Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Looking add another A-Bolt to my collection. Hopefully Moose, Elk and the likehunts are in the future. That said, looking for your opinions on which caliber to pursue. I'm torn between the 325WSM, 300WSM, 7mm Rem Mag, 300 Win Mag and the 338 Win Mag.I know there are quite a few votes for the 30-06 which I have covered.Man can't have to many toy's right boy's?, what's your feeling on a Moose Medicine A-Bolt?

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Of those you mentioned, the 325 WSM would be my choice. I would say the 35 Whelen but I don't think its available in the A-Bolt. Don't blame you for sticking with the A-Bolt. That shows good tatste.;)If they become available in 338 Federal, I will have one for sure.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

I would choose the 338 win mag.. I'm not a fan of the short mags.
338 hits very hard and if your hunting in Grizzly country that would be my first choice...

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

I would take the .338 Win Mag over the others you mentioned. Top it off with a Leupold VX II 0r III in 3x9 and you're set to shoot close in the trees at 3 power or 400 yds across a meadow at 9 power for the animal of a lifetime. If you're up to doing your part, the .338 WM will never let you down.
Reasons: Excellent accuracy, good ballistics, great knock down power, ammo readily available even in a Mom and Pop general sporting goods store becuase of it's popularity, and can kick a big bear's butt if you happen to run into a bad situation while hunting for elk, moose or bears, etc.
I have one in a Ruger No 1 and love it!

Go on a hunt and tell your guide you're totin' a 30-06 along for Yukon Moose or any big bears and he'll likely question your choice. Tell him you're bringing along a .338 WM and he'll nod and move on to the next topic!

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

OUT OF THOSE CHOICES.....THE .338

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

With an 06 already the 338wm would be my choice. While the 325 is upto the task and would offer nice spacingthe track record for 8mm cartridges being accepted in NA makesone wonder about its survival. Also Ihave wondered what the .323 bullet really offers over a 308 bullet chucked from a 300 wm, wby or RUM...seems to be slight and that just might be why they haven't caught here yet!!

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

I hate to do this, however the 375 H&H gets the cross canyon Elk shot done and on Moose .....whamo! They don't kick as hard as the 338 either. Regards, Rick.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Rick I believe they kick a little harder than the 338, although that could depend on the weight of the rifle and the load you are firing.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Not much difference in recoil. 36.1 lbs for the 375 H&H and 33.3 lbs for the 338. However IMO, the 375 is a LOT more rifle on the business end.

I reload so I never really give a thought to if a cartridge will survive. There are plenty of good 8MM bullets and if you prefer a short action then I would still opt for the 325WSM. I like short actions thus my interest in the 338 Federal.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

.338 win mag sounds like good medicine for moose and elk to me. Lots of good factory ammo to choose from too. I know I like the caliber just with a little more UMPHH!

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

I have a Kimber 338 with a VX III 3.5-10x40 and I tell you what.... What a nice setup and for a light gun it really don't kick all that bad.. I mean you can stand to shoot at least 3 rounds out of it without crying.. LOL J/K

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Hey demoIL, I've just been looking at a model 8400 in .338, and here your post pops up. What are the odds?!!!

So, are you being facetious about the recoil? The weight specs on the 8400 seem like it's a bit lighter than I'd like (or than I think I'd like) for that caliber. I've always wondered about the whole "stock design vs. rifle weight" debate. So, if you had it to do over again, would you still go with the Kimber for .338?

Many Thanks!

FC

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Believe me, the 375 kicks alot harder than the 338. I've fired both fromtwo stainless model 70's 3 years ago and their is a difference. I'm a big fan of short magnums and I would love to have the 325WSM in a model 70 classic. The whole 8mmexcuseisn't going to work this time, I believe and also by looking at sales, this caliber is here to stay. WSM's are very popular, the 325wsm will do anything a 338 can do and with a few more benefits because of the short action. Just my .02.:)

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Moose are easier to bag than elk. When you shoot a moose in a vital spot, he will usually stand around quite near the place he was when shot, and fall down when he realizes he's dead. A .30/'06 or similar round is fine for this purpose. Conversely, the moose will not often collapse on the spot as if struck by lightning, regardless of what bullet hits him.

