44mag for moose?
- Thread starter chaslavk
- Start date
Sorry to be the only counter point, but moose deserve a quick death. You can kill a moose with a 44 mag., but you'll probably never find it. It'll run for 10 minutes, after it's hit. I've seen a guy lose a moose, after he hit it clean, with a .243. People who kill moose with a bow, or other inadequate weapons, forget to mention they wound several, before they actually drop one.
I've seen Indians hunt moose, with a .22, but they used traditional hunting methods. Put a bullet into it, track it until it lies down, shoot it again, repeat.
Moose are extremely tough. Use a real rifle, .308 minimum.
I've seen Indians hunt moose, with a .22, but they used traditional hunting methods. Put a bullet into it, track it until it lies down, shoot it again, repeat.
Moose are extremely tough. Use a real rifle, .308 minimum.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
In that case I'd have no hesitations, provided the shooter is fully aware that if Mr Bigsie walks out at 150 yards you'll probably have to let him walk. But that's no different than a guy that hunts with archery tackle.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
Psst! That's US (44mm) ya big oaf!NWT Wildlife Act 42(1)(b)(iii).
Well I knew I read it somewhere!
Pudelpointer
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Lethbridge, Alberta
Sask_Hunter
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Saskatchewan
i may not be the resident expert on moose and have only shot one but i have guided and been in on 13 moose. moose are not very tough they are big but not tough. a 44 through the lungs and the moose will go less the 100yrds, i bet they would bed down and die with in 50. seen it time and time again ive only had to fallow 2 moose more than 100yrds one was a gut shot bow kill that bedded down over a 100 times durning the night. the other ran down a steep hill and died when he hit a flat spot.
is there any one here who acually hunts and tries to get with in the effective range of the cartridge/ weapon that he/she chooses to hunt with? lots of #### can kill a moose not just a 308/30-06/300's.
The 44-40 is significantly less powerful than a 44 Mag. This past fall, a friend of mine in Alaska, went Moose hunting with two friends. He used a 44-40 (200 grain bullet chrono'd at 1,550 fps). The other two friends used a 375 H&H Magnum and a 458 Winchester Magnum. Here is what happened:
There are several friends of mine who hunt with the old cartridges (38-40, 44-40, 38-55 and even the more modern 30-30). What we are finding is that game (Elk, deer, Bighorn Sheep, Moose) seem to expire just as fast, and drop just as soon, as with the more modern ultra-mag, super-mag, mag, etc. Of course, we pass up shots that are more than 200 yards, and we tend to shoot a lot, and we are very careful about where we place our bullets. I'm not knocking modern hyper-time-warping cartridges that vaporize 50 pounds of meat with each impact, nor am I claiming the old cartridges can compare in muzzle energy or flatness of trajectory. I'm just saying that the 44 Mag is perfectly fine for Moose out to ranges of less than 200 yards, but I would not use a hollow point. My preference would be the 265 grain Hornady soft point at about 1,500 fps. You should find your bullets under the hide on the far side.
"I pumped three shots into this average 55" Alaskan bull at about 50 yards. The first two bullets were into the chest behind the front leg and the latter a little further back. He was in very thick
cover. I could only see the tops of his palms at first but waited until he turned broadside to walk away before firing through a narrow opening. He didn't take two steps after the initial hit.
I found two out of the three slugs. One was just under the off hide and the other about an inch from it. ... My two friends used more modern calibers: 375 H&H magnum and 458 Winchester magnum of all things. The 44-40 dropped and killed my bull faster than either of theirs shot in a similar fashion and distance. (My first friend) used the Win 458 mag. He shot his bull at about 50 yards. It hit the deck pronto. But he had to give it two finishers, one with another 510 gr. 458 and the final with a 300 gr. JSP from his 44 mag.My other friend used the 375 H&H mag with 200-something gr. Barnes X bullets. The first shot through the chest and into the far shoulder sent it running through the brush for about 80-100 yds. He chased it like a Banshee and shot it twice more to seal the deal. A fourth round didn't connect. We recovered all three of the properly aimed projectiles. None of the big boomers killed the moose in these instances any better than the humble 44-40."
The 44 Mag is more powerful than the 44-40. Now let me say this. Throughout the 1900's bigger, faster, and more powerful cartridges were introduced. Hunters bought these cartridges because they were bigger, faster, and more powerful. Throughout all this, what was considered to be 'enough gun' continued to increase with each new gun article raving about each new advance in muzzle energy, velocity, etc. Slowly, the mentality changed with the steady increase in muzzle energy. A friend of mine recently bought his first rifle. The fellow behind the counter convinced him that the 7MM Mag was best for Whitetail deer. I know fellows who feel the 338 Win Mag is about right for Whitetail Deer.cover. I could only see the tops of his palms at first but waited until he turned broadside to walk away before firing through a narrow opening. He didn't take two steps after the initial hit.
I found two out of the three slugs. One was just under the off hide and the other about an inch from it. ... My two friends used more modern calibers: 375 H&H magnum and 458 Winchester magnum of all things. The 44-40 dropped and killed my bull faster than either of theirs shot in a similar fashion and distance. (My first friend) used the Win 458 mag. He shot his bull at about 50 yards. It hit the deck pronto. But he had to give it two finishers, one with another 510 gr. 458 and the final with a 300 gr. JSP from his 44 mag.My other friend used the 375 H&H mag with 200-something gr. Barnes X bullets. The first shot through the chest and into the far shoulder sent it running through the brush for about 80-100 yds. He chased it like a Banshee and shot it twice more to seal the deal. A fourth round didn't connect. We recovered all three of the properly aimed projectiles. None of the big boomers killed the moose in these instances any better than the humble 44-40."
