Moose question

I like to stay under 400yds, myself.
went over this, back and forth, when deciding on a moose/elk rifle for my wife. She handled the recoil of either just fine, so we chose the .308 since I already have one, 3x .30-06, so I can keep the same bullet, cases, pwder, etc.
 
I handload for my 308 and only use one load for all game and my bullet of choice is the Hornady 180gr BTSP Interlock. I would not hesitate to shoot a moose out to 600yds under ideal conditions but I do shoot lots and know the limits of my particular rifle/ammo combination. Until you can get out there and shoot at the distances you expect to take game at you have absolutely no idea what your particular rifle/ammo combo is grouping like at said distances. You also don't know what the trajectory will be like either until you shoot those distances. Rule of thumb is to shoot at a 10" paper plate and the distance that you can no longer place the first shot on it is the disatnce that has become too far to be shooting at a moose!

Practice, practice more and then only take the best possible shot...if you question it, it's not a good shot to be taking!
 
Leif Cott said:
Thanks for all the great replies... Think I will need to put in some range time, finding what 168gr load is best for the 308! What would your maximum range be with the 308? I know its all in bullet placement etc etc... but, all I have ever shot with it is whitetail (any they don't like it ;) so looks like the 308 will be up first... I'll have the 25-06 as a back up... Thanks for all the help!!
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How far can you shoot and keep all your targets on an 8" circle? I would use a Barnes ttsx as the more holes in a moose the better
 
I would use the .308 for its bigger bullet. Any notion about the .25-06 shooting its smaller bullet at a higher velocity for a "flatter" trajectory on the longer range shots is irrelevant to me because I think I shouldn't take shots long enough for that to matter.
 
I pick the .308, hands down with 180 grain bullets. The .25/06 will kill a moose no question but so will a .22 long rifle. There is no substitute for bullet weight despite what the high velocity crowd claims. Not a lot of difference between a .270 with a 130 grain bullet and a .25/06 and a 100-120 grain bullet but all in all a .30 cal 180 grain projectile will hit harder and wade more meat. My 2 cents
 
On moose, a .308 with good 165 or 180 grain bullets will do EVERYTHING better than a 25-06. I have shot both for years and like them both, but momentum counts far more than foot lbs of energy or speed when pushing a bullet through big bones of a moose. As for "using the one you shoot the best" it is absolute folly to measure "best" with small differenced in paper accuracy from a bench rest as so many theorists do here. Bullet performance inside the moose is far more important. If you are totally unfamiliar with your .308, or it doesn't fit you, has an unreliable scope or crappy trigger or some other major rifle limitation and your 25-06 doesn't, use the 25-o6 with the heaviest and stoutest bullets you can find. Otherwise the .308 is clearly superior.
 
I would say 308 with 180 s
Remember break the front shoulder
The shoulder will shrapnel into the heart and it will stop
I tracked my far share of animals
Breaking the shoulder stops them dead
 
captonion said:
I have taken moose with both, and have had moose expire quicker with the 25-06...It's like the hand of god taking the life from them...The argument is hard to make if you have not used both on moose..
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There are too many variables on actual shots on animals to draw a definitive conclusion from your limited experience... even if you have shot a dozen bulls with each caliber. .25/06 wins the speed and trajectory game, .308 wins the momentum game... for me, on moose... I choose momentum, and limit shots to "south of 300."
 
hoytcanon said:
There are too many variables on actual shots on animals to draw a definitive conclusion from your limited experience...
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How so? The shots taken with both were much the same...Shots I would take, or pass up would be identical for both...Just stating what I have actually seen/done...No more, no less......
 
Leif Cott said:
So looks like I will going moose hunting in the fall... Now the question, I have two rifle choices .308 or .25-06. Which would you use and why? I shoot 110gr. accubonds out of the 25-06, I feel the 25-06 has more power than the 308 but, that is just my opinion, would much prefer to have some input from some guys or gals that have used either of these cartridges on moose before. Thanks
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how do you figure the 25-06 has more power than the .308
 
captonion said:
How so? The shots taken with both were much the same...Shots I would take, or pass up would be identical for both...Just stating what I have actually seen/done...No more, no less......
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I'll tell you how so... so you shoot two bulls... one with a .25/06 and one with a .308... identical shots to the center of the lungs... or so you think... on the .25/06 bull the bullet strikes between the ribs perpendicular to the chest cavity... on the .308 bull the bullet strikes slightly off perpendicular due to body posture (something that often can't be perceived under hunting conditions) and results in a slightly glancing blow off a rib... both bulls die... but the .308 bull stays on his feet longer, so you conclude that the .25/06 is a more deadly (or efficient) killer. Your conclusion would be wrong and based on skewed data... even factoring in autopsy results (which few if any hunters do, especially on moose, because you have to pack that sucker out of the bush)... the results would still be inconclusive. The data however is not inconclusive... given top loads for common hunting bullets;

.25/06 with 100 TSX and Hybrid 100-V for 3295 fps nets 2411 ft/lb and a momentum factor of 32.95... at 500 yards it drops only 27.8" when sighted at the MPBR with a 1.5" scope height, but only retains 834 ft/lb.

.308 with 165 Partition and CFE-223 for 2839 fps nets 2953 ft/lb and a momentum factor of 46.84 OR roughly 42% more momentum (resistance to stopping or changing direction)... at 500 yards it drops 39" (the .25/06 is clearly a flatter shooter) BUT the .308 still has 1190 ft/lb energy at 500 yards.

The math does not lie... if the hit were truly "identical" the .308 would do a better job of inflicting lethal damage...

Don't get me wrong, I am not dissing the .25/06, it is an excellent caliber and has taken alot of game and will contiue to do so... but the .308 does hold an edge, particularly on larger game... all of this is moot on coyotes or deer. This is a discussion of better not what is sufficient. Also, these numbers can be cooked or skewed around to change the results... but the pattern will hold true if the comparison is "apples to apples." If you were to take the weakest .308 load versus the stongest .25/06 load you could probably claim a winner.
 
.308 for sure, this is a very big animal with big hard bones in the event that you hit a large bone you want that extra power and the 25.06 does not have more power than the 308. Which hits a lot harder the farther out you reach.
 
Availability in moose country is a factor. 308 can be found every where and half the guys your with probably use it. It's my choice for sub 200 yard hunting
 
Sounds like witchcraft hoytcanon......

I've taken 8 moose with my 25-06, and a few more than that with other cartriges in the 7mm-30 cal non-magnum categories, and a few with belted magnums 7mm-30cal...They all were lethal..None more than the other from my experience...Never had to track a moose any further than 100yds with any of these choices...Not hard fact mathematics, but real world experiences that tell me a 25-06 is very capable of doing the job every bit as good as a 308Win...Shot moose with both, and prefer the .25...
 
Fine choices. Either works, just shoot it somewhere that counts. My grandfather once killed a moose with a 22lr and half a box of ammo, hell, there's plenty of people out there who still do it with a sharp stick! Happy hunting.
 
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