Moose
- Thread starter dinisarruda
- Start date
Suka
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Boy, have you opened a can of worms. Everyone will post with whatever they happen to own.
For my 2cents, I'd say a 30-06 is a good calibre. 110-150gr Hornady for deer, 220gr nosler partitions or hawks for moose under 150yds. Don't think the moose is gonna drop on the first shot. It won't unless you're patient or shoot it in the shoulder.
Anything from a .270 to a .416 will work. If elk and a scope may also be in your future I'd suggest either a 30-06, or 300wm as "one rifle".
For my 2cents, I'd say a 30-06 is a good calibre. 110-150gr Hornady for deer, 220gr nosler partitions or hawks for moose under 150yds. Don't think the moose is gonna drop on the first shot. It won't unless you're patient or shoot it in the shoulder.
Anything from a .270 to a .416 will work. If elk and a scope may also be in your future I'd suggest either a 30-06, or 300wm as "one rifle".
GameStalker30-06
CGN Regular
- Location
- Newfoundland
I mentioned in another post, I just picked up a rem. 700 BDL Stainless with synthetic stock in .30-06 and added a bushnell elite 3200 4-12x40. Get a box of remington core-lokt 180gr and away you go with mr. bull, and try a 150gr for mr. buck if you like. Great rifle, all weather, not too expensive. I had a 700 sps stainless and compared to the overall finish, the BDL far exceeds it..
Billy
Billy
30-06 offers a wide variety of bullet options, so does .300 WM, WSM, etc. These will work just fine and rifle manufacturers all make them. Go try on a few and decide what particular rifle fits you best and then get one chambered for the caliber you choose.
MuleyMadness
Regular
- Location
- Kamloops, BC
Myself if I wanted a one gun fits all solution would buy a .300wsm and load it with 165gr Barnes TSX...plenty of power for moose, while not being overly damaging on deer, and I don't own one either. It's a great all around rifle that will get the job done no matter what without having to sacrifice flat shooting ability or having to mess around with different bullet weights. You certainly don't need any 220gr anything for moose hunting, and the lighter bullet weight with barnes construction will allow you to make clean kills much further out then shooting oversized bullets in a 30/06.
Hi, dinisarruda. What's your budget? You want a new rifle or used? A brand new Savage .30-06 or .308 rifle(either cartridge will do nicely. Ammo for both is everywhere too) runs at $441.21 with a low end scope. Savage rifles are excellent rifles. Their package scopes are low end, but serviceable.
Used prices are all over the map. Depends on the rifle. Buying used isn't a bad thing though. It's not like buying a used vehicle. Takes a lot of abuse to damage a modern hunting rifle. Don't buy any magnum. Ammo's expensive and you don't need a magnum for Bullwinkle or Bambi. Hard on the shoulder too. Don't buy a rifle chambered in a brand new cartridge. New cartridges take time to get to small places. Nothing worse than getting off on a hunt only to find you left your ammo on the kitchen table and not be able to buy a box in a local Crappy Tire. Applies to handloads too.
In any case, decide how much money you want to spend first.
"...certainly don't need any 220gr anything..." You don't need high priced premium bullets either.
"...Don't think the moose is gonna drop on the first shot..." A bubba'd Lee-Enfield with a 175 grain hunting bullet will do that with no fuss, if the shot is placed properly. So will a .270.
Used prices are all over the map. Depends on the rifle. Buying used isn't a bad thing though. It's not like buying a used vehicle. Takes a lot of abuse to damage a modern hunting rifle. Don't buy any magnum. Ammo's expensive and you don't need a magnum for Bullwinkle or Bambi. Hard on the shoulder too. Don't buy a rifle chambered in a brand new cartridge. New cartridges take time to get to small places. Nothing worse than getting off on a hunt only to find you left your ammo on the kitchen table and not be able to buy a box in a local Crappy Tire. Applies to handloads too.
In any case, decide how much money you want to spend first.
"...certainly don't need any 220gr anything..." You don't need high priced premium bullets either.
"...Don't think the moose is gonna drop on the first shot..." A bubba'd Lee-Enfield with a 175 grain hunting bullet will do that with no fuss, if the shot is placed properly. So will a .270.
- Location
- British Canuckistan
best bang for buck would be a Marlin XL7 in 30.06 or a XS7 in .308. 
shortaction
CGN Regular
- Location
- Manitoulin Island, Ontario
I would say a 270win, 7mm Rem Mag, 308win, 30-06 or 300win mag.
With the 308win or 30-06 being the most reasonable of those.
With the 308win or 30-06 being the most reasonable of those.
Applefarmer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Lime Stone City
30-30 and up, place your shot well.
The most popular approach is a .30-06 bolt gun with a 3x9 40mm scope. Use 180 grain bullets for everything (no need for fancy ammo) and get good at shooting and knowing where to aim on game. Pick whatever your budget will allow, fancy's your eye and whatever feels good in the hand & shoulder. In general the more you pay, the more you get( most of the time).
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
I love when a guy comes on here asking about a new rifle, and everyone suggests he buys the cheapest rifles on the market...
IMHO you should buy the best you can afford, and use it as often as you can. Reliability trumps all else, and it is difficult to achieve reliability with marginal quality. If you have difficulty justifying the cost of a new rifle, look for older, quality used rifles in good condition. Upgrades can be made to your rifle over time once you have it, if the quality of the rifle justifies those upgrades.
