Originally Posted by
super_hunt54
First off, good luck on that draw, you will need it
Second, if you are going to use a patched round ball on Moose in a state where you will be one EXTREMELY lucky guy to get drawn, I personally would use the rifle I was most accurate with and could deliver the most lead to target. Either the .54 or the .58 can deliver the weight needed to drop a good bull efficiently so you just need to figure which one you are the absolutely MOST accurate with.
It would be a rare thing to get a longer shot than 75 yards in the Main swamps and woods so your range will be fine.
sh54...
I can somewhat agree on that. Having been to Maine for a visit while my son lived in the mid-coast region, I saw how dense some of the terrain can be in and around their streams and lakes. It was late May and all we did was trout fish but some of that area was very dense.
That said, A friend and his Dad drew a moose tag some years ago (2 persons on a permit) and their guide had them hunting clear cuts and I believe the one he shot was somewhere in the 150-180 yard range if I remember right. He shot it with a Colt-Sauer chambered for300 Weatherby?
So I would definitely bring along a decent .30 cal rifle in case the guide can't put me on Moose in a comfortable enough range for a .58 ML. I never did like the taste of "tag soup", especially if it costs a pile of $$. But, it's bronko's hunt, not mine.
BPS