reloading 308 cal for moose hunt

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jm181920

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Hi,
I just bought Browning BLR in 308 (post 81) and want to develop load for moose hunt (probably 180GR)
I shot federal 180 GR and it was about 4 inches. Federal 150 GR shoots 2 inches, but I think 150GR is too low for moose.
Can anyone share a good load for moose hunt? I am planning to use IMR4064 (have a lot of it) and CCI bench rest primer.

Thank a lot in advance!
 
I've taken a lot of moose with a 308 and cup and core 180 Hornady BTSP's with a stout load of 45.4 grains of IMR 4064, win brass and federal 210"s. No sticky bolts but way back in the day the HK91 would at times leave flute marks on the brass...:)
 
Nice rifle, good caliber and 180s are good moose medicine. And 4064 is a good powder choice, too.

My BLR is tight, so 41gr of 4064 under a 180 is max. Try 3 each of 39.0, 39.5, 40.0, 40.5, 41.0 and 41.5

Shoot for groups (let it cool after each 3, and watch for any sign of pressure. last thing you want on a hunt is the extractor to pull through the rim.
 
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I will suggest the 165 Nosler partition as effective Moose Medicine. I've used it in 30-06, 308 and 300Win Mag with great effect on swamp donkeys. As always bullet placement is critical. Load development is a requirement.. testing for the one that YOUR rifle handles best.
 
165 grain speer grand slams for a classic load but an accubond or interbond is now my choice for the modern racy bullets. CFE223 gets you a lot more horsepower, but 4064 is famous its accuracy.
 
I load both 165 gr and 180 gr nosler partitions with IMR 4064 in a Rem 600 mohawk with an 18.5" barrel . 44 gr for the 165 and 42 gr for the 180 . While neither of these loads are screaming fast from that 18.5" barrel they both print sub moa at 100 yd . As I have always been told speed kills but accuracy kills more .
 
My pre 81 blr in 308 hates anything boattail, giving me anything between 3-5 moa. Switch to flat based bullet group shrinks down to below 2 moa.

Every gun is different, but if you become frustrated with bt bullet, try some flat based ones.
 
jm181920 said:
Hi,
I just bought Browning BLR in 308 (post 81) and want to develop load for moose hunt (probably 180GR)
I shot federal 180 GR and it was about 4 inches. Federal 150 GR shoots 2 inches, but I think 150GR is too low for moose.
Can anyone share a good load for moose hunt? I am planning to use IMR4064 (have a lot of it) and CCI bench rest primer.

Thank a lot in advance!
Click to expand...
150 g is big enough for moose.
Just shoot it in the lungs or neck.
 
I took a moose this year using 150gn TTSX in a 30/06 with a muzzle speed at +/-3000fps. The moose was about 100yd away and was shoot on the upper part of the rib cage just below the spine. Complete pass through. It fell dead after 20-30feets.

This is the first time I use mono bullets and I am very happy with it. Yes, they will definitely kill moose at reasonably distances.
 
I generally go with 165 or 180s in a 308, but really the major factor should be what your gun likes and how the bullets perform on game. Don’t get too stuck on bullet weight. I just was on an elk hunt last week and my hunting partner shot a typical elk at 525 yards broadside using 150 grain Superformance GMX ammo. Two shots and both were complete pass-throughs on the animal and it dropped extremely quickly. I have been hunting with 308 for more than 30 years but gained quite a bit more respect for the little round after that.
 
I'll be working up a 30 cal load as well this spring and my past experience with factory 168 grain barnes ttsx bullets is my starting point. Still not decided on powders and primers so I'll be following this thread
 
I use a 180gr Speer hot core flat base spitzer ahead of 49gr of IMR4350. Not the fastest but in one side and out the other. Where I hunt an extremely long shot would be 200 yards, most around 50 to 75 yards.
 
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