Going to go to Newfoundland on a moose hunt. I have a load worked up for a 165 grain nosler partition that shoots really well. I've been told the minimum is 180 grain, is the 15 grains that critical?(180's dont shoot as well)
thanks

If the 165s shoot well, use those. The moose wont know the differance.

I killed my first moose with a .270 shooting 150gr Partitions. Luckily the moose didn't know and died anyway. You will be fine with the 165s, moose are not that hard to kill.

JD

I find moose easier to kill than elk.The 165s will be fine.

Guess it depends what caliber you are shooting also.

You can kill a moose with a 22. The more firepower (energy and trauma capability) the bigger the kill zone (target area).

Wouldn't dispute you can kill moose with 270, but think that a 300 would be the bottom end on calibers, if available. I certainly wouldn't recommend going out and buying a new gun just for this hunt, but if you need a reason to purchase a new gun, this certainly would be your segway into that opportunity.

I am going elk hunting this year and moose hunting next year (in Newfoundland). I decided to fill the void between my 7 Rem Mag and 416 Rigby for both these hunts with a 338 Win Mag. Will shoot a 225 grain bullet in the 338WM.

Who are you hunting with up there?

quote:

I certainly wouldn't recommend going out and buying a new gun just for this hunt, but if you need a reason to purchase a new gun, this certainly would be your segway into that opportunity.

Looks like a good excuse for the wife! "But honey, everyone on the forum said I need a .300 or larger to blast my moose...this .270 just won't do it! I'm off to get a new gun...!"

Good luck with your moose hunt.

MG

It's refreshing to see someone who doesn't think you need a 200grain bullet in a 300winchester to kill an Elk so "obviously" (don't get the sarchasm on your pant cuffs)
something bigger is needed for a Moose...

I think the 165gr Nosler Partitions will be fine out of a 30-06.
I don't believe that there is anything that lives in North America that you should be shooting at with a 30cal that a 165gr bullet won't do the job on.

And as a general philosophical point any rifle you shoot "well" is a superior weapon on ANY GAME
than a "more powerful" rifle that you don't shoot as well.

If you want more penetration from a 30-06 I wouldn't use a heavier bullet I'd switch to a Barnes TSX
a 165gr TSX loaded to 3000fps or so will penetrate as well as ANY other bullet from a 30-06 at any speed.

I will maintain to my dying breath (probably from exhaustion from shouting down anyone who disagrees that a 30-06 is at it's absolute best with 165-168gr bullets.

If you stay with the partition may I recommend a load of as much RL22 as you can load (hand stack grain by grain if necissary) into a once fired neck sized case?

the limitation with RL22 behind a 165gr bullet is not dictated by pressure, it's dictated by how much you can make fit inside the case.

I find I can squeeze an extra grain or so into
a neck sized case.


Now, OTOH, if you find yourself being talked into a bigger rifle to kill your moose?
Talk yourself out of a 300mag and get a 338Mag.
The 300mag doesn't kill any better than a 30-06
does because a 30cal bullet is a 30cal bullet.

AllanD

quote:

I've been told the minimum is 180 grain

Don't know who told you about this "minimum", but it just ain't so. I've taken a few moose with a 270 win using both 150gr NPs and corelokts. If I went tomorrow, I'd probably use an 06 w/180gr NPs. If my rifle shot 165s great, I'd use them with complete confidence and never look back.

From my experience as a taxidermist talking with moose hunters, moose are not hard to kill. Most moose are shot with 30-06 and 308 with 165-180gr bullets in my neck of the woods.Of course some moose are shot with 30-30s, 243, 6.5, 7mm, 303, you name it. On long shots which are rare here the 300 Win mag is said to be very effective. ( Latter used by trophy hunters going after the shy monsters that you might just get a peek at @300 yds.)

Also, some folks (meat hunters) use shotguns with slugs on moose drives with expected effect!They don't travel very far with a couple of slugs in the boiler room, so it is said.

In Eastern Canada many moose are called in, to very shot range. Most of the taxidermy mounts I have done for hunters have been neck shot, as in head on, short range. Hunters claimed that 165grs nosler partitions or similar bullets decks 'em instantly with said neck shots.

