Preferred larger game cartridge (elk, moose)

I have never shot a moose so cant speak of them but have seen lots of elk shot and shot 33 myself not counting the cripples I followed up and finished off as a guide. I have seen them shot with many calibers and bullets. The weakest I ever shot an elk with is 30-30 the largest a 375 H&H. Truth be told it is darn hard to beat the old 30-06 with nosler partition bullets.

 

I agree with 30-30, the 30-06 is hard to beat. A lot of people think that more is better, when a well placed shot is all it takes. However, shoot what you are confident with.

 

It looks like yall left out THE best non-magnum, out to 250 yard cartridge-the good ol 35 Whelen. I call mine Ol Thumper-because it thumps the game without killing my shoulder.

 

I took a black bear with my 300 win mag. The bear hit the ground, groaned, died. Very humane.

 

While you can use a 30-06 I believe in being a little over gunned for the game. That way if you got into a SHTF moment like having a bear comming at you you can take him out. You never know what your going to run into in elk country.

 

Good one brother. Another following that line of thought is the 9.3x62mm Mauser. Ballistic signature of the 375 H&H without the recoil or blast.

I'm partial to the large capacity "Super Magnums" in both .300 and .338 caliber, but don't like the recoil. The incorporation of a 1" Pachmayr Decel Pad, an Edwards Magnum Recoil Reducer, and a muzzle brake tame down these powerhouses to where they can be shot accurately. I can't shoot a rifle accurately if I'm being pounded on by the rifle every time I touch off a round, and I've never seen anyone else who could either.

Out here in southwest Montana most of your shots will be at extended ranges, and you want to deliver enough terminal ballistic energy on the target so that it doesn't run away after being hit if you make a less than perfect shot. It will likely have to travel a long way to suitable concealment before it will bed down which will increase the chance of you losing the game to predators

 

7 mm Rem. mag. as it is already bought and paid for. Run what ya brung!

 

.338 Win mag is what I (and MANY other Alaskans carry) but truth to tell the ones I shot with my little .358 Winchester all fell straight down.

 

WARRING: If you do not have an open mind, or do not like to read quite long (16 pages) of technical information: it would be best to disregard this thread.

I am a member of Guns and Shooting Online "ChuckHawks.Com". One of the better articles I have found on "Hunting Rifles" is on that site. I would suggest that you print it and put in the bathroom, that way it can be read over and over, or used it in place of the TP. It is called "Myth Busting Big Game Calibers" by Greg R. Haskins.

Link to "Myth Busting Big Game Calibers"

Myth Busting Big Game Calibers


If you have not look at Chuck Hawks he has a lot of good articles, and the worst forum that I know of.

Link to Guns and Shooting Online

GUNS AND SHOOTING ONLINE

 

Not too common in this country is the 6.5 x 55 Swede. In the Scandinavian countries it has always been used to take game ranging from deer to moose. The .264 BTHP 140gr. bullet is flat-shooting, accurate, and deadly.

 

I have always been partial to the .270 cal for it's high velocity and flat ballistics. A .30-06 is great but, the farther out your shot needs to be accurate I would rather have the .270 in about a 140 gr. But then, I've never had the privilege of hunting Moose. They are a little hard to find in Arizona.

 

i have seen moose shot with several calibers. i have personally shot two with a 375 and several more with a 7mm mag. the 7mm killed them just as dead as the 375. i have also dropped numerous caribou and 1 black bear with the 7mm. the 7mm gets my vote.

 

I would feel comfortabe with MY .270 to make a shot on elk or moose. I am accurate with it and always wait for the perfect shot to make a clean kill. I hope one day to hunt some moose or elk.

 

i have seen several moose shot with a 270. it would serve you fine as long as you do your part. i hope you get your chance to go moose hunting.

 

6.5X55 Swede does the job quite well.

 

My .338 WM will do me just fine thanks. I handload 210 gr. Nosler Partitions to 2950 fps. Ballistically, that load shoots flatter than a 175 gr. 7 mag. It has killed elk from 25-420 yards. One shot, One Kill. I would not hesitate to shoot moose or grizzly with that load. I have total confidence in it.

 

I've never seen anything my Mathews bow won't kill.

 

Well I have to agree with stalkingbear. I know of nothing a Mathews will not take.

Although, for up to 200 yard shots for big game I choose my good ol' 7mm08
I have shot 2 elk this year alone at 150 to 200yards and dropped them in there tracks. Yes they were very well placed shots..head shots.

Yet for long range take down I will have to go with a .338 lapua or .308.

I suppose it is whatever you have sighted in that makes a kill.

 

Prefered cartridge

I have used a 350 reminton magnum most of my life with factory corlocks in 200 grain.But I shot a moose back in the early eighties with a 30-06 heart and lunged him from about 50 yards.He was standing on flat ground on the edge of some beaver dams and just stood there dead on his feet. Took him a full minute or so to just fall over.I used factory 180 grain corelocks.
I hunt the heavy alder brush in north Idaho.For brush the most common guns are 444 marlins 375 big bores 35 remingtons and 45-70.
For all around hunting the most common is the 30-06 which is good for close and longer range hunting out to about 500 yards.
The most common for road hunters shooting long range are 7mm mags and 300 win mags. Both are usless at close range because they tear hell out deer and blood shot the hell out of meat. The 338 is a common gun in North Idaho also because it is good in brush and good at long range.You find people use them almost as much as a 30-06.
the 270 is frowned on by most because it is a flat shooting gun that is acurate out at long range and wounds elk a lot and I stopped helping any one track wounded elk with a 270. They are ok for closer range but just are not a what I consider a good elk gun.
The 264 is a good gun for shooting antelope at long range.My uncle emtied one into a black bear at about thirty yards and would have been mauled if a hunting partner with a 742 30-06 would not have took the bear out.They area a pea shooter best used on smaller game.I have shot elk with a 30-30, 7mm mag,30-06 and my 350 magnum. I got rid of my 7mm mag because I very seldom shoot long range. If I hunt open country I use a 30-06 and always carry a model 94 behind the seat in my pickup.
I started hunting legaly at age 12 and am 51 now.I grew up in north Idaho and have killed a lot of game in my life and packed and helped cut up a lot of game others shot.