I'm going moose hunting in Quebec next month and was wondering which round would be best to use. I was talking to a fellow hunter at the range yesterday, and he highly recommended Federal Premium Vital Shok 180 grain Barnes Triple Shock X-Bullet. Looking at the ballistics, it seems to me that the 165 grain HE Trophy Bonded Bear Claw has a flatter flight path and has very comparable energy up to 300 yards. I have a bolt action rifle so the High Energy rounds shouldn't be an issue. I have hunted in this area before and can't see any shot being more than 250 yards to begin with. So, assuming:

1. Federal Ammo to be used.
2. An accurate shot is made that will give the bullet a chance at hiting a vital.
3. No shot longer than 250 yards. More likely, it will be between 75 and 150 yards.

Do you see any reason to use the 180 grain vs 165 grain HE? What are your experiences with the HE rounds? My rifle is currently sighted in at 200 yards with Federal 165 grain GameKings for an upcoming hunt in two weeks. Once I choose which round I will use for moose, I assume I need to resight it with that round, correct?

Final question, am I making a simple issue more complicated than it needs to be.

Thanks a ton for your help.

Dan

I would see which load shoots best in your rifle.Either load will do a good job on a moose.

Stbblejumper,

That's an excellent point. So, how do I accomplish what you are saying?

Should I sight my rifle in with both rounds and practice with say a box of each to see which one I'm getting better patterns with?

Thanks,

Dan

Yes, shoot both types of bullets and see which ones group better.

I have been looking at Nosler Partitions lately (asking lots of questions) and everyone says those are great for moose too. I don't know the ballistics for them and how they compare to the other choices you have, but I would look at them, I've heard a lot of great stuff about them.

I lived in Quebec for 20 years and also moose hunted there. You don't say what your rifle is chambered in but from the choice of bullets i would say its a .30 of type likely an 06. I find that a 180 premium bullet will shoot just as flat as anything else out to 300 yds and pack a little more energy. I would not tinker with switching loads. Sight your rifle in with a premium 180 and you are good to hunt everything. I like a zero of + 2" at 100 yds for moose.

Yes Terry, my rifle is chambered in 30-06. I guess my hesitation in taking that approach would be that the three species I will hunt here are white tailed deer, caribou and moose. Whatever I chose, I think would be fine with caribou, but deer and moose are so different in size, skin, etc... that I didn't think the best load for one would be that good for the other.

Right now, I have a zero of +1.5" at 130 yds (110 m) with the 165 grain GameKing which is much softer than either the Barnes Triple Shock X (acronym BTSX?) and the Trophy Bonded Bear Claw. I'm thinking it will work great for deer and caribou, but makes the effective shot on a moose much tighter than if I used something with a little more penetration. The BTSX and Trophy Bonded Bear Claw both have better penetration which would seem to me makes that effective shot on a moose larger; would probably work on a caribou; but having less expansion may make the effective shot on a whitetail tighter than it needs to be. This is my thought process on possibly using two different loads. Does it make sense? Would you still stick to a single load?

As you can tell, this area is new to me, so your tolerance of my ignorance is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Dan

I prefer bullets that are heavy for caliber (S.D.) So I would probably choose the 180's. Now thats assuming that your rifle will shoot them reasonably.Don't concern yourself with whether or not they are "overkill" for whitetail. Dead is Dead. Use a load adequate for the moose and I assure you that it will perform fine on the whitey and caribou

Rifles are pecular in that some have pet loads that they will shoot and nothing else. My 338 will only shoot handloads of hodgdon 4831sc and nothing else. Its a tack driver with it and below average with other loads I've tried.

I would try to stay with a quality bullet like the x bullets, trophy bonded, or partitions if I were you.You will most likelyfind thatyourrifle will like one bulletover the rest.My friends 221 fireball (varmint cal) shoots sierra varminters into little holes but spreads out to 2"with nosler balistic tips; go figure.

When testing your loads don't worry about rezeroing. Justaim at the bullseye and look at how tightly they are grouping. Once you find the load your rifle likes then you can rezero for that load.

I would try both in your rifle but if it was my prefrence I would go with the 180

If your rifle will shoot the 180s well then I would use them. The 180 grain bullet is going to transfer more energy, penetrate deeper, and maybe even make a bigger wound channel depending on bullet construction. Moose are big critters! I might even look at the 200 grain bullets.

the 165 would do the job i'm sure but the 180's would probably do it better. the 200s might be something to check out but it would probably be a bit much for whitetails. the 180's should do a great job on all of the animals you will be hunting. but it all depends on how your gun shoots them. if you do use the 180's or 165s make sure its a good quality bullet like the ones you listed.