Gun/bullet combo for moose hunting

iron cat said:
Choose any of the popular choices in 180 grains unless you are picking a mono metal then go 150, work the load up and have fun!
There is no perfect bullet out there, but there are many that are more than suitable.
For example, for every person who has said the Hornady SST is a lousy bullet for anything bigger than deer there are five or six that have used it with great success for elk and moose.
Same as bullets like the Bergers.
The only thing to do is stay away from varmint bullets.
For every person that says the Barnes often fail there are hundreds of examples giving one shot kills!
If it works well in your rifle it will kill.
Cat
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Great Advice Cat,
I echo what your saying in terms of other peoples praise and others hate.... more often than not it is the application of the projectile which fails the hunter , reasons that you have mentioned either side of the scale but the bottom line is that most likely the projectile wasnt used as intended.

its a long road the whole understanding projectile and choices for intended game , for newbies it will take a long time to get it, no matter how simple you try and explain it....
to be safe its hard to point people past a 'heavy for cal' cup and core for general, or of course a woodleigh or accubond for the bigger game or higher velocity canons.

im sure the 180gr in a 30-06 would be moose medicine, 170 gr in a 30-30 does it fine :D :p so i hear
 
Realized the last moose I shot with the NEW KING was a few years ago, so it's the NEW KING's turn again. 250gr TTSX seems to flatten everything I shoot it with.

I'll also have my 6.5 Grendel along for the hunt, so if it happens to be in my hand when a moose steps out, I'll send a 129gr LRAB at it. :)
 
Moose are hard to knock down in their tracks without a brain or spine shot but they aren't hard to kill. A good heart/lung shot will usually have them on the ground within a few minutes. However they ARE very large with very large strong bones and you are not always presented with a perfect broadside shot so a cartridge/bullet capable of breaking large bones and deep penetration is an asset.
 
I've used .308 to 300wm 150 to 190 all the same results. My current pill dispenser is a 300wsm with the barrel cut down to 19", also shortened the stock a inch. A nice with load with 165gr at 3000fps, gmx or sst work the same in my gun. Good in the brush, canoe but can still reach out if needed. What the gun likes and shot placement, everything else is scat on the road.
 
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If i hunt moose next year ill bring 3 rifles. For open areas and marshes ill use a 300wm with either 180gr woodlieghs ppsn or tipped trophy bonded bear claws.
For thicker timbered area and smaller cuts ill pack a 458wm throwing 400gr of woodlieghs ppsn and if im paddling up small streams and ponds ill carry my double in 4570 loaded with both 405gr soft point jacketed bullets and 405g flat nose hard cast at 1600fps and 1550fps respectually.
Essentially what i take for bear as well
 
Personally, I like a heavy bullet that would punch a big hole - 338 or 375, but moose are not hard to kill. We've never chased any moose more than a hundred yards. Depending on range, anything from 30-30 or 44 mag up (in the hands of a competent shooter, of course).
 
Over the decades I have shot 10's and 10's of moose.

Calibers/ bullets used were:

7 Rem Mag, 175gn Hornaday Spire point and 175 Barnes FXB
338 Win, 250 Hornaday SP
35 Whelen, 250 Barnes FXB
375 H&H, 270 Barnes X
9.3x66 Sako, 250 Accubond
30-06, 168 TSX, 180 TSX, 200 Accubond.

From these the 30-06 with the 200 gn Accubond @ ~2700 ft/s mv does as well as the others mentioned above, it kills like a medium caliber. I have this in a Finnlight and it weighs ~ 7.5 pounds with a 6x scope ready to go. Portable and easy on the shoulder.
 
Put a new scope on the NEW KING and used up the last couple of 250 GR TTSX ammo I had on hand. I usually keep prepped and primed brass ready, so decided to load the last 2 boxes of the TTSX up. Some gratuitous 350gr Woodleigh also in the pic :)

69695002_2455248344756096_1257246908766748672_n.jpg


Loaded 100 rounds of 6.5 Grendel too, using 129gr LRAB :)
 
Ive taken around 35 moose here over the 46 years ive been hunting up here. 2 with a .45 TC hawken, 5 or 6 with a 30-30 carbine, another 5 or 6 with 300WM, & all the rest with a 30- 06. I always use 165 or 180 nosler partitions except for the 30-30.
 
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