Moose hunt booked - what rifle would you take ?

[JFE]

I have a Moose hunt booked for Sep this year. The guide mentioned that most shots are taken under 100 yards, but occasionally they can go 200+yards. While I'd like to take a levergun, I'm inclined to take my 375 H&H bolt action.

The leverguns that I have and would consider taking instead are:

348 Win
405 Win
45/70
50/110

What would you take and why ?

[Terry Murbach]

CONSIDER THIS : THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF MOOSE IN CANADA HAVE BEEN TAKEN WITH A 30-30 LEVERGUN OR A HALFVAST CUTDOWN SMLE 303BRIT.
MY 1898 KRAG/JORGENSEN 30USA CARBINE TOOK TWO HUGE BULLS IN ABOUT A MINUTE WITH COMPLETE PENETRATION FROM CHEST TO BUNGHOLE FROM THE 220grRN.
IT PREDATES ME AS THE REAR RECEIVER SIGHTS WERE PUT ON BY A FELLOW NAMED JOHN REDFIELD.

[buckeyeshooter]

50-110 winchester. Why-- because I could. Great round.

[2X22]

Last season I hunted both antelope and mule deer in Wyoming. Took a .300 H&H (only long range rifle I own) and my tried and true Marlin CB in .38-55. Ended up I never uncased the .300 and though I spotted the big mulie at 3 miles, I ended up killing him at about 60 yards. The antelope was spotted at a mile and I took him at 235 yards.

Take whichever levergun means the most to you.

2x22

[jnyork]

Take whatever you shoot the best, with a well-placed shot the moose will not be able to tell the difference.

[Rusty]

Terry is right, this would be a perfect chance to buy a .30-40 just for the trip.

[86er]

Where are you hunting? It should be early rut in Sept so if you are calling you can wait for and expect a close shot. I like the 348 Win with 250 grainers. If you're hunting from a boat or in an area where you are not in the peak of the rut I like your 375 H&H too.

[horsesoldier03]

Not sure what platform that .405 is in, but if is an 1895 Winchester, ENOUGH SAID!

[Old Savage]

348 - 45/70 - 405 very cool - 50-110 in that order.

[JFE]

I'm hunting in the Alaskan peninsula 10-20 Sep. Apparently a lot of walking and glassing involved.

[Don McDowell]

My pick would be the 405, it'll shoot to 300 yds just fine and get there with plenty of oumph to put moose in the locker plant. Plus I absolutely love hunting with my 95 in 405.

[madman4570]

200yards ??????????
Scoped---375 H&H

[RIHMFIRE]

I like the 348 Win.....for nostalgic reasons...

but whatever you shoot best....and whatever the terrain and rut dictate....

[guido4198]

I've considered a moose hunt myself. If I finally make it happen I'll be taking 2 rifles:
The Winchester Mod 71, and Marlin 45/70 Guide Gun.

[bigbore442001]

If I were hunting for moose in Alaska I would use the 45-70 but in my case it would be a Contender. Moose do not react to gunshots like other game. They seem to show little reaction to being hit at all so you have to make sure that you actually hit your moose.

I may be wrong with what I am to say so anyone is free to correct me. If you are going on a guided hunt for moose and it is during the rut or mating season your or your guide should be able to call him in.I do believe the season in Alaska coincides with the moose rut. Here in the northeast the seasons tend to be past the rut so calling can still be done but not as effective as if it were during the peak of the rut. One trend I see with some hunting shows is to have hunters shoot game at long range. If your guide is worth his salt he should be able to get you within shooting distance of your bull. I have been blessed with three opportunities to take moose. My moose were shot at 125 yards, 40 and 80 yards. All in New Hampshire and all with a handgun over the past decade. Somehow I got very lucky with the moose lottery( I wish I could do the same with the Powerball lottery but such is not the case)

I'd talk to the guide and tell him that you really desire to take a bull with your lever action rifle and with the right load and have been practicing. The guide should be able to tell you what to expect.

Please don't think I am preaching but moose hunting in Alaska can involve a great deal of walking. If I were to go this September for the grand moose in the Great Land I'd start a regimen of diet and exercise. My last hunt in New Hampshire we figured that in a week we walked approximately 26 miles total. If that is what I did in New Hampshire Alaska might be a lot more.

