Moose Gun

conor_90 said:
Is the 30-06 not just a 30 cal 8x57 ripoff? The Europeans invented most of the good stuff 100 years ago I guess.

I have heard it said that the 8x57 does better than the '06 with 200+ grain bullets. Any of you guys agree/disagree? Wondering how it does compared to a Whelen with 225 grainers...

Would be interesting from a modern zastava or tikka battue.
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I remember reading somewhere that the 1903 SprIngfield rifle was such a close copy of the Mauser that the US had to pay royalties to Germany at one time for that reason.
I have a couple Springfield rifles as well as several Mausers and there are distinct similarities.

As for using a 200 gr. load in the 8X57 I have tried it, shoots well but all my hunting has been done using a 170 or 180 gr. bullet in the 8mm simply because I did not need anything heavier.
In the 8mm / 06 that I have 200 gr. Hornady shoot very well but I have not hunted with them.
The 30-06 case does have more powder capacity than the 8X57..
 
^ I think the theory is the 8mm bullets increased diameter allows the heavier bullets to be shorter allowing for more powder space.
 
conor_90 said:
^ I think the theory is the 8mm bullets increased diameter allows the heavier bullets to be shorter allowing for more powder space.
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Sounds logical to me.
As for comparing the Whelen to the 8X57 I loaded the Whelen with much heavier bullets like the old discontinued 275 gr. 358 bullet and I also have an old Lyman bullet mold that throws a 285 to 290 gr. gas check which is a dandy hunting bullet.
For me, the old Whelen was economical to shoot and easy to load for a young guy 40 + years ago with a slim budget...
 
Planning on getting a new toy that can launch cast bullets with my tax return for that exact reason.

8x57 and 35 whelen make more sense than 30-06 to me because I have an unexplained love for heavy for caliber bullets.
 
conor_90 said:
Planning on getting a new toy that can launch cast bullets with my tax return for that exact reason.

8x57 and 35 whelen make more sense than 30-06 to me because I have an unexplained love for heavy for caliber bullets.
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Ha, we share the same passion for those heavy for caliber bullets.
In spite of having and owning both since my teen years I do confess to having never used a cast load in my 8X57 but not so with the Whelen.
To be honest I have never searched for cast bullets and / or molds for the 8mm although both are probably available.
At one time Lyman made mold blocks for virtually any bore..

Food for thought Conor ......
 
The 8x57 is pretty much on par with the 30-06. I have a couple zastava rifles in 8x57. 180gr @ 2740 fps 195-200gr @ 2550-2600fps and a 220gr @ 2500 fps. That's out of a 22 inch barrel. I've had better results with rifles with a 23.5-24 inch barrels; 195-200gr bullets at 2600-2750fps with older german sporters or Husqvarna's. The 8x57 is my main hunting caliber of choice followed with 9.3x62, 7x64 - 7x57, and 6.5x55.
 
I have a Chiappa 92 carbine (20" bbl) in 44 mag that is as light as a feather to carry and won't kick the shoulder off of me.
Next time I pull a tag in the moose draw it'll be the gun I'll be carrying.
The shots are under 100 yards and the area is swampy so I don't need to be carrying a 9 pound scoped howitzer around.
Still have a picture of my uncle who shot a Maine bull moose with a Winchester 92 in 40-40 way back when.
 
torontogungal said:
I have a Chiappa 92 carbine (20" bbl) in 44 mag that is as light as a feather to carry and won't kick the shoulder off of me.
Next time I pull a tag in the moose draw it'll be the gun I'll be carrying.
The shots are under 100 yards and the area is swampy so I don't need to be carrying a 9 pound scoped howitzer around.
Still have a picture of my uncle who shot a Maine bull moose with a Winchester 92 in 40-40 way back when.
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That should serve you well, my long gone hunting mentor from my first hunting days carried an original 1873 44-40 while I packed an original 1892 Winchester 44-40 for our Whitetail Deer adventures and we filled our tags, never lost a Deer.
 
Kevan said:
That should serve you well, my long gone hunting mentor from my first hunting days carried an original 1873 44-40 while I packed an original 1892 Winchester 44-40 for our Whitetail Deer adventures and we filled our tags, never lost a Deer.
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Yup, the 44 mag is considerably more powerful than the old 44-40.
 
When it comes to moose guns the real question is; what do you want to shoot them with?
I like
350 Rem Mag
9.3x62
338 Win. (farm land)
only because I like big bullets
A 270 Win worked fine for years
 
torontogungal said:
Yup, the 44 mag is considerably more powerful than the old 44-40.
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Actually with appropriate powders and firearms the 44-40 can be loaded a lot hotter and closer to 44 mag velocities than most think.

Greatest weakness of the 44-40 is the thin neck wall of the case when resizing the brass same as the ole 45 Colt it is actually a more powerful capable round than a 44mag even though it is loaded to lower pressures.
 
bat119 said:
When it comes to moose guns the real question is; what do you want to shoot them with?
I like
350 Rem Mag
9.3x62
338 Win. (farm land)
only because I like big bullets
A 270 Win worked fine for years
Click to expand...

My husband prefers his old standbye a Ruger model 77 MKII ALL-WEATHER in 300 Win Mag for moose hunting in the large open cuts of north eastern Ontario.
For close in work in the thick stuff the 30-30, 44 mag and 45-70 leverguns are preferred.
 
As has already been said .... Distance and shot placement make a lot of difference, but I think the large discrepancy in calibre recommendations may also come down to where you hunt. In southern Canada, the moose are smaller and when you get far north you will find the Alaskan strain of moose are larger. My father hunted moose for many decades and he and his hunting partners found that when they had to start hunting further north, suddenly multiple shots were needed .... I'd say keep it .30-06 and anything above. When it came time for me to hunt moose, I trusted their experience and always shot .30-06 or higher and I was happy with the results.
 
Camp Cook said:
Actually with appropriate powders and firearms the 44-40 can be loaded a lot hotter and closer to 44 mag velocities than most think.

Greatest weakness of the 44-40 is the thin neck wall of the case when resizing the brass same as the ole 45 Colt it is actually a more powerful capable round than a 44mag even though it is loaded to lower pressures.
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The 44-40 is technically a bottleneck cartridge though at a cursory glance it looks like a straight wall.
The rough out of the box Rossi rifles would make mincemeat out of the thin 44-40 case necks.
 
torontogungal said:
The 44-40 is technically a bottleneck cartridge though at a cursory glance it looks like a straight wall.
The rough out of the box Rossi rifles would make mincemeat out of the thin 44-40 case necks.
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Having never owned a Rossi I cannot comment on them but I have had several original 1873 and 1892 Winchesters in 44-40 and never an issue either with factory or handloads.
The 44-40 is an excellent round..
 
Kevan said:
Having never owned a Rossi I cannot comment on them but I have had several original 1873 and 1892 Winchesters in 44-40 and never an issue either with factory or handloads.
The 44-40 is an excellent round..
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Once the Rossi 92s were tuned up they would run that 44-40 ammo pretty slick.
The slight bottleneck configuration of the round made for smooth cycling.
 
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