257 Weatherby for Moose

[bearkilr]

have you hunted in Sweden ?

the way they hund it s call driven beaters and dogs push game to the line of hunters. some is silently done sometimes not but a moose here cannot be shot at long distance ....

but to hunt there you need to take and pass a shooting exam so it s more the bullet placement that the power that kills moose. swedish moose are not that small : they re more a mix between a shiras and eastern moose so definetly not small ...

they re not only using 160 grains but anything from 139 grains (mini) and up.

if the 6,5x55 is so or was so popular it s due to swedish mauser availability but the 30-06 was the caliber i ve seen the most when i hunted there.

in Finland they were using a lot the 308.

for a driven (battue) hunting mode i prefer the 9,3x62 but the swedish 6,5 is absolutely able to put down a moose as bow hunters are showing us each time is the placement more than the power ... but i prefer myself have a little more power ...

I have a close friend that lives in Sweden who raises and trains Jamthund (Swedish Elkhound) specifically for moose hunting.
He is also a "for hire" guide to resident hunters with his dogs, last season he took over 60 moose.
The shooting proficiency exam is a great idea, I agree 100%, and wish something similar was implemented here.

Regardless, the trend in North America seems to be to use light bullets in a light for species caliber to retain the flattest trajectory possible, a gross error IMO.

 

[kman300]

I have a close friend that lives in Sweden who raises and trains Jamthund (Swedish Elkhound) specifically for moose hunting.
He is also a "for hire" guide to resident hunters with his dogs, last season he took over 60 moose.
The shooting proficiency exam is a great idea, I agree 100%, and wish something similar was implemented here.

Regardless, the trend in North America seems to be to use light bullets in a light for species caliber to retain the flattest trajectory possible, a gross error IMO.

I would dissagree and say that the trend instead is to use magnums for everything from speed goats to moose. The introduction of the wsm/saum and ultra mags shows exactly that.

 

[bearkilr]

I would dissagree and say that the trend instead is to use magnums for everything from speed goats to moose. The introduction of the wsm/saum and ultra mags shows exactly that.

Then why the threads of 257 for moose, 223 for deer, etc.? Most threads are centered around discussions of lightweight Barnes and match bullets, like Berger's ,Match Kings and Amax's. Are hunters choosing match bullets for their superior performance on game? Not likely, everything revolves around ballistic coefficients and drop charts.

It never hurts to be overgunned so long as you're comfortable shooting that caliber. If the recoil is too harsh, then use a heavy bullet in a lighter caliber.
It's bad practice to use a caliber that is sufficient only under ideal conditions. There are always those who argue that one must wait until a perfect shot presents itself when using light for species calibers, but we should be honest and admit that in reality that goes out the window when the adrenaline kicks in.

 

[X-man]

Moose aren't that hard to kill. Use a quality bullet and put it where it counts and you'll end up with a dead moose. If you put in the trigger time and have the skill to put that kill shot in the boiler room there is no issue. However, the problems arise when an inexperienced hunter tries an "iffy" shot using a caliber that is fine under ideal conditions, but not so much under less than ideal conditions. The .257 WM will most certainly kill Moose. However, are there better choices available? Absolutely! As will all hunting activities, ultimately it is the individual hunter who must decide for themselves whether or not it is ethical to use that particular combination (assuming it meets legal requirements) on that game animal.

 

[kman300]

There are just as many people out there recommending 270wsm minimum for deer and 338 mag and up for moose. The 375 ruger is the new best caliber apparently.

I find that being "overgunned" gives people a false sense of security and makes them blast away as soon as they see an animal. They don't wait for a good shot cause that fancy big magnum will take care of things. Nothing is more important than shot placement and not being "overgunned" makes that even more important as one can not just blast away and hope for the best. You have to wait for a good shot, something all ethical hunters should do anyways. Gut shooting animals with a big magnum and hoping the bullet will get to the vitals isn't what it should all be about. Also, regardless of what people tell you, most people will shoot lighter recoiling guns better than something that makes your fillings rattle in your teeth. And as we all know, shooting in the field isn't as pretty as shooting on a bench, which further influences a shooters accuracy.

