Lever action calibers for moose?

If you like the sound of the 45-70 but don't reload look for a Browning BLR or Marlin 1895M in 450 Marlin. All the power of a hot-loaded 45-70 but available in factory ammunition.
 
Northman999 said:
Back when I was the sporting goods guy at our local Woolco, I sold more win 94's in 30-30 than all other centerfires combined. The vast majority of those were going to moose hunters. I also sold more 150gr 30-30 ammo than all other centerfire ammo combined. Why were they buying the lighter 150gr ammo versus the 170? It was $2 per box cheaper and the moose ended up just as dead. Now, the 30-30 would not be my first choice as a moose rifle, but I personally know people who have used them for decades, and their daddies did before them.

And if it could be done with the 30-30 using the cheapest ammo people could find, it can be done a little more confidently with any of the calibers you listed. None of the calibers you listed will give you excessive meat damage either, if loaded intelligently.
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this sounds good to me
 
lilsurfer said:
Don't count out the .308. It will perform well on moose in the distances you have outlined with 180 grains. Very manageable recoil, and excellent performance and ammo availability. A BLR or Model 88 in .308 might suit you well. Also, as has been mentioned, check out a BLR in .358, 30.06, or 7mm. All of these rifles will set up nicely with a scope. Win 94 in .356 will work, and even 30.30 if you want open sights. Marlin or Winchester will do. You don't need 45.70 or .444, but if they appeal to you than by all means. You have many options so just make sure you like the gun and it fits you well. For the record, my personal choice is the BLR in .308 or .358. Browning is a premium manufacturer and the alloy receiver should not scare you. You can find a steel receiver one if you want.
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Agreed L'lSurfer,......... if it has to be a lever-action, and shots are limited to under 200yds, a well sighted .308Winchester fired from a BLR or 88 will do the job as well, or better, than any other's mentioned. Theres lots of well constructed factory premium bullet choices for the .308Winchester, to deal with Moose. I like the concept of the .358, but except up very close where that extra energy can be realized, the .308 will quickly overtake.
 
.444 is my choice. I love mine.

My brother has a 16" Puma in .44 mag and my .444 Marlin (since it's heavier) has about the same recoil. Very manageable and hard hitting for 150 yards and under.
 
My Marlin GBL 45/70 was perfect for taking a Bull moose on October 21st in the Ontario wilderness. I was using 325gr Hornady LEVERevolution ammo. 3 shots, 3 complete passthroughs of the chest from about 50 yds.

The bull was a 2 1/2 year old of about 700 lbs.

But you don't need a 45/70! Shot placement is always critical, so a 30/30 would work too.
 
fugawi said:
Don't know if they make repros in .303, I'm talking about an original '95. But repros are fine too, especially Miroku made.
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I 'thought' I'd seen one in past but I'm not sure either. I did see an original at a recent local gun show but it was in pretty rough shape. If I do see one in decent condition I'd be ;) seriously tempted:).
 
another vote for the BLR.
I would go with 308 win or 450 Marlin for a compact short action 20".
If you don't mind 24" in long or magnum action, you can't go wrong with 30-06 or 300 win mag.
 
I wonder how many moose have met their demise by a regular 303 bullet out of a $75 ''sporterized'' N01 mk3 with iron sights? almost any centerfire will work if you hold it straight
 
Yep!, any of the rifles mentioned will work if you shoot em in the right spot.
BUT! Which of these rifles that have been mentioned would you enjoy the most?

It always boils down to style preferance.

When you think of hunting moose in your own personal "dream world, mindset", which shoot'in iron is in your hand?

Personally, I set out to try different calibers/rifles every now and then.
It keeps things new and fun. And they "ALL" have worked just fine.
 
Max-4 said:
How hard is it to find these two rounds in the stores today? I am NOT a reloader so I will be relying solely on factory rounds.

Out of the tube fed lever action guns available today which round is easy to find, offers good performance on big game and has at least a few options in bullets weights/types available?
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Any of the medium and big bores would suit your needs nicely.
356 and 375 Win, 444 and 450 Marlin, 45-70. They all work.
I haven't seen ammo on the shelves for the 356 or 375, but I
haven't ever looked for it either :p
Most stores will have for example, 4 boxes 444M, 2 boxes 450M,
and 10-12 of 45-70, it is very popular.

From personal experience, 444Marlin ammo is pretty easy to find.
Remington has a 240 grain offering, makes a great deer round,
maybe a bit light for moose.
Hornady makes a light magnum, a 265 flat point at 2300 fps;
the super performance, a 265 grain flat point at 2325 fps;
and the LeverEvolution, a 265 grain pointy rubber tipped at 2325 fps.
The Remington is usually $42 a box, the leverevolution about $34.
The light magnum might be discontinued, I haven't seen it.
The superperformance is new, it might be on the shelves now.

Marlins in 444 Marlin had microgroove rifling 1 in 38" twist until 1998,
then they went to ballard rifling 1 in 20". The leverevolution ammo is designed to work in the 1-20 twist, many people have found it won't shoot well from the older 1-38. I'm lucky, I've found that mine shoots it well, very well!

I hope I haven't muddied the waters too much, any of the rifles mentioned so far in this thread would work nicely :)
 
Rory McCanuck said:
Any of the medium and big bores would suit your needs nicely.
356 and 375 Win, 444 and 450 Marlin, 45-70. They all work.
I haven't seen ammo on the shelves for the 356 or 375, but I
haven't ever looked for it either :p
Most stores will have for example, 4 boxes 444M, 2 boxes 450M,
and 10-12 of 45-70, it is very popular.

