Moose hunting rifle recommendations

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OperatorWill

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Hi all,

I am fairly new to hunting but have a little experience. I plan on going moose hunting and am looking for suggestions for a good rifle and round that will be reliable in northern BC. I have heard the Winchester model 70 in .338 is pretty good.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Moose are fairly easy to kill if you do your part. Whatever you choose you need to be comfortable shooting it. Also depends on what type of flora your hunting in. Lots of cal's with proper bullet selection will do the job. Optics choice, if not using the irons, needs to be considered as well. Never skimp on optics. You don't want to miss that moose of a lifetime or wound the animal because of a poorly placed shot due to a fogged lens, etc.
 
30-30 will do fine. Range is 100 yards or a bit more. That's all they used to use. It was cutting edge stuff. Nowadays the bullets have only gotten better. After that 7-08, 308 30-06 will do too.

I never shot a moose mind you, but have read thousands of these threads ;).
Just learn how to shoot and where/when to shoot and don't get a hard kicking gun that gets you flinching. You don't need a big magnum to do the job, that's for sure.
For my whitetail deer and bear kills out to 250 yards, the 7-08 has been flawless . And I've never flinched a shot with it. Generally one shot in the lungs and wait a few seconds for it to fall over. Oh, and get some practice on small game like gophers. If you can one shot kill a gopher at 75 yards, killing a moose at any sane distance is a much easier shot.

I suggest you find a detachable box mag rifle that fits you and has a nice recoil pad, and weighs 8 lb max scoped.
Go to you local gun store and try them for fit.everyone has their favorite. I like the old browning abolt, preferably the micro. And the remington 7600 carbine. But there are lots of other choices just as good.
 
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OperatorWill said:
Hi all,

I am fairly new to hunting but have a little experience. I plan on going moose hunting and am looking for suggestions for a good rifle and round that will be reliable in northern BC. I have heard the Winchester model 70 in .338 is pretty good.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

A 338 might be a bit brisk in the recoil dept. for a newer shooter/hunter, esp depending on which rifle you choose. Bullet choice is a very important consideration in this conversation as well. Nosler Partitions or TSX or at least heavy C&C will do the job.

Any of the following non-magnum chamberings would be fine for moose. 270, 7x57, 280, 308, 30-06, 8x57, 303Brit. etc etc. If you're not a handloader, the more common ones are the obvious choice with the 30-06 being the best non-magnum for range of ammo choice.
 
OperatorWill said:
Hi all,

I am fairly new to hunting but have a little experience. I plan on going moose hunting and am looking for suggestions for a good rifle and round that will be reliable in northern BC. I have heard the Winchester model 70 in .338 is pretty good.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The new M-70s are excellent rifles and the .338 Winchester is certainly an accomplished big game cartridge, but the most important factor you need to honestly evaluate is your shooting experience. Just because you're a novice moose hunter doesn't mean you're not an accomplished marksman, but if you're not, the .338 is not a platform that will benefit you as a novice rifleman. The fact of the matter is, when folks ask for cartridge recommendations, its frequently because they lack the practical shooting experience to make an informed decision, and have almost no experience with cartridges of more power than a .308. If you have little shooting experience, and if you aren't likely to shoot 500 rounds per year, a cartridge with less enthusiastic recoil might be better suited to you. A .30/06 chambered in a standard weight rifle, might be the right choice, and is almost certainly the most power you should consider . With a good 180 gr bullet, like Nosler's Partition and Accubond, its a flat shooting, hard hitting, accurate cartridge. It still barks and bumps the shoulder when fired, so its better if you could try one out before spending your hard earned money, then finding out its too much of a good thing. Should that be the case, cartridges in the range of 6.5X55 up to the .280 Remington are all viable, but when loaded with bullets of equal weight, its unlikely you could differentiate between a .280 and a .30/06.

