long range moose hunting - need bigger gun?

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mkaye

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Eastern Ontario
I have a Browning BLR in .308 that i have used moose hunting for the past 25 yrs - this was hunting in the bush and shots were typically 7-70m
for the past 4 yrs i also moose hunt near Atikokan and this hunting is across water & clear cuts, typically > 250m
i know i can hit a moose with my .308 at 300m, but i am not sure i have enough energy to kill cleanly - shooting 180g
i am thinking of a .300 win mag or 7mm
is there a clear winner in the 7mm or .300, or all the guns pretty much the same and i just have to pick one
i'ld prefer stainless and synthetic stock

mark
 
Your .308 will do the job at 250-300m too....use a good bullet, put it in the right spot, and you'll be eating moose steaks......

If you really want a new gun, then thats a whole other story....heh
 
I wouldn't hesitate to use 308 in moose at that range. People who say it is a marginal cartrideg have a bad case of magnumitis.

I bet a 308 at 300 yards has more energy than a 30- 30 at 150 yards.
 
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Rackmastr said:
Your .308 will do the job at 250-300m too....use a good bullet, put it in the right spot, and you'll be eating moose steaks......

If you really want a new gun, then thats a whole other story....heh
Click to expand...

+1 for keeping your .308. Just experiment with different loads if you are not confident in what you are using now. If of course, you are getting the "buy a new firearm" itch....then who am I to stop you?

;)
 
riden said:
I wouldn't hesitate to use 308 in moose at that range. People who say it is a marginal cartrideg have a bad case of magnumitis.

I bet a 308 at 300 yards has more energy than a 30- at 150 yards.
Click to expand...

.308: 180 grain Nosler at 300 yards still has 1925; soft point 1557
30-06: 2150 and 1665

Close, but no cigar
 
If you want another rifle the 300's shine at delivering power@ distant targets.Any of the 300's will toss a 200gr @ 3000 or close to it.If you are going to stick with the 308 find a fast and accurate load with the 165gr X bullet,it will provide plenty of penetration@that range.
 
.308/7.62 has enough kinetic energy for soft targets at 300M;)

My Deer Gun setup.
IMG_5917.jpg
 
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250 meters is nothing for a .308. A 180 grain bullet has about 1600 ft-lbs of energy at 300. So does a 165 grain bullet. That'll do.
"...has more energy than a..." Um, no. A 180 grain .300 Win Mag has about 2200 ft-lbs at 300, never mind 150.
If you're just looking for a reason to buy a new rifle, decide if you want a long action or short action. Mind you, you don't need a magnum of any kind for any game in North America. Certainly not Bullwinkle.
 
the magnum advantage is a flatter trajectory at longer ranges, but once bullwinkle is hit in the vitals it doesn't matter what calibre put it there
 
165gr SST at 2750fps will happily put a moose down at the distance you want to hunt. Just put the bullet where it will do the most good.

I know a few very accomplished hunters that have been helping the Sask wildlife with their deer culls. At LR, they have been dropping deer with ease using the 308.

That long range is WAAYYYYYY past what you intend to do.

Jerry
 
Id shoot a Barnes 165 grain Triple Shock, 300 yards/meters isn't out of the question for a properly aimed 308

if you're set on buying a new rifle, a 7mm Mag or 300 Mag would be good choices
 
i am not trying to buy a new gun, but will if i have to!

i guess bullet drop is also a factor
trying to guess a hold-over is a pain > 300m
i have a range finder & usually try to get a good estimate of the distances from my spot (when i can get it to bounce off something)
i was thinking of maybe going to 165g bullets, instead of the 180g i have been using - how much would that flatten the trajectory?
energy should be pretty close

i am going to start reloading my own (started cowboy shootin so i need to get some reloading equipment anyway)

what bullets should i be looking at?

mark
 
300 yards isn't long distance, and certainly not enough to require the use of a magnum (but don't let that stop you if you WANT one, there's no such thing as 'too much gun' if you can shoot it well :)).

Once you get past 350 or so, there aren't any cartridges that are flat enough to allow you to shoot without having to compensate for drop. The only difference is that a 308 might require 10 MOA compensation while a 300 might only require 6 MOA. Either way, if you misjudge the difference and dial in the wrong elevation, you miss.
 
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7mmrm

Hi,

Like others said, the .308win would do the job when you do your part but if you want another rifle, both the 300WM and 7MMRM are good choice. I have 2 moose with my 7MMRM and 160gr Accubond :cool:, works really good. A cow shot at 800"-850", dropped on the spot and a bull at 40fts, it's low recoil is easy on the shoulder, polyvalent and easy to find ammo if you don't reload.

Good luck
 
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