I friend of mine is going Moose hunting in Alaska and wants to use a 257 Weatherby with a 120gr Barnes X. I told him he should bring something bigger I know the gun can kill a Moose with a good shot but I think he should use something bigger than that just incase. I suggestad a 270 WSM or larger but he is hell bent on using that gun. So I asked him what if the Moose runs off twords a river and someone in the party with a bigger gun needs to put it down he said no one is shooting it besides him. Can you guys give him some examples of why this is probably not a good idea to use this caliber? I know someone is going to say can he handle anything bigger and the answer is yes he had a 7mm STW and shot it well and decided to sell it now he is going to buy a 257 Weatherby Vangaurd and since he has not even bought the gun yet I am trying to talk him into something a little bigger than a 257 for Moose.

The main example:



1. Moose roam in bear country, and not the little teddy bears one encounters in the Lower-48, but the ones that can kill and bury an adult moose. Maybe you should mail him one of the "Alaska Bear Tales" books before he buys his gun.



Other examples:



1. Moose not always present the hunter with a broadside shot, and quartering shots are common. A quartering shot often requires a heavy enough bullet that is capable of breaking ribs, shoulder bones, etc.



2. Sometimes one has to stop the moose from walking towards water. In that case a bone-breaking shoulder shot is handy.



3. If he runs out of ammo up here, it will take time for him to find .257 Wby. ammo at the local stores, but not so if he brings a .30-06, .300WM, or a .338WM (the most popular cartridges in Alaska).



4. If he brings his .257 and injures a moose with it, he better be prepared for you to kill it with a "real" Alaska gun, or at least be prepared to track it and finish it.

Ask him if it runs off and dies in 1 1/2' of cold, cold water if he is going to mind you sitting on the bank having lunch and reading a paperback while he tends to "his" moose.

I suspect your buddy is one of those guys who needs to learn by making his own mistakes....you've given him sound advice so let him.

Could be done - Yes.

Should be done - NO.

Would I do it - NO.

I can't understand how anyone planning a hunt-of-a-lifetime would handicap his self and possibly ruin the hunt by not choosing a proper hunting caliber.

I also heard that the author of Alaska Bear Tales is looking for more stories.

dakor - I would agree with the previous posts - if your friend insists on using a 257 weatherby, please let us know where he is hunting and when. I'm sure that more responsible hunters will be nearby to dispatch the unfortunate moose your friend chooses to shoot and then claim the meat for themselves . Tell your friend if he really wants to prove what a great hunter he (thinks) he is, to hunt with no headnet or bug dope and to rub bacon grease into his hunting clothing to draw the biggest moose to him . You should have a video camera to record the action . Have a safe hunt - KMule

sounds like a stubborn idiot with no experience in ak.

i dont normally route for the moose, but.....

cold zero

30-06, 300WM, or a .338WM I think this should be his choice. Nothing upsets me more than someone trying to under gun themselfs. (The right tool for the job.) If any of my hunting buddies wanted to hunt Moose with that, they would not be welcome on my hunting trip. . Just my humble opinion. Have a great hunt and talk your buddy into the right choice.

It can be done,but should not be done,unless that's all he can shoot and ever then maybe stick to caribou.To me that is just another case of lack of respect for the animal hunted.I know all the small bore guys will scream dead is dead,it is if everything goes perfectly how often is everything perfect?If your buddy can shoot a bigger gun HE should!

my grandfather and his brother owned a hunting consession in RSA for many years as I grew up on the ranch there. My grand dad killed all the cats and more 'buff than most hunters see in a lifetime, as well as backed many a client with a 257 Weatherby Mag.
I was about 14 when I asked why he didn't carry his .5oo Lott SXS, his reply was why should I it costs to much to shoot $4.00 a round over there even back then.
Gramps lived to be 91 yrs old with not a scratch on him.

How many of those critters were wounded and lost?Maybe back in the day when you could approuch close to the animals those were surely different times,we all know the bell stories,but no one ever mentions how many wounded animals were lost.

Dakor,

After shooting quite a number of moose with 338, 375, 416, 458 I just don't think a quarter bore is what you want. It certainly will work and the locals here kill quite a few moose each year with 243's. Unfortunately the little guns wound a bunch of animals also and they often are not recovered.

A good point and an imporant one that others have brought up is that if you don't hit the moose hard he may stumble off even if mortally wounded and die in some God awful bog or actually in the water. If you have never tried to work on a submerged moose let me tell you it is an experience you need not have.

It's just irresponsible to hunt an animal as grand as a big bull moose with an inadequate rifle particularly if a larger caliber could just as easily be used.

Regards,

Mark

We as hunters, owe it to any and all game to make the best shot and quickest kill possible.

dakor:
Not only NO, but HELL NO! Hope he's willing to field dress the damn thing out after it's run into a slough or river then keeled over. I'll be damned if I'd dress out a moose after some idiot shot it with a .257 anything. And, BTW, Ak. F&G does not really appreciate game meat left in the field, if you get my drift.
Bear in Fairbanks

Ballbuster, that ain't too comforting of a post. A Ph using a .257 whtby as a backup for his clents? And, because of the expense factor of heavier cartridges? Sounds like a 1st class safari setup, for sure. Glad to hear that he survived, though. You failed to mentioned, however, whether his clients escaped any injuries for all of those years.


Dungbeetle

Folks just don't understand just how big a moose can be until they walk up to it.

I had shot more than a few white-tails in Pennsylvania before I shot my first moose and when I walked up on my first dead bull I realized the "fun" part was over. If you are used to just rolling over a deer and splitting it from stern to stem you are in for a suprise as a moose is an animal you clean in pieces.