1st rifle for moose: advice needed please.

I would caution the .450. it's a handfull. I know you're a shotgun guy, but rifles are a completly different animal. I have shot game to 200 and a little past with my peep sited .450. it does flip things over very well, but it took a LOT of practice (and those rounds arn;t cheap) to get accurate and comfortable with that rifle. .308win ammo is cheaper, easier on the shoulder, more readily available, and kills moose just fine.

when I go moose hunting, I never reach for my .450. when I guide moose, well, thats a different story...

CURT:

rem mod 7 SS .308 win
Factory rem Laminate
Gre-tan pin & Shroud
Leopold Euro-30 2-7x33mm
Tally Rings.

7lbs all up
 
If I was gonna buy an XLR, I'd get the .444 or the .308xpress, but I'd handload for it too.



Amphibious said:
rem mod 7 SS .308 win
Factory rem Laminate
Gre-tan pin & Shroud
Leopold Euro-30 2-7x33mm
Tally Rings.

7lbs all up
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That barrel looks longer than 20", did they come in different lengths?
 
Yea, I'm really leaning towards the .308 marlin express. I don't really want the big bore calibers. They're probably a little too much for me to shoot accurately.

Man that stainless XLS is pretty! :dancingbanana:
 
grinrgrn said:
HUH???:confused:sighted 3" hi @ 100yds,none of those leverevolution loads are more than 3" low @ 200.
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and whats left for energy out of a 444 at 200 yards? had 1 and know what it can and cant do and 200 yards is pushing it IMHO and at that distance if you hit it and it bolts how much more do you have to offer at longer distances?

hes hunting moose not close quarters bear hunting
 
Yea, I'm really leaning towards the .308 marlin express
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Buy one, kill your moose, eat it.

It really isn't more complex than that :D It's a frakkin' moose, not a tyrannosaurus. Those 308's have more than enough horsepower at the ranges mentioned.
 
Shot my first moose with a 308 win with 165 grain bullets at 150 yards,worked fine, moose only went 10 feet.The recoil is real easy on you too.Since you want the marlin lever action,the 308 marlin would be fine for moose and your shoulder too.The bigger calibers tend to hit hard on both ends.
 
bone-collector said:
and whats left for energy out of a 444 at 200 yards? had 1 and know what it can and cant do and 200 yards is pushing it IMHO and at that distance if you hit it and it bolts how much more do you have to offer at longer distances?

hes hunting moose not close quarters bear hunting
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1600+ft/lbs.....that otta do it,yes?Maybe you made a bad hit BC?Maybe 200 yards is "pushing" you're limit??


Here are Hornady's advertised ballistics for the new LEVERevolution factory loads, taken in 24" test barrels, showing velocity (fps) / energy (ft. lbs.):

.444 Mar, 265 grain - 2325/3180 @ muzzle, 1971/2285 @ 100 yds, 1625/1606 @ 200 yds, 1380/1120 @ 300 yds.

.450 Mar, 325 grain - 2225/3572 @ muzzle, 1887/2569 @ 100 yds, 1585/1813 @ 200 yds, 1331/1278 @ 300 yds.

And here are the Hornady trajectory figures for those loads, based on a rifle with a scope mounted 1.7" overbore and zeroed to shoot 3" high at 100 yards:

.444 Mar, 265 grain - +3" @ 100 yds, -1.4" @ 200 yds, -18.6" @ 300 yds.
.450 Mar, 325 grain - +3" @ 100 yds, -2.2" @ 200 yds, -21.3" @ 300 yds

As far as I'm concerned,those figures are quite comparable to any loads in the .308,30-06 etc. class?More than adequate for moose at 200 and even acceptable at 300 as long as you do you're part?With a deep-chested critter like moose,hold on hair,not air,out to 300 yards and you should be able to "lob" one into the boiler room.:sniper:
 
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gixer said:
Yea, I'm really leaning towards the .308 marlin express. I don't really want the big bore calibers. They're probably a little too much for me to shoot accurately.

Man that stainless XLS is pretty! :dancingbanana:
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Clearly you're looking for justification and not advice. Knowing that you want something that bad despite the advice given to you is a blessing - just go buy it.
 
