Moose Bullet Selection

H4831 said:
In my report on the once held Rifleman's Rodeo, I made it clear that the good scores were all made by target shooters, and not by primarily hunters.
By "target shooters," I did not mean those who shot targets from a bench rest. I should have said, "competitive shooters."
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I was not as clear as I intended with my post. I completely agree with encouraging hunters to become the type of competitive shooters you were involved with in the Riflemans Rodeo. And your point is very well made that good competitive shooters are almost always more competent field shots than average hunters. I was trying, however clumsily to state my opinion that shooting from field positions at moving targets is a dying skill with our current crop of shooters/hunters, and there is way too much emphasis on rifle accuracy from the bench. You make the same points, better than me. Nice trophies too!
 
cdn shooter said:
I have had MAJOR bullet failure with the .208 Amax. Shot a two point mule deer with a 300wsm and the 208 @2750fps. Can't remember the exact range now but it was a bit over 300 meters. I shot off a really steady tree limb and the bullet hit perfectly on the center of vitals. The bullet exploded on the hide and didn't even get inside the chest. The two ribs that were directly under the impact spot were turned to dust and the energy transfer was enough to dislocate the front side shoulder. Even though you couldn't get a quicker kill than this, I quit using them. I'm sure if this had been a moose things would have turned out a lot worse.
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The A-max is not a hunting bullet, hornady now has the 208 gr. ELD-X hunting bullet.
 
So they're for shooting at paper matches....Pretty small target, must be why they make em so accurate.

That's why I like coming here, to get all learnd up. :p
 
I haven't found the Amax to be consistent enough to take to a match. Cheap practice bullet yes. Best purpose I've found for them is as a varmint bullet for fast twist guns. 80gr in a 7 twist 22-250 is awesome out to 5, 6, 700 meters. And yes..I knew they were intended as a match bullet before I tried them on deer. I'm still convinced that the 208 would perform quite well on deer sized game at slower speeds. Just don't really have the gun, or the need to try it.
 
OntJim said:
You can never go wrong with Partitions. 180 in the magnum and 165 in the 06.

Jim
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Agreed. Been shooting my.300 Win Mag for nearly 20 years now, mostly it has been 180gr bonded or partition bullets. Tried 200 gr once but found I prefered the flatter shooting 180. Works fine on moose or deer.
 
Moose go down fairly easy. Of the 2 rifles you've mentioned, I'd go with the one that you are most comfortable shooting. Either will do well with a 180 gr bullet. I'd lean toward the 180 AB or a Partition myself. If you really see yourself shooting a moose past 300 out to 500 (not my choice), maybe go with the 300WSM as you will be able to deliver better bullet performance down range. Another point to consider is that the magnum will maybe allow you a greater margin of error on longer shots; something to consider since you are putting out a lot to go on a fly-in hunt and would want to maximize all your factors for success. My moose gun now is a 30-06 hand loaded with either a 180 NP at 2800fps or a 168 TSX at 2900fps.
 
I am in agreement with the statement that most "hunters" should not be attempting shots in the field over much 250 yards.

Bruce made mention of the "Rifleman's Rodeo" that we used to shoot in various locations in BC and Alberta.
This really separated the practiced shooters from the BR and Casual shooter crowd.

As far as trajectory of a "big" 30 is concerned, I have checked my 308 Normas a number of times to verify. If I start the 180 Partition at 3100 fps, the figures go about like this:
100 - +3.0"; 200 - +4.1"; 300 - 0; 400 - -7.5"; 500 - -25" The 180 Accubond or 180 Scirocco II are just a bit flatter.
With a steady rest and a moose as the harvest, I am comfortable with a shot out to 500. Vital area 24"H x 18"W.

The 30-06, starting the 180 at 2800 has a bit more curve in the trajectory, but the shot is still very do-able. Regards, Dave.
 
