Moose calibre?

[6fatrat]

I agree that that shot placement and a heavier well constructed bullet are critical.
But I feel that bigger is better, having shot 2 Moose both with a 300 Win. mag and 1 shot kills, my next Moose hunt will be with a 338 RUM. I type of terrain they live in you don't want them running very far IMO.
Steve Bair

 

[Smag]

Awesome picture.

 

[CapDog]

I've shot several elk and moose and have been present when many more were shot. One of the quickest drops I saw was with a .260 Rem with a 140gr Core-Lokt Ultra Bonded. Distance was 289yds on a 40" bull. Numerous others were shot with .308's and 30-06's. Most popular bullet was 165gr TBBC or 180gr SST. My go to gun is a .325WSM and I've used the 220gr Seirra and just this year a 160gr TTSX.

 

[Nitroman]

Longest distance I have taken moose (I have taken three), is roughly 25 yards.

Buddy of mine and his two sons on the Lower Yukon take six per year for the past ten years told me his longest shot is under 100 yards. .30'06 will do it fine. Oldest son uses a .22-250, youngest son uses .30'06, and he uses a .300 Win.

 

[Brewer]

.22-250. that rocks. moose at 25 yards sounds like a shot of adrenaline.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

5.56x45 FMJ with BetaMags should do the trick.
just kidding of course but anywone else watch Yukon Men?

If it is an advance choice and you can build or buy the rifle before the hunt, any 30 cal or larger. I'd bet it's been done with a 3030. It's been done with muzzle loaders, arrows, cross bow bolts. Heck, I'd give up $20 for a bet that it's been done with a MSR/Armalite model 15/AR-15 in 5.56x45 aka 223.

If you have an existing rifle I'm sure it can be done with anything that will penetrate the hide, with enough bullets.

When the time comes I will probably use a 338 of some sort. Most likely my 338/26-Nosler.

 

[Nitroman]

5.56x45 FMJ with BetaMags should do the trick.
just kidding of course but anywone else watch Yukon Men?

If it is an advance choice and you can build or buy the rifle before the hunt, any 30 cal or larger. I'd bet it's been done with a 3030. It's been done with muzzle loaders, arrows, cross bow bolts. Heck, I'd give up $20 for a bet that it's been done with a MSR/Armalite model 15/AR-15 in 5.56x45 aka 223.

If you have an existing rifle I'm sure it can be done with anything that will penetrate the hide, with enough bullets.

When the time comes I will probably use a 338 of some sort. Most likely my 338/26-Nosler.

My FIL shot one just below his village with a 1952 Mod 94 .30-30 he bought for $100.00; I was with him when he bought it. One shot, just behind the ear. The pastor of my church was out about 30 miles from town, guy driving the boat dropped one at 100 yards with a shot to the head. Mod 94 .30-30. I was sitting in the boat with my bud up on the Yukon when his son dropped one on the riverbank with his .22-250. About 30 yards. One shot to the head.
I don't watch Yukon Men. I saw one or two shows. Scripted nonsense. But then, if the show wasn't scripted, it would be super-boring so they have to make it up.
Moose are just easy is all. Don't need to set up on a mountaintop and take them out with a cannon.
My friends think I'm silly with my .375 Weatherby, but I like it, so I use it.

Oh, just FYI, the limit on the Lower Yukon is two per so that is why I mentioned my buddy and his sons taking six. They give away most of the meat to old folks or women with kids who have no-one to hunt for them.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Wow, cool. 3030 rules. Sharing is fantastic.

We of course Yukon Men is scripted, it's a reality show. LOL. I have a unique business and 'they' approached us to do one. Not having it....

 

[lazylabs]

I bought a 375h&h for my moose trip..... Not needed for moose but covered in blood packing meat in bear country i wanted the power just in case.

 

[Nitroman]

The .375 H&H is a GREAT round!! I took my first moose with a ZKK-602 at 30 feet with the .375. The recoil is moderate and it has great penetration. Good choice.

 

[LoneTraveler]

I agree with LazyLab when you are going into Grizzly Bears front yards and hunt. I want a rifle that will stop a bear if I am covered with blood from field dressing a moose and our paths cross. I don't want the bear going back to their den and telling the bear family " I got 50 lb. of clean fresh moose meat and 180 lb. of human with one swipe of my paw."

 

[Deleted member 46119]

The gunsmith at my local shop who was a guide suggested rounds loaded with big round nose thumper bullets for the hike, break down and cleaning and pack out. And in case you come across your intended at close range on the hike in or stalk. For the main course shot at range your "regular" hunting bullet can be swapped in.

Of course there is also the pistol option. My 45acp personal protection side arm loaded with 165gn copper is OK for California but if in brown bear country I'd carry something that can sling a 300gn+ at a nice clip.

If with a guide, that's her/his job.

 

[nosualc]

I'll add to the pile. This fall, I shot a 64" moose with a Barnes 175gr LRX at 3350 fps (.300 Jarrett) across a swamp at approximately 300 yards.

The first shot was broadside, just behind the front shoulder and passed through with about a 1" exit hole through a rib on the opposite side. The moose barely flinched.

My guide yelled "keep shooting!". I agreed.

The second shot was also broadside just a little further back than the first. It also passed through the opposite side with a 1" exit hole. The moose flinched a little more this time and turned to face us. The third shot went through his left front shoulder, and the moose fell over dead in slow motion. We found this bullet on the opposite rear quarter. It passed through approximately 5 feet of moose, and weighed 120gr.

I am quite sure that the first bullet killed the moose, he was just taking his sweet time dying. The 2nd and 3rd shots were merely insurance shots. It turned out that the .300 Jarrett was more than enough gun for this occasion, as a .308 would have been fine, but the style of hunting that we were employing may have called for a much longer shot. Good to be prepared.

FWIW, on the same trip, my buddy shot a similarly sized moose with a 6.5x284 at a similar distance with 2 Nosler Partitions and a Berger hunting VLD. His moose behaved almost exactly as mine and immediately collapsed on the third shot (VLD) to the chest. AFAIK, none of his bullets exited. He chose the 6.5x284 because he was primarily sheep hunting and his 7 RUM had been giving him trouble. He thought the 6.5x284 was a little lite for Alaska moose, but he is an exceptional shot and limited himself in his shot selection.

In both cases I think good shot placement was the key and the rest academic, although I was very impressed by the seemingly straight line penetration of the Barnes through all that meat and bone.


-nosualc

 

[mattri]

Great thread- my mother in law shot her Wyoming moose with a 30-30 about 20 years ago, back before anyone knew it couldn't be done. Of course she also shot a number of mulies, antelope and elk with that same Savage bolt action 30-30. Amazing that game was so much more fragile back then.