Best moose rifle for 300 plus yards
- Thread starter Leclairron
- Start date
Last year moose, young bull, 280m on the run shot landed right being the shoulder, rifle and old husqvarna 1640 20” barrel with an old Leupold vxIII 2.5-8 no1 reticle, bullet was 178gn Eldx from factory ammo. That is the furthest I shot a moose in 28 years of hunting moose, an other one was about 180m and all the rest were from 80m to 120m, most but not all were with 30-06, some with 8x57 and 9.3x62.
We have a guy up here ( I’m sure he is on here) he usually shoot them way past 500yards actually him and his wife do. I think I remember him telling me that something like 900yards was his furthest… good for him but not my thing. Might be useful outside of the rut but in the rut you can call them in so no real need to shoot them that far.
Anyway, as for the best moose rifle is irrelevant but best chambering is more relevant and even that is really subjective, probably more important is bullet construction and even that is not even that relevant, I shot moose with all kind of bullets and the ones that went down the fastest were one shot with 286gn nosler partition out of my 9.3x62 at 106m and last year moose at 280m with a 178gn eldx out of a 20” barrel 30-06! I know for a fact that a partition would plow through a lot of ####e and destroy minimal meat! And I also know for a fact that the eldx wont! So I won’t use the eldx again, meat is the reason I hunt so less waste is better in my case! But really if all those criteria’s, shot placement is the most important factor of all, 338 Lapua magnum with a shot placed in the guts won’t do anything that a 223 with the same shot would have done!
So be proficient with the rifle you use, pick something you like, pick something you can afford to shoot and pick something you can shoot!
We have a guy up here ( I’m sure he is on here) he usually shoot them way past 500yards actually him and his wife do. I think I remember him telling me that something like 900yards was his furthest… good for him but not my thing. Might be useful outside of the rut but in the rut you can call them in so no real need to shoot them that far.
Anyway, as for the best moose rifle is irrelevant but best chambering is more relevant and even that is really subjective, probably more important is bullet construction and even that is not even that relevant, I shot moose with all kind of bullets and the ones that went down the fastest were one shot with 286gn nosler partition out of my 9.3x62 at 106m and last year moose at 280m with a 178gn eldx out of a 20” barrel 30-06! I know for a fact that a partition would plow through a lot of ####e and destroy minimal meat! And I also know for a fact that the eldx wont! So I won’t use the eldx again, meat is the reason I hunt so less waste is better in my case! But really if all those criteria’s, shot placement is the most important factor of all, 338 Lapua magnum with a shot placed in the guts won’t do anything that a 223 with the same shot would have done!
So be proficient with the rifle you use, pick something you like, pick something you can afford to shoot and pick something you can shoot!
300 wsm will work fine, just have to find an accurate load for the distances you want to shoot, with a decent bullet. It's a moose, it's not wearing armor. Last moose I killed at that distance was shot with a 7mm-08, 140 gr partition bullet, out of an 18.5 inch barreled 788 Carbine. Worked just fine. - dan
Somethin you're gonna shoot a lot, and well, and practice at those distances.
The rest is entirely and distantly secondary.
Think the balance point for me would be a slightly weighty 270 but theres lots of solutions, long as you can make em work
The rest is entirely and distantly secondary.
Think the balance point for me would be a slightly weighty 270 but theres lots of solutions, long as you can make em work
Was that the next camp over from Scuttle Butt Lodge ?
On a more serious note Moose have been taken with everything from .243, 270,308,30-30,30:06, 300 winmag and many more mentioned above.
Iirc someone used a .50 bmg (from this web site) to take a doe deer...I do not know if someone just had to try said cal on a moose though.
Anyways, people will push the envelope just because they can...to each their own I suppose.
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Bubba Yugga
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Midwestern Ontario
Scoped ma deuce. No wasted meat. trust me.
