Moose Gun, Give me your thoughts

BwanaDave said:
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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Yep, shoot 'til they drop.
 
lledwod said:
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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Perfect pics.
Two classic rifles with open sights to boot. What caliber is the savage and do you handload it for moose hunting?
Do you favor open sights and why?
BB
 
nowarningshot said:
Where you hunt, are.there alpha predators, that would dispute.ownership of the moose? If not any of 40 calibers, able to throw 150 gr or better. If yes, something with magnum in the headstamp.
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This consideration will lose more moose for people than the Grizz do in reality. We operate where there's more grizzlies per square km than anywhere else in Canada (can see 15 in a bad (good?) day), and I personally hunt with .270s, .308, and 7x57. Guys over-gunning figuring they'll have to stop a grizzly is one of the biggest causes of poor shooting we see.

The rules are pretty simple, get the animal cleaned right after its shot, and don't go back to the gut pile. The problems start when guys take forever to field dress the animal, do it close to camp, and then hang it in camp and spend a week continuing to hunt. Get it cleaned, and get it out, and a bigger rifle doesn't help in any of that frankly. I don't think bigger rifles are "silly", I carry a .375 H&H myself for work when I feel the need for a rifle. It does border on silly however when a guy packs a .416 Rigby on a moose hunt with Grizz as the reason, as frankly a .30-06 drops them just as fast in 90% of shots. Bears, even the biggest, just aren't that hard to kill as they're not built like African game. Usually, excluding the Doglegs of this world, the guys shoot the -06 a lot better too and it's actually more effective than the .416 in actual field use.

My small change :)

MhKWL7i.jpg
 
I have had the privilege of living most of my life in great moose areas.
I have shot a trainload of the big cervids, over half of them with the 30-06.

Also have killed them with: 6mm Remington, 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 264 Win Mag
7-08, 7x57, 270 Win, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Savage, 308 Win, 303 British, 308 Norma Mag,
300 Win Mag, 300 H&H, 8x57, 35 Whelen.[ probably missed one or two]
Moose are relatively easy to put on the ground IF....the shot is placed properly.

My recommendation follows what many have already stated. one of the 7mms, or a
30 cal with tolerable recoil. For the average hunter, that means the 30-06. Dave.
 
Being in Newfoundland, you might want to look strongly at a stainless steel rifle... I took an excellent shape 1983 M70 there and the frequent rain falling and dew on the tucks, alders and firs was always getting on the gun. Being tall and strong I still wished my rifle was a bit lighter and shorter... it was always getting caught or rubbing on brush: shorter guys would have it easier with the brush but walking all the time does cause one to carry just the necessities. I loved it, and only one shot frontal about 100y was necessary with that 30-06. Aside from practice, there are lots of adequate choices but non compensate for poor shots.
 
30-06 in a Thompson Pro Hunter.Single shot for the true sportsman and no worries of it being banned!!! Had to say that given the political climate. Seriously I would go 30-06!
 
TheCoachZed said:
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.
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I'm not sure that had anything to do with it being a magnum. A suicide buck came up from behind my sit to the left of me this past winter and I took him from maybe 12 yards with a 25-06 loaded with hornady whitetail. When I skinned it the exit wound was more than a dozen small holes. Clearly the bullet exploded on impact. I've been using the same ammo for 6 years and taken over a dozen deer in that time and never had that happen. The only difference was distance. Maybe the projectile was moving too fast at impact?
 
Esvagt said:
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.
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If you are hunting in the open in NFLD, I would look at a Tikka T3X in .30-06, or .300WM if you don't mind some recoil. Ive shot bulls there with .308 and .338WM's.
 
Ardent said:
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.
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Very good post with advice for a new shooter.
 
awww someting big fat an slow seems to feel moosey, in close enough quaters to be able to call it hunting? (358/444/35 wLn . nostalgia
but if just shootin moose, probly 338 medicine, sounds perfect from an aussies point of view, 338 Win mag
 
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