Posted on 10/23/2020 8:06:20 PM PDT by DoodleBob
Comparatively few people get to hunt moose. In Maine, where we have masses of moose, the odds on drawing a tag in any given year are 1,300 to one. In Alaska, where the moose are many, and there’s no problem getting a license, but for a nonresident, it’s an expensive and difficult hunt.
On the other hand, I consider moose to be the best of all wild meats, and there’s a lot of it if you get one. So, let us consider the best cartridges for same.
Moose are not smart or tough, but they are big. Bulls in the Lower 48 ( Alces alces) weigh from 800 to 1,000 pounds. Alaskan bulls ( Alces gigas) run from 1,000, if they’re worn down by the rut, to 1,600 or 1,800. For a bullet to do its job, it must get through much moose, and that requires both heft and toughness.
Most moose are shot with deer rifles, and that’s fine, but if you’re hunting them in grizzly or brown bear country, your rifle must be able to deal with an ursine claimant to the dead body. I would not want to bluff a brown bear with a .270. So, most of the following cartridges are bigger than strictly required, but they’ll handle both jobs.
There are bog-trotting moose and ridge-running moose. The ridge runners can often be hunted on horseback, but the bog trotters are pursued on foot, and it’s some of the most frightful country I’ve ever sloshed through. If you carry a heavy, long-barreled rifle, you will regret it only once, and that will be continually.
So, with all of that out of the way, here we go.
(Excerpt) Read more at fieldandstream.com ...
LOL! Wonder what percentage of the bullets DON’T explode as they come out of the muzzle???
Ackley knew his budiness. I can’t picture tumbling rounds getting to 4600 FPS.
Ackley knew his budiness. I can’t picture tumbling rounds getting to 4600 FPS.
Who knows. As the goal was velocity, I think copper solids might have been called for.
Should have gone all the way and necked it down to .17.
I’m surprized that nobody has mentioned the .72 caliber rifle that a smith in the New Braunfels, TX area makes out of 3-inch 12 gauge brass cases. - The BULLET weighs >600 grains.
(That caliber DANGEROUS GAME RIFLE has taken any number of Mexican (feral) bulls.
Fwiw, I have an old “Army buddy” that built a .50 BMG caliber rifle for African hunting. - It weighs 17#.
(He offered to let me shoot it on the range at Camp Swift. - I declined.)
Yours, TMN78257
I’m surprized that nobody has mentioned the .72 caliber rifle that a smith in the New Braunfels, TX area makes out of 3-inch 12 gauge brass cases. - The BULLET weighs >600 grains.
(That caliber DANGEROUS GAME RIFLE has taken any number of Mexican/feral bulls.)
Fwiw, I have an old “Army buddy” that built a .50 BMG caliber rifle for African hunting. - It weighs 17#.
(He offered to let me shoot it on the range at Camp Swift. - I declined.)
Yours, TMN78257
Don’t know about the 6.5 for moose or bear..I’d prefer my 7mag for that.
My creedmoor however consistently blows the shoulders out of the deer I hunt. Well that is if they’re right facing since it’s a 10 yard sprint to property line from my shooting lane.
I do load my own brass and currently liking Lapua, Nosler bullets 140gr., and RL17 powder. Can clover leaf at 100 yards consistently. I like the creedmoor because it’s not so hard on my old shoulder. This gun is a stock Mauser.
Sounds like you lads shoot much like we do here. I can reach 2500 yards off my south deck (I shoot moa). It’s funny, I used mils in the army, but I prefer moa. Sometimes the elk will come by the house a few hundred yards out, so if you’re paying attention, you can bag some meat heh.
I looked at the 408, but given my goals and operational capabilities, I can’t justify the expense. I’m not funded by the tax payers anymore. If I get the chance, I’ll compare notes with you guys sometime. I use strelok pro app a lot too for fast firing solutions. Really great app if you’ve never used it.
Sounds like you lads shoot much like we do here. I can reach 2500 yards off my south deck (I shoot moa). It’s funny, I used mils in the army, but I prefer moa. Sometimes the elk will come by the house a few hundred yards out, so if you’re paying attention, you can bag some meat heh.
I looked at the 408, but given my goals and operational capabilities, I can’t justify the expense. I’m not funded by the tax payers anymore. If I get the chance, I’ll compare notes with you guys sometime. I use strelok pro app a lot too for fast firing solutions. Really great app if you’ve never used it.
What’s your chronograph tell you with your load?
Speaking of a pre64 M70 Winchester, that is #2 on my get-someday gun list. When I was a kid, our whole family used .308 W for hunting. I heard about a .308 Magnum and I wanted one immediately and still do. So I want the M70 in .308 NM caliber. (Actually, it was learning about the .308 NM when I learned about its big brother, the .358 NM.) I know there is no good reason to get a .308NM over a .300 Win Mag, other than I want one, which as a gun guy, you understand the importance of that. Back to the original question, the .308 NM would also be a good gun for a moose.
True but the 9.3 was developed in the early 1900s. The .358 NM was developed in the mid-1900s. It is not surprising that it might be a more capable bullet. Just like it is not surprising that a .338 Lapua developed in the late 1900s (or the relatively new .338 NM) can outperformed the .358 NM. Bullet development has improved with time.
The fact that the 9.3 is still legal for the big five is a grandfathering provision more than a measure of its capabilities. Correct me if I'm wrong but new calibers less than .40 cal are being not approved for the big five despite their capabilities which may well be in excess of the 9.3.
Oops. Miss an edit. Should be "are not being approved."
I just had cataract surgery and I’m hoping that after I heal up I’ll be able to see the sights and crosshairs better. Then I might feel confident for longer shots with the .338 Mag but I’ll reserve the .45/70 for “up close and personal”. If the new lens corrects the astigmatism in my right eye I might even bee able to see a red “dot” instead of a red “blob” ;-)
I’ll stick with my Zastava in .458 WinMag without a scope. I don’t want optics getting in the way if a Grizzly decides he is going to retrieve a free meal.
“I knew some Indians that shot a sow polar bear with 556 ar; saw the picts.”
I read a story about an elder Inupiat woman in Point Hope, Alaska who was jumped from behind by a polar bear when she was walking to a friends house during a January blizzard. The bear had her face down, flipped her over, and she balled up her fist and shoved her fur mitten deep into the bears throat and released. The bear choked to death. Now THAT is a survival story! Hope she got her mitten back...
BEST OF LUCK to YOU.
I, too, have cataracts in BOTH eyes & am awaiting HQUSAMEDDAC finally deciding that my eyes NEED fixing.
Yours, TMN78247
USA, Retired
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