Moose Gun, Give me your thoughts

Esvagt

Esvagt

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Hey Folks,

Interested in getting my first moose gun this spring, I don't come from a big hunting background so I haven't had a lot of experience on that side of things.

I know its a big matter of opinion but I'd like to hear what cartridge you guys are using for moose and thoughts on who's current making the best rifles out there now.
 
I'll let the experts weigh in on cartridges, I personally use a Tikka T3 varmint in.300wm and i find it adequate for where I hunt. Not the cheapest gun, but it has never failed me.

Few features you're going to want to have that supercede what in my opinion are negligible difference in killing power of most modern cartridges.

1- Consider detachable magazines. Not sure where you hunt but where we go I am constantly on and off the quad or in and out of the truck. Loading and unloading a tube magazine (like I have in my lever deer gun) is noisy and takes time. Mags make that easy and be sure to buy a spare.

2- Put some serious consideration into your sights. If you're shooting 200-300yds you should consider a decent optic. Don't buy a beautiful rifle and a bargain bin scope.
Vortex optics is my go to cause they have lifetime warranty, reasonable price.

3- Get a caliber you can find ammo for where you are hunting. If you're heading to the boonies and forget your ammo (it happens. Had a guy 10 hours into the drive realize he didn't have his .450 marlin ammo) you want to know you can find it at the local shop/ Canadian Tire.

Hope this helps man. Remember that a $4,000 set up doesn't mean you'll get a moose.
 
What action are you looking at? (Bolt, semi,lever,pump?) Lots of great rifles in all actions available. If hunting moose in Ontario anything from 270 and up in caliber will be sufficient as well as lots of factory ammunition available if you do not reload.
 
308 Win is plenty....
I've taken the majority of my moose with a 25-06, some with 280, 30-06, 308, 30-30, and one with a 357 Mag, guess it all depends on how far you plan on shooting..
 
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Hard to go wrong with a .30/06 in your choice of quality Bolt action rifles... any of the "7's" will be great... M70, M77, M700.
 
The perennial moose gun thread, I like it, lots of calibers work .270/.308/.30-06/7mm Rem Mag/.300 Win Mag are the pretty standard offerings and ammo is available everywhere. Pick a rifle that you want, and don't skip out on a decent scope like others have said. Moose hunts aren't a yearly thing for most people so you don't want to blow your chance on a nice animal, remember practice makes perfect. Most moose will probably be dropped within 200 yards or less, but if it were me and depending on the terrain across a bog or lake I would want to be able to hit out to 400 yards.

Good Luck!
 
I have had the good luck to take several moose. All have been inside 75 yards, and most at 40 yards or maybe a little less.
One of my choices, a 1x-4x(Leupold) scope has proven to be just about ideal. So glad I didn't go to the 3x-9x route espoused by so many.
I feel that even a 200 yard shot with 4x would be quite doable.
 
You will get lots of different answers, because lots of different cartridges will do just fine. I would hunt moose with any common round of 6.5 or bigger, some will have range limitations but that is true of the guys who shoot the guns as well. I have friends who have killed several moose with .243 Win, but I feel that is too small for the level of confidence I want when I pull the trigger. My personal choice is a .300 WM and 200 grain bullets. My advice to a new moose hunter is similar to Shoota's list above (.270/.308/.30-06/7mm Rem Mag/.300 Win Mag are the pretty standard.) ANY of those, and several he didn't mention, is perfectly adequate.
 
The farthest moose we have shot is 200ish yards. Majority within probably 75 also. My wife shot hers at about 25. Try some friends rifles, lots of great suggestions above. 7mm-08 and 25-06 are dandys too. Just dont get something that is uncomfortable to shoot (read as shoot lots and get proficient with) and dont let some moron tell you real men shoot moose with atleast a large magnum... without a recoil pad... naked... in the winter... lol shot placement and bullet selection are more important. Dont cheap out on boooolits.
rule of thumb I have always used is spend atleast as much on the scope as on the rifle first time around. Excellent chance you will sell the rifle at some point, more likely to keep the scope usually.
As for best rifles? Find one you like the feel of, comes to your shoulder well, and fits your budget. I will always reccomend Tikka/Sako for a decent price especially used, lightweight, smooth actions, and very accurate. Their stainless holds up well against rust more so than some others. Sauer, Mauser, Bergara all make more affordable models now too that seem fairly nice. Just get something that makes you want to go pull it out of the safe and look at it all the time!
Let us know how it goes. Probably even some fellers on here that might live near you willing to let you try some guns. Best of luck!
 
