So again I am new to a lot of this so not looking to start wars lol but looking for advice. I have my first rifle in a Tika .270win and I know I'm good for whitetail, black bear or elk ( maybe moose ) but I love lever guns since trying my friends .30-30. my understanding is my 270 will do everything his 30-30 will do and more but being a longer barrel and bolt I lose out on follow up shots and in heavier bush the shorter 30-30 is nicer. My question is is there a lever gun out there, bigger or smaller that I could convince the wife I need as a dedicated elk/moose gun maybe or if the make smaller ( I am unsure ) something more like a .223 or 22-250 for varmint? Tia
.270 or a lever gun
- Thread starter rgp11
- Start date
luckythirteen
CGN Regular
- Location
- Yukon Territory
270 win is fine for moose with 150 grain bullets. just don't take questionable shots. i haven't needed to take a follow up shot with a 270 (knock on wood) but i don't notice how fast another round is chambered. its pretty fast.
30-30 with 170 grain bullets is also fine, but limits your distance.
levers are alot of fun, you'll need a 357 mag, 44 mag, 45-70, 30-30 and a 22lr wouldn't hurt either.
i love levers but if i'm planning to come home with a moose, if i only had a 30-30 and 270, i'd take the 270
30-30 with 170 grain bullets is also fine, but limits your distance.
levers are alot of fun, you'll need a 357 mag, 44 mag, 45-70, 30-30 and a 22lr wouldn't hurt either.
i love levers but if i'm planning to come home with a moose, if i only had a 30-30 and 270, i'd take the 270
If I wanted a lever gun for moose I'd be looking at things like 45-70, 450 marlin, 444 marlin. Chances of a 300yd shot are too high for me to carry one of those on a moose hunt though.
BLR in 325wsm would be a hell of a moose gun!... but for some reason the BLR platform just doesn't scratch the lever gun itch for me. If they do it for you there's lots of elk-capable calibers in that platform, everything from 7mm and 300 mags all the way down to 223rem.
Not a lot of options in varmint calibers in the lever gun world I don't think? Henry just released a mag-fed 223 at shot show but it's not in Canada yet...
BLR in 325wsm would be a hell of a moose gun!... but for some reason the BLR platform just doesn't scratch the lever gun itch for me. If they do it for you there's lots of elk-capable calibers in that platform, everything from 7mm and 300 mags all the way down to 223rem.
Not a lot of options in varmint calibers in the lever gun world I don't think? Henry just released a mag-fed 223 at shot show but it's not in Canada yet...
- Location
- Vancouver Island, BC
There's a stainless takedown in 325 WSM on the EE and that other post about guns. Astuart44, great guy to deal with. It would make one heck of a bush gun.
The blr in 300 win will not feel like that 3030 in your hand. Even the 325 WSM will handle differently.
The blr in 300 win will not feel like that 3030 in your hand. Even the 325 WSM will handle differently.
- Location
- Vancouver Island, BC
It's definitely a powerfully enough round. It's quite expensive it you don't reload though.
Your 270 win with 150gr partitions, or even 160gr partitions if you can find them would be enough for both of them and cost much less to feed.
Browning BLR in .270 will work on moose.....
You could consider a BLR in .358 or .308, I noticed a difference in shouldering a short action BLR compared to a long action, .358 is a good round for Moose maybe out to 300 yards and a lot less recoil than a 300. The only lever I own is a Marlin 45/70, but at the moment they seem overpriced to me.
300 is a long shot for a 358win. 200gr hornady factory ammo is down to 1655fps at 300, and Hornady typically calls for 1800+fps for reliable expansion on the interlock bullet.
For comparison sake the 325wsm 200gr winchester ammo is still going 2385fps at 300 (that's only 100fps behind muzzle velocity on the 358) and stays over 2000fps past 500yds.
Sadly 325 wsm ammo is uncommon and expensive. If the OP doesn't reload it's probably not the best option even if the ballistics are superb.
It's a fantastic cartridge, think 300wsm with a slightly bigger bullet (323cal vs 308cal).
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I have a BLR in 308. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a moose with it. If you're in Vancouver or Kamloops I'll even let you play with it. Kamloops you can shoot it at the range if I can find a time to go.
My go to is a bolt 270. Never shot a moose but several deer and bear went down in a hurry.
My go to is a bolt 270. Never shot a moose but several deer and bear went down in a hurry.
If I was to buy one 45/70 in a marlin.
45-70 with sub 20" barrel is a fantastic short range bush gun. Fast light and good out to 200 yds with irons or peeps if one practices. Another option is to get a 9.3x62. Affordable ammo, good used options through intersurplus, and is good medicine on moose out to 300 yds easy. It will be a bolt gun but with a carbine length barrel (20") you get a good handling rifle with loads of power.
My preference for bush hunting is heavy and slow/ moderate slow. I hunt for meat primarily and in thick bush where even a 60 yd death dash can put the critter in the thickest nastiest bush you could imagine.. For this reason i prefer high shoulder shots that break down the Front wheel drive.. deep penetration is required and tough bullets in fast calibers ( 308, 30-06, 270, 300wm etc.) Tend to turn front quarters to jelly, often times both. Heavy slower calibers drive deep, hit incredibly hard yet you can often eat up to the hole.. if swamp donkeys are on the hit list its hard not to take a hard look at the old 9.3x62.
I have both a marlin dark (16") with peeps. And a 20" m98 in 9.3x62 with a fixed 4x .
If theres no chance of shots over 200 yds the marlin goes hunting. If its possible for 200+ the 9.3 gets the nod. Of the two the 9.3 is more versatile.
My preference for bush hunting is heavy and slow/ moderate slow. I hunt for meat primarily and in thick bush where even a 60 yd death dash can put the critter in the thickest nastiest bush you could imagine.. For this reason i prefer high shoulder shots that break down the Front wheel drive.. deep penetration is required and tough bullets in fast calibers ( 308, 30-06, 270, 300wm etc.) Tend to turn front quarters to jelly, often times both. Heavy slower calibers drive deep, hit incredibly hard yet you can often eat up to the hole.. if swamp donkeys are on the hit list its hard not to take a hard look at the old 9.3x62.
I have both a marlin dark (16") with peeps. And a 20" m98 in 9.3x62 with a fixed 4x .
If theres no chance of shots over 200 yds the marlin goes hunting. If its possible for 200+ the 9.3 gets the nod. Of the two the 9.3 is more versatile.
