Gents:

Now that we have two moose tags in hand for this fall, one being a bull, i'm trying to decide how to load up. Choices for bullets are looking like this, based on what I have:

265 gr GS Customs HV
260 NAB
300 AF
300 NP

My dad's CZ shoots the AF well. I have a M70 375 being put together right now and am not sure how it'll come out.

Since shots will be relatively close i'm not really concerned at all with long range terminal effects. However, the question is this: all reloading books seem to show near max loadings. What happens, performance-wise when say, a 300 NP is slowed down to 2400 fps rather than 2550?

In other words, for close range shooting is there an advantage to slowing down the round?

try the gs customs with their data. I used them in africa and they really performed. I wish i could show you a picture of one but never found one all pass through. Great bullets!

Keep your velocity up.
Velocity is what causes the bullet to expand and cause trauma to the critter. 2550fps really isn't all that fast for a partition.

Why play around with something that works? Use the 300 grain bullet. Good luck with the moose. Many maine hunters shoot them with smaller guns. I shot one in VT with my 30-06.

I have used the 260 Accubond for moose and like it a lot.

No long shots: Any 300 grainer. A bit longer range: 260 Accubond or similar. The 375 is plenty for moose and you dont need very expensive bullets..

Thanks, guys. I shot my 2008 bull with na 06 and it worked fine as anyone would suspect. Just so happens the rifle this year will be a 375.

BTW, does anyone have access to QuickLoad on their PC? I am curious as to what sort of trajectories one might find with these loads; i.e. a 300 gr NP at 2500 in a 24" barrel does X while a 260 NAB at 2700 does Y in terms of drop and retained energy at 300 yards assuming a 200 yard zero.

Just curious.

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by jsl3170:
Thanks, guys. I shot my 2008 bull with na 06 and it worked fine as anyone would suspect. Just so happens the rifle this year will be a 375.

BTW, does anyone have access to QuickLoad on their PC? I am curious as to what sort of trajectories one might find with these loads; i.e. a 300 gr NP at 2500 in a 24" barrel does X while a 260 NAB at 2700 does Y in terms of drop and retained energy at 300 yards assuming a 200 yard zero.

Just curious.

Jeff

Don't have QL but I have run the Barnes 235 and 270gr bullets through the same scenario. The better BC of the 270 allows them to have less drop and overcome the slight difference in MV vs the 235's.
I tried the reduced velocity route on my first cape buffalo. What I got was a lack of penetration. Steam em up!
Good luck on the moose.

Thanks, Blacktailer.

I got in on the Nosler 260gr AB sale when the shop had them on sale. The BC for the 260 BT and AB is .47. I load with IMR4064 @ 68grs per the Nosler web page. At 2600+ fps and a scope setting of 2.5 inches high at 100yrds that should give me a 200yrd '0' and it will be only 9.5 inches low @ 300. According to the balistic table. I found a very dusty box of Nosler 260 BTs I plan to load those and shoot them for practice. They were discontinued for some reason.
I have two very old yellow boxes of 300gr silver tips. I'll shoot a few to compare.
Jsl3170 It's still 90+ days away, the feel of the hunt as started.

Hey GoJoe,

No kidding! Pretty much all I think about! Working on the gear list as we speak and Dad will be getting his CZ shooting again after a hiatus and we work up some new loads with the old AF recipe of 69 gr 4064 under those 300 grainers.

Can't wait!

Yo j,

I agree with reddy 100%

quote:

Why play around with something that works? Use the 300 grain bullet.

I tried the .375" 260's (NPT's, NAB's & TBBC's) in my Winchester Model 70 .375 H&H (original 24" barrel that is now sporting a 20" tube) in RSA & Namibia for a coupla years and was truly un-impressed. I've Chronyed the 260's time & again and yes, Martha they're lumbering along at 2602 fps with the long original tube & now 2540 fps outa the short tube.

Yeah, I got many fine Trophies, Zebra, Kudu, Oryx, Blue Wildebeast, etc. but none of the larger animals had exit wounds, of course, for the smaller animals such as Impala, Blesbok & Warthogs the 260's truck on thru.

While I'm really not much of a bullet collector; I've got a whole handful plus of perfectly mushroomed bullets dug outa the off side shoulders and lungs.

Likewise for a buddy who went with me twice shooting a Sauer 202 with a full-length (read=grown-up) 24" barrel

Anyway, I went back to 300 gr. Round Noses; Hornadys & PMP's and low & behold haven't recovered a bullet since and they're falling out of the muzzle at 2425 fps.

My suggestion for a Moose Bull is a HEAVY bullet-o, similar in size to many African plains game animals if not a tad larger; the 300 gr. NPT's or SAF's are just the ticket IMO.

Have fun with your choice and Waidmannsheil!

PS: Oh, we were in Maine a coupla years ago on an RV trip which coincided with the 2nd week of Moose season - I really like how Maine treats their Moose Hunters; I'da loved to have had a ticket but Mrs. Gerry wouldn't have been too pleased.

Glad you got to see how it's done here at least. Yup, they simply love dead moose round here!

A 260 Nosler partition @ 2600 out of my 375 Hawk broke the big shoulder bone on a big bull moose with a quartering to shot. It was found in the back of the liver perfectly expanded and had destroyed everything on it's way through. I've guided my nieces to oneshot kills with their 7/08 and 150 rem corlok, I've killed them with .308 and 150's, 270 with 150's etc 10.75x68 with a 347 woodliegh. They react the same in all cases to a proper hit, run a few yards and drop. Dont stress over what bullet choice in .375, just where you put it.

My pal used my '06 in '95 to take a nice bull, PMC loaded with a Barnes X in 165gr. One shot stop. I used my Remmy 308 with a nosler solid base 165. It was a 2 shot stop. This time round I'll use the 375, cause its new and I want to see what it'll do. I've got some 300gr NP and some N203-B. I'm working up a load, But the 260 NAB is set to go.

looks like Maine will be stacking moose up with 375s this year!