and for all big game animals I shoot.

[top predator]

I've used all types of calibres successfully.

BUT>>> I prefer my 338 WM with 250 grain Barnes X bullets. They are absolutely devastating and you can hit them from any angle and not worry at all...

Thanks,

[bardfromedson]

7mm wsm. gun goes boom, moose go down. have dropped 3 moose in there tracks with it so far. using barnes tsx and nothing has gone more than 20ft before taking a dirt nap. it would be cool buying a bigger "moose gun" but i seem to have deer tags in my pocket while moose hunting and would rather have the trusty 7 with me rather than a shoulder mounted missle. don't get me wrong though. if i had a couple grand burning a hole in my pocket i would have no problem getting a big 338 to spruce up the collection.

[sns2]

Some pretty sweet moose rigs on here! The 99's are pretty sweet but a 7600 in .35 whelen, I cant think of a much better moose rig than that!

Heres some pics of some .270 killed moose again just for the heck of it.

150 grain fusion bullet, one shot kill, went about 30 yards.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/338.jpg

130 grain Winchester Silvertip, one shot kill, went about 20 yards.


http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/Scan1-1.jpg

150 grain Corelokts, I gave him 3, distance traveled was a couple steps.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/09%20Hunt/IMG_2941.jpg

150 grain Corelokts, shot him a couple times, died where he stood.

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/hunt/012.jpg

And just to increase the Chuck Norris factor in a thread about little guns :).

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/scan.jpg

http://i668.photobucket.com/albums/vv45/exophysical/RedneckFun.jpg

Funny. I was under the impression that only Barnes bullets could kill moose:scared0018:

[Cal]

Funny. I was under the impression that only Barnes bullets could kill moose:scared0018:

Yeah, when I first started hunting moose the first thing people would say when they heard I was shooting a .270 was "Well you'd better use a good bullet!" Since they my own observations have been that tough bullets are more of a necessity with high velocity. Standard calibers launching bullets at around 3000 fps or less seem to do better with cheap bullets than the typicly faster magnums. One needs to pick the right bullet of course, theres plenty of bullets both premum and non premium that I wouldnt use on moose, but I'd only bother going to premium bullets in a .270 if I was using 130's.

[hillbilly willy]

I use a 340 Wby. I've had this gun for 15 years and have taken several moose, deer and elk with it. I used to reload 210 gr Nosler partition but now use 210 gr Barnes TSX. I think the most important thing is that I've shot this gun alot and understand my limits and the gun's ability.