steeleman

I need to buy a moose gun and am debating either a 270, 300 or 308. Can anyone tell me the differences between the three. I hunt up north and need a gun that can cover about 200 yards and still keep alot of knock down power. For the most part I hunt open fresh cut slashes but do occasionly go through thicker bush and am wondering which gun will perform better.

1st_lite

Personally I'd go with a 30-06, A little more umph than the .308. .300 Win mag you'd be looking at a great deal of recoil, but you'd have knock down power.
The .270 is a necked down 30-06, therefore the bullet is smaller and doesn't have the same energy. Alot of people like this round for deer.
Between the .308 and the 30-06 the recoil will be very similar. The reason I like the 30-06 is it can be used for anything. The ammo is very common. IMO it's as close to being a magnum without the magnum prices.

Edited by - 1st_lite on 01/06/2002 11:29:40

Edited by - 1st_lite on 01/06/2002 11:30:42

PABuck_HNTR

I love the .270, but for a moose gun it would not be my choice. I will agree that a 30-06 is a great all around cartridge and would work, but if your looking for a moose only rifle i'd pick the .300 of the choices you listed.

stubblejumper

I would go with the 300 mag as it is the best moose gun of the three.If the recoil is more than you are comfortable with then I would go for a 7mm mag.

1st_lite

www.winchester.com
I got these ballistics there:
.308 - 180 gr Super X
energy at muzzle - 2743 ft/lbs, at 300 yds - 1109 ft/lbs
sited in @ 100 yds 1.9, 200 yds 0.0, 300 yds -12.1

30-06 - 180 gr Super X
energy at muzzle - 2913 ft/lbs, at 300 yds - 1793
sited in @ 100 yds 2.0, 200 yds 0.0, 300 yds -8.6

.300 WM - 180 gr Super X
energy at muzzle - 3501 ft/lbs, at 300 yds - 2196
sited in @ 100 yds 1.9, 200 yds 0.0, 300 yds -7.3.

7mm RM - 175gr Super X
energy at muzzle - 3178 ft/lbs, at 300 yds - 1956
sited in @ 100 yds 2, 200 yds 0.0, 300 yds -7.9

The .270 wasn't even recommended for moose, the largest bullet there was 150 gr, way too light.

Recoil in ft/lbs for the above mentioned rounds are:

308 - 19 ft/lbs
30-06 - 20 ft/lbs
7mm RM - 23 ft/lbs
300WM - 26.5 ft/lbs (this is what you feel at the shoulder)
these are approx., the table I use doesn't list make, model, or barrel length used.

Edited by - 1st_lite on 01/06/2002 12:13:25

Edited by - 1st_lite on 01/06/2002 15:36:57

THE DEER SLAYER

30-06 with 220 grain bullets. <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

frizzellr

stubblejumper, many of the people I have talked to and myself included find that the recoil of a 7mm Rem Mag is sharper than that of the 300 Win Mag. That being said it may not be a good compromise to the 300 just for the sake of recoil.

stubblejumper

Frizzellr-In order to compare recoil you must test the cartridges in identical guns.Weight,stock design and recoil pad will all effect recoil.A lighter 7mm can recoil more than a heavy 300 and an ultralight 270 can recoil more than both of them.The 7mm mag uses less powder and drives an equivalent weight bullet with less velocity than the 300 mag therefore with all other factors the same the 300 will recoil more.This is simple physics.Most people also use lighter bullets in the 7mm than the 300 but still maintain section density and penetration.As an example a 160gr .284&quot; partition has a higher sectional density than a 180gr .308&quot; bullet so the 160(284) will penetrate as least as well as the 180(308)By using the lighter bullet in the 7mm recoil will be reduced even further.I have fired both calibers myself in identical remington 700's and the 7mm mag recoiled noticably less.

Pro-Line

I've seen 2 moose shot, both with 300 win, both hit well (through the shoulders) and both had to be shot again. That said...they were both probably dead from the first shot. However, a moose is the last thing you want to go chase through the &quot;bush&quot;.

Personally I'd opt for the 300.

When I've been I've used a 308 Norma Mag which is real similar to the 300 win. Unfortunately I haven't shot a moose yet.

Portage

I don't have a lot of experience moose hunting so I should be quiet. I went on my first moose hunt this year and used a 300. Results were 1 shot- 1 bull 920 pounds dressed. Bull hit the ground so hard he actually bounced. I was shooting 180 grain Nosler Partitions.

I borrowed the rifle from my father and, quite honestly, wanted to use my 308. I tend to be recoil sensitive and really didn't feel like getting beaten up shooting that rifle. I was very pleasantly surprised at the recoil. I've shot 06s that seemed to kick more. I really liked the performance of the 300 on moose.

As an aside, that was the 3rd moose killed with that rifle. So far there has only been 4 shots taken at moose. Not a bad average.