An elk will take the same shot, and quite often depart at a dead run for the next county, and arrive there,before he bites the dust. For elk, it is nice to have a GOOD blood trail to follow. I have shot elk with the 7mm Rem. Mag. with perfectly satisfactory results, but if I were to choose a caliber for ELK HUNTING ONLY, I'd choose the .338 Win., .340 Weatherby, or even a .375 H&H.....

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Goodness, I have been moose hunting quite a bit, and can't say I see too many people with a 338win mag. Maybe in heavy bear country, but sure not in Newfoundland. I do see quite a few elk hunters with a 338 however.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Boy!! When we talk about felt recoil, I realize such things as stock design, bullet weight, and gun weight have a lot to do here....but my experiences have been that the .375 sure feels more punishing to me than the .338. Period.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

338 win mag + 225 gr. partitions + 2850 FPS = Heep Good Moose/Elk Medicine Kemo Sabe!

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

7mm Rem Mag...... 50.5 Gr IMR48 with Hornady 162 gr BT ;)

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

Hello James B. I am very curious in regards to your numbers. Are these numbers with the same bullet weight? My experience with these two is that the 338 Kicks like hell and the 375 is more a shove. Is this my imagination? The 338 I had was on a Sako L61R action while my 375 is on the Sako AV action which is a bit heavier. Kick or no kick, I consider the 375 H&H to be one of the best of the best calibers for big critters and so do others with far more credentials than me....to point:

"As much as I like the .375, I have never seen much use for it in North America, except for hunting the big Alaskan brown bear. However, if anyone wants to use it on elk, moose or grizzly, I am not going to take exception. It is a hard-hitting, flat-shooting cartridge, for which I have scored a higher percentage of one-shot, in-the-tracks kills on medium to large soft-skinned game than with any other cartridge." -- Jack O'Connor, The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns, Outdoor Life (1961).

or...
"THE .375 H&H MAGNUM
But the queen of the medium bores is the .375 H&H Magnum, one of the world's most useful and widely distributed cartridges, and probably the best all-around cartridge ever devised." -- Jack O'Connor, The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns, Outdoor Life (1961).

or....
"For an octogenarian, the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum gets around right well. Other cartridges are decidely superior for most any specific big-game hunting assignment. But if you balance lethality against ranging capability, and factor in tolerable recoil, the .375 H&H (a.k.a. .375 Belted Rimless Magnum and .375 Belted Rimless Nitro Express) does more jobs better than any single round we have. It is arguably the most broadly effective cartridge in the entire history of sporting firearms. If internationally experienced hunters were asked to vote on one cartridge for all-around use, the .375 would win by a landslide." -- G. Sitton, "Reloads: The .375 H&H Magnum," Petersen's Big Book of Cartridges, Vol. 1, p. 84.

or........
"The caliber .375 H&H Magnum is....a wonderful cartidge for use on elk, moose, bear, or the heavy artic game. In a factory make rifle and load, the .375 H&H Magnum in the Model 70 Winchester, Model 700 Remington, the
Browing, Sako, etc., is one of the finest all around rifles and cartridges." -- Elmer Keith, Hunting Big Game, Peterson Publishing Company (1965), Chapter Two, "Timber And All Around Rifles," pp. 37-38.

or.........
"f I could have two cartridges to hunt the world, I'd be quite happy with the .30-06 and the .375 H&H. And if I could have just one cartridge to hunt the world over, my only answer is the .375." -- Craig Boddington, "Classic Hunting Cartridges: .375 Holland & Holland Magnum," Petersen's HUNTING, June 1995, p. 43 (emphasis in original).

Now that's some heavy stuff from some of the heavyweights of all time. I'll stick with my post irrespective of the extra 2 pounds or so recoil. :DRegards, Rick.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

300 Win Mag comes to mind again... 338 would work too...

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

The numbers that I posted are with a 270 grain bullet in the 375 and a 250 grain in the 338. The 338 velocity is 2700 while the 375 is 2690.

I can't say that I notice much difference in felt recoil although the 375 that I have used is about a pound heavier than the 338's that I had at the same time. The 375 H&H is just about at the end of my tolerance now that the shoulder is shot.:(

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

The .338 Win. Mag., or the .325 WSM. Good luck.

RE: Moose-Elk Rifle Caliber Choice
 

If the case is that you just want to add another, keep the .30-06 for when hunting Low and the .338 when hunting High!