Of Moose and Dinosaurs

Algonquin

Algonquin

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Ottawa Valley
I have a difficult decision I'm agonising over:

Now that I'm old and geezerly and spend nothing on weekend craziness, I have decided to afford myself a dedicated moose rifle. My choices are down to either .300 WM or .338 WM and I'm in the Ottawa Valley where most shots average, say, 100 yds. The last thing I want is to choose some cannon which inflicts enough recoil to cause me to develop the dread flinch. I've done just fine so far with a .30-06 and that level of recoil is negligible, in my opinion.

Appreciate your comments and experiences with these two calibers, Thanks.

FM
 
For what you are hunting at the ranges you are doing it at a .35 Whelen would be perfect.

The 300 WM offers no advantage over the 30-06 and in fact due to the higher velocity may actually penetrate less than the 30-06 with identical bullets.

The 338WM would be a better choice than the 300 but again at under 300 yards no moose is going to tell the difference between the Whelen and the 338 WM
 
[QUOTE='Boo]For what you are hunting at the ranges you are doing it at a .35 Whelen would be perfect. [/QUOTE]

X2!!!

The Whelen is a great choice for a moose gun and would not be overkill (if there is such a thing!) on deer as well. :p




sc
 
Just keep the .30-06; there is not much reason to have more power for moose at 100 yards. Especially if you have an aversion to recoil.
 
1899 said:
Just keep the .30-06; there is not much reason to have more power for moose at 100 yards. Especially if you have an aversion to recoil.
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Yes but that is not the Gun Nut way! LoL

There is a big difference between "want" and "need". Hell if the government passed a law tomorrow outlawing ALL cartridges except the 30-06 I don't think very many of us would be hampered when it comes to hunting Canada.

The truth is many of us collect rifles and use hunting as a means of justification. Life however becomes so much easier once a person accepts their affliction and buys more rifles "just because"
 
Algonquin said:
I have a difficult decision I'm agonising over:

Now that I'm old and geezerly and spend nothing on weekend craziness, I have decided to afford myself a dedicated moose rifle. My choices are down to either .300 WM or .338 WM and I'm in the Ottawa Valley where most shots average, say, 100 yds. The last thing I want is to choose some cannon which inflicts enough recoil to cause me to develop the dread flinch. I've done just fine so far with a .30-06 and that level of recoil is negligible, in my opinion.

Appreciate your comments and experiences with these two calibers, Thanks.

FM
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Both the 300 and the 338 with give you more recoil, depending on weight and stock! At 100 yards I would say you are doing fine with what you have.
If you want a new rifle, nothing wrong with that, :D , I would suggest trying to get a hold of someone who has these, and other rifle and taked a couple for a test drive!! Say up to a 375 H&H!!:D :D
 
When I wanted a bigger gun than an /06,I bought a 375 H&H.It does kick a bit and there is no need for one for 100 yard shots on moose.35 whelen or a 338-06 would be fine choices,nice little leupold 2-7 x33 on it.Should tip them over with a bit more authority than the 30-06.Mind you I have shot more moose with a 30-06 than any other calibers combined and never had trouble with any of them if I did my part!I know the need for something new,you will have fun with whatever you get I am sure!
 
If your deciding between a 300 win mag and a 338 win mag for a dedicated moose rifle I would definitly choose a 338 win mag. Like it was said before a 300 win mag does't do anything that a 30-06 wouldn't do! The 338 however is a great improvement over both rifles. A remington 338 synthetic with an R3 recoil pad are really pleasent to shoot.
Another great rifle is the 375H&H in a remington bdl with the R3, I was amazed how comfortable it is to shoot, definitly on par with the 338 for recoil and more oommpphh.
Brambles
 
I think the cartridge you got is good to go! So if it's a new rifle to satisfy your needs & myself being slightly older & recoil shy, my suggestion is to purchase a new bolt in 300wsm:) . A nice Sako or Tikka to play with, on the range that'll shoot nice little groups while being shooter friendly:)
 
I know I'm not responding to your question, because I hunt in similar terrain, and can see no use for any kind of magnum in the moose bush. I'm with the guys who are recommending the Whelen, .358 Winchester or .338-06.

However, if your heart is set on a magnum, I'd choose the .338. It has fewer of the objectionable features of the smaller bore magnums.
 
With the tens of thousands killed every year in Scadinavia, all you really need is a 6.5X55 or 260rem. Load up with 140gr SST or 160gr RN and have at it. I doubt you will recover too many bullets from broadside shots.

Load up some partitions or barnes triple shock if you want to take heavy quartering shots (120gr if you want even less recoil). My guess is that the 160gr RN will do the same thing.

A 7-08 would also work, as would the very capable 308.

If new is on the agenda, how about the 338 Federal. A 225gr bullet at 2400 to 2500fps is a lot of smack at 100yds. Sort of like a 338Win mag at 300yds.

Want something completely different? How about a Win 94 Trapper in 45LC loaded up with 325gr FN hard cast slugs at 1600fps? No issue hammering all manner of game. Penetration would be described as almost unlimited. Recoil would be lighter then the '-06 in that 6lbs rifle.

My walkabout rifles are getting smaller and lighter as I age and my shoulder gets sore. I prefer using the bullet to do the work as opposed to gunpowder.

Jerry
 
I went through soemthing like this a bit ago. I sold my Ruger #1V in 22-250 to my father and wanted another #1, but could not figure out what. I decided to go with a Ruger #1H stainless in 375 H&H Mag. The way I looked at it was that I already had a 30-06 so I might as well get an appreciable power increase over it.

My father's buddy had a 300 WM, he sold it and kept his 30-06. It was a #1 also, so now HE is planning on buying the exact same rifle I just bought. His only problem with this is that he had told me where he had seen one a month before he told me he decided to buy it; I got that exact gun shipped to me because I was having trouble finding one :).

One way to look at the 375 H&H also is that when you show it to people they sure give you a look of respect ("Crap! You shoot that?"). I find that it does not kick nearly as bad as I expected, mind you I download a 235 grain bullet to around 2700 fps.
 
Algonquin said:
I have a difficult decision I'm agonising over:

Now that I'm old and geezerly and spend nothing on weekend craziness, I have decided to afford myself a dedicated moose rifle. My choices are down to either .300 WM or .338 WM and I'm in the Ottawa Valley where most shots average, say, 100 yds. The last thing I want is to choose some cannon which inflicts enough recoil to cause me to develop the dread flinch. I've done just fine so far with a .30-06 and that level of recoil is negligible, in my opinion.

Appreciate your comments and experiences with these two calibers, Thanks.

FM
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Your location is ottawa valley. I'm Renfrew...If you want to come over and take a 30 cal magnum for a test drive let me know...Their even the brand of your avatar kuduboy@sympatico.ca
 
Get a 30-30... :D (see other thread...)
Nothing wrong with your 30-06, as you well know. But, if you want to try something new with only a slight bit more kick .35 Whelen or .358 Win if you handload, but 300 WM is another good option.
Hey, if you want to really go for it, get a Marlin Guide Gun (45-70), since you're within 100 yards.
I didn't read through the entire thread so this may be redundant.
 
Being a cheap baztard, I'm with 1899 (fiscally) However, being a young gunnut, I have a real twitch-on for a 338WM: "Just in case" the moose walks out at 300 instead of 100 :). For that matter, you can reach out and touch whatever you want in canada with it (but fiscally, you can do that already with a 30-06 :() I say (if you want a newer rifle, try or buy a 338, and if you don't like it, sell it to a gun nut and get a 6.5x55, which is my "dedicated" anything bigger than a rabbit rifle.
D
 
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