Pardon my revival here everyone, but this was the closest thread topic I found that relates to a question I wanted to pose to the forum re: bullet construction/weight. The people who replied here have a lot of experience and knowledge and I was hoping to pick some of those brains.

I have drawn a moose tag this year and will heading on a series of hunts in northern Alberta in September and into October if required. The area we are hunting has a healthy moose population and an equally healthy population of black bear, so it will potentially be a mixed bag hunt. Shot opportunities will have a good chance of being 50-100 yards, are likely to be under 150 yards and are very likely to be under 200 yards, considering the particular characteristics of the area we are hunting. Anything beyond 200-250 and I will be moving for a better opportunity as I know my limits.

On previous hunts of this nature, I have carried heavier magnum rifles (ie. 700 BDL 300WM, T3 7MM) and have not been as concerned about bullet selection between mid grade bonded bullets and premium bonded/partition bullets. I have shot those rifles well enough to be comfortable hunting with them and they are options for this hunt. This year, I have finally solved an accuracy issue that was haunting my relationship with my .308 Finnlight 85. I now shoot it better in various field positions than my heavier magnums and want to get it some real use this season. In fact, it is now my most confidently and comfortably shot centre fire rifle, which was what I had hoped it would become ever since I bought it.

The Finnlight really likes Federal Fusion 165 gr and this has become the round I have practiced with mainly, all season at the range. It also likes Federal Trophy Bonded Tip 180gr, but I do not know this round quite as well. I have read countless discussions on bullet construction and the importance of placement is obvious.

My questions are these:

1. For a mixed moose and black bear hunt, are the bonded Fusion 165's a good choice for the relatively close shots I anticipate? Or should I really look at the heavier and more serious retention bullets, be it the 180 gr Trophy Bonded or other 180 gr round I could work with for 3-4 range sessions? I would start working with an Accubond or perhaps something copper if it would be truly more diligent than a more mid grade bonded bullet, but I wanted to check if I am over thinking this.

2. If you end up hitting bone, do those premium bonded/partition bullets outperform a Fusion or Core Lokt style bullet in a meaningful way? I have ruled out original non-bonded jacket and lead construction for this hunt.

3. My rifle seems to prefer 165gr generally over 180 gr, but will shoot some 180 gr rounds well enough to hunt with confidence, albeit not quite as much confidence as the 165gr rounds it likes. Is the additional weight worth leaning towards a 180gr?

Thanks in advance for any input anyone can offer.
 
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I will be using 8 x 57 JS Sellier&Bellot Soft Point which shot like laser beams even thru light branches to targets from my 1944 Russian Capture/Yugoslavia arsenal mauser almost felt like a comic joke it was so easy to shoot compared to all my other rifles which I had out for a shake down selection this year. This is a forever gun for me now

Torn on if this or my SKS for deer, would be using Barnell 7.62x39 SP which seemed to fly well today to.

Mauser for Moose M for Moose

Mauser or SKS for Deer ?
 
NewGuard...

Fusion 165s, IMHO, are an excellent choice for both moose and bear. I seriously doubt any appreciable gains would be made with 180s...save for more recoil. I've read everything I could find on Fusion bullets, and my own experience with them has been stellar. Group tight, and hold together. They're manufactured with a proprietary bonding method by Speer, sister company to Federal. The copper jacket is applied to the lead core through electrolysis, quite literally one molecule at a time (as opposed to an adhesive). Provides a fail safe bond to the core, as well as very consistent thickness of the jacket that's comparable to match grade ammo. One of the best bangs for the buck in ammunition, far as I'm concerned. For heavy, big boned critters like moose, elk and bear, a quality bonded bullet is, IMHO, a minimum requirement. Monolithics...Barnes, Hornady GMX, Federal Trophy Copper, Nosler E-tip...are top of the line, and generally somewhat pricier.

Note: "interlock" style bullets are not bonded; the jacket is crimped about half way along the length of the bullet to the core. Better than "cup and core", but not nearly reliable as bonded.
 
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