Moose Gun, Give me your thoughts

A lot of great advice given. Been hunting and eating my own harvested moose for over 35 years. And I have harvested moose with most of the cartridges listed above and below.
As for the species described above, size does very dependent upon location of hunt.
Most moose, regardless of species, are harvested at less than 200 yards.
They are not bullet proof. The larger moose in the rut, caked in mud from wallowing is where premium bullets perform better, but for most, any regular cup and core bullet will do just fine. As always, proper bullet placement is key!
Find a rifle that fits you well, in a cartridge you are comfortable with, with the given recoil. Find a quality scope of medium power range. The better the glass, the better you will see your target under low light conditions.

Any cartridge from 6.5mm (.264") to .375" with a decent bullet type weighing anywhere from 140 to 270 grains, placed in the vitals will cleanly harvest a moose at any reasonable range you are capable of keeping all of your shots within a 12" circle (therefore a 6" group with your sights or scope centered on the target). Most cartridges based on the 308 or 30-06 case will work just fine with common bullet weights;
- 260 Rem/7mm-08 Rem/308 Win/338 Federal/358 Win with 140/140-154/150-180/180-210/200 grain bullets, or
- 270 Win/280 Rem/30-06/338-06/35 Whelen with 140-150/140-160/150-180/180-225/200-250 grain bullets.

Other great cartridges:
6.5 Creedmoor/6.5x55, 7x57, 30-30, 300 Savage, 307 Win, 303 British, 8x57, 348 Win, 356 Win, 9.3x62, 375 Win and many other within these similar performance levels.

The magnums work well too and provide extended range to the same calibers, IF you are comfortable with the recoil;
6.5 Rem Mag, 264 Win Mag, various 270 magnums, various 7mm magnums, various 300 magnums, various 8mm magnums (incl 325 WSM), various 338 magnums, various 35 caliber magnums, larger 9.3 cartridges and the various 375 magnums.
These just are not recommended for new shooters or new hunters as noted above.
 
Have taken plenty moose with anything from .308 up to .375 H&H.
All of them were "Newfie" moose.
Most often with .30-06 165 gr.

Learned a long time ago that antlers are not good plate fare.
Usually go for a young bull, most at less than 100 yds.

Rannges can be long but I have seen too many people shoot at them at ranges over 500 yds with little skills, abilities and equipment able to successfully pull it off and watching the game limp off wounded.
Preference is always 100 yds g/t. They are not that hard to get close to.

.308 / .30-06 is plenty, magnums create more meat damage.
 
Ardent said:
There’s a whole other level of weather to be found, having hunted both our beautiful backyards. If it isn’t rubber it won’t work here, but the Kuiu / Sitka / various wonder gear is the best clothing shell I’ve found for the north coast rainforest and rocks.

People get confused when I say that Kuiu / Sitka rain gear makes great clothes and think it’s a slight, but it’s a compliment they’re fantastic as a quite water resistant layer under your rubber shell. You can get around camp in it comfortable and wear it in your tent, leave the frog suit that smells like hockey gear outside.
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For the real heavy west coast rain/sleet/snow days I've used Tiaga Works clothing for over 15 years...triple layer Gore Tex and breathable...but it doesn't come in Camo, all black seems to work just fine though...:)

Canadian made too! IMHO, worth giving it a look https://taigaworks.com/
 
Our moose group have taken moose with 300 WM ,300WSM ,308, and 30-06. Now that were all getting older, myself I'm going from a 300 WSM to a 7-08 just for less recoil, with I'm sure the same result in the end
 
hawk-i said:
For the real heavy west coast rain/sleet/snow days I've used Tiaga Works clothing for over 15 years...triple layer Gore Tex and breathable...but it doesn't come in Camo, all black seems to work just fine though...:)

Canadian made too! IMHO, worth giving it a look https://taigaworks.com/
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My waders are meant for compete immersion, 5 layer goretex and they still saturated through during the hunts. It’s just a matter of time and abuse. The Kuiu Yukon rain suit goes a few days before it soaks through too. The biggest problem for us is when you start climbing the brush and devils club slopes and abrade Goretex, it gives up in the flex areas; knees and elbows are the first places you get wet. The devil’s club needles also go straight through it, which I’m sure isn’t helpful. Then it comes through the stiched seams.

This is member nmo soaked through in a $600 jacket, followed by a couple of cold wet places, and a good example of camo at work on one of my guys on a personal hunt in Northwestern BC. I’m just as happy to hunt in solid colours and for moose wouldn’t argue there’s a difference, but it’s certainly not a handicap or poser red flag, just another tool.

I’ve gravitated lighter on the outer wear, like the Yukon suit, covered by Grundens at sea level or Helly Hansen Impertec (for weight savings) at altitude. If it’s not a deluge you can get around very comfortably in the Kuiu, it just needs breaks in the rain from time to time. It’s really well planned for venting and pockets, and reinforcements, and overall makes long backpack hunts more comfortable and lighter.

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Dogleg said:
It ain’t the camo, its the rain gear they printed it on. :) Even then, its a situational thing. Where I live you can hunt moose in a Santa Claus suit and be successful and comfortable. At least as comfortable as someone in a Santa Claus is likely to get. ;)

That changes on the left coast. Those guys aren’t striving for dry and comfortable; they will settle for that happy state they call “Not dead”. “Not dead” is claimed to be better than the alternative, but some dispute that. You can simulate it by standing outside barefoot in a wash tub full of icecubes in the winter while your wife alternately shovels snow in your face; soaks you down with a garden hose and hits you with a barbed wrapped stick. If you don’t have a wife maybe you can get someone else's to do it for a few bucks? ;)
Anyway, there is a lot of variation in conditions. Where I live 13 inches isn’t that far out of normal; go to Kittimat and 13 feet is a dry year.