Again, I am not trying to get anyone to sell their big guns and shoot quarter bore rifles for big swamp donkies. I'm not saying .25 is better than xx for them either. I am only tring to explain why I believe the 257 is a fine gun for anything in NA that isn't big bears and I am trying to have someone define the criteria for what is and what is not a moose gun.

Why is the 7mm-08 a step up from the 257? Is a 165gr NP out of a 30-06 better than a 100gr tsx out of a 257 even though the NP will lose ~40% of it's weight and the txs will retain ~90%? Is bullet weight and diameter all that matters since fps and ft/lbs mean nothing? Is a 44 magnum better at killing moose than a 180gr 300 win mag then? Is a muzzle loader with 100gr pyrodex and a .45 better than the 300 mag for moose? Does impact velocity count for anything? How far will a bullet open if it's only hitting the animal at 1700 fps or so? Will it open to double diameter? Is a 165gr partition out of a 30-06 that only opens to maybe .4,if it hits slow enough,better than a 100gr tsx hitting the animal 1000fps faster and opens to double diameter?'

These are some of the questions I ask people when they say a 257 wby isn't for moose and a 300 mag up is. They usually can't answer any of my questions which makes their take on cartridge recommendation useless to me.

Cheers

Then why the threads of 257 for moose, 223 for deer, etc.? Most threads are centered around discussions of lightweight Barnes and match bullets, like Berger's ,Match Kings and Amax's. Are hunters choosing match bullets for their superior performance on game? Not likely, everything revolves around ballistic coefficients and drop charts.

It never hurts to be overgunned so long as you're comfortable shooting that caliber. If the recoil is too harsh, then use a heavy bullet in a lighter caliber.
It's bad practice to use a caliber that is sufficient only under ideal conditions.=ere are always those who argue that one must wait until a perfect shot presents itself when using light for species calibers, but we should be honest and admit that in reality that goes out the window when the adrenaline kicks in.

 

[davemccarthy707]

Every now and again someone will come on here asking if some underpowered rifle is good for some big game animal, whether it's a .22 for Coyotes, a .223 or 7.62X39 for deer or Bear, or something else that's too small for Moose or Grizzlies......Whether I respond or not, I'm always thinking that it is a form of Trolling as we owe it to the game we are pursuing to use a caliber large enough to quickly and cleanly take game without them suffering. I don't believe that many on here are that poor or destitute that they can't afford a proper gun/caliber and have to rely on a gun not meant for the job.
If indeed anyone is down to their last buck and has to hunt a big animal with a popgun, contact me and i will loan you a rifle and ammo that is up to the task, you just have to provide the most important factor, proper shot placement.

Agreed. Lots of Lee-Enfield sporters around for 150 bucks. .303 Brit will knock down all big game in North America.

 

[davemccarthy707]

Here come the ballistics hunters.
The above figures mean sh*t. Those who have hunted enough know that there are a whole pile of calibers out there which kill better than their ballistics numbers would suggest, such as the 9.3x62,30-06,7x57,etc.,

...7.62x54r, 6.5x55, 8mm, .303 Brit, ....

 

[grit]

everyone has there own idea of what works best. the main thing is to put the bullet in the boiler room.shoot the most powerful rifle you can shoot well is always works

 

[medvedqc]

I would dissagree and say that the trend instead is to use magnums for everything from speed goats to moose. The introduction of the wsm/saum and ultra mags shows exactly that.

the trend doesnt mean it s working better. from what i ve seen while guiding there is not that much people able to handle 300 and over magnums calibers .... and im talking only about barrenground caribou and black bear ....

it s not because you can use it that you can handle it.

i agree with Grit (maybe it s because we already discussed a lot in real ...) shoot what you can handle and if possible the biggest you can handle ... so that means a lot of shooting at the range and certainly not necesserly only in seating position .....