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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Hello Maineah:

Congratulations on the tag!!!!!!!!

I agree the calibers you have are too light. A .30-06 would be ok, but a .300 Winnie would be better, and a .338 better still. You seem to be upgrading the " size" of your game, and should that continue, the .338 will serve you well.
Also, don' t overlook the .45-70, it is definately a moose stopper.

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

I would say Otis is right on the ball, build up a load for your 7mm and you' ll be fine. Shot placement is the key.

Up here we get a lot of longer shots (200+ yards) promoting the use of 308' s, 30-06' s and magnums. I prefer the 300 or 338, but that' s me.

340.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

It depends on what distance your average shot is. Also within reason the type of bullet use is more important than caliber. Out of the cartridges you mentioned I would use the 7mm-08 and stay toward the heavier bullets. The Swedes kill many many moose every year with the 6.5x55 and other cartridges in its class. The range is generally under 100 yards, with 50 yards being closer to normal.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Sure bigger is better. A 300 or 338 has more power but if you' re using your ' 08 with good controlled expansion bullets you will be fine. I shoot 175 gr. trophy bonded bear claws out of my 7mm mag. and they are plenty good for the moose around here. If you were going to Alaska or the Yukon, I' d maybe think a little harder about a 30 cal.
In my experience hard hit moose don' t go far. Take out heart or lungs and I haven' t seen one go more than 100 yds. Just wait for broadside shots and don' t try to go through too much bone.

Unless of course you' re just looking for a good excuse to buy a new rifle. ;)

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Maineah, you have all that is needed right at home .... 260 rem or 7-08 can' t go wrong with either especially in short range situation. It sometimes takes them awhile to realize that they are dead on their feet but those 2 will serve you well. Of course if you have a howitzer hanging around the house you should use that preferably but there is no excuse buying another gun when you have those 2. 6.5x55 is one of the most popular moose rounds in the Scandinavian countries....how much difference between it and the 260 rem or 7-08?...just use a partition or x bullet...trophy bonded....failsafe and there are other quality bullets...just shoot something that won' t separate from its jacket if you wack one at 25 yards and you hit bone .

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

I' d stick with the 7mm. There' s nothing wrong with using a larger round, but it ain' t a requirement. Moose are huge animals, but they' re not all that hard to kill. I can count the number of local boys that I' ve seen with magnums (in Northern Ontario) on one hand.

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Congrats on the tag!! I missed this year but was planning on using the7mm myself. Best of luck:D

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Maineah,

Sounds like you' ve got a solution for this year. I' d recommend for next year (or even this year) that you follow through with the plan you had earlier when you bought the two rifles, i.e. that you planned to sell one. Sounds like the one that is dear to you is the 260. The two calibers are too close together. Sell the less preferred one and move the cash over to a rifle in a cartridge/caliber " better spaced" from the 260. That way your rack will have more versatility and on bigger game, you will have the choice of using a rifle that rates " excellent" , instead of " adequate, but....."

Gunbroker.com is a good resource to convert guns to cash and back to guns again with out losing much, versus dealing through gun shops.

Never Go Undergunned,
EKM

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

I' m going to say .375H&H, the .338 win mag or lapua is great too, but I really like the .375H&H. Your .30-06 would do it fine, but it would be best to get something bigger, since you' ve only been able to get one once every twenty years, I don' t think I' d go ' marginally gunned' if I were you, I' d be getting a new gun that I KNOW will do the job where-ever a shot presents itself.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Maineah my dad has hunted moose for over 40 years. He uses one of 2 guns, a 300 and a 308. He has killed many moose with either gun.

You stated: Well my dad' s loads are hand loads and for moose he shoots 180 & 200gr round nose. They have worked for him for many years.

In my opinion is that if you like the feel of your gun and that it shoots well, I would stick with your 7mm. My dad has killed out over 300 yards with the 308. Your gun will be more than enough if it is accurate.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Your .260 Rem, loaded with 140-160gr premium bullets, is all you would ever need. The 7mm/08 with 150-160gr bullets, ditto.

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

I' m leaning towards a 125 gr. G5 this year.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

These fellers toutin' those scrawny bullets probly ain' t never seed a moose die. They are like shootin' into a tractor tire. You would do well with a 35 Whelen or a 338' 06. A 30' 06 is marginal, but will do the job. Don' t skimp on your ammo. These are fine critters. You' re spending enough on the hunt, don' t get cheap with your rifle choice.

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Me an' Bill Weaver say a 4x is all the scope a hunter can use. Anythin' else is a decoration.

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

The .338-06 would be a fine choice, indeed!

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

I been comin' to these sites for 18 months or so. Its gettin' easier for me to tell the old timers and experienced young fellers from those full of horse hooey. Nub, you take that puny 125 grainer and shoot at an old tractor tire from 100 yards. Look at the bullets. Then put that rifle up for a deer gun and get yerself a proper moose rifle that don' t require as much luck to kill cleanly with. Then go ask yer daddy if you can start shaving cause yer now on yer way to bein' a man.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

BJ: Its obvious, you have absolutely no idea what a 125 gr. G5 is. Do ya? You also have no way of determining my age based on my previous post. As for " my daddy" , he passed on about 15 years ago from cancer. Maybe if you stick around another 18 months you' ll learn something.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Any man who says the 06 is a marginal moose round best not repeat that in a bar in Cornerbrook.;)Around here more guys use the 06 than any other caliber and my wifes grandfather use to shoot them with a .44 from his snowshoes and never lost an animal. Lets be straight up the biggest problem is not caliber but the fact that alot of guys can`t hit the side of a barn at 100 yards.:D