[WoodrowC]

The standard 200 grain Hornady in the .348 is good moose medicine. They don't walk far after one of those pills through the lungs.

Gerry

[Pete44ru]

I'm hunting in the Alaskan peninsula 10-20 Sep. Apparently a lot of walking and glassing involved.

I'd take the lightest of the lot - with an eye towards favoring the .405 Win.

.

[rando8586]

2011 Yukon moose called in,30yds,late sept. 1 shot 300 win mag.Scored 216,56 wide.

[Thunder50]

If a levergun, then the 405 first and then the 348. Otherwise, the 375H&H if you want to use a bolt gun.

I have a 405, but in the Ruger #1, same with my H&H.

405 has plenty of oomph, along with larger dia. bullet and a decent trajectory, in case you get a 250yds shot
348 smaller bullet, lighter weight, but good trajectory
375 H&H , good bullet dia., velocity and trajectory

[Buck Elliott]

You should take the one you're most comfortable with, IMHO..

If I were in your lucky shoes, I'd go with my '86 ELR in .45-70, because I know and trust it best..

200 yards may be a stretch for my chosen, iron-sighted combination, but if I can't get closer, that's my luck, and that's why they call it Hunting...
405 grain slugs at ~1900 fps offer better trajectory than most factory loads and ballistics..

Best of luck on your hunt !

[AJMD429]

You should take the one you're most comfortable with, IMHO..!

Yep.

I'm not comfortable enough with any of my guns to book a moose hunt yet...
But if I had one coming up, I'd either be

• practicing with the .444 Marlin if I were being a faithful levergunner, or
  practicing with the .375 Ruger if I were being a tratorous boltgunner

[Marlin32]

I went through a similar dilema last season. I went to Canada late season for moose, Took the 338 Marlin Express, 250gr. It is scoped, and had confidence in it to shoot 250yards. (actual yardage was 267)
The 348 would do the same, but I surely couldn't shoot that far with open sights. Those days are gone.
My deal is always this, usually these are rare hunts for most of us. What if everything goes wrong, poor luck, poor weather and the one shot you get on a moose is 250 or more? You sitting there with a gun that you are unsure of at that distance. OR you have a gun that you don't even think twice and put the animal down, Hooorraayyy.
That is why I am still flipping back and forth about 338ME and other cartridges right now.( or give me more bullet choices )
Sure the locals have shot thousands of moose with 30/30's and such, but they can go back out and hunt next weekend, next year etc. They can afford to pass on shots etc. You may get ONE shot opportunity, do you want to be handicapped? If you could scope the 348 you would be in good shape with it, but I surely couldn't do a long shot with it, eyes.

[walks with gun]

I'd take the .375 and the .348 if possible.

[tman]

Take the .348WCF. chambered in the rifle built for Alaska, The 71

[1894cfan]

Me? My Granddaddy's 1941 Winchester M70 in 30Govt/06 with Lyman peep sight!

[.45colt]

I would take the 45-70 and the H&H. either is a great choice but the .375 has all the bases covered.

[Old Time Hunter]

I'd take the .348.

[1894c]

can i go...i'll carry what ever levergun you decided to take, actually bring two i can be your caddy... :)

[jeepnik]

I gotta go with the 50-110 simply because, when was the last time that was done?

[allhands]

Having just returned from South Africa where I took a .444 marlin with a scout scope and a scoped bolt action in 7x57, I definitely recommend a scoped bolt ot lever. Don't hadicap yourself and perhaps lose out on a trophy due to attempting a shot with less than adequate aiming devices. I practiced for a year with my scout rifle, and despite getting good with it I found myself using the scoped 7x57 for 4 of 5 animals. I know I will take heat for some of this, and I am no expert, but I would opt for the scoped .375 or scoped anything over an open sight rifle if this is a once in a lifetime hunt. Once you have been successful with this combo, you can always try again at a later time with a pet/favorite open sight. Just my humble opinion.....

