30-06 maximum moose range

I've shot moose @ 400yards with a 180grain out of my .308.

It did the job fine.

The 06 will do the same if not more.
At 800 yards, your 180gr is still supersonic @ 1220fps retaining around 600ft/lbs of energy. (Should this be done?? At that range, you can probably get a lot closer to the animal)

I'd recommend getting within 500 yards. At that point, you're over 1600fps and 1100ft/lbs energy.
 
Bearing in mind that we as shooters/hunters want to always shoot within our effective range (what we practice at and what we know we're capable of) in order to be ethical and maximize the best potential of our capabilities.

:)
 
I haven't even bothered to read the responses that these type of threads usually attract......
I just finished a book written by Nathan Foster " the practical guide to long range hunting cartridges" second edition.
It shipped to me within a week and there's some good observations in there that may or may not interest you to help you come to your own conclusion.
 
I also live in Ontario. Where would one go to sight in at 300yds? I'd prefer a legal range and not an open field or public land.
Thanks.


Frank McFarquhar said:
My Browning BBR , in .30-06 is sighted in for 300 yds. & I get a 3" group on a good day.
That puts it up 6" @ both 100 & 200 yds. approx. Used this for about 20 years with perfect
success . After 300 yd. the bullet starts to drop too much for an ethical shot . ,,,,,,,,,, Frank
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angrysoldier said:
The max range is how far you can put three rounds into a pie plate while standing. That is YOUR max range with any gun. Anything else is just hope and dreams.
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OP, here is your answer in short form. Just find YOUR maximum range with your cartridge of choice (30-06/180). Chances are that you will miss your 10" plate long before the old 30-06 will be lacking in power. If you cannot hit the plate at 200 meters (10 shots out of 10), well, 200 meters is beyond YOUR practical range.

Yes, anything else is just hope and dreams.
 
Slamfire said:
Could there be a difference between putting a bullet hole through a plate and one through a Moose? Hitting your target vs. killing and recovering it?
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I suppose that depends on the shooter.. personally, I tend to shoot mooses way better than plates! lol
 
44fordy said:
I suppose that depends on the shooter.. personally, I tend to shoot mooses way better than plates! lol
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Just shooting it and not recovering it?
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44fordy said:
I've shot moose @ 400yards with a 180grain out of my .308.

It did the job fine.

The 06 will do the same if not more.
At 800 yards, your 180gr is still supersonic @ 1220fps retaining around 600ft/lbs of energy. (Should this be done?? At that range, you can probably get a lot closer to the animal)

I'd recommend getting within 500 yards. At that point, you're over 1600fps and 1100ft/lbs energy.
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Energy doesn't meen much for killing power and you have to comsider if your bullet is going to expand at impact velocity.
 
bcsteve said:
Energy doesn't meen much for killing power and you have to comsider if your bullet is going to expand at impact velocity.
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I was just using the models to reference how the bullet is performing at those yardages, and display that the 30-06 will do the job at considerable distance...

The bigger issue will be the shooter's capabilities, not so much the projectile.
 
I would say the 30-06 is good to 300. Maybe 400 if you really know your rifle. Beyond that, the combination of a rainbow trajectory and greatly reduced velocity would make me want a different caliber.
 
My experience with a 30-06 long shot.
Back about 18 years ago when my eyes worked much much better I built a make shift bunker out of deadfall and left over timber in the middle of a large flat clear cut East of Ignace Ontario. This worked well to conceal me and provided a great gun rest to steady the rifle if needed. Second day out comes a young bull that starts feeding at 300 yards from my position (NO BULL TAG). 10 minutes later the cow shows up... AND I HAVE A COW TAG!. I took the first shot using the deadfall as a gun rest as she stood broad side @ 300yds. I took my time taking the shot from the concealed "bunker" - she jumped when I fired and I sailed two more at her for good measure as she made her way to the bush line. I felt really good about the first shot but excitement got the best of me when she ran and I fired the other two as she retreated.
I was shooting Winchester Silver Tip 220 grain factory shells and I hit her all three times from my fathers Rem 742 30-06. First shot I aimed at the top of her hump estimating the drop and made a solid lung and heart shot... she dropped just inside the bush line (went maybe 40 yards total). The other two shots - one entered her in the neck, and one between the rear legs that went straight up inside her - fortunately without destroying any meat. I remember this like it was yesterday.
I don't think I would have attempted the shot with confidence without the dead fall to steady my aim.
 
Question is how far can you be sure of a humane kill with a 180 grain bullet in a 30-06. The further out the more the variables are against you. Will a 30-06 kill a moose at 600 yards? Poachers use much less rifle and bullet at closer distances and kill moose. Of course a 30-06 will kill a moose at 600+ it will but not do it consistently. The perfect conditions the OP suggested never exist in real life.
 
Further than the vast majority of people can ethically shoot. Myself I'm an average shooter that hunts everything when it is in season and target shoots in the mix as well. Longest shot I have ever had to take on a big game animal in 30+ years is a whopping 110 yards. 90% were under 60 yards. Longest shot I would ever consider taking on a big game animal (regardless of calibre) is 200 yards. If I ever get a chance to hunt out west I would spend a big chunk of time practicing so that maybe I could move that out to 300 yards.
 
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