MOOSE AT 550 yards

Well, I'm coming into this thread late and probably all the good wisdom would have been disseminated by now. Unless you are absolutely confident, experienced and ABLE to make that shot, don't! Get to at least the 300 - 350 range and a 30-06 is quite capable at that range. My longest on a moose was 375 yds with a 300 WM and a 180 grain Speer GS. It still took 2 shots to put him down although the first shot was lethal, I'm certain.

But if you really need to, get a 300 Mag or bigger and shoot 200 grain bullets and practice until yer shoulder slumps off yer back! :cool:
 
i just shot with a .22mag

not sure about 550yd but this moose season i shoot one at 100yds with a .22mag behind the ear never moved .it was a 28 point bull 50 inch spread
 
Moose at Long Range...

carbonrod said:
I think you did the right thing by waiting goring, and it is really good to hear that you did. Each season, I pass about 10 animals for one that I take. Unable to get close enough, or the weather being too hot, or being unable to get the animal back to camp in good condition are the biggest limiters for me.

Shooting at extended distances take some gear, but mostly lots and lots of practice. Then more practice. After that, go for a run, skip lunch, then practise more.
The hunters that I know that have safely taken game at these extended ranges use thousands of rounds a year in practise, and burn out barrels regularly.

I know hunters that shoot their hunting rig bi-weekly all year, out to distances ranging from 25m to 800m that would not think of shooting a moose at that distance in anything but 100% ideal circumstances. Those are VERY hard to get -- exact known wind, exact known range, certainty that the rifle did not get some moisture in the barrel during the stalk, certainty that the animal will not move, a comfortable place to get prone, certainly that the bipod will not slip, certainty that there is a clear shooting path to the game, etc.

Ultimately, one of the best parts of hunting is the stalk. Often, the <30m shot took more skill then the X00m one. I saw one deer drop with powder burns this year. Boy did it right.

If you do want to shoot animals at extended ranges, get a rifle in a huntable caliber that does not break the bank to shoot(308 like), and shoot it until you NEVER miss a 3x5 index card(horizontal) at whatever distance you want to hunt at from honest field positions.
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:agree:
 
northern trapperman said:
not sure about 550yd but this moose season i shoot one at 100yds with a .22mag behind the ear never moved .it was a 28 point bull 50 inch spread
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I wouldnt call BS quite so quick. I shot a little bull about 35 years ago at 20 paces with a .22LR in the side of the noggin, (winter meat on the trap line). He hit the ground so hard he bounced. Cut the skull cap off and it was full of tapioca pudding.
 
This thread is going from the ridiculous to the sublime. First it was about Moose at 550 yds with a hunting rifle. Now it's about Moose at 35 yds with a 22 rimfire. Why not end it and agree on a .28-35 cal hunting rifle with a 225 yd zero and a self-imposed range restriction of 350 yds.
 
30-378 Wby Mag

It's an ugly rainy day out there, so was researching long range cals to ring gongs in my 1400+ yard back yard. Read this in the 7th edition of the Hornady reloading manual:
>The Hornady 30 calibre 190 grain Boat Tail Spire Point bullet, with the exclusive Hornady InterLock design, is an exceptional flat shooting long range hunting choice.
No mention of yardage for the hunting round, but sounds like a good one for ring'en gongs from the benchrest out to 1000 yrds.
 
This has been certainly beaten to death but anyways. Here goes.

As for the question of range it is almost all in the shooter and what they can achieve. Is it possible? Simply, yes. But one must keep in mind that the number of solutions is only limited by ones experience and depth of knowledge in the mechanics of the problem.

As for the logistics of a long shot, well it doesn't really matter. If the moose is between you and the camp great. If not it doesn't matter if you shoot it at 100 yards of the OP's 550 yards. You still have to hike it whether the moose is dead or alive, (mind you it is easier if the moose is dead. That way you don't have to do it slowly or be sneaky about it).

Truth is their are people out there who can do it, those who can't and those who will try even though they shouldn't!! The trick is to know which type of person and hunter you are and make the correct choice. With that in mind I do understand the opinions of some who refer to people that we/they know who only pull the gun out once a year and make every bad assumption one could. In those cases all we can do is try and show them a better way, just as everyone on here has been trying to do.

I know I have learned some interesting bits of information that might help me become a better hunter. I hope their are others out there who are reading this and will take the valuable points to the field as I will.
 
Anyone interested in long range hunting should read articles by David Miller.
The main difference is that an accomplished long range hunter knows when NOT to take the shot, and will do so only when all conditions are perfect.
An unaccomplished long range hunter will take a shot nearly every time.

Miller often states that he's fired a shot less than 10% of the time he has had the opportunity, and that above all practice makes perfect.

I believe caliber plays a very small role.
 
super7 said:
At the range one time, a guy next to me was shooting a bubba'd 303. He was bragging to me how accurate it was. He proceeded to tell me about a very long shot he made on a moose the previous year. Said his buddy walked over to retrieve the animal and he could barely see him until he waived his yellow rain jacket. He said he marked it off on his gps and it was 1.5 km's. He was dead serious. Based on that info, I'd say a bubba'd 303 with iron sights should do nicely :)
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1.5 km? I'd say the moose laughed itself to death.
 
super7 said:
At the range one time, a guy next to me was shooting a bubba'd 303. He was bragging to me how accurate it was. He proceeded to tell me about a very long shot he made on a moose the previous year. Said his buddy walked over to retrieve the animal and he could barely see him until he waived his yellow rain jacket. He said he marked it off on his gps and it was 1.5 km's. He was dead serious. Based on that info, I'd say a bubba'd 303 with iron sights should do nicely :)
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There is only one response.... :jerkit:
 
I Once made a very lucky shot, 425 yards at a moose with a 7x57 with 175 grain Hornady, my buddy had put one bullet in this moose's chest, and it got up to walk away. I knew it was far but not how far. I shot through the front leg about 8 inches below its chest. That anchored it, and it was dead by the time we got there. The bullet had to hit somewhere, and he stepped in front of it. I only took that shot because I knew the moose had one bullet in it, and was getting close to dark and I hoped we would not lose it. But it was just luck, and we tell the stories of our lucky shots, you do not hear too many stories about the shot someone should not have taken but did, and all the different ways that it did not turn out lucky....
 
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