.260 Rem for Canadian Bull Moose
 

Along the same vein as the 7-08 thread, I am going up North for a sheep and Moose hunt. Would the .264 140gr Accubond be a good idea or a bad idea?

While I know the .260 is plenty for a sheep, the moose has me in doubt.

I know about the Scandanavians and the 6.5x55, but those Moose, like the Sharias of the Northeastern US seaboard, are not the same size a large canadian bull moose.

Also, isn't a once of a lifetime hunt (where I only have a matter of days and opportunities may be limited different/angles not ideal) different than a local hunter who gets to pick and choose, hunt more than once in a season, and may be shooting cows?

The only reason I am wanting to use the .260 is it is such a sweet round and so easy to shoot!

Thanks in advance

Do you know how big a bull moose is? It would be better to use the biggest round you can rather than see if you can get away with a small one. So far as I am concerned, it show a lack of respect for the game you are hunting. You asked, that is my opinion.

Well IMO it would probably do the job. But as a minimum I would use a 7mm mag or a 30-06. I like the good old 30-06 with 180 gr Barnes bullets. And the 300 Win Mag or bigger would be even better. A big bull can absorb a lot of lead. but if you bust up both lungs he won't go very far.

The type of area you will be hunting will be in question also. Open or closed in and heavily covered for range limitations. If the longest shot you will have will be 100 yards, then the .260 would be fine. Many Moose have been taken with the little .30/30, the old man took quite a few himself with one. But his favorite rifle to take on a Bull hunt was his trusty .30/06 loaded up with 220 grain round nosed hammer of the gods he called it. As you said though, shot angles and options will come into play. If all you have presented to you on the last day of your hunt is a quartering to you shot on the point of the shoulder, you will want a cartridge and bullet with enough power to bust through. I myself have only Moose hunted a few times. That was more the old man's passion than mine. But I always used my .300 win mag pushing the same bullet the old man used. 220 grain RN Hornady Interlock. The .260 would be a very minimal cartridge in my opinion and would limit not only your shot options/target area, but also your range.

"Sharias of the Northeastern US seaboard..."


I take it you meant Shiras. But they're a western / high prairie subspecies of moose. The ones living in the NE US and E Canada are Eastern moose.

You'll be fine. I've been hunting moose for 25 years give or take. The first 10 I used a .308 with 180 federal classics. If you poke a hole in its heart or lungs, it'll die. Nothing wrong with using a magnum if you want, you just don't NEED to.

I'm not necessarily against it, under certain situations. But you could do better. And should if you're able to.


I wouldn't hesitate to use my .30-06. But I also wouldn't pass up the chance if I only had a .260. I would need to be much more selective on a good shot though.


A hole through the lungs = a dead animal. But how far and at what angles can you punch that hole?
-Jake

A 260 will do it but I would go bigger. In my 40 years of moose hunting I can tell you the shots are not always perfect. You may only get one shot and you don't want to wound it. Do it right. Trust me.

On a multi-species hunt, I normally size my rifle/bullet to the largest animal that I intend to hunt and there are no problems with smaller animals.


Under perfect conditions a .260 will kill a moose, but on an expensive international hunt, why take the chance? Our job as hunters is to quickly and cleanly kill the animals that we hunt.


Years ago, I was on a solo, DIY, backpack hunt in one if Montana's Unlimited bighorn sheep units. I was using my favorite deer/antelope/sheep rifle, my .257 Ackley. By the 3rd morning I hadn't seen any rams, and when a large 6x6 bull elk stepped out broadside about 75 yards in front of me, I put 117 grain Sierra just behind his shoulder.


That small bullet hit a rib bone going in and fragments of bone, copper, lead shredded the bull's lungs and heart, killing him instantly. None of the bullet or bone penetrated the ribcage on the far side. Had that bullet hit the large upper leg bone I think the results would have been different.


I have also killed two Shiras bull moose, both one shot kills with 180 grain Nosler Partitions at magnum velocities, which would be my choice if I was to hunt another moose.

Spoon the bullet if you go low.