What would your ideal Moose gun/caliber be?

[dogngun]

My old Savage .30-06.

I bought a very used model 110 that w probably made in the 1970's...Dirt cheap, because someone had painted the wood flat black.

I stripped and oil finished it, and found it was about the most accurate bolt rifle I have ever owned...till now. It was very plain and made for low end buyers, and it had some years of use on it, but it had a great trigger and it shot better than I could hold it. I paid $165 for it in and Army-Navy store used rack.

I refinished it, shot it a while and sold it to the same store for more than I paid for it...They really liked the wood.

Still don't remember why I sold it.
If I were hunting moose today, I'd use my 1970 Savage 99 lever action in .308.

mark

[Marlin32]

On my moose trip last fall, had guy in camp shoot moose with a 270, under a 100 yards, I went on an over 5 mile walk trailing that moose. Lucky that it had snowed some night before, or he would have killed a moose, but never found it.
Shot turned out to be a tad high, but still would consider "good shot placement" high lung shot.
270 and a 130 grain bullet is not the answer for elk or moose. I know many Alaskans use .243's even on moose, but they are "hump" shooting from what I am told, spine shot to drop animal right there. (after humping out a bull moose from a giant muskeg myself, I have grown in appreciation for that tactic)

Guy asking for recommendations on suitable caliber for moose hunt, 270 isn't even on the list.
Everything can work, each choice has its limitations, pros, cons etc. Now poster has to sort out what his likely shot will be, worst case scenario shot, personal preferences, abilities etc.

As important, his guide needs to know what he is shooting and man's ability. Going on a different hunt with a guy with a 375 Marlin than a hunter with a 300 RUM and is experienced using it.

[veeman]

Ladder sights have been around since rifled barrels, knowing how to use them makes "200 yds" somewhat of a chip shot.
204 yds according to the range finder.

Cool! You got a tree with a head n horns!

[Don McDowell]

Yup I sure did and not everybody can say that.

[Roland]

6.5x55 swede is very popular for moose in... you guessed it, Sweden.
.308 is probably more common here in Finland though.

[buckeyeshooter]

I have a marlin 1895 in 50 alaskan for just such hunting.

[Meeteetse]

Yup I sure did and not everybody can say that.

Great looking gun Don but I'm interested in the cartridge belt. Who made it and where did you get it?

[Don McDowell]

Meteetse, I don't know who made it, but I got 2 of them a few years back from Jeff's Outfitters .com. Haven't been there to look for quite sometime so I don't know if they still handle them or not.
I really want to get back to Cogshalls in Miles City, upstairs in the museum they have a cartridge belt from the 1880's that is the neatest thing I ever saw. I want to get a picture of it and have my saddlemaker friend build me one like it.

[Meeteetse]

Meteetse, I don't know who made it, but I got 2 of them a few years back from Jeff's Outfitters .com. Haven't been there to look for quite sometime so I don't know if they still handle them or not.
I really want to get back to Cogshalls in Miles City, upstairs in the museum they have a cartridge belt from the 1880's that is the neatest thing I ever saw. I want to get a picture of it and have my saddlemaker friend build me one like it.

Hope you get a picture of the belt. I'm sure we would all like to see it. Thanks for the information. I will continue my search. I would like to find one that had a combination of rifle and pistol loops, but I like the look of yours.

[Don McDowell]

The cartridge loops on this one are wide enough that they hold rifle cartridges just fine, along with 45 colt and other similar size cases.

[RIHMFIRE]

MODEL 71 348 win

second place

35 REM

[stretch]

Old Time Hunter has it right - pretty much anything handy
of appropriate power.

That said, I've always wanted to get one with handgun in
41 Magnum, and with a 7.62 X 54R in an old Mosin-Nagant.

-Stretch

[t.r.]

I hunted in Saskatchewon, Canada for moose and caribou back in the 1980's. My rifle? Remington model 660 in .308 shooting 180 gr Remington core-lokt ammo. Scope: TASCO 2X-7X. The bull moose took two chest shots at approx 100 yards but didn't go far. I killed two caribou with one shot each. Distance was approx 175 yards or so for the first one and about 225 yards for the second animal. Based upon this limited experience I'll state that .308 is a good choice.

My guide was a middle-aged Cree Indian. His rifle was a battered antique Remington auto-loader in 35. Countless caribou and dozens of moose had fallen to his 35 Remington. He told me that he rarely shot farther than 150 yards. Many of his family members hunted with 30-30 carbines and seemed to have good luck taking these giant deer of the far north.

TR

[Marlin32]

sure, 30/30, 32 Special and a host of others will do moose in at close range. Natives and locals have the luxury of hunting again tomorrow, the next day, all month etc. They can afford to take the shot that is ideal for the caliber they have.

People on a hunt, usually have 5-10 days, and one would be well equipped with a rifle that will perform on maybe a shot that is less than ideal?? Least ways, that is my thinking.

[FWiedner]

... one would be well equipped with a rifle that will perform on maybe a shot that is less than ideal...

The root of Uber-Magnumitis...

[Ji in Hawaii]

I'd feel totally confident with my Winny model 70 in 30-06 loaded with 220 grain rnsp, or "Smelly Nelly" my Enfield 45/70 loaded with 405 hardcast loads at 1400 FPS with leanings towards my 45/70 just because I love that rifle. Remember the most popular "moose" (technically an elk) round in Scandinavia is the 6.5 Swede.