Moose calibre?

[shaughn]

I have seen moose harvested with just about every caliber one could think of and a few harvested inadvertently with 50 and 20/25/30 MM class weapons.

Moose are relatively easy to kill, much like buffalo/bison...BUT! a less than perfect shot, which would result in a relatively quick kill on most any other game animal, may result in you having to swim or wade out into a bog/lake/pond to recover it. Given that we hunt along or in any of the aforementioned the people I hunt with have adopted a break the shoulder first to anchor the animal, the loss of meat is minimal in the overall scheme of the hunt, but not having to get up to your neck in cold brackish, ice covered bog or open lake water ...."PRICELESS"

Calibers I have used and would use again..Kissing distance out to 300 yards.

6.5x55S I have used both 156 RN and 140 Spitzer to equal effect
30/30 150 or 170 gr bullets, though a friend has developed a 200 gr Cast bullet load
308 Win 180 std cup and core or premium
7.62x54R 180 or 200 grain bullet
30/06 usually 180 std cup and core or premium bullet
12.4x44R 361 gr PP bullet Hard alloy and a Hodgdon 350 gr RollingBlock
45/70 Marlin 1895 Cowboy model Have used 300 gr Partitions (discontinued) loaded to 2300 fps as well as 405 JSP at std load 330 PP Gould bullet at BP velocities and 5-700 gr Postell/Schmitzer out of Rolling Block/Sharps
300 Win mag a 180 can be used but a well constructed 200 is a better choice
375 H&H I have used Speer 235 SP with great effect, but a 270-300 gr bullet is a better choice if shoulder busting is your preferred method of anchoring a moose.
416 Rigby 400 gr at 2400 fps any quality bullet made will work especially for shoulder busting or end to end shooting.
.451/.457/.54/.577/58 Caliber Enfiedl/Zouave style Muzzle loaders 530 -900 gr Minnie or Solid bullet, 200 yds or less, will definitely stop them in it's tracks.
11.15x60R (43 Mauser) 370 PP Pure lead 71/84 mauser
.577 Snider 480 gr Hard cast PP bullet breaks shoulders quite well
12 Gauge Brenneke/Sabot/Shuttlecock/Paradox Slugs 1 ounce or better loaded at max Dram equivalents, smokeless or BP.

Of course this is based on my hunting experience. I have used rounds for culling operations that are either not suitable or legal for hunting, so have not listed them.

 

[NorthernWhitetails]

Had a client this fall show up for Moose here in Northern Maine, he didnt want the hassle of travel
With a gun in todays airport environment. I told him, we had lots of guns, so offered him a 35 Whelen for woods work, and a .270 for bog hunting. He thought the 270 was way toooo lite for moose, but I assured him that was not the case if he did his part. He wound up filling the freezer the last day at 373 yds with the 270 , shooting 150gr Nosler Accubond LR bullets @ 2900fps. He hit it high shoulder and folded it right up with one shot.......... his comment when it was a done deal,
" I thought it would require at least a 300 Magnum to make that shot " he went home and purchased
The exact rifle we lent him, loaded up some ABLR bullets and promtly dispatched a 6pt Bull Elk with
the identical results

 

[Pa Grizz]

I have been fortunate enough to Harvest Moose in Scandinavia. MANY of the locals use the 6.5 swede! I have never seen on drop by a 22lr as the last poster states. Remember the internet has made everyone a pro over night. I wonder how this is going to rocket through the internet and start a craze to hunt moose with a 22lr?

22 mag is legal in Maine.

 

[Pa Grizz]

I have always used my 300wm with 200gr Accubonds. Pure poison to animals.

This year i picked up a .375 H&H to try next time around

I had one of my hunters use a 260 partition in his 375.I thought he missed so I am yelling at him to shoot again.He did not need to .That bullet cut his heart into 3 pieces at 250 yards

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I took 2 bulls with a 250gr Accubond @ 3,000 ft/sec from my 338RUM. One at just over 300yds and the other at 54yds. Neither one made much trouble after the hammer fell.
I'll stick with what has worked for me. LOL

 

[Deenmetal099]

I've shot Moose with the 30-30, .30-06, and .450 Marlin.

 

[alaska]

My 2017 moose a nice 35" bull called him in within 50 yards and dropped him with my 338 Win Mag with 225gr Swift A Frame using 71.0 of IMR 4350. My total hunt time for 2017 was 2 hours. My 9th Bull.

 

[1Moose]

I can't speak from personal experience, but when growing up in Alaska, my father had been a 7mm RM shooter on moose for many years. After picking up a 338 WM, he never regretted and stuck with it. His accounts were of faster kills, something I suspect most of us strive for.

 

[baddaddy]

My personal Favorites are a 35 Whelen, 8mm Rem mag, or my 416 Remington.

 

[Hunter338]

I shot my moose with a 300 win with a ttsx worked great

 

[Paparock]

We often beat such subjects to death like dead horses. With some modern day bullets and powders there are loads out of the trusty old .30-06 that actually outperform some factory loads for the .300 Win. Mag. yet so many people fret more over the numbers than take to the range to put in the time to practice their shooting skills.

I have hunted with my grandfather's old Custom .30-06 to my own Custom .375 H&H. Taking the time on the range to find out what brand of ammo, bullet, powder, and establishing what pondage of trigger pull you shoot the best with is more important than worrying over having the latest "super magnum cartridge". As an old university professor used to say we often make the mistake of majoring in minor details while failing to pay attention to the fundamentals of success.

Looking at all the new toys gun companies come up with it is less often than they want us to believe that they really come out with something that substantially advances the shooting sports. Now there has been substantial advances in the quality of scopes, barrels, triggers, reticles, and bullets but it just has not been as rapid as the hype would have us believe. The old saying of buyer beware is just as true today as when it was coined. Seeing is believing and testing before trying it on live flesh is only prudent less some poor animal needlessly suffer. Some people just do not take the time to do their due diligence swallowing the "hype" hook line and sinker only to find out to late in the field under real life conditions what "hype" really means under real life conditions to some poor animal.

 

[Viper6]

When I was a lot younger I lived in Alaska during the late 70's, the only rifle I had was a Remington 700 in 270 Win and I only used 130 PSP Remington ammo. Killed lots of big game animals including ole' grizz. I shot 2 moose with that 270 but it took 2 rounds each. All other big game animals were one shot drop in your tracks dead. If I was to do that all over again I would be packing the 338 Wim Mag. Great for moose and great for ole' grizz.

 

[SouthBound]

If I was going 338 win that's me 210 partition

 

[Vortex!]

270 or 308 since I have them already and they work.