huntsternorth: A moose can take a few shots before it drops. The .30-06 with 180-grain Nosler is popular up here, and the best shot is squarely through the lungs/heart.

My big game rifle is a stainless Ruger .338WM, and most of the moose I have killed, except for two, have dropped with one shot each. But I have shot most of my moose from a vantage point that is out of view to moose. The two moose that walked, maybe 25 yards each, saw me before I fired my rifle. I have killed most with 230-grain FS bullets, one with a 250-grain Partition HE from Federal, and the one this year with a 250-grain A-Frame. One moose was killed at 100 yards, another at 300 yards, and the rest from 225-250 yards.

What I like about the .338WM over the .30-06 is that I can take a quartering shot on moose or bear, as well as taking a shot to break the shoulders, etc. With a .30-06 I would be a little hesitant to take a shoulder-braking shot, but some people have done it. Other than that, the trajectory of a .30-06's 180-grain bullet is similar to the trajectory of a .338WM's 250-grain bullet. Both are great cartridges.

Bullets from 275 grains to 300 are not my favorite for moose hunting, because they have to be loaded at slower speeds than the 250 grainers. But they are excellent for bear hunting where shots can be closer, and where a big punch may be needed.

Both beautiful animals, sir. And I suspect Seward Peninsula moose are as huge as Koyokuk moose.

I suppose you just never know about monster genes. I saw a road kill bull last September (yup, during hunting season, but in that "bring-your-lawyer-before-you-shoot-restricted-zone known as the Anchorage Management Area) near Eklutna that dwarfed the 1 ton pickup that killed it.

Ray has it right. There really is a place for magnums, especially the 300 and the 338, it's called Alaska. Until you see one of those boys on the ground, you just can't imagine the size of a mature Bull.







Their just really big...

You guys are both right. But, JBabcock, that is a very average moose. The ones I'm talking about are much bigger. They're the biggest I've ever seen. And I've seen plenty in the past 30 years.

And one I shot (not even a big one) took 5 rounds to drop (30-06, factory Federal Premiums, Nosler Partitions). We landed the boat while I reloaded. The moose then jumped up and tried to kill the stupid people who walked up to it. Four more rounds to the head/neck killed it.

The first series of rounds took the top of the heart off. It lived, jumped up, and ran over 20 yards at least 3 minutes after his heart was shot up.

I'm not sure if the 338 would have made much of a difference in that situation. But I might find out, cause that's what I'm going to switch to.

I agee that moose can be hard to put down. If they have got thier adrenalin flowing they seem to be bullet proof. The moose we have down here are much smaller but I still use a 338 with partitions. I shot a 50" bull wich is a fair size moose around here. He had a very small body for his antler sise and dressed out (meat and bone) at only 565lbs. I called him in and he was realy woked up. He was running our direction then circled. I shot him tight behind the sholder at 100yards broad side while he was on the move. I put a second one through the center of both sholders. At the second shot he turned 90 and ran at a very fast pace right toward me. I don't know if it was a charge or not. I was standing in the wide open so there was no doubt that the moose could see me. I was going to take a brain shot but did not want to split the antlers apart so I put one in the chest. This bullet angled down and out of the chest, exited then took out the back leg at the knee. The moose dropped about 80 yards from me. My hunting partner said he had never seen somone shoot so fast! I told him I was practicing for cape buff! I know that a 30-06 would have done about the same if it was loaded with partitions but I would rather be using the 338. If you are hunting during the rut they can be hard to take down. I would use 180 Nosler partitions as a minimum, 200's would be best.

Lots of moose are shot every year with the .308 or 30-06. No cannon required. That said, I personally would like to see them fall where they're shot and not in the middle of the river or lake like they always seemed to do with my 06. Since I went to the .338WM or .450M they usually take a few steps and keel over.

"I personally would like to see them fall where they're shot and not in the middle of the river or lake like they always seemed to do with my 06."

Well said. I had to swim to retrieve my biggest moose, a 65" bull.

You'd think I'd have learned then.

Nope. The next one I took, only a 50", was the one that took 7 rounds to put away.

Pretty nice moose, and right by the willow patch!



