Moose loads in a .308 Winchester?

WW cases
Varget
180 grain Nosler Partition or Accubond
CCI-200 primers

308 Win will kill any moose that was ever born.
Placement is the secret of success.
Don’t need a 500 Super Pooper Magnum to kill a moose.
 
Cup and draw bullet unethical?
How many moose has the lowly 30 cal 180 grain core-lokt bullet killed pushed from various oh-ates, ot-sixes over the years?
Shot over 3 dozen moose in my life and guided many other successful hunts so I know a little about the subject.
 
Like everyone else here has more or less said I'd take my best shooting load and use it. My .308 seems to dote on 150 Accubonds and 165 Hornady interlocks all pushed to about 2700fps by Varget. I'd likely grab the accubonds but I've seen both lots of others kill moose too. If the interlock shot better than the accubond I'd probably take it. No flies on a lot of other bullets, its just what I have for .30 cal bullets on hand and have proven accurate in my rifle.
 
Yeah, please use Bonded at a minimum just for the reliability , incase your off a little an strike solid bones.. Accubond, Sciroccos, Woodleighs even in 180gr Would be fine!!

some people do use these thin high flying projectiles on game but i kind of have to wonder just how much game they have taken and if any were under less than ideal scenerios...

165+
 
guntech said:
The cheapest box of factory 150 grain ammunition will easily kill a moose. The heavier bullets will as well. As always you need to hit a vital area.
Click to expand...

Dead Right. Took this bull with the cheapest soft point .308 150s I could buy at the time, Federal Fusion. One and done he staggered and went down, personally I’d chamber whatever my rifle shoots best between 130 and 200 grains for .308 Moose loads- and place it well as Dennis says.

r37bZxq.jpg
 
Brianma65 said:
Yes ,corelok will do the job, quite nicely. The pass through was from a 300 winmag. The moose didn’t move, the third one did the job. The TTSX was still fully intact ,when it was recovered.
Click to expand...

Sounds like your TTSX wasn't a complete pass through, if you managed to recover it?

Lots of people in this province, unfortunately, continue to pour bullets into moose when they don't get an immediate reaction. For example, the proverbial 'bang flop'. However, experience dictates that if a moose was hit solidly in the boiler room on the first shot, it really isn't going anywhere of note. It is, to borrow a phrase, 'dead on its feet' and just doesn't realize it yet. Within a few moments they typically take a few staggering steps, as if on George Street at closing time, and then topple over. This has been my experience with most bullets and moose, including the Barnes monolithics.
 
I've been using the Federal Fusion 165 grain in .308 and have harvested elk, moose and deer with that same bullet. These bullets perform very well for me in all circumstances and at all ranges I've shot them at (up to 500 yards).
 
Both your 308 Win and 280 Rem will work well on moose with "hunting" bullets of 150-180 grains and 140-160 grains respectively, placed properly in the vitals.
Use either or both, but I would recommend the one you shoot best, with the ammunition or load that the rifle prefers.
In 35 years of hunting and guiding moose, I have not had to shoot one past 220 yards. I have used the 30-30, 308, 30-06, 6.5x55, 6.5 Creedmoor, 270, 280, 7mm Rem Mag, 7mm STW, 300 WSM, 300 Win mag, 338 Win Mag, 358 Win and 375 Win, over the years, with a variety of cup and core, and monolithic bullets in handloads and factory ammunition, all with good success.
My Dad, grandfather and great grandfather have guided moose hunters (Cree guides) for a combined total of 135 years, from the Watertons to Terminus Mtn, and used the 30-30 almost exclusively for their back up and own hunting needs. My grandfather even used a 22LR when on the trapline to harvest moose; "tickled them in the ribs" (or as stated above, "let the air out"), sat down rolled a smoke and then walked over in about 15 minutes to find his moose dead after it had wandered off about 50 yards and laid down to expire. Grandma even used slugs in her single shot .410 when out camping. Point is, moose are not overly tough to kill.
Many big bull moose in the rut, when hit in the vitals, do not instantly show any reaction to the shot, or if they do, they may hunch slightly and take a few steps, stand still for a moment, then go down in some dramatic fashion. Best to be prepared for a quick follow up shot, but in many instances it isn't necessary.
My personal favourite hunting bullet is the Nosler AccuBond. It is a top notch on-game performer and has is the most consistently accurate bullet in all the rifles I have used it in to date, and also the easiest to find good loads for. I have taken antelope to bison with it, in factory ammunition and handloads, from the 270 Win up to the 376 Steyr, to date.
 
BlackRam said:
Many big bull moose in the rut, when hit in the vitals, do not instantly show any reaction to the shot, or if they do, they may hunch slightly and take a few steps, stand still for a moment, then go down in some dramatic fashion. Best to be prepared for a quick follow up shot, but in many instances it isn't necessary.
Click to expand...

Yep.
 
Lots of things will work, but if I was loading a .308 specifically for moose, I would load the 165 or 180 Partition... you would not suffer regret after you squeezed the trigger. A moose generally represents a fair amount of expense, planning, time and work... no point in using a lesser bullet... and on moose at .308 velocities, I think the Partition falls right in the sweet spot.
 
I've used standard cup and core 180's ( hornady ) and Nosler 165 partitions in my 308's for quite a few years , they've worked well for me .These loads are general purpose deer , elk and moose . If I were going specifically for Moose , I'd go with a Nosler 180 partition .
 
I have a different opinion than many experienced moose hunters on here. Not to argue, but I boost my confidence when moose hunting by choosing a bullet that I know for sure will penetrate deeply and not break up when hitting big bones and will also expand adequately even when slipped between the ribs. Not always the bullet that gives the "best accuracy" - "best accuracy" is a silly game to play when choosing bullets to kill really big game with. If a bullet can group under 2"/100 yd, it is "good enough" for my moose hunting and I wouldn't choose a Match bullet or ELD bullet that gives groups half that size in preference to a Nosler partition, Grand Slam, Accubond, A Frame, TSX, or Oryx. I've shot a few moose with .308 and regular 180 grain and one with 165 gr. cup and core bullets, and they did work OK, but can't see any good reason to choose a 150 grain bullet in preference. I certainly don't agree that choosing a target bullet is a good idea for hunting moose. Of course moose have been killed with them. But land one in the centre of the humerus / scapula joint and it would stop dead with no more penetration than 2" or so. I've seen that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom