Moose Bullet Selection

Suther said:
1) Hornady makes premium bullets, such as the Accubond.

2) If you are going to spend the money to fly into a remote area for a moose hunt, why cheap out on the bullets? Especially if you are expecting reliable expansion and penetration at 300-500 yards...
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Nosler makes the accubond. Hornady makes the interview. Personally I would take whichever bullet shoots the best. This year I used matrix rbt bullets made in Canada and they shoot very well and are bonded.
 
I've shot moose with 30-06 with 165 SGKBT more then anything. They shot very well out of a SAKO and overall performance in that rifle was the best of velocity, flat shooting, hitting power and expansion. Next would be the 300 WSM and have tried a few brands but found the Blue Box Federal 180 as being plenty accurate, hit hard - and have never failed in any attempt to take a moose down. Lastly was a 300 WIN Mag with 180 Winchester PP. These rifles all have one thing in common. They all shoot factory ammo so well that I never had to develop a hand load. I understand why some like to hand load so I'm going to try a 200 grain Sierre out of the WSM - just to see how it performs. Good luck with your developments with load and bullet types.
 
savagelh said:
Nosler makes the accubond. Hornady makes the interview. Personally I would take whichever bullet shoots the best. This year I used matrix rbt bullets made in Canada and they shoot very well and are bonded.
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Sweet, the Hornady Interview. It talks to you after the hunt and listens to your regaling.
 
Superbrad said:
I think hornady needs to make an interview bullet now..... In Hoyt's defence, "hornady" autocorrected to "horny lady" for me..... Just sayin'
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In this case it wasn't "my" auto correct... but it has nailed me many times in the past.
 
Bird Blaster said:
Want to pose a question to CGN. My friend and I are heading moose hunting next September for a fly-in hunt on a secluded lake and river. I have LOTS of time to work on any load development and wanted some further advice. I have one of two guns which are dedicated for hunting purposes. Shots could range from 100-500m based on geography of land.

First is a 300WSM Shilen Rem Varm Contour, trued 700 action. 0.5MOA with 208gr A-max @ 2750fps.

Second is a Tikka T3 30.06 Bartlein #4 Contour barrel (awaiting finishing at gun smith).

I am debating bullet choices. I know that A-max is a match grade bullet but it has been used the world over for hunting. Do I continue with the 208-Amax or try some other work ups?

For the 30.06 I was considering 180gr Nosler Accubonds
For the 300wsm I have available 180gr Nos ABs, 190gr Berger VLD Hunting, 210 Berger VLD hunting and would be open to 200gr Barnes LRX or 200gr Nos ABs.


Thoughts from more experienced moose and very large game hunters? The only other moose I shot was with a 165gr SST out of a .308.

Thanks
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I've guided for moose on fly in hunts in northern AB. If it's in late September it'll be during the rut. If your guide is a decent caller and plays the wind right you should be able to get a bull to come fairly close. I would forget about the amax and go with a bonded bullet that shoots well in your rifle from 150 grains up. The furthest shot on a bull I called in was 100m.
 
So in other words, and the consensus is, forget about hunting with target/match bullets "tips" "pills" "suppositories" and use a reputable well constructed bullet that shoots minute of moose in excess of the ranges you expect to shoot moose with.
 
Since the early seventies I have used 165gr. Nosler partitions in my 30-06 for moose. When Accu bonds came out I loaded some of them in 165gr as well and had occasion to shoot a bull with one accu bond placed between the front legs head on. Nosler partion's have been a very successful bullet for me over the years. Nothing wrong with the 180 gr either that your thinking of using.
For moose hunting you want a good sturdy bullet that penetrates. You don't need a long distance sniper rifle as your shots will most likely all be under a 100yds. A good dependable rifle with a good quality scope of 1.5/2/3 x 5/7/8/9 range sighted in 2" high at 100yds. (30-06) and your good for anything you encounter in northern Ontario.

You will probably be hunting out of a boat. The boat may have a motor. We have driven up on a lot of moose from a long distance off to under 50 yds. by doing a couple simple things. First off we were always going slow and just putting along. When you see the moose head for it and "DO NOT" repeat "DO NOT" change the pitch of the motor 1 rpm. And keep your mouths shut and don't make any other noise either. You want that moose to think your just another airplane flying over. They are used to hearing motors from planes start low in a distance get louder then die off as they get farther away. You want to mimic that until the moose suspects something's up which by that time your well within range. When it's time to shoot shut the motor off (to be legal in Ontario) and have at it. We always traveled in pairs in the boat. The fella in back handled the motor, the fella in the front took care of the moose. If we had the paddling canoe same rules. Four of us hunted a very remote river and lake in northern Ontario for 16 yrs. and were successful every year, many years two moose.
 
Longwalker said:
There is absolutely NO point in going for ultimate accuracy when hunting moose. Amax and Bergers are accurate bullets but also very fragile. Their heritage as target bullets makes them good for long range pokes at deer and such. Moose are not deer.
Don't worry about giving up a tiny bit of accuracy, choose a bullet that will penetrate adequately when hitting the shoulder bone or other "imperfect" placement. Heavy .308 cal bullets of most any hunting design 180 grains and over will perform reliably on moose, mid to lightweight bullets ( under 180 grains) are best restricted to bonded, partition or monolithic styles. My choice in either of your rifles would be the 200 grain Nosler partition, but any good strong hunting bullet of 165-200 grain will work very well.
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Now, here you go, you are stating facts and talking common sense, while CGN members care little about facts and common sense!
They want dramatics, like reading of someone stating their heavy thumping moose rifle shoots .4 inch, so the readers here here can Oh and Ah over it.
 
H4831 said:
Now, here you go, you are stating facts and talking common sense, while CGN members care little about facts and common sense!
They want dramatics, like reading of someone stating their heavy thumping moose rifle shoots .4 inch, so the readers here here can Oh and Ah over it.
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I think there are many posts in this thread preaching common sense..... And many that lack dramatics.... A 30 cal in nosler partition or accubond is a great choice.... IMOP
 
I personally have shot a number of moose but would not be taking a poke at a moose at 500 yards with either of those guns. As far as a suitable bullet, you really do not have to worry much about that until you break the 3000 FPS mark. then you are forced to buy the expensive bullets that are designed for that application. Nosler partition and Barnes x type fit that bill nicely. if you are attempting to drop that moose of a lifetime at 500 yards you better buy a .300 win mag. or bigger. My go to long range gun is 30-.378 with 168 gr. barnes bullets (.350 MOA with Hogdon US869). Try to get closer if you can. If your trip is in the first week in October then your shot will probably be within 100 yards if the wind is right.
 
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