Your choice for Moose
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Trusty old 30-06 for me.
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Over time I've used 308, 7mm rem mag, 300 wsm, 8mm rem mag, 338 lapua, but I found the rifle I keep going back to is my Rem 700 300 RUM. It shoots great with 180 Barnes tsx's and the bullets perform excellent on moose/elk sized game as well.
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339 Posts
:moose: Well the last moose I shot was with a 30:06 150 grain bullet. While it worked well, I think it to be a little light. At the time that is what I had. The 180 would be a better choice. I since acquired a 338 Winchester Mag. While I have not been able to shoot a moose with it. I used to hunt the late season (December) in area 26, they have since closed the season (moose numbers too low). Just to use the gun I used it twice deer hunting when there was no snow. With no snow sometimes finding the animal can be difficult. While tracking may not be too hard finding where the animal stood and the first blood can be. So any way I used the 338. Both times I touched the trigger and the animal dropped with chest shots. The 338 is by far too much for deer. I fgure if you are shooting a big gun it does not make sense to throw a small bullet. So I hand load (if I recall) a 250 grain Sierra Boat Tail. A relative of mine lives in Ontario and hunts moose every year and sometimes in large gangs. He has told me of times they had to track animals a fair distance with some of the calibers. He uses the 338 win Mag. and loves it, and for moose so do I. He himself has shot 4 and never did they have to track. Excuse the length I am new. Too much to say too slow at typing.
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I too have yet to get one in 4 years of hunting - but have an arsenal just in case - this year, will be a 338federal loaded with 185ttsx.... for the longer shots, a custom 325wsm with 200 NAB loaded hot, and for backup a tikka 300wsm with 180 NAB... all are freshly sighted in and ready to roll!
Not that I will ever shoot that far at a moose where I hunt, but the 400yd gong at the range has taken a beating this summer!
Not that I will ever shoot that far at a moose where I hunt, but the 400yd gong at the range has taken a beating this summer!
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339 Posts
Mr. Chrism what make of golf cart would you advise I use if I am to lug around some of my extra guns as well. I'm thinking that some of the electric ones may violate the vehicle use laws. Plus do you have to yell out four before you shoot. Sorry I could not resist as I have been accused of needing this in the past.
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339 Posts
Mr. Riggs I sent you a pm, and hope you get it and have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.
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972 Posts
Dude I just hire a sherpa.... or if in golf-talk, a caddy...ldb pikester said:
Actually i only carry one, but it depends on my situation - walking to far stands or thick bush I carry the light 338f, if I am on post or in a stand that I can get close to with ATV, then the heavier guns (325 has a #5.5 barrel and the Tikka has added lead in the stock as it was unbearable to fire with factory stock, both are around 10lbs)...
Its more of a 'flavor of the day' thing tho - i just enjoy shooting those guns! I used to competitive trap shoot, and one thing I learned, for me, is I despise light guns... Light = flinch, and I shoot a lot, usually 2000 rounds a year amongst all the boomsticks... three shots from the tikka t3 in 300wsm almost made me get rid of it!
Riggs the NAB I have used have been simply amazing for me, altho I have heard of some separation/blow up issues by others... the game we have harvested with them I have yet to recover a bullet, even did a 400yd double shoulder shot DRT on a whitetail last year with a 7-08 140 NAB and it went clean thru - hard to beat that!
I'd like to use ttsx's but my guns dont get any better that 2" groups at best, despite what I have tried - NAB in the 325 and 300 are well under an inch... conversely, the 338f is 1.5"-2" with 185 ttsx, and >5" with NAB's!!!
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2,932 Posts
A friend of mine shot a 71" moose up in the Yukon years ago with a .270 and 150 grain Nosler Partitions. One shot. It wouldn't be my first choice, but there's no arguing with the results of his hunt. I'm a believer in bigger is better when put in the right place. Bigger, well placed shots bleed more than a smaller well placed shot. IMHO
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339 Posts
Where you hunt can also play a huge factor in the caliber choice. Some places you do not want the animal to go any distance at all. Example, say you are hunting an area that has grizzly. The moose is in the open, you do not want to be tracking a wounded moose in the tall brush where the bears are. Float hunting along a river, the moose is near, you do not want to carry meat further than you have to. A story I heard is that a fellow is hunting along Riding Mountain National Park. He shoots a beautiful elk, but the animal makes it into the park. Not able to follow he contacts wardens. Wardens show up and they track the elk. The warden now has the gun and has the discretion to finish the animal off. A couple of times they come upon the badly wounded animal, but the warden does not shoot claiming that, ''We can not be sure this is the animal''. The hunter is very upset and flipping. Soon the warden gives up saying, ''Oh well, the wolves need something to eat''. This would just rip the heart out of any hunter.
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