This is usually when I suggest that someone getting into the centerfire rifle game take up handloading at the same time. Handloading allows you to make ammunition that is tailored to your needs. If your find that recoil is unmanageable, you can load lighter bullets, and lighter powder charges to improve the rifle's manners, then you can work your way up to the more powerful loads as your tolerance to recoil increases. The handloader can also load ammo tailored to various uses, thereby making his rifle more versatile. You could carry a few rounds, identified by the bullet loaded in them for small game or game birds to supplement the camp larder. If you are a pelt hunter, FMJ bullets reduce pelt damage. Meanwhile full powered heavy for caliber bullets are suitable for the largest game you're ;likely to encounter. Naturally loads with lower velocities and different style of bullets impact differently that your standard hunting ammo, but if you choose a scope reticle that has multiple aiming points, you can correctly hold for your specialty ammo.
 
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I use a ruger 338 win
I've seen more moose taken with a 3006 than anything else.
Buy what you are are comfortable with.
338 does kick a bit but I don't mind, I've let people fire one shot and they swore they would never shoot it again.
I don't let those people shoot my 458 :)
 
OperatorWill said:
Hi all,

I am fairly new to hunting but have a little experience. I plan on going moose hunting and am looking for suggestions for a good rifle and round that will be reliable in northern BC. I have heard the Winchester model 70 in .338 is pretty good.
Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Talk to your shooter friends; explain that you are in the market for a good hunting rifle and try to make arrangements to shoot a half dozen rounds out of their hunting rigs. Don't bother with the big magnums until you can handle something like 30/06 with comfort and confidence. You may find that you really like a short action round like .308, which will also do fine on moose.

And don't rule out the good levers, especially in 45/70.

Asking for advice is a good move but the rifle you choose should fit you well.
 
A model 70 in 338wm is my choice for moose. Works well, and if you do run into a grizz you won't feel like you are holding a BB gun.

And are if you plan on hunting moose in northern BC, you will find grizz. Or they will find you, I should say.
 
You can use a .338 if you want. But it isn't necessary to drop a moose. I've shot them with a .280, .308, .30-06, and 300 mags. All dropped. I would be entirely comfortable shooting a moose with a 6.5 and good bullet (130 gr premium), given decent range and shot presentation (i.e. 200 m and broadside). I've dropped elk with a .260 and 7mm. So moose should fall on those as well. Whatever you choose, you should be able to skillfully shoot whatever you carry and sometimes big magnum calibres don't promote accurate shooting, but that is your call. Some hunters are bear wary so want to carry a cannon up north but again that is your call. I've never had such problems.

My recommendation -- 30-06 with a 165 or 180 grain bullet and never look back.
 
The new M70s are great guns. The .338 is a great cartridge. It might even be a little too great for new hunters.

For the purpose of this thread I'll define new hunter as anyone who wonders if a .338 is good for moose. ;)
 
I agree, the Model 70 in 338 Win Mag is a fantastic rifle/cartridge combination for the experienced rifleman/hunter. Might not be the best choice for the average novice. But recoil is subjective and no two people perceive it in the same manner. Most important is to have a rifle that you are comfortable with and can shoot well from any and all field shooting positions. Practice these until you can keep all of your shots within a 8" pie plate ( within 4" of your point of aim) from these various shooting positions. At whatever range you can no longer do so, this will be beyond your personal effective range. (I realize that the vital zone of a large moose is 12", but a deer is 8", and this will help you determine your effective range with your rifle on all big game). As for a scope, any quality scope in the 2-7/3-9/3.5-10 power range will work for moose. You do not need large objective lenses. Keep your rifle/scope package to under 8 1/2 lbs scoped, loaded and with a sling, as moose hunting can cover miles in rough and boggy terrain.
More moose have been taken in Canada with the 303 British/30-06/30-30 than any other cartridges. Cause they work!
They are big animals, with bulls weighing between 700 and 1800 lbs on the hoof, depending on subspecies and geographic location. But they are not overly tenacious of life and are easily taken at close to moderate ranges (50 to 300 yards).
In 35 years, I have yet to shoot one past 220 yards, and have used the 6.5x55, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270 Win, 270 Wby, 280 Rem, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm STW, 30-30, 308 Win, 30-06, 300 WSM, 300 Win Mag, 338-06, 338 Win Mag, 358 Win and 375 Win. Any decent cup and core bullet will work, but recommend on the Alaksa/Yukon variety a premium bullet such as the Nosler Partition, AccuBond, Swift A-Frame, etc. as there is a lot more bone and tissue to penetrate to reach the vitals.
Best of luck on your upcoming hunting adventure!
 
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