Most of the suggestions are for bolt guns with scopes, and that also is my preference, but what is yours? Do you prefer a lever action, a pump, a falling block single shot, or a gas gun? Some cartridges are not available or suitable in some actions, while other actions can handle almost anything. Do you want a scope or is your preference some sort of irons? Will the rifle have a sling and if so will it be a shooting sling or a simple carry strap?
Often the features available for the rifle are more important than the cartridge it is chambered for. If you will be hunting in difficult country, is the weight of the rifle a concern, or are you tough and athletic and pretty much unaffected by any weight up to 10 pounds or so? You haven't indicated what part of the country you will be hunting in, but if it tends to be wet in your location you might find a rifle with a synthetic stock is superior to one with a wood stock. A good wood stock is more expensive than a good synthetic, but I would stay clear of what are referred to as tupperware stocks, these are the inexpensive plastic models that are often sold in sporting goods stores at very low prices. Much is made of stainless rifles for use in wet conditions, but in truth all rifles need to be properly maintained. An abused stainless rifle will not stand up as well as a chrome-moly rifle that is cared for.
With respect to the cartridge, there are some questions you need to consider. Will you handload? Some factory rifle ammunition is horribly expensive, and if limited to this stuff you maybe unwilling to make the investment that is requires to attain good marksmanship skills. Do you have enough shooting experience to handle heavy recoil. If not, anything that ends in the word Magnum, Ultra, or Express is best avoided. What is the longest shot you intend to take on game? Does the trajectory of the cartridge you want make such a shot possible, and does the bullet have enough retained velocity at that range to provide a reasonable expectation of a one shot kill?
To sum all this up, pick a quality rifle within your price range that turns your crank. Don't give up all you want to satisfy what you need, but don't give up what you need to satisfy what you want. Choose a cartridge that reflects the type of hunting and shooting you will do. Make sure the rifle is reliable before taking it afield. Shoot enough under field conditions that you understand what you can and cannot do on demand with that rifle. If you do not handload, consider it. While the initial set up cost can be intimidating, you can make better ammo that is more affordable than is possible with factory ammo; this translates into more shooting with more rewarding results which in turn leaves you wanting to shoot more.
I think you just summed up every "what caliber should I be using" thread that I have ever read.
Mr. Newbie. Please complete your registration so that your city or province shows up under your avtar. A moose in Saint John, New Brunwick is a far cry from one in Smithers, B.C. Likewise, a whitetail deer in Fort Francis, Ontario is different than a pronghorn in Calgary.
Neither moose nor deer arre hard to kill. All they need is a decnt hunting bullet through the boiler room. In the case of deer, they are small athough the lighter bullets are specacular killers, they tend to destroy meat. I have been using the heavy, moose bullets on deer. They are just as dead and don't cost me 10 pounds of hamburger.
I suggest a bolt action rifle with a 2-7 scope. Mine sits on 2X most of the time, since where I hunt the bush is thick and shots seldom exceed 50 yards and most are more like 25.
As for caliber, a heavy kicking rifle causes flinching and poor results. Less recoil results in better placed bullets, which is about 90% of bullet performance.
If recoil is a consideration, I suggest 260 Rem or its metric grandfather, the 6.5x55 Swede. Other excllent calibers are 7-08, 7x55, 308Win and 270 Rem.
My personal favourites have been 303 Brit, 358 Win (also same as 356 Win) and 35 Whelan.
Neither moose nor deer arre hard to kill. All they need is a decnt hunting bullet through the boiler room. In the case of deer, they are small athough the lighter bullets are specacular killers, they tend to destroy meat. I have been using the heavy, moose bullets on deer. They are just as dead and don't cost me 10 pounds of hamburger.
I suggest a bolt action rifle with a 2-7 scope. Mine sits on 2X most of the time, since where I hunt the bush is thick and shots seldom exceed 50 yards and most are more like 25.
As for caliber, a heavy kicking rifle causes flinching and poor results. Less recoil results in better placed bullets, which is about 90% of bullet performance.
If recoil is a consideration, I suggest 260 Rem or its metric grandfather, the 6.5x55 Swede. Other excllent calibers are 7-08, 7x55, 308Win and 270 Rem.
My personal favourites have been 303 Brit, 358 Win (also same as 356 Win) and 35 Whelan.
you need to give us more info
where are you hunting?-depending on terrain each caliber has its advantage
walking all day?- heavier rifle can reduce recoil and allow a larger caliber with same amount of felt recoil but is tedious to carry if walking
can you shoot well?- if you cant hit a case of beer(moose vitals) or a coffe can (deer vitals ) past 250 yds a 30-06 or .308 based cartridge is your best bet. as a 30-06 300 win and 30-378 all make the same size hole just 300 fps between them
where are you hunting?-depending on terrain each caliber has its advantage
walking all day?- heavier rifle can reduce recoil and allow a larger caliber with same amount of felt recoil but is tedious to carry if walking
can you shoot well?- if you cant hit a case of beer(moose vitals) or a coffe can (deer vitals ) past 250 yds a 30-06 or .308 based cartridge is your best bet. as a 30-06 300 win and 30-378 all make the same size hole just 300 fps between them
I love when a guy comes on here asking about a new rifle, and everyone suggests he buys the cheapest rifles on the market...
The savage and marlin's are accurate inexspesive rilfes, not cheap. A shot out 303 or 30-30 for 100bucks, thats cheap. For a newbie they are are a great start and anyone with a pinch of skill can make meat with them. There are more expesive rifle but thats just for bragging around the campfire if your that type of guy.