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Turk_man it is not always the calibur just like you said, but in the ammo choosen. Alot of people will choose a bullet that does not open up or mushrom. If the bullet only punches through, say good bye to the moose. IMO a 270, 308, 30-06 or any cal. equivlent with a proper bullet would be more than sufficant on Moose.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

well here is my two cents worth , i may not be much of a turkey hunter but a big game hunter i am . i have seen guys with a 300 rum and not be able to hit jack at 50 yard scared has hell of the wepon i may not have kill many moose but i have been in on alot of dogging and been on more kill sites of moose than whay you guys may see in your life time . that said im not bragging (mabey just a little) i have seen more moose shot with a 44 rem mag carbine then enuff especially when guys are dogging or walking thru a swamp with iron sites . now i would love to see a guy with a 300 rum with a 3-9 get the sites on a big old box car in the woods . now if you are hunting out in the open then yes a 300rum is exellent and a 44 is junk you have to know where you are hunting and conditions you are hutning in before you pack your rifle for that day . moose are very easy to kill on in the boiler room and it is game over . there will to live does not seem as strong as a deer . the 7mm08 is almost identcal as a 30 06 if you take your gun out and can shoot it dont let any one tell you it wont kill moose or deer ect ect .
i have seen a guy shoot one with a 243 105 grain nosler partition . . i have ranted enuff and expect to get some flack over this. i thought hunting was getting close to your animal not shooting it at 500 frigen yards . i see guy on tv shooting elk from ridge top to ridge top and it makes me sick that is not hunting that is shooting plain and simple

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Well if its a Grand Slam, consider me versed. Blew one up on a lope rib last Septimber. Nobody needs to be totin' a 125 grain anythin' after a moose if they got the wherewithall to buy a proper moose rifle. Now I use a 30' 06. Don' t mean I' d recomend it on a public site full of greenhorns. I also roll my own an' know what my loads are capable of. I got 5 times the amount of time to kill than mos' non-residents, so I ain' t apt to pop off outta desperation. Be responsible, keep that puny caliber, " shot placement" crap off these sites. Hunt with what you want, but don' t tout things brought on by yer own ego. There' s more impotent things at work. If a man can shoot decent, he should use a minimal ' 06 with a good 180 movin' 2700 fps. If he cain' t shoot decent, he should stay home. A 7mm 175 is in the range I mentioned. With thet sexual density an' a good bullet, it is definitely as good as a 180 partition from an' ' 06.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

BJ: I' m talking about 125 gr. moving 265 fps. No, I didn' t forget a zero on the end of that 265. And " shot placement" is not crap. Its everything.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Beaver, the 125 grain G-5 is a broad head. Awesome head if your into archery.

Don' t just assume that everyone here is a green horn. I am more apt to reccomend to a green horn that is on his first moose or elk hunt to use the same 7mm-08 or 270 or 308 or what ever that he uses whitetail hunting (within reason)because that person most likley knows that rifle and knows where the bullet is going when the trigger is pulled. The last thing I would want to be thinking about when that big a$$ animal steps into view for the first time is what that new rifle is going to do because I have only had it for two months. There is enough to think about on that first elk or moose hunt. Fact is, if it is a risky shot then you shoudn' t take it no matter what cartrige you are shooting. It aint going to do you or the animal any good.

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Thats the best part about the net, we could be having this debate and Beaver Jack could be sitting in NYC and never have seen the wet side of a black spruce bog:D. I know he writes well but can`t comment on his shooting because I`ve never witnessed it. All this talk of greenhorns and stuff post some Moose pics Beaver and I`ll tell you what I`ll have bgunner post some of the dozens of pics of the moose they have shot over the years.;)Maybe we`ll get to seperate those that talk from those that do.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Bowhunters get close. Undergunned rifle hunters wound animals. Shot placement is a misnomer. You cain' t " place" a shot unner 99% of field conditions. You AIM for the middle of the kill zone presented. Packin' a puny cartridge with hopes of usin' a bipod to pick out a moose' s heart is bullspit. Huffin' up a hillside to be presented a 100 yard quarterin' away shot with a movin' animal, fadin' light and a 20 mph wind is more likely. Nub, what the hell you bringin' bowhuntin' into a rifle topic? Sounded to me like you was fixin' to tout the merits of a 25-06 spittin' Grand Slams for moose. Different tactics, differnt levels of competence with the weapon. Got no bearin' on what rifle somebody totes after the king. Besides bein' able to get in range, mos' bowhunters I' ve knowed can acutally read sign an' hit what they aim at 80% of the time. Ain' t so with rifle hunters. The popularity of big scopes an' 500 yard topics on these sites shows you that! Now go shave. Everthin' I said still goes for the " .243 is fine for moose crowd" .

Turk, another good thing ' bout the net is a feller in NYC with no experience whatsoever may git to talk to the real deal an' actually be smart enuff to listen. It ain' t likely, but it could happen.

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Like I said BJ, stick around another 18 months and you might be able to seperate those " Green Horns" from those just messing with your mind. :D

RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

If I had my choice for a moose rifle, I' d take a Winchester M70 in 300WSM, but thats in a perfect world......anyway. The 30-30 has probally taken more game than any other caliber, and even today with some of the 220 grain hotloads it will crumple a moose. I would take the 7-08 if your shots will be over 75 yards, like in Colorado, even then, I wouldnt shoot past 150.

Matt =----------->

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RE: Best Caliber for Moose?
 

Look at all the moose hunters in the Scandinavian countries who wack them with 6.5x55' s that should be all one needs to know. I am assuming the conditions in those countries are similiar to what one would find in Northern Maine or parts of Canada maybe a bit colder. Who cares about energy when your shot may be 50 yards to maybe 150 yards. They also put on Moose drives in those countries so the Moose are pumped full of adrenalin. It makes the killing power of those smaller calibers that more impressive.