180 gr SP out of the LE will do the trick. It's all you need.
Moose Hunting Question
- Thread starter Jonny_Cannon
- Start date
180 gr SP out of the LE will do the trick. It's all you need.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
Bingo!! A very good gunsmith the DeerDr and I are friends with will be the first one to tell you that more game has been shot in North America with a 30-30 Winchester than any other cartridge ever designed.
Yes, to the range... NO, to power...
This statement is a common misconception and is an apples to oranges comparison due to the very different natures of how bullets and arrows function... but for the purposes of their effect on the soft tissue of game animals it is incorrect. The above quoted statement is lacking the framework to support it.
The owner of one of the best known outfitters for moose here in Quebec has a very different take on moose hunting. He recommends just about any rifle, even smaller caliber rifles as long as you're getting a minimum of 1500Lb/ft of energy at the distance you plan on hunting. if you're hunting in the bush you probably wont be shooting long distances. Actually most moose are taken at well under 100 feet (something like 80-90%). So most rifles shooting a quality bullet will get the job done as long as you place your shot properly. you don't need a cannon to kill moose most moose stand there and give you time to shoot them a couple of times. If you're flinching because you're afraid of the recoil from your rifle you won't be as quick with follow up shots and your accuracy will suffer. My dad's first bull was shot 3 times at 30 yards with a 270wsm, the damn thing stood there and took all 3 shots all vital hits, lung, heart and liver.
your surplus rifle will get the job done if you use a good bullet. If a single arrow in the lungs takes a moose down so will your rifle.
your surplus rifle will get the job done if you use a good bullet. If a single arrow in the lungs takes a moose down so will your rifle.
YES to the range, AND YES to the power.
That is, if by power you mean energy.
Even at 400fps, you would need to be firing an 8000gr arrow (over a pound) to achieve the same level of energy that the .270 puts forth.
Yes, I know arrows kill much differently than a bullet does, but the fellows comment about the .270 having more "power" than an arrow is still true.
Your SVT is more like a .303 than .308, but the 7.62 x 54R will do nicely either way. Problem is the cost of the mag. When Frontier had 'em, they wanted $100 each for aftermarket mags. Marstar had 'em at $70 each. Most sponsor places show 'em as out of stock anyway.
Your Enfield's cousins have been killing Bullwinkle since just after W.W. I. Putting one of the 'no gunsmithing' scope mounts on temporarily might be an idea, if you have a scope, but I wouldn't feel under-equipped using irons, myself. How well your rifle shoots with commercial hunting ammo matters though. 175's or 180's will do.
Oh, and if you haven't been hauling a heavy rifle around the bush regularly, you won't be able to now if you don't get some exercise. Walk. Preferably in the bush. Mind you, most moose are not still hunted. You get to carry the rifle to a stand, so staying warm and dry for a whole day is more important.
Your Enfield's cousins have been killing Bullwinkle since just after W.W. I. Putting one of the 'no gunsmithing' scope mounts on temporarily might be an idea, if you have a scope, but I wouldn't feel under-equipped using irons, myself. How well your rifle shoots with commercial hunting ammo matters though. 175's or 180's will do.
Oh, and if you haven't been hauling a heavy rifle around the bush regularly, you won't be able to now if you don't get some exercise. Walk. Preferably in the bush. Mind you, most moose are not still hunted. You get to carry the rifle to a stand, so staying warm and dry for a whole day is more important.
maple_leaf_eh
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
My .02 cents to the fray. As I read the first post, your have three rifles. An SKS, a very nice condition No.4 and an SVT. Good collectors pieces each. But in the context of a novice hunter, none are suitable.
As the junior man in a hunting camp, you will probably have duties beyond pulling a trigger. Things like stocking firewood, kitchen cleanup or bull labourer. This is the code of all camps; don't complain, everyone has done it before. I say this so you can know how much energy you'll have during the actual hunt. If you take your full wood No.4 to camp, you might be a little tuckered and stumble against a tree. SCRATCH! Damn! Then after the moose is down, everyone has to lug their body weight in meat out of some jeezly cold swamp bottom. Your rifle suddenly becomes a club that swings on its sling and gets in the way. Another scrape will mystically appear.
My suggestion is to buy a proper hunting rifle that isn't going to become a project all by itself. I know two fellows whose mule deer were just in and just out of the Saskatchewan provincial record book. They shot identical perfectly ordinary Savage .300WM detachable magazine, synthetic stock package guns that came with a sling, boresighted scope and rings. No extra work required except to confirm the zero. A .300WM will fire bigger bullets easily, and the trajectory can be tuned so all you need to do is hold 6" up or down of the desired point of impact. The synthetic stock cleans with a toothbrush and Windex, and you won't wince every time you find a new ding.
(I learned this lesson the hard way with a Remington semi auto in .30-06 that did nothing for me except waste ammunition unpredictably. My hunting rifle for many years has been a plastic stock .300WM with a lifetime guaranteed cheap scope.)