There are several friends of mine who hunt with the old cartridges (38-40, 44-40, 38-55 and even the more modern 30-30). What we are finding is that game (Elk, deer, Bighorn Sheep, Moose) seem to expire just as fast, and drop just as soon, as with the more modern ultra-mag, super-mag, mag, etc. Of course, we pass up shots that are more than 200 yards, and we tend to shoot a lot, and we are very careful about where we place our bullets. I'm not knocking modern hyper-time-warping cartridges that vaporize 50 pounds of meat with each impact, nor am I claiming the old cartridges can compare in muzzle energy or flatness of trajectory. I'm just saying that the 44 Mag is perfectly fine for Moose out to ranges of less than 200 yards, but I would not use a hollow point. My preference would be the 265 grain Hornady soft point at about 1,500 fps. You should find your bullets under the hide on the far side.
Well I've shot a dozen moose or so and any gun works fine if you can shoot.They don't die any quicker with a .338 than a 6.5x55.Too thickheaded to respond to shock.The secret is to shoot you're moose once or twice then leave it alone for a short period of time to tilt over.Running up and riddling them full of holes will only get their mojo going and away they go into some Godforsaken hole you need a helicopter to retrieve them from.If they are standing on dry land near a swamp,one in the hump and one in the head.Travel plans cancelled.Otherwise one in the lungs and leave e'm be fore 10 minutes...........won't go far................Harold
That's the ticket to all slow moving larger diameter calibers. Good grainage will just keep going and going, penetrating deeply and leaving a very big hole. Muzzle loaders work on the exact same principal. The heavier the bullet the better. It's like trying to stop a locamotive. The heavier weight provides lots of momentum...and increases recoil too!
Hornady has an informatative site. It states that the H.I.T.S. for the following leverevolution rounds is
.44 mag = 485
Small Game
less than 500 H.I.T.S.
The basic rule of thumb is that a H.I.T.S. rating of 500 or below describes a bullet/cartridge combination best suited for small game animals weighing less than 50 pounds.
.30-30 = 826
Medium Game
500-900 H.I.T.S.
A rating of 501 to 900 applies to bullet/cartridge combinations that are applicable for medium-sized game such as deer, antelope, black bear, and caribou, or game weighing 50 to 300 pounds.
.45-70 = 1242
Large Game
901-1,500 H.I.T.S.
A rating of 901 to 1,500 specifies cartridge/bullet combinations well-suited for large and heavy, but not generally considered dangerous game. This includes elk, moose, African plains game, red stag, American bison, and other animals weighing between 300 to 2,000 pounds.
http://www.hornady.com/store/44-Mag-225-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/
.44 mag = 485
Small Game
less than 500 H.I.T.S.
The basic rule of thumb is that a H.I.T.S. rating of 500 or below describes a bullet/cartridge combination best suited for small game animals weighing less than 50 pounds.
.30-30 = 826
Medium Game
500-900 H.I.T.S.
A rating of 501 to 900 applies to bullet/cartridge combinations that are applicable for medium-sized game such as deer, antelope, black bear, and caribou, or game weighing 50 to 300 pounds.
.45-70 = 1242
Large Game
901-1,500 H.I.T.S.
A rating of 901 to 1,500 specifies cartridge/bullet combinations well-suited for large and heavy, but not generally considered dangerous game. This includes elk, moose, African plains game, red stag, American bison, and other animals weighing between 300 to 2,000 pounds.
http://www.hornady.com/store/44-Mag-225-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/
Paper ballistics and numbers mean diddly squat.No offense intended but the 30-30 is a killer with a 170gr out to 200 yards even on moose.Elk take a whole lot more killing than moose.A bullet or arrow for that matter that takes 5 minutes to kill is better than being eaten alive by wolves.Like I said earlier if you don't chase them they lay down and don't get up.....................JMO.............Harold
So you have the hard statistics to back this up or is this just a statement you pulled from your ass?
I played with Hornady's H.I.T.S calculator, and while fun lost credibility when I entered a .284" bullet, 160gr, impact of 2200fps. It gave this a big game rating (elk/moose)- which of course it is capable of. A .308" bullet of 165gr at the same impact has a lower score and was rated for medium game, albeit at the top end (deer class!). Of course it makes no mention of bullet construction.
Numbers like TKO, HITS etc are fun to play with but as others said, not always transerable to real terminal results.
Numbers like TKO, HITS etc are fun to play with but as others said, not always transerable to real terminal results.
Lot of moose killed with 30-30's over the years, a 44 mag will do just as well. - dan
If you think a 70# compound bow is inadequate against a moose you have never bow hunted. An arrow will go straight through a moose and leave a 3" wound channel with the right broadhead.
I watched a video of a guy drop an elephant with a bow - it ran about 10 yards then died. Arrows cause a different kind of damage than bullets.
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If a bow is truly an inadequate weapon for large game, then it's a miracle that the human race survived long enough to invent gunpowder, or even agriculture for that matter.
It seems like the gun rags keep driving up the perception of what is "adequate". No doubt we will see articles in a couple decades questioning whether .50 BMG is adequate for moose or if it would be wiser to choose 20x110mm Hispano Suiza instead.
It seems like the gun rags keep driving up the perception of what is "adequate". No doubt we will see articles in a couple decades questioning whether .50 BMG is adequate for moose or if it would be wiser to choose 20x110mm Hispano Suiza instead.
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
OMG!
We've all seen these sorts of things before and I just can't help but find them laughable. I'm sure that rifle and ammunition manufacturers build these sorts of silly things just to sell their latest ultra magnums. I don't think we're going anyone any good bringing them up here on these forums. 44 magnum only good for animals less than 50 pounds, my ass!