[Don McDowell]

Sometimes we have to wonder of all the changes that have came about in the shooting world.
Less than 50 years ago, a rifleman/shooter/hunter was more or less trained/expected to be able to shoot "iron" sights reasonably well to 300 yds, but nowdays you hardly hear of any speak of using "iron" sights. Most cautionary folks warn to not use "iron" sights. Rifles all came with quality open sights, so that it could be taken right from the store to the field and be an affective tool/weapon...
That old song " the times they are a changin" is always and ever true I suppose.

[Canuck Bob]

I once used a Ruger No.1 in 375 H&H for hunting here in western Canada. I was not bothered by recoil back then but went back to my 444 Marlin. I would choose a big bore lever as my moose hunting rifle with a peep sight if vision allowed it.

Moose are big but they aren't rhinos either. The 348 or 405 would be excellent choices and devastating to any well shot moose. The 375 is a real dandy as well but I've never had much affection for bolts as working guns. For me bolts are too clumsy, semi-autos make me a little trigger happy, single shots seem a little too limiting in a willow swamp during rut, and levers are the perfect hunting rifle. I am highly biased on the issue though.

[jeepnik]

Sometimes we have to wonder of all the changes that have came about in the shooting world.
Less than 50 years ago, a rifleman/shooter/hunter was more or less trained/expected to be able to shoot "iron" sights reasonably well to 300 yds, but nowdays you hardly hear of any speak of using "iron" sights. Most cautionary folks warn to not use "iron" sights. Rifles all came with quality open sights, so that it could be taken right from the store to the field and be an affective tool/weapon...
That old song " the times they are a changin" is always and ever true I suppose.

I'm sure folks used to make 300yd iron sighted shots. But, I have to wonder how many shots were taken and missed, or just resulted in wounded game animals.

When I was a youngster, I could hit a stationary target at 300 yds prone with some regularity. But I'll be the first to admit I missed a lot more than I hit when shooting off hand. However, the skills of determining range and reading the wind have started to fall by the wayside. What with range finders, and these little hand held weather stations folks use these days, coupled with really good optics, they do make some pretty darned difficult shots. Shots I wouldn't have tried because my dad would have kicked my butt for even thinking about it, especially on a game animal.

[Don McDowell]

You might be taken aback a long ways, by the number of shots taken with today's scope sight shooters that result in misses, and poor hits at ranges considerably under 300 yds. There will always be bad shots made, sometimes thru the fault of the shooter sometimes not.
My point is a broader point, and that is the dissappearing art of rifle craft, and the seldom encountered even knowledge of how to use "iron" sights at any distance.

[JFE]

Thanks for all the comments and input. For me this is a once in lifetime hunt and one I have always wanted to do. I hear what some have said about smaller calibres being adequate, and I'm sure under the right circumstances they would be, but I don't feel comfortable using relatively small calibres against such a large animal.

One thing I didn't mention is that I hope to be taking my FA pistol in 454 as well as one rifle. If we get in real close (say sub 50 yards) the 454 will be the firearm i'd like to use. As I have to apply in advance for an import permit, I narrowed the list down to the following:

FA 454
bolt action 375H&H
Win 1895 in 405
Browning 71 carbine in 348

Of those 3 rifles, I have used the 375 for around 30years and shoot it pretty well. It's the rifle I feel most comfortable with. It is the logical option however this is a once in a lifetime hunt and it would be nice to take a moose with a levergun, especially a 348 or 405.

[Marlin32]

If you plan to make a close shot with the handgun, then why take another shorter range rifle?
Take the 37H&H and your revolver. Happy moose hunting.

[Don McDowell]

Your 45-70 rifle is more capable of a first shot kill than anything you can lob out of that 454, and can do that with factory loads.
When it's all said and done the 375 is probably your best choice as you have the most experience with it.
But still I have had grand success with my 405, and find the 95 winchester a nice rifle to hunt with. That would still be my pick for the levergun..

[Canuck Bob]

I would like to amend my answer. You have been using your 375 for decades and it sounds like a trusted and tested rifle. I carried my 444 for decades and it is an extension of myself or maybe I'm an extension of it. That would be my once in a lifetime hunt choice.

When hunting for many years I never thought once about my rifle. I just shot my quarry without hesitation and with success. It doesn't get better than that.