Need bullet suggestions for my 1st Alaskan Moose Hunt

[Jeff In TX]

Going on my first Alaskan moose hunt this fall and I'm looking for bullet suggestions for my .308 win.

I been think'n bout the winchester 165 gr. fail safe or an accubond bullet.

Any suggestions?

 

[Brent]

Hi Jeff, long time no hear!

Your 308 shoots better than my son's has, but his prefered the 150 XLC BT over the Failsafe in factory loads. Handloading the XLC near max load works great too, haven't tried to handload the Failsafe though.

Performance wise I don't think you need either though, but I would rather have either of them loaded if I crossed tracks with a Grizz and just had the 308 in hand.

The Accubond/Interbond would be my next choice. I've not heard much about the 180 Accubond and how they tend to shoot, but the 200's do real well.

Where abouts you headed for Moose this fall?

 

[Guest]

Jeff,

You might want to take a look at these:

http://www.northforkbullets.com/


OR:

http://www.barnesbullets.com/

 

[Jeff In TX]

Brent,

I've been so busy it's not funny, not to mention it's baseball season for the boys and we haven't been home the last 6 weekends. Not to mention we'll be out of town watching them play ball the next 4 weekends. I sure hope they remember all my wife and I did for them growing up when it comes time for them to pick out our nursing home.

I'm hoping to meet up with you while I'm in your great state. I fly into Anchorage the night of 9/14 and I'm not sure what our schedule is as of yet, but I'll keep you posted.

I'm just getting ready to start a load workup on the 165 gr fail safes as soon as I can pick some up. I should have them by this weekend and we'll see how they shoot.

I'll catch up to you, as they time get closer.

Thanks,

 

[Brent]

Been about the same way here too, not much time these days.

Keep in touch. Anything I can do, let me know.

 

[moosehunter]

Good luck on your hunt though you likely wont need it. Although moose arent the hardest things to tip over as Ive knocked over a few dozen my self. You might want to get yourself a bit more stick than the .308. Your guide will really appreciate it cause it probably will cut the track down a mile or two. I use a 300 win mag with 200gr. spbt's and have yet to see one go more than 20yds or so after hit. You want to be able to punch out both lungs out to 350yds and have some bang to spare. My cousin has done well over the years with a 338 win mag and 250gr. bullets. Give it some thought. Your going on a once in a lifetime adventure, dont go handicapped.

 

[Michael Eichele]

308 is plenty for moose. Moose do not have the drive to survive like elk and whitetails. Moose like to lay down and die. Even with single lung hits. You can expect the big bulls to walk 20-30 yards wether you hit them with a 338 win mag or a 308 win.

The only thing I suggest is a fair amount of bullet such as a 180 or 200. 165 would work if it was constructed well like the barnes or the partition.

Good luck.

 

[Coyote Hunter]

A Moose is less tougher than a bull elk, so I wouldn't worry to much about what bullet to use. Just stay with the 150 or 165 and there shouldn't be any problem.

The Fail Safe is more than enough.

---------
Zod

[ 07-08-2004: Message edited by: Zod ]

 

[Jeff In TX]

My reason for the 165 gr over the 180 was to get a bit more penetration on the mosse. But I'm open for suggestions.

 

[1894]

I use a 9.3x62 on the smaller Swedish moose but the majority of the local team use either 6.5x55 or 308. The 308 with 180gr Norma Oryx factory load is a great moose killer.

I don't know if a 165gr failsafe will cope with the toughest part of the shoulder of the biggest Alaskan bull shot at a quartering towards angle. That is the toughest conventional shot and one that you might want to be capable of taking.

It's all very well saying 'avoid the shoulder' on a local deer hunt but rather more difficult when a trophy 16pointer is viewing you at 50 yards quartering on and showing only his shoulder. In such situations no-one says '**** I loaded too heavy a bullet' If they do a 180gr failsafe that will expand at 308 MV I would err on the heavier side and zero a little higher.

A moose is BIG.

[ 07-08-2004: Message edited by: 1894 ]

 

[Guest]

I would also use at least a 180gr bullet as others have suggested, you will get better penetration from a 180 over a 165. Heavier bullets have a greater sectional density which usually translates into better penetration.
Wayne

 

[tarbe]

Barnes TSX, XLC, or X.

Great thing about one-piece bullets in the brush - a twig won't make them come apart.

I really appreciated this on a hunt a few years ago...my bullet may have hit sideways, but it was in one piece and at 100% firing weight. And no doubt veered less off course than a two-piece bullet, due to holding it's shape.

Use the best bullet for your worst shot...


Tim

 

[1894]

Shot placement -

Ignore the hump it contains nothing vital

The spine does an S curve in the neck and is not a wise shot

The huge width of the chest front on is a tempting target - DON'T be tempted. The width is all shoulder joint and shoulder muscle. The actual chest cavity narrows down to be like the prow of a boat (about 2" across or so)widening as it moves back. The ribs are huge and flat. Unless you hit smack centre the bullet is likely to track along the outside of the ribs, break a shoulder (or not) and exit without a vital hit. You will not recover the moose. Once there is say a quarter angle this problem goes away to be replaced by the need to defeat the shoulder bone (hence my above comments)

Don't let the big size lull you into a false sense of security - absolute precision may not be required but shot placement is.

Got to love Moose hunting!

 

[Jeff In TX]

Hey guys everyone been a great help. I originally thought about going with the Barnes X bullet, but a lot folks on another board shot them down as being very inaccurate. Which of the Barnes bullet should I look at? They have 3 types and I honestly don't know what difference there is between them. Any help on that would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't made up my decision yet and I'm contemplating buying a couple of different brands of bullets and trying them out. The only problem with that is, I'll be testing for accuracy and really won't be able to judge how the performance of the bullet will really be.

Accuracy is a prime driver for me as an overall shooter. Many folks have told me that moose don't put up much of a fight to live once they are hit properly. But my number goal is to put the bullet into the moose where I was aiming.

Again guys thanks for all the help!