x39 for moose?

Personal choice...maybe?

Maybe, but he wanted opinions and now he has hem.


You could also use a 375 H&H for everything from rabbit to grizzly...but variety is nice. ;)

Same cant be said of of the 7.62x39

As long as cartridge is adequate.

Yes and in this case it isnt' .




The 30-06 is way more versatile...As far as Hunting rifles go the Tikka and the SKS are not in the same league.

as mentioned if money is tight you can sell both and buy a cheaper 30-06 from tradex or whoever.
 
Lots of people on here will give you the ballistics and their opinion. So will I. The "books" tell you that out to 150 yds, the 125 gr bullet is sufficient for deer. Although I have shot several deer, successfully, with my Remington 799 using a 125 gr bullet at ranges NOT GREATER than 100 yds, I would hesitate to do so at 150 yds. When that is required, I load a 150 gr Sierra game master bullet in the case, confident that it would do the job at 200 yds, and it has. However, I wouldn't trust the published 250. Although I have not done it, I would feel pretty confident that a 150 gr Barnes TSX (which shoot reasonably well from a .311 barrel) would take a moose at 150 yards. I wouldn't try it with an SKS at 200 yards, but your CZ should do fine for anything out to 150. Bear in mind that if you are using surplus ammo (which I do) and you replace the 123 gr FMJ with a 150 gr tip of any kind, you should remove about 2 gr of powder. Otherwise you will be well above recommended pressures. I know I was, but when I dropped 2 gr, things were more than satisfactory. Haven't tried any 165's yet...hmmmmm another day at the range...Dang!!
 
Well my son's SKS Chinese blade bayonet likes 150gr .308 bullets and will put them all in a grapefruit at 100 yards! I should try .311 /150's.[IMR 4198 for the 150gr bullets].Win 748 /24gr and the .310 123-125 SP's.................I'd keep moose under 100 yards..................Harold
 
I've loaded 150gr Hornady BTSP .308 for my 858 with a slightly compressed load of 24gr of IMR 4198 and it shoots very well. It was the only powder I could use for that bullet because it requires a smaller charge and fills less of the case than all the others. 2400fps at the muzzle gives it a muzzle energy of 1919ft/lbs which is enough to kill a moose at short range. As effective as your 30-06? No.
 
I've loaded 150gr Hornady BTSP .308 for my 858 with a slightly compressed load of 24gr of IMR 4198 and it shoots very well. It was the only powder I could use for that bullet because it requires a smaller charge and fills less of the case than all the others. 2400fps at the muzzle gives it a muzzle energy of 1919ft/lbs which is enough to kill a moose at short range. As effective as your 30-06? No.

Your load is an exact duplicate of 150gr 30-30 factory loads, which have been killing moose effectively out to 100 - 150 yards for a century. And you've got a bullet with a much better BC.

No 7.62x39 load is going to be as effective as a 30-06, period. But with handloads in particular, the OP could hunt moose effectively with it out to 100 yards or so.
 
..Now i'm wondering, I know 7.62x39 is fine for deer but what about the larger stuff? moose/elk/caribou ect... does it deliver enough energy to cleanly down a beast?... :D

Consider the x39 to be ballistically close to the good ol 30-30. The 30-30 is a competent moose killer at closer ranges, because that slow heavy bullet penetrates extremely well. It seems that most people have not grasped the fact that slower bullets will most often out-penetrate the same bullet shot at higher speed, and the 30-30 is a perfect example of that happening - the bullet doesn't open up as fast and therefore maintains forward momentum very well. Kind of like a premium bullet in the '06.

So - considering that the 7.62 is mighty close ballistically to the 30-30 - i'm of the opinion that a x39 will be effective on moose as well, if you use the right bullet and stay within 100 yard shots.

But imo the 30-06 is a better all-round moose cartridge.
 
x39 is very close to 30-30. Both my grandfathers hunted with nothing but 30-30's, both slaying moose without an issue. It can be done, no doubt about it, now is it a good idea? That depends on the shooter imo. We all make mistakes, #### happens, and when it does, you'll wish you had the knock down power of 30-06 behind it, rather then the x39 or 30-30.

You have to make that choice.
 
Because other rifle gets used a lot more.. I can afford to shoot it often, unlike the the buckaround 30/06.


It's not like the .30-06 is costing you anything to be fed. Take it out only for hunting and plink away with your semi auto in the meantime.

If a few hundred dollars that your .30-06 is worth is what's keeping you from living well, your in more trouble than you think.
 
About comparing a 30-30 to 7.62x39.....I would hunt with a 170gr. .308 bullet travelling at 2200fps not sure I would hunt with a .123gr .311 bullet travelling @ 2300 fps........clear advantage to the 30-30

If you can reload the 7.62 with a TSX or heavier bullet then its not so bad.....typically the you see the 123 gr. sp stuff on the shelf .
 
It's not like the .30-06 is costing you anything to be fed. Take it out only for hunting and plink away with your semi auto in the meantime.

If a few hundred dollars that your .30-06 is worth is what's keeping you from living well, your in more trouble than you think.

a few K is more like it, I didn't cheap out on optics :D

I'd just prefer to replace it with something i'd use more often, but only if my second largest rifle caliber is capable of downing big meat... and judging by a few of your responces, I have my doubts.
 
About comparing a 30-30 to 7.62x39.....I would hunt with a 170gr. .308 bullet travelling at 2200fps not sure I would hunt with a .123gr .311 bullet travelling @ 2300 fps........clear advantage to the 30-30



I agree with this, but we're spitting hairs at the bottom end of the scale. Why not go up a notch or two and sit in the medium range of cartridges? More power the better.
 
I'd be hesitant on parting with a good 30-06. The 7.62X39 is certainly cheap to shoot, but if you don't reload is it fairly easy to get suitable hunting ammunition? I did a quick google check and most of the cheap ammo is FMJ. A no no for hunting in most jurisdictions. The 'hunting loads' were 125 gr XPB and cost a least 33.00 for 20. Not that cheap. I have seen some good sales on federal and winchester 30-06 150 SP ammo for 19.00-27.00 per box.

You can probably take a moose with the X39, but a 30-06 is a lot more forgiving on tough shots.
 
I stand corrected. I looked a little harder and found one supplier that had fairly cheap SP ammo.

Now I've taken moose with lever guns, bolt guns, and a bow and arrow. Cold war type auto loader hmmmmmmm.

Maybe we need an new season. Archery, Muzzleloader, SKS, and Rifle. Has potential.

We could even start up our own scoring and records book for the new class. Call it "Loon and Cricket".:D
 
Sell the tikka and buy a cheap, used moose suitable rifle, like a .303(or one of the plethora of other used rifles off the EE), or get a new stevens 200/marlin xl7 in the caliber of your choice.

Then you get it all!!! you get some money back, you get to buy a new gun(who doesn't like that?), you get consistent moose-killing performance, and you keep your 858. win-win.
 
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