Also bow hunters state that an arrow through the chest and the travel after the hit is 30 yards max. Where you hit them is more important than with what you hit them, I guess.

The generation just prior to mine use to hunt moose here for food. They would shoot them with 12 ga shotguns with single ball. The thing to do was break the back and then walk up to them and ding them behind the ear. Go home. Harness the horse and twitch the game out of the marsh; butcher, salt and voila...a full larder...

Hey thanks for all the info. I forgot to mention my rifle is a 300 WSM. I thought the 165's would be ok, but doubt started to creep in.
Thanks again

Having been in on more than a few moose kills(60 perhaps, and 8 of my own) I can tell you moose are no where as tough as an elk. Dont let the body size intimidate you. Moose have a tendancy to die from seemingly superficial wounds. Not taking away from the importance of correct shot placement. 165's in a 300WSM will do the job hands down no need for any thing else. My first moose met it's demise at the business end of a 165 gr. Sierra Boat tail in a 30'06 never recovered the slug from the chest shot at 225yds, and the moose went maybe 10yds.
i have also killed moose with a .284Win with 139gr. Hornady BTSP's, 25'06 with 100gr. partitions, I have also seen my wife devistate the lungs on two moose with a 270Win shooting 100gr. Barnes X's, both shots went clean through pulling a sausage shaped piece of lung out the exit wound.
the misconception that moose are tough because of there size is a big misnomer. hit them where it counts and no more than afew steps from where you hit them the work will really start.

I suppose in the end it depends if the minimum 180 gn is a legal requirement rather than a ballistic preference?

Regards

Mark

You need to put a moose down as quickly as possible before they head to a river,lake or beaver pond.A standing moose will take a hit hard but a running moose is loike a freight train.I watched a guy shoot one running three times with a 300 weatherby .The moose was not impressed.He ran up hill 1/2 mile through the thickest stuff he could find.I have seen many moose which ended up in the water after taking a good hit.I like the 338 win mag on moose .Where there are moose there is usually a bear trying to take away your moose afterwards.Then no gun is too big.

Well, there are Moose, and then there are Moose.. The Sweedes have been killing Moose with the 6.5X55 for decades, but I certianly wouldnt book a Moose hunt to Alaska with the good ol Sweede. Not that it wouldnt work mind you, just better options IMO.

When I finally draw my Moose tag Ill be using 225 gn slugs from my Whelen. Not because it is nessecary, just because I can.

Just put that 165 gn partition in the right spot and youll be fine. And if he runs off afterward dont panic, some Moose are just too ignorant to know theyre dead.


Alan,

I like what Ive read of your posts thus far, but Im afraid your just dead wrong in this case, as everyone knows that 180's rule the roost from an 06.

I have a friend that killed one with a 270 and 130 gr bullet. The Alaska web site recommends a 150 gr bullet over 2500 fps.
One of the guides I talked to said that he and his wife only use 308s for all their moose hunting.

quote:

Originally posted by Allan DeGroot:

I think the 165gr Nosler Partitions will be fine out of a 30-06.


I will maintain to my dying breath (probably from exhaustion from shouting down anyone who disagrees that a 30-06 is at it's absolute best with 165-168gr bullets.

AllanD

Truer words have not been spoken!!!!

Contrary to belief, moose are not that hard to kill! My brother used my 257 AI, with a 100 Nosler Part. and dropped a bull in its tracks. Shot placement is all that's needed!! If your '06 hits where you aim, use it, you will not be undergunned.

I'd have to second the idea of the Barnes Triple Shock. You'll get a 165gr. bullet that out penetrates anything that is 180gr. with lead, anyday.

And.....it'll most likely be the most accurate load you've had.

If you don't feel like risking it, try the Triple Shock.

A 165 gr bullet propelled at 2800 f/s will plant any moose on the"RocK" Any bullet from the nosler to Sierra Game King to the Hornady interlock will be fine at 06 velocities.

