Biggamehunter89

Hey folks!

Fall of 2017 will be my first moose hunt. I have been hunting for the last four years mostly waterfowl and small game animals. I hunt deer too but where i live we are only allowed to use a crossbow so i actually never had to buy a rifle specifically for hunting. I owned a few rifles like the SKS, Mosin Nagant and a Lee-Enfield which i was shooting regularly with an open sight but never hunted with them.


Now the time has come to choose a rifle which will be specifically used to hunt Moose. Bear and Wild Hog are definitely going to be part of what i hunt in the future. I was thinking about either a 7mm or a 300 win mag. I Shot both of these in the past. Both pretty accurate and i found the recoil to be very tolerable.


These are my two picks based on my experience. But with so many calibers to choose from i have a hard time making a decision. Any insight on which caliber and rifle brand to choose based on your personal experiences would be really helpful.

Thank you!

PS: Sorry for the bad english! It is my second language

super_hunt54

Taken many Moose in my many years of hunting. MOST have been taken with my old cherished Win Model 70 chambered in .30-06 shooting a 220 grain bullet. Taken a few with lighter 180 grain as well. Then still others I have taken with the little old .30-30 and low and behold they were just as dead! Taken a few with Traditional archery gear as well as compound and 2 or 3 with muzzleloader. I can tell you that MOST Moose encounters will be well within range of a .30-30. A Bull Moose in rut isn't the brightest bulb in the lamp and there isn't very much at all that scares them. Not many predators are willing to tackle an animal of that size. WAY to many easier meals on legs out there for that nonsense. Cows on the other hand, like most females of every species, are much smarter and more wary.

To be 100% honest, get you a good .30-06 being as the ammo is as much as half the price so that means a lot more practice money!! Precision is key for any cartridge so get one that you can afford to practice with!

jeepkid

What's your budget without optics?

Sheridan

Seems to me any of those should work.


Either the .300 WM or the 7MM RM will work also.

I opted for a 7MM RM, however I also have a .338 WM.

Wingbone

A cartridge with more power won't make up for bad shooting. Pick a caliber that will be easy to practice with and economical to purchase ammo for. Mosins and Enfields in experienced hands are more than adequate for moose.

buffybr

Like others have posted, either a 7 RM or .300 WM will easily kill a moose, as will a .30-06 and a long list of other cartridges.


In the mid 80s, I took one of my friends moose hunting in SW Montana. Frist thing opening morning, one shot from his 7 RM dropped (at that time) the 4th largest B&C bull moose ever shot in Montana.


Also in the 80s, I was lucky enough to draw two Montana moose tags. One of my bulls had a 50" spread, the other 40". Each was killed with a single 180 grain Nosler Partition bullet from my .30 Gibbs, which is an improved .30-06 with approximately .300 Winchester velocities.


If I ever go on another moose hunt, I'll probably use my .300 Weatherby.

Sage of the Sage

Although I own and have shot many a critter with a 300 wm I generally tend to recommend away from magnums. They're sexy and all that, but not necessary for most North American game. If you know what you're doing with the venerable aught 6 or 308 you'll do great. My father-in-law grew up in Fairbanks and he talks about frequently shooting Alaska Moose with a .270 and thinking nothing of it.

The bigger end of Remington and Winchester families are tested and true and ammo is diverse, less expensive than magnums, and you can get it anywhere.

super_hunt54

All taken into consideration, I.E. the Native families in Alaska and Canadian areas, the most common cartridge used to take Moose over the past 100 years has been the little old .30-30 with .30-06 coming in at a close second and a .303 Brit coming in a close 3rd. I hear guides/outfitters in Alaska always complaining about the clients coming into camp with a big ole magnum that they have only shot enough to sight in because of recoil and high ammo cost. They couldn't hit minute of barn with the damn things because of limited practice. You will find, as I stated in my post earlier, the absolute MOST recommended cartridge, in Alaska for Moose anyway, is a .30-06 firing a 200-220 grain premium type bullet.

Rob in VT

I have used a 30-06 and 300 WM for elk in the past and have performed well. I will been going on a moose hunt with my daughter in Newfoundland and we will be using these two guns.

Best of luck!

Biggamehunter89

My budget is about 1500 CAD $ with optics.

As for my rifles i sold all of them early this year. I was going through some rough times and needed the money.

I am equipped to reload my cartridges myself so ammo cost is not an issue.

If anything from 270 and up will do for a moose, what about bears and hog? Would something with more stopping power like a 45-70 be necessary?

What rifle/optics combo do you recommend?


Thank you all for the fast replies!