From personal experience, 444Marlin ammo is pretty easy to find.
Remington has a 240 grain offering, makes a great deer round,
maybe a bit light for moose.
Hornady makes a light magnum, a 265 flat point at 2300 fps;
the super performance, a 265 grain flat point at 2325 fps;
and the LeverEvolution, a 265 grain pointy rubber tipped at 2325 fps.
The Remington is usually $42 a box, the leverevolution about $34.
The light magnum might be discontinued, I haven't seen it.
The superperformance is new, it might be on the shelves now.

Marlins in 444 Marlin had microgroove rifling 1 in 38" twist until 1998,
then they went to ballard rifling 1 in 20". The leverevolution ammo is designed to work in the 1-20 twist, many people have found it won't shoot well from the older 1-38. I'm lucky, I've found that mine shoots it well, very well!

I hope I haven't muddied the waters too much, any of the rifles mentioned so far in this thread would work nicely :)
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Good info and thanks for posting:). I have an earlier production Marlin 444S and as I mentioned in a previous post, I've found the performance of handloads using the Hornady 265gr FP on Moose an improvement over the Remington factory ammo. Satisfied with the results using the 265gr FP's I haven't 'tried' the Lever Evolution ammo,;)yet:p. Thanks again for your post.
 
sav mod 99 250 sav 3calves and 1 bull
sav mod 99 300 sav my 12 year old shot 3 year old bull a about 100 yards with fed blue box 180 gr. I took 2 steps
mod 99 308 3bulls 2cows 1 calf

The 308 is what I pack for moose and elk
 
I have both a Browning lever 45/70 and my fave Savage 99C 308. Both are a nice carry but the 45/70 feels better in Grizz country. Nothing says no like a big 45 cal.
 
A number of you have made fond mention of the 99 Savage. With that in mind, here's a picture you may enjoy that I posted some time back, taken in the 30's as far as I know. In 1955 we moved from down town Edmonton to down town Barkerville and the couple in this picture lived down the street from us in Barkerville. Mr. Joe Wendle and his wife Betty. Her 'forte' was to hunt Grizzly using a 99 Savage in 22 High Power which you can see in the photo. In their home, she had four or five hides/capes hanging in the stairwell to the second floor.

MrMrsJoeWendle.jpg
 
Johnn Peterson said:
A number of you have made fond mention of the 99 Savage. With that in mind, here's a picture you may enjoy that I posted some time back, taken in the 30's as far as I know. In 1955 we moved from down town Edmonton to down town Barkerville and the couple in this picture lived down the street from us in Barkerville. Mr. Joe Wendle and his wife Betty. Her 'forte' was to hunt Grizzly using a 99 Savage in 22 High Power which you can see in the photo. In their home, she had four or five hides/capes hanging in the stairwell to the second floor.

MrMrsJoeWendle.jpg
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That's a great picture and story Johnn.
I've been in Barkerville a few times in those years. Was there a street east of the main drag, the one with the church on the end?
I remember seeing a couple living in a house there. Darn near went in to talk, but didn't.
I have no use for Barkerville, now that it is turned in to a park.
 
H4831 said:
That's a great picture and story Johnn.
I've been in Barkerville a few times in those years. Was there a street east of the main drag, the one with the church on the end?
I remember seeing a couple living in a house there. Darn near went in to talk, but didn't.
I have no use for Barkerville, now that it is turned in to a park.
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For the most part the main street ran straight from the South to North as far as the Church. Here it curved a little to the East, then again, ran straight North. Going South from the Church, on the right was a small school house and just past that was the Wendle house.

Further up the street on the left or east side next to the Chinese Masonic hall is the house we rented form relatives and lived in for five months until moving to Wells.

Halversonhouse.jpg


And you're correct, there was a small street to the east behind this house that ran parallel to Williams creek and the main street. And across the street from our house lived a colourful individual, known as 'The Lucky Swede'.

TheLuckySwede.jpg


;)So much for the side trip down memory lane:).
 
Moose hunting is 308 territory but as a younger man i took my 2 first mooses with one of my favorite ( Deerstalker tube fed Ruger 44 mag made in the late 60, i think it is the very first centerfire Ruger made, still keep it preciously in my gun safe ) at the time i was shooting commercial ammo in 240 gr and both moose were taken under 75 metres, peoples tend to forget the 44 mag but i find it to be one of the most potent caliber on the market, sure a lot of bigger calibers but it is still my best gun for deer and bear hunting, i dont use it no more for moose, shot at the lake are usually 2 to 300 metres... JP.
 
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Browning BLR .450

I live in Northern Manitoba in the heart of moose country. I've had a couple 45-70's and currently am selling a Browning BLR .450 on CGN Hunting Exchange.
The .450 shoots the Hornady 325 grain Leverloution very well. The browning BLR is a better rifle all around than the Marlins in my opinion. No offense intended to the Marlin fans but I have owned one.
From what I've observed first hand, the 45-70 / .450 will do less meat damage than the high velocity magnums which have a lot more "shock" value and more trama.
The .450 is not too much rifle but never seems to require a follow up shot or tracking ability when you hit your animal.
Hope this helps

Didn't read all the post first. The newer BLR's arn't steel receivers but I have yet to see one go bad from normal loads including my .450. I noticed you will not be reloading; the .450 Hornady loads are "like" a hand loaded rimless 45/70.
 
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