It always amazes me to see the opinions of those who live in places where there arent any moose talking about what you need to kill one with. I dont hunt moose every year so can only claim to have killed twelve of them. I assure you that even the lowly 270/150 partition will kill a moose quickly and humanely. But lets consider the opinions of others who have hunted and killed far more than I. A wirey 70 yr young friend of mine who has hunted extensively his entire life and has over 100 moose to his credit shoots-holy shit- a 270. Two Kaska Dene friends of mine who have no idea how many moose they have shot as they have lived their lives on moose meat use-holy shit- a 30-30 and a 303 british (180gr @2400 fps). They consider a 30-06 an extremely powerful rifle (good for the grizzly) and laugh like hell at the clients they guide each year shooting 338's and 375's. Just thought the opinions of some who spend more time hunting than pecking at a computer would be of interest here.

bwest - great post!!!!

Stalker66, I hunted Newfie in 1985 and 1986 with Don McInnis in the Beuchans Plateau region for Moose and Caribou. I used my sako .308 and found the 180 grain Partition handloads to be more than adequate. I would not hesitate to use 165 Swifts or Partitions for the hunt. If you are shooting a .30-06 or .308, however, if shooting a .300 Mag go to the heavier bullet and take the recoil! Placement will matter more thn 15 grains in answer to your question.

PS: what part of upstate NY?

Hey Stalker--It takes 1 minute and 57 seconds for a moose to realize he's dead after being hit.

I have 4 pictures of moose all killed with a 270, 150 grain bullet at ranges up to 212 yards. The closest was about 25 yards. I am not the hunter but these are friends that I've hunted with for a few years now. These are their accounts. Also, my bear guide in Maine killed his moose with a .308, 165 factory load.

Well, 1 of the 270 bullets was a 140 FailSafe.

It is my understanding that moose die much quicker than elk (or at least, do not react to bullets quite as well).

Bang on Bwest.

I've heard of many cases where the .243 Win is used by the eskimos routinely for such critters as moose and caribou, etc. You use what you've got to get the job done - a one-rifle battery means that rifle does it all. A .22 rimfire will do the same in the hands of a skilled stalker.

You don't say what cartridge you're using, but generally speaking there's no reason a premium 165gr bullet won't get the job done. I always go for heavy-for-caliber bullets, but that's just my preference. If your rifle really likes the 165gr NP then use it as long as you can place your shots well.

I'd also look at the 168gr Barnes TSX, I've heard excellent reports on this bullet for both terminal performance and accuracy. I plan to use it this fall in my '06.

308 Sako

I live about 30 min north of Albany in Saratoga Springs

bwest,
Thanks for putting it so very well. Your comments could also apply to elk and just about anything else. Spot on.

458Ruger:
A lot of our Inuit freinds are taking on things like caribou, polar bear, and moose with .223's, and the like. I even know one fellows nephew who is now using a 17HMR, on caribou, he says you poke them in the head and bang wop flop. the Inuit people are an extreme case their out look on hunting and game is quite different than most of us South of 60.
This whole thread got me racking my memory banks, and I came up with this tid bit.
14yr. old boy, first year big game hunting with a rifle, rifle was a Rem 660 carbine in .243Win.
Goes hunting to the big bush in NW. Alberta, with his Dad, Uncle, Cousin. First moring out takes a stroll down an old trail off the main cutline, spends about 3 hours cruising down towards a major river, and happens on a small band of elk. picks out a 5x5 bull kills it dead as a post at about 100yds with a clean double lung shot. Uses the old wait 5 min. from your last shot and fire 2 quick shots signal to summon the Argo and help signal. As he's flagging a trail back to the main cutline and also while he's in ear shot of the Argo, he jumps a medium sized(40") bull moose. He knocks the moose flat with a single shot to the neck, gets out to the cutline just in time to catch the rest of the hunting party going by in the Argo.
So really what's an adiquite moose caliber?
Any legal big game cartridge is most likely up to the challange. But is the shooter?
Too many hunters suffer from "Magnum Mania" give me a hunter with a sweet shooting .270Win, who can shoot it, and short of things that might bite back, he's good to go for anything North America has to offer.