Sorry BC,maybe "LOB" wasn't the best choice of words?How 'bout hold on the spine at 300 yards and "drop" a 325gr slug into the heart/lung area at 1300fps with approximately the equivalent energy of a 12ga slug at 50 yards?For that matter,I'd guess "most" avg. Joe Hunters aren't even capable of hitting an elephant other than by #### luck and have no bizness even shooting 300 yards,no matter which latest 21st century,hyper-velocity,belted supermag moose whacker they are toting?Lord knows how many "riflemen" take to the field each Fall with 19 rounds left over from last year when they shot a hubcap in a gravel pit at 50 yards and declared their rifle "dead-on"?I think Foxer summed it up best.
Foxer said:
Buy one, kill your moose, eat it.

It really isn't more complex than that :D It's a frakkin' moose, not a tyrannosaurus. Those 308's have more than enough horsepower at the ranges mentioned.
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Further,I apologise for any real or imagined negative implications in regards to questioning you're shooting ability or lack there of without knowing a thing about you.With 4000+ posts,most likely you are indeed a true gunnut and may well be an excellent marksman?Could be just you're post-shot tracking skills that are lacking?:D
 
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My dad bought a .450 Marlin in 1895, 18.5" ported barrel. The factory Hornady 350 grain RNFP went average of 1960 fps across my chronograph. That calculates to just under 3000 lb/ft of energy. From a 7 lb rifle that is 35 lb/ft of recoil. It is stout. Not unmanagable, but you know you have been shooting after going through a box. I would not be afraid of shooting any moose out to 200 yards with that rifle. Beyond 200 yard shooting, I would think that a flatter shooting cartridge would be the way to go. The trajectory of the .450 Marlin introduces the fact that you MUST be very accurate with your distance to target estimation at linger ranges, as the bullet is dropping very quickly. A 50 yard mistake in judgement at longer distances has considerable consequences.
 
Gringrin - a couple of points. Now - keep an open mind here.

1 - you're using published hornady info for their leverevolution bullets. Which means you have to have a barrel as long as their test barrel to even get close to those speeds. While i have personally found that the hornady 'light mag' loads i've tested did come pretty close to factory (but were slightly slower) in long barrels, they drop speed RADICALLY in anything shorter, quickly becoming no better than 'standard' loads as the barrel length is decreased. And you won't get the 'maximum posted speeds' out of them in either case.

2 - the poster mentioned they have never shot a moose, have rarely shot rifles. In my experience, a hard recoil gun or one that takes a little more experience to judge drop is probably not a BEST first choice. If you shoot a moose at 200 and it swaps ends and you want to try to anchor it, the inexperienced shooter will notice the difference. It makes it that much harder. And newbs ALWAYS have a tough time judging distance, hell lots of expereinced guys do too. That moose at 150 yards is often 225 or more. Or the 300 yard moose is more like 150 :)

3 - I wouldn't be bugging bones about his shooting skills OR his post-shot tracking :D I daresay there's not a whole lot of people that will be able to do much better than he can at either :) His credentials and experience is pretty impressive, and i've seen him in action.


Hey - i like the 444 and 450. Bone collector owned a 444 as I recall for some time and shot a lot of game with it. There's nothing wrong with it at all.

But ... it's not a 'newbie to rifles' gun if you ask me. He'd be better off with the 308 marlin in the xls platform. It'll be easier to shoot, a little flatter, and every bit as lethal.
 
I use a 300WSM, nice straight round for Moose, and VERY hard hitting. A lot of kick, but definatly has the stopping power. As well, I always bring my 270 as a backup. the .308 is a great rifle for everything, and would probably be your best bet. Low recoil, light enough to trek around the bush, and lot's of ammo available as others have stated.
 
the XLR lever rifle is chambered only in 308 Marlin Express, not the 308 Winchester

my vote would be for the 45/70 for a Marlin levergun for moose
 
308 Marlin Express is what I would go with in the model your looking at. I had looked at that same rifle when I bought my all around rifle last year, but I like semi's better so went with a Rem 750 in 30-06.

In our group we have two guys with 30-06 (me included), one with a 270 and one with a 308.
 
BC and Foxer,
Just havi'n a 'lil fun here,no offence intended in case you misinterpret my sarcasm for what it is?;)

I'll agree with no argument regarding the reduced velocities from shorter barrels,however,FWIW,the figures I quoted from Hornady(actually tested by an independent gun rag?)are taken from a 24" barrel,same as what is on the MXLR that the original poster is looking at?

A bigbore granted is probly not the best introduction to rifles for a newb,I'm merely opining on my pick if I was heartset on getting a Marlin lever?

Cheers and good luck on the bearbash!I'll be bowhunting NB blackies next month,which begs the question...."What is the kinetic energy in ft/lbs generated from a 470gr arrow/broadhead with an initial velocity of 275fps......and is it enough to kill a bear?"LOL!!:D
 
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