The biggest one I have killed measured 57", but one of my hunting partners killed a 65". The 57" was the one that saw me before I fired my .338. I called in to about 125 yards, then it turned to the left through the brush, so I got up to look at it and shoot it. That's when it saw me and walked away from me. At about 150 to 200 yards it turned just enough when I made a soft grunt, and I took a quartering shot. The 230-grain FS hit it on the right side by the ribs over the lungs, passed through the lungs, broke the left shoulder bone, and got stuck on the hide on the far side. I knew I had hit it, but I didn't know how lethal the shot had been, so I shot it two more times whenever I saw an opening through the trees. But it was very dark (9:40 PM or so), and one of the shots was a non lethal shot on the rump as I thought I was looking at the chest. I have no idea where the last bullet went, but by then I saw it drop about 25 yards from where I had shot it first. My hunting partner and I started skinning and quartering at 10:00 PM, and by 3:00 AM we had loaded the ATV's and brought the meat to our campsite.



I have shot four moose on the same area, and a few years ago I shot one on the second day of the season. This one was standing broadside to me, 200 yards away, and I aimed my rifle so the bullet would hit right behind (almost touching) the right shoulder bone, over the heart. The 230-grain FS hit the leg bone, clipped the top of the heart, broke the far shoulder bone, and exited. This moose humped its back slightly, and fell like hit by lighting. I stood there watching it for about 10 minutes to make sure it would not get up, then walked to it. The problem with this shot is that when you brake the shoulders it gets very difficult when you want to use the legs as levers to roll or move the moose with the ATV winch.



I have killed several moose that dropped before I had loaded the chamber for a followup shot. The closest one was shot at 100 yards, the farthest at 300, and the rest from 225 to 275 yards or so. The two that walked about 25 yards each was the one above, and the one at 300 yards (my first moose ever). Both had seen me and walked before I fired my rifle.



But for the past few years, my shots on moose with my .338 have been almost predictable. Not exactly boring, because I can feel my heart pounding, but just predictable: I aim low to hit the heart or for the bullet to go squarely through the lungs, and the moose drops. On a quartering away shot I try to hit the far side leg, but quartering shots can be tricky, specially if the animal moves when you fire your rifle. That's what happened to me this year. The first bullet hit on the left ribs as the moose turned slightly to its left, but it turned back to the right when the bullet hit. The 225 XLC traveled along the inside area on the left ribs, and exited near the neck. The moose took a small jump to the right, and stood there long enough for the killing shot through the lungs with a 250-grain A-Frame. It dropped right there, with the spine on the low side of the hill, and the two "right legs" up in the air.



Once you have killed a few large game with your .338WM, it will impress you more each day, that's "fer" sure! Maybe that happens with all calibers, but I fell in love with my .338 by the time I had shot my second moose, and I haven't used any other big game rifles since.

Huntsternorth,,

That Bull was only a 56" but had nice eye guards, which I prefer over width, unless it's 65" plus. Here's another my brother shot from the same area that is 65"s. As to Moose that are bigger, I'm not sure where you will find them. These are off of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska/Yukon variety. To my knowledge, there isn't a sub-species that is bigger.







The largest I've ever seen only had a 60" rack, but it was absolutely huge in body size. I watched my brother shoot it 4 times with a 300 Weatherby, and it was still alive when we got to it. This one was shot at 375 yards with the same Weatherby, 180gr Noslers, 2 shots.

The same rack with the velvet peeled...

Right by the willows! That's why I always recommend a larger gun than an 06. You said your average shot is 250-275 yards. We see the same, but are hunting the tundra. I should say when I hunt with my brother. I don't live there, he does. But, though an 06 surely has the power to work, and work well, it's when the shots are starting to stretch into 250-300 yards that the additional energy on target is an advantage. A quartering away shot on a Moose is going to have to travel a long ways through a very large animal. And because of the willow, sometimes you can't get close. Can't see through it, and can't see over it! I'm with you Ray, I'll stick with my 338, I used a 300 Weatherby for my last 2, but wanted the 338 for the Bears. So if I hunt for Moose again, it will be with the 338. Both will work just fine.