Any caliber from .300 Mag on up that you can shoot extremely well, just like just about any game. Accuracy and confidence are much more important than raw power any day. Add in premium bullets, put it in the boiler room, and you are on your way to meat in the freezer. My personal choice is a .338 Win Mag with Hornady, Nosler, or Swift Aframes, but just about anything .30 caliber on up will do the deed just fine if you are up to it. Tell you what, why don't you just quit asking and go hunting and learn some of this stuff for yourself? Isn't that the whole point?- Sheister
My Dad used to go hunting all the time in Canada with 3 of his buddies. They hunted black bear and moose for over 10 years together. His gun was a 70 Winchester 30-06 same as his 2 friends. They used those 220 grain silver tips by Winchester. The other man used a 35 Whelen. As a kid I ate a lot of moose meat, along with other wild animal meats including horse meat.
His theory back then with the magnums was it was like buying a 1 ton pickup to haul around a dozen bales of hay. A person who was a good hunter, should be able to get within the shooting range of the 30-06 and get the job done. I personally think that elk out west have gotten smarter and the extra 80 yards or so the 300 mag gives is a plus, after all isn't it just a big brother to the 30-06 anyway.
I killed a Brown Bear with a .300 win mag useing a 200 gr. Nosler Partition bullet. Now when I go back to Alaska in Bear country I pack a .340 Wby or .358 STA. They are quick enough to outrun a Caribou, horse or you, and strong enough to drag a Bull Moose with ease. Good shooting.
quote:Originally posted by Overkill: What would be the most deadly caliber for moose and bear and why.....?
Clearly the .50 BMG. It is the biggest, the baddest, packs the most energy, and would be the deadliest on moose and bear, all shot placement and bullet construction questions aside. Are you man enough?
Within 300 yards, a .30-06 with 180 to 220-grain bullets works well. A .300 Winchester Magnum with the same weight bullets should also work well, and the .338 Winchester Magnum should work even better. I prefer heavy-for-caliber bullets, or lighter bullets that have been designed to control expansion to a greater degree than the heavier ones. Excessive velocity at close range may not always be the best idea when using fragile bullets.
Those tree above are the most popular cartridges in Alaska, but all sort of guns are used to kill moose, including some handguns. And don't forget that bow hunters take their share of moose, too. The .338-06 and the .35 Whelen are much like a .30-06 in steroids, and excellent 300-yards cartridges. Both have similar ballistics ranges.
Posts: 2448 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 25 May 2002
Your topic heading used the word "effective" in place of "deadly" and I will respond to that question, since that is a better question to ask.
You have to define for yourself what constitutes effectiveness. For myself it considers not only the effect on the delivery of the bullet to the moose, but also the question of the weapon's portability and suitability to the hunting conditions.
For example, if I know that I won't be shooting farther than 200 m I won't prefer a high velocity cartridge. If the ranges are limited to less than 100 m, then I will consider a rifle with open sights. If the terrain is difficult I will prefer a light rifle (~8 lbs).
In any case, if I am hunting really large game exclusively, I will probably go with a medium bore rifle (.308 to .375 caliber). Medium bore in my mind means at least 200 grains of bullet weight. I would pick the appropriate bullet for the game and then select the velocity to suit the terrain.
What would be the most deadly caliber for moose and bear and why.....?
All around for both I would have to say the .338 WM - Big and dangrous animals need to be put down as fast as possible. The .338 WM has done that feat time and time again to both.
I really like my 338 Bar, but I was really impressed with a friend and his 375winchester yesterday. I can see a difference between the striking force generated on a target. We used gallon plastic milk jugs back to back. These were placed 4 deep, talk about rain on a parade. Those 300 grain bullets do a job on things. I just don't know if I am ready for the recoil of that 375 yet, which I found to be more than my 338 Bar using 200 grain bullets by no little margin.
i have taken 5 moose with my 4 bores the first 2 30-40 yards the third at 70-80 yards and the 4th at 15 yards and the fith at 20 something yards all of them quit as though they were hit with a mac truck with a snow plough on the front.
------------------ black powder rules
Posts: 2095 | Location: B.C | Registered: 31 January 2002
There is no one cartridge that is the MOST EFFECTIVE!! There are a number that would do the job well. The .358 STA should be a humdinger, if you can shoot it well!!