If you like leaver guns there us lots of options that route as well. Lots of the guy I hunt with have taken moose with everything from a 30-30 to 45-70 . Like stated in the other posts it all depends on the distance your shooting and how heavy the brush is your hunting in.
 
hoytcanon said:
Hard to go wrong with a .30/06 in your choice of quality Bolt action rifles... any of the "7's" will be great... M70, M77, M700.
Click to expand...

As much as I dislike the .30-06, this is always the right answer. And I’ll add Tikka to the already mentioned models.
 
Pick a rifle that fits you.....

In a cartridge you can afford to shoot and can handle the recoil

6.5x55 7-08, 308 30-06 etc:

Purchase the best scope you can afford a quality 3x9 is a better choice in most applications then a cheaper higher magnification scope

Sight it in off a good rest so your confident it shoots to point of aim.

Then shoot it as much as possible offhand ,sitting kneeling etc:
 
Don't over think it too much (unless that is part of the process you enjoy!) Much more important that you are comfortable and confident with your rifle and shooting abilities than what the actual rifle and cartridge are. Buy a rifle that you like. You can't go wrong with 30-06. 7x57 and .308 have been my main go to cartridges, though I have used .270, 7mag and .303sav.

In my opinion (backed by experience), you don't need a fancy bullet unless you shooting 2800-3000 plus. I have shot 4 moose with 150gn .308 Speer Hotcors, and the couple bullets I have recovered were picture perfect mushrooms. Also shot 4 moose with 160gn .284 Speer deep curls, these performed great as well.
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30-06 with a 165gr Nosler Accubond (@ 2870fps). Or my 270 with either a 150 Nosler Partition (@ 2950 fps) or a 140gr Nosler Accubond (@ 3100 fps). I handload all my ammo so it's all nicely tuned to my rifles and MV's are great. Moose aren't hard to drop. Any good bullet in the boiler works will drop one. I once thought I wanted a magnum for moose hunting but I don't believe they are necessary to kill a moose. My -06 I is plenty of gun. But a 7-08, 308, 280 and the ones I mention above will get the job done. Personally, I like the more premium bullets. If you're going to use 'conventional' cup and core bullets, I'd recommend a heavy for calibre bullet like a 180 gr/30-06, 150gr/270, etc.

I'd say a Tikka will give you the best bang for your buck. But a Browning x-bolt is also pretty good. I have a Win XPR in 65CM (wouldn't hesitate to use it for moose either with the right load/bullet combo - Swedes have used a 6.5 on moose for decades) and it shoots quite well but I also bedded it as DIY. But for the money it is honestly the most accurate shooter I have.
 
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If I was going to buy a new moose gun, I'd want something with lots of velocity, with a selection of proper bullets that wouldn't shatter at close range, and something without silly recoil (no magnum calibres, not necessary). I'd want commonly-found ammo.

I bought a .270 last fall for those reasons.

When I went moose hunting two years ago, I borrowed my brother-in-law's 7mm magnum, and it did not work well. Bullet shattered at the 30ish yard range we fired at. I wish I'd had my .30-30 instead. But most guys won't be lucky enough to get a smasher that close.
 
Choose a caliber that is cheap to shoot and that is
easy to source.Buy a lot of ammo and buy often.
Practice , become deadly with it. Practice field shooting positions . That's my advice.
 
I can’t add much to what’s already been said, but I can offer another vote of confidence in the .30-06 or an arrow, but I’d bring up the .270 in the same breath. My advice stemming from guiding moose hunts is don’t over-gun as a new hunter. .300 Mag should probably be avoided, as great a round as it is, even .30-06 is plenty for a newer hunter. As alluded above my recommendation would be a .270 Winchester, WhyNot? on here has opined he’s seen more moose drop on the spot to the .270 than any other round. And I’d wager he’s in the top few guys here for how many moose he’s guided and hunted.

My personal moose have been taken with 7x57, .308 Win, .375 H&H and have guided others from .270 up. All were equal inside 200 yards, the .270 and 7x57 being my favourite. Keep it light and shootable is this outfitter’s advice.

Couple “small cartridge” bulls, first a 160gr 7x57, second a 150gr .308, both dropped on the spot.

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Like most here I've used different cartridges and bullet weights on multiple moose, last one was taken with a 300 Win mag with a 165gr ttsx,

Moose don't always play by the rules and though they pile up pretty easy when well hit they sure can cover some ground when they're not and the ground they cover can be pretty tough to follow them up in... recovery can be a #####. Hitting a twig between you and Mr moose could turn into a fiasco pretty quick so be sure of your shot. ( I've seen them come to life again and get up and run off streaming blood between the spine and hump when you're sure you put it tight behind his front leg and through the lungs). You don't need a howitzer for moose.

These days a 30-06 or 300 magnum with 180 Woodleigh weldcore's is what I'm most likely to use.
 
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