I've shot moose out to 600 yards with a 300 WM (180). And about 300 yards on an Elk with the 300WSM (180); and about 425 yards with a 30-06 (220) and a few more inside 150 yards (165) and a 200 yards on Moose with a 300WSM (180). For the most part I've used 30-06, 300WSM and 300WM on moose. They all work. I've used few other calibers on deer and caribou over the years.
I would suggest practicing at hesitances well beyond what you expect to shoot game at. Being experienced and competent at 600 yds, means that a 300 yd shot is easy and more reliable.
Yes, being able to accurately place the bullet where you want it at distance is by far the most important factor. The caliber and bullet weight / construction are more or less inconsequential.
Redneck Hippy
Regular
Well pick some random number and get to work on them ballistic charts
1500-2000 ft-lbs to knock down a moose they say.
1500-1800 fps impact velocity needed for reliable bullet expansion they say.
Hmm what cartridge will do that at 300?
Probably anything with “magnum” in the name.
Oh but also a 308… and a 270… and
This could take a while.
Pick any one you like, but the best moose rifle is in likely in your hands already
338 win mag
1500-2000 ft-lbs to knock down a moose they say.
1500-1800 fps impact velocity needed for reliable bullet expansion they say.
Hmm what cartridge will do that at 300?
Probably anything with “magnum” in the name.
Oh but also a 308… and a 270… and
This could take a while.
Pick any one you like, but the best moose rifle is in likely in your hands already
338 win mag
- Location
- Nova Scotia
So why ask. If you already made up your mind?
You will get a lot of folks suggesting what they use or have used successfully. This is all valid and I will recommend my favorite here too, but a few things to consider.
Shot placement trumps raw power most of the time.
Quality bullets trump caliber (within reason).
300 yards plus is a long poke unless you have practiced and perfected at those ranges with your rifle of choice.
Most "modern" bottleneck cartridges from 6.5x55 up to 375H&H will do what you are asking effectively - in my view there is no "best" - it is what you have learned to be effective within the cartridge range outlined above.
I have used a 338WM for decades with great results.
It has been effective for me out to 475 yards, and the heavier bullet seems to fly very well at greater distance.
I set up for a 200 yard zero.
I handload 250 grain Swift AFrames, these hold together very well when smashing up bones.
I keep the muzzle velocity around 2800fps, this seems to sidestep almost all bloodshot.
I find the recoil easier on the shoulder than a 300WM or it's numerous close cousins.
Over the course of many seasons (coming up on 30) chasing Moose, I’ve hunted with these Cals and models in this order
308 (BLR)
7mmRM (A Bolt 1st Gen)
300WSM (Tikka T3 Lite)
300 WM (R700)
.270Win (Savage 116)
308 (R700 Varmint)
30-06 (R700 Mtn)
.300Wby (Wby V2)
All are 300yrd capable, some better than others for obvious ballistic reasons. Which goes to show that regardless of Brand/Model or Cal all are capable in the field. I wouldn’t hesitate with any of these and the fact I still run the 06 as my main says something. Well… maybe not the 700 Varmint again..
As mentioned previously, bullet choice is key. Research the Cal you’re likely to be most comfortable with and then look into projectile choices. These days I’m favouring Barnes TSX/TTSX and Nos Partitions as all three have proven track records afield.
308 (BLR)
7mmRM (A Bolt 1st Gen)
300WSM (Tikka T3 Lite)
300 WM (R700)
.270Win (Savage 116)
308 (R700 Varmint)
30-06 (R700 Mtn)
.300Wby (Wby V2)
All are 300yrd capable, some better than others for obvious ballistic reasons. Which goes to show that regardless of Brand/Model or Cal all are capable in the field. I wouldn’t hesitate with any of these and the fact I still run the 06 as my main says something. Well… maybe not the 700 Varmint again..
As mentioned previously, bullet choice is key. Research the Cal you’re likely to be most comfortable with and then look into projectile choices. These days I’m favouring Barnes TSX/TTSX and Nos Partitions as all three have proven track records afield.
