I have been toying with the idea of purchasing and playing around with the Barnes bullets. I like the idea of being able to use a lighter bullet because of the weight retention in the copper bullets. So the big question is if I use a 165 grain in my 300wm would it have enough terminal energy to bring down a moose if I shot one at 400 yards?? And yes I know that 400 is a long shot and I will probably not do or have the opportunity, but just wondering? Thanks for the input guys!!
enough for moose?
- Thread starter deertaker
- Start date
superd222
CGN frequent flyer
Supersonic chunk of copper into the vitals = dead moose!
I'll be surprised if you get anything other than positive responses.
It's a while until moose season - give 'em a try and post your results.
Good luck - SD
I'll be surprised if you get anything other than positive responses.
It's a while until moose season - give 'em a try and post your results.
Good luck - SD
I've killed a whole wack of stuff up to and including the moose in my avatar with the 168 gr version. It went down in one shot, bullet broke a rib on the way in, then the shoulder, blew the heart up, then the opposite shoulder and got stuck under the skin on the off side, bullet weighed 164 grs.
Here is a picture of teh bullet.
This one dumped a zebra, same thing both shoulders caught under the hide on the far side, zebra fell over dead.
It was the same bullet but from my son's 30-06, here is the zebra
I took a moose (calf) this year, with the 165grain barnes in my 3006 and both shots were straight through. It was about 40 yards or so into the chest cavity. After getting it back to camp everyone was raggin on me for using a cannon instead of a rifle sinse the exit wounds were huge and had many ribs shattered!
Good thing i didnt hit a shoulder because i doubt it would have been edable after one of those bullets!
Good thing i didnt hit a shoulder because i doubt it would have been edable after one of those bullets!
I wouldn't worry about the 165 not being enough at 400. My experience is with the 168s in the .300 Win, and have included such things as a red stag at 568 yards and shooting through a bull moose lengthwise.(That one was my boy)
165 grains isn't that small, moose aren't that tough, and 400 isn't all that far.
165 grains isn't that small, moose aren't that tough, and 400 isn't all that far.
^^ Where did you get 400yds? OP stated 40yds.
Actually, he said 400yds. Nobody worries about killing a moose at 40 yds...
One other thing to keep in mind, animals hit in the vitals at long range will seldom run. It has been my experience that when a bullet is placed in the lungs at ranges of less than 100 yards/meters, the animal will run. Maybe not far, sometimes a couple of hundred yards, only to slide under a log or down into a depression. If they aren't bleeding or it is raining hard it can be very difficult to track them. If you're lucky, the ground will be soft enough for tracks especially if there are several animals in the area or the animal has been there for quite awhile.
A decent hit at longer ranges usually confuses the animal rather than frightens them. They will stagger around and eventually lay down to bleed out.
Back to the OP, those bullets should be fine as long as you do your job and your rifle/scope is up to it. Personally I prefer heavier bullets but that's just a personal preference. The new bullet designs are incredible, even compared to the offerings of 10 years ago and they were pretty good then.
A decent hit at longer ranges usually confuses the animal rather than frightens them. They will stagger around and eventually lay down to bleed out.
Back to the OP, those bullets should be fine as long as you do your job and your rifle/scope is up to it. Personally I prefer heavier bullets but that's just a personal preference. The new bullet designs are incredible, even compared to the offerings of 10 years ago and they were pretty good then.