It's been my experience that moose are a funny creature. Last fall I saw a youngster shoot at a moose about 20 yd. away running across a cutline. I was about 100 yd. away. It was a small 'swamp donkey' yearling. I thought I heard the bullet hit so I walked over. The fellow had a 30-30 and was beside himself that he had missed. We visited awhile and I suggested we go look for blood. Found some, very little and a tuft of hair. We never walked 70 yd. and there was the moose,hiding in some deadfall. Kid shot him in the back of the head from 40 steps. We checked the moose over and found the first shot. About 3" above the rt. foot. Never even broke the bone and the suck laid down like he was mortally wounded.
Another time we were walking back to camp,3 abreast when we saw a 4 yr. old bull browsing. He was 200 yd. max. We shot that guy 9 times, including 2 thru the front shoulder from my 35/404 and the SOB still walked into the river. I think he actually drowned from not being able to keep his head out of the water.Go figger. Mark

165 grain in a .30 cal is plenty good for Moose. I for years used only a .270 and 130 grain bullets-when TBBC came out, I bought a box before I reloaded and man they work good. I always believed "at the time" the 150 grain were a bit too much of a good thing. Then I got curious about reloading for the 160 grn Partitions, now their is a bullet! Can't put down the .270-a caliber that tends to think it is bigger.
I quit using it after a bull kept coming after me, shot him twice coming at me an never even dropped. Gonna shoot him between the eyes next as he was that close with my 1.5x5, saw his eyes and then nothing but hair next so I pulled - killed him dead thru the upper nose.
After that I started carrying again my .338 mag Sako. Now I shoot them with the heavies, .45-70, .06, .338 or a .375RUM(this is the bear gun) and used only for backup.
Got the .270 rebarreled into a .338-06 now by PacNor. So much for the .270 I am a moose hunter from way back when I was just a willow sprout.--- .30 Cal is sufficient. Yes bullet placement is critical but so is the choice of calibers as well. wish you well later on in the hunt.

quote:

Originally posted by 458RugerNo1:
I've heard of many cases where the .243 Win is used by the eskimos routinely for such critters as moose and caribou, etc. You use what you've got to get the job done - a one-rifle battery means that rifle does it all. A .22 rimfire will do the same in the hands of a skilled stalker.

You don't say what cartridge you're using, but generally speaking there's no reason a premium 165gr bullet won't get the job done. I always go for heavy-for-caliber bullets, but that's just my preference. If your rifle really likes the 165gr NP then use it as long as you can place your shots well.

I'd also look at the 168gr Barnes TSX, I've heard excellent reports on this bullet for both terminal performance and accuracy. I plan to use it this fall in my '06.

On the Aussie hunting posts, a guy is pictured next to a water buffalo he took with a 6.5x54

The State of Alaska's min recommendation is a 150gr bullet at 2500fps.

http://www.wildlife.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=hunting.moose

quote:

Rifle – Any rifle capable of shooting a bullet of 150 grains or more at 2500 fps or more will work on moose. The .308, .30-06, .300 magnum, .338 magnum, and .375 magnum calibers are all good choices. I personally use a .300 magnum topped with a 2X7 power variable scope and fitted with a synthetic stock. Make sure that your rifle is properly sighted in before going afield. I sight in to hit 3½ inches high at 100 yards, which means I can hold dead center on a moose's chest from the muzzle out to over 300 yards without thinking about where my bullet will hit.

quote:

Originally posted by bwest:
It always amazes me to see the opinions of those who live in places where there arent any moose talking about what you need to kill one with. I dont hunt moose every year so can only claim to have killed twelve of them. I assure you that even the lowly 270/150 partition will kill a moose quickly and humanely. But lets consider the opinions of others who have hunted and killed far more than I. A wirey 70 yr young friend of mine who has hunted extensively his entire life and has over 100 moose to his credit shoots-holy shit- a 270. Two Kaska Dene friends of mine who have no idea how many moose they have shot as they have lived their lives on moose meat use-holy shit- a 30-30 and a 303 british (180gr @2400 fps). They consider a 30-06 an extremely powerful rifle (good for the grizzly) and laugh like hell at the clients they guide each year shooting 338's and 375's. Just thought the opinions of some who spend more time hunting than pecking at a computer would be of interest here.

There's probably been more moose taken up here with the old .303 than all others combined.