For the OP:

I want to say .300 because its always a great cartridge. Trouble is, its a bit much for most new shooters. Most of my moose met their maker from a 7mm of one description or another. Moose are big pussies; bust them through the slats with just about anything and you’re going to using your knife pretty soon. The only rodeos I ever had or saw were with copper bullets.

I’ve only shot one moose over 400 yards, that happened to be the last one. The rest were under 200 more or less. You
could do worse than a 30-06 with something ordinary like 180 Blue box, Corelocks or Hornady Interlocks. You know all those makers of factory ammo? They aren't as dumb as they look.;)
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id love to hear about those rodeos with copper bullets......
 
Lots of good advice in this thread. Get a rifle that fits, acceptable recoil and practise, practise. depending where you hunt you'll probably find most of your shots at ranges much shorter than you imagine (< 125 yrds) ... esp during calling season. Ranges get a little longer out west here during the November hunt. I've used '06, 45-70, 338 WM and 375 H&H. What do I keep coming back to over the last 10 yrs? Nice little 7mm-08 with a 140 gr Accubond loaded to 2850 fps. Good bullet into the engine room or into the spine through the hump - works every time!
 
In my Moose hunting Party, here are the Rifles used:
1. Two 7mm mag. bolt actions
2. Two .338 ( one Bolt action & one Browning Semi-Auto)
3. Two .270's bolt actions
4. One 30.06 bolt action
5. One 45-70 Marlin lever action
All of us have bagged Moose, Deer, and Black Bear. Accuracy has always been the Deadliest Ingredient. Not the cal or Make of the gun.
Good luck, and for the record, we have purchased multiple cal rifles in the past, and each have the rifle that fits us the best.
 
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I can’t add much to what’s been said but I can tell you where I would start too do it all again.

Rifle choices for myself would be either a tikka t3 or Winchester model 70 featherweight

I like slim trim stocks, I find both the t3 and featherweight are slim and comfy even in my big mitts.

The t3 you can have in just about any variation you like as far as blued walnut stainless synthetic or a mix of whatever you prefer. T3 is a detachable mag that is very handy.

The featherweight is walnut blued or stainless and has a floor plate, still handy to unload not as quick to load. The benefit is there’s no mag to drop loose or leave behind

Only you can decide if you want the simplicity of a floor plate or the convenience of a mag.....

If memory serves me correct these rifles both sport 22” barrels in non magnum calibers. For me a 22” is the sweet spot to be handy in the bush and balance without sacrificing velocity and adding muzzle flash from shorter lengths.

Rings and bases my pick would be tally lightweights or Leupold duel dovetails. Had plenty of both and no grief from either.

Optics for myself would be a tried and true Leupold vx3 or equivalent 2.5x8x36 duplex. Pass on all the fancy dials and illuminated gizmos, they have there niche and you’ll find it in time.

All my hunting rifles have a quality sling as well, something too think about when you got your wallet out.

Now the fun part, I can’t take credit for this statement but there’s a lot of truth in it. Bullets matter more then headstamps do!

Lots of good options listed above, just about anything will work and work well.

I would look for something with availability, moderate recoil, good ballistics and a huge range of factory offerings.

To me that’s a tried and true 3006. It’s what everything else is judged upon for good reason. There’s some with longer legs that stretch out better there’s smaller that recoil less.

A quality 150gr bullet in a 06 will have all the reach you want.

A 200 or 220gr bullet will penetrate all you would ever need and maybe a little more.

Myself I like a good 165-180 class bullet as an all around balance.

Factory cup and core bullets and cheap and plentiful for busting rocks shooting paper plates and all around practice.

Too much snort in a 3006? Factory reduced loads are available and plentiful.

Hunting season rolls around and you practiced with cheap stuff all summer and want a little more peace of mind (a cup and core bullet like a core lokt or hornady interlock is nothing to sneeze at either) premium options are very plentiful. You can have just about any bullet your heart desires in a 3006 factory offering.


Everyone has there favourite but when talking about any member of the deer family and majority of all other big game hunting a quality well set up 3006 that your proficient with is never the wrong answer.
 
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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I was in your exact shoes 12 years or so ago. Here's what I ended up doing. I wanted a 300 win mag, but had never really shot that much, so I went on trade Ex Canada (sponsor here) and got an M96 swedish mauser in 30-06. Plenty of factory ammo available in a very diverse bullet selection: I currently shoot Remington Core-lokt 180psp's, but I wanted to try Federal Nosler Partition 180gr's this year. I put the best glass I could afford at the time on it: 3-9x40mm Nikon Prostaff (with a new house and new kids...budget was tight).

Shot it as much as I could. I learned a lot as far as rifles goes too along the way, upgraded the trigger (with a timney, makes a huge difference!), bedded the stock, refinished the stock to my liking, etc.

I have shot many mooses with that rifle. Love it to death and I hope my kid will eventually use it when he joins us. Just got a new scope and I was debating putting it on the M96. But I find myself switching with my father in law more and more to go at his stand where he oversees a good part of the nearby lake. And there are possibilities of taking slightly longer shots. So I decided to order a 300 win mag and put that new scope on it. Now that I'm more used to recoil, etc, I think in the end, it was a smart move.

If you're just picking up hunting, expenses are going to add up real quick apart from the rifle. Range pass, hunting clothes, tags, extra ammo to practice, salt licks, etc, etc.

Cheers and happy hunting!

David
 
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