IchBinEinSniper
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brockvegas
This…
moose-bear calibre?
- Thread starter ratherbefishin
- Start date
Black bear really aren't that hard to kill, in my experience. I used to keep a win 94 in the truck as I was asked to eliminate problem bears quite a few times by acreage owners I worked with. I'd just drive over when they spotted it, either track it a little or, more often, just shoot beside the garbage burn drum. 170 gr soft points always worked. - dan
The magnums are not required. Moose and bear are easy to kill. I own the magnums but rarely carry them as my main rigs are either a 270Win or a 35Whelen, both of which do a great job on moose and bear. My bears all fell to an underrated 130 grain from my 270 while a moose dropped from my 6mmRem and a 100 grain softpoint.
Ammo is expensive, but to be fair all ammo is expensive now. I really like the simplicity though, with both my Whelen and 9.3x62 I stick to either the 250@2600 or 286@2400 respectively. That's it, no messing about, those are the recipes and they both work well. The bullets they shoot were mostly designed for them so they perform well to boot.
I think the platform matters more, but we're also spoiled with a selection of good rifles both new and used and barrels nowadays are a consumable as well so you can get into a 9.3 in your preferred action pretty easily.
Do you reload? I do and I’m curious which powder your 9.3 likes.
It doesn't mind CFE223, that powder works awesome for me in .35 Whelen and while I have two boxes of Norma Alaska 285gr in the drawer I've also played with CFE223 and 286gr Partitions.
I live in the NWT, I used to hunt with 300 win mag but changed to 308 because a magnum is simply not needed.
Thunderhog
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- East Kootneys
This!.......
All are fine; if I were younger and still hunting, my choice would be my 9.3 x 62 Husky commercial Mauser; light, accurate, and loads enough power. Ammo is more or less reasonably priced; and easy enough to hand load. Good selection of bullets.
But, what better way to revive a 19 year old thread and create more controversy for the end of 2024 ?
If my math is correct you where shooting the :06 for 7-8 years when this thread was originally posted
Tight Groups.
**added later** I forgot to add my thoughts about the perfect Big Bear Medicine, my vote would be a .378 Weatherby.
Cause well, you know it is a Weatherby and you can allegedly shoot .375Ouch&Ouch aka Holland&Holland
Rob
You can shoot 375 H&H in a 375 Weatherby, but not a 378 Weatherby.
My phat fingers ....
While I have used 300 (Win and WSM) and 338 Magnums on moose and bear (both black and grizzly), I haven't use a 35 magnum on either...but have used my 358 Win. I have played with a friend's 358 Norma Magnum, but haven't shot any game with it.
I agree, a magnum is not required for moose or bear (black or grizzly), but there is something a little more comforting about carrying a larger/more powerful cartridge for grizzly.
The 30-06 is definitely fine for either species (have taken moose with the 30-06), as is the 338-06 (have taken black bear with this) and 35 Whelen (sorry neither species, but did take an elk with a friend's). And I have used the 9.3x62 on moose. It worked just fine.
And the 308, 338 Federal and 358 Win will also work for both moose and bear. (I haven't taken either with the 308 - just deer, but have used the 30-30 on black bear; have taken moose with the 338 Federal, and moose and bear (black, and backed up a friend on a grizzly) with the the 358 Win in my BLR.
The benefit of the faster cartridges, is added energy in close, and flatter trajectories if distance gets further out.
While moose don't really need it, the larger calibers and heavier bullets are preferred on bears, and more so on the larger bodied bears. Smaller calibers work fine on most black bears taken, but many of these are typically smaller (200 lbs or less). A 350-500 lb bear (not as common as many may believe in most areas) really warrants a larger/heavier cartridge/bullet combination.
Most Canadian moose are going to run in the 700 lb class, and the 308/30-06 cased cartridges will work just fine. The larger Alaska/Yukon bull moose will be a much larger specimen, and the 30-06 class and magnums will provide that extra energy that most will feel more comfortable with. The big advantage here is quick, clean kills that prevent those large bulls from making it into the water, muskeg or deep holes where packing them out gets to be a real adventure!
I agree, a magnum is not required for moose or bear (black or grizzly), but there is something a little more comforting about carrying a larger/more powerful cartridge for grizzly.
The 30-06 is definitely fine for either species (have taken moose with the 30-06), as is the 338-06 (have taken black bear with this) and 35 Whelen (sorry neither species, but did take an elk with a friend's). And I have used the 9.3x62 on moose. It worked just fine.
And the 308, 338 Federal and 358 Win will also work for both moose and bear. (I haven't taken either with the 308 - just deer, but have used the 30-30 on black bear; have taken moose with the 338 Federal, and moose and bear (black, and backed up a friend on a grizzly) with the the 358 Win in my BLR.
The benefit of the faster cartridges, is added energy in close, and flatter trajectories if distance gets further out.
While moose don't really need it, the larger calibers and heavier bullets are preferred on bears, and more so on the larger bodied bears. Smaller calibers work fine on most black bears taken, but many of these are typically smaller (200 lbs or less). A 350-500 lb bear (not as common as many may believe in most areas) really warrants a larger/heavier cartridge/bullet combination.
Most Canadian moose are going to run in the 700 lb class, and the 308/30-06 cased cartridges will work just fine. The larger Alaska/Yukon bull moose will be a much larger specimen, and the 30-06 class and magnums will provide that extra energy that most will feel more comfortable with. The big advantage here is quick, clean kills that prevent those large bulls from making it into the water, muskeg or deep holes where packing them out gets to be a real adventure!
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None of the above!
Are you lacking in testosterone?
Magnums are cool till you grow older and realize that beating the snot out of one’s self trying to develop a load and still shooting enough to remain half arsed proficient enough to actually be quasi ethical in the pursuit of a game animal, while affording the cartridge components or factory fodder without needing a second mortgage……..
As much as it pains many of us, what can’t a 30/06 do?
Or maybe even a .308 Win…..
Or if you’re a cool kid one of the larger diameter off spring of their lineage?