As the junior man in a hunting camp, you will probably have duties beyond pulling a trigger. Things like stocking firewood, kitchen cleanup or bull labourer. This is the code of all camps; don't complain, everyone has done it before. I say this so you can know how much energy you'll have during the actual hunt. If you take your full wood No.4 to camp, you might be a little tuckered and stumble against a tree. SCRATCH! Damn! Then after the moose is down, everyone has to lug their body weight in meat out of some jeezly cold swamp bottom. Your rifle suddenly becomes a club that swings on its sling and gets in the way. Another scrape will mystically appear.
My suggestion is to buy a proper hunting rifle that isn't going to become a project all by itself. I know two fellows whose mule deer were just in and just out of the Saskatchewan provincial record book. They shot identical perfectly ordinary Savage .300WM detachable magazine, synthetic stock package guns that came with a sling, boresighted scope and rings. No extra work required except to confirm the zero. A .300WM will fire bigger bullets easily, and the trajectory can be tuned so all you need to do is hold 6" up or down of the desired point of impact. The synthetic stock cleans with a toothbrush and Windex, and you won't wince every time you find a new ding.
(I learned this lesson the hard way with a Remington semi auto in .30-06 that did nothing for me except waste ammunition unpredictably. My hunting rifle for many years has been a plastic stock .300WM with a lifetime guaranteed cheap scope.)
Hmm everyone is saying to use milsurp guns most don,t have any quality ammo available unless you reload good bullets are the key. also many moose are shot a short range but lots are shot at 300 yd . a cheap 308 rem 700 is still a better bet a average scope is still better than open sights. shot placement is critical a lung busted moose can still run 1/2 mile best to shoot them in a spine related area and drop them in their tracks.I got a huge bull this year only 100yd off the lake shore I could not even lift or drag a 1/4 of it by myself.a lot of the oldtimers did use 303 brit but most threw them in the back of their closets in 1950. they all started to use 99 savages,winchester 70,rem 700 because they facilitated the use of scopes.In bad light conditions irons can become useless
I don't know about that. Shot a white-tail with my grandfathers No. 1 MK.III custom rifle using factory 180 gr Core-Lokt bullet. Granted it was a deer, not a moose, but that deer didn't take a step.
Really??
After shooting 50+ of these large cervids [Most in the lungs, BTW, and with everything from the 6mm Remington up through the 338 Win Mag,] I have never seen a "lung busted" moose go anywhere. Most have expired within 15 meters of where they were shot. One exception made it about 75 yards.
Moose, whether big or small, are relatively easy to kill, and a shot through the lungs lays them low plenty quickly.
Regards, Dave.
Johnn Peterson
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Chemainus B.C.
x2, exactly.
Cheap winchester power points or federal soft points have been effectively used for decades to turn bullwinkles into rump roasts.
This isn't the plains of Africa. These aren't Cape buffalo. These are giant leather bags full of delicious meat, with a couple canoe paddles strapped to the top. Heck, the thing has a heart bigger than the turkey in my roaster right now. If moose were any easier to kill, they'd preheat the oven for you!
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there's a tendency on most gun forums that to take down a moose you need a ridiculously over powered shoulder crushing cannon for moose. You can take one down with a small er caliber rifle if you wanted to(I'm not saying you should use a 22) a lung shot will kill every time even from a .243 you don't have to blow up the shoulder with a .375 and ruin 25 pounds of good meat. my 30-06 deer rifle does the job on everything I've ever shot.
the people who NEED a dedicated moose rifle are the ones who need a reason to justify purchasing an expensive new toy.
the people who NEED a dedicated moose rifle are the ones who need a reason to justify purchasing an expensive new toy.
Go with the SVT you will just have to find some soft points
you mentioned the scope and your first moose trip
.in Ontario I know they hunt moose different than bc .
But if I lined a friend up on a moose that was going to feed the group and he missed I wouldn't be happy .
Dont letyour hunting group down (scope that svt ) and make sure your good to 200-300yards
you mentioned the scope and your first moose trip
.in Ontario I know they hunt moose different than bc .
But if I lined a friend up on a moose that was going to feed the group and he missed I wouldn't be happy .
Dont letyour hunting group down (scope that svt ) and make sure your good to 200-300yards
Absolute hogwash.... and very bad advice.
Lung shot moose (or any animal for that matter) do not travel far... because they CAN'T... without oxygen, muscles cramp quickly and do not function.... death comes quickly... as for CNS shots; they are great when they happen accidentally, but it is foolish to make them your target, as they are small and risky, with a much higher percentage of wounding loss... the safest target is the lungs....
This is not a great shot either. If you shoot just a bit high, and the bullet hits the bony spines that project up from the backbone, it will knock old Bullwinkle down, but don't expect him to stay there. He may well be up in a few seconds, and be legging it out of there....fast!
One third of the way up from the brisket, tucked in as close to the front leg as possible without hitting it....that is a high percentage lung shot that anchors them in short order.
If you are presented an angled away shot, same height, but aim for the opposite shoulder. Angled toward...you either pass on the shot, or shoot through the onside shoulder at the same height to reach the vitals. Some meat loss is a given. [Note: Better be shooting a bullet you trust to break bone and still get in for this shot!]
Regards, Dave.
