Best 300 Win Mag for Moose hunt

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For those of you talking about the recoil of a 7mm mag or 300 win mag, what does it feel like compared to a .30-06? Twice as much, 5 times?

I don't put a lot of stock in numbers on a page. To me a 7mm mag kicks harder than my .35 Whelen. I've never shot a .300 Win. mag. but when I shot a borrowed .308 Norma mag., I thought my fillings came loose.
Another thing to take into consideration is the stock design. I've found a straight "classic" stock to be much more comfortable to shoot than an extreme Monte Carlo stock.
 
For those of you talking about the recoil of a 7mm mag or 300 win mag, what does it feel like compared to a .30-06? Twice as much, 5 times?
As Patocazador mentions, stock design is a big factor. Worst kicking rifle I ever fired in my life was a 700 BDL in 7 Mag. The thin wrist and high Monte Carlo rapped me a good one, soured me on the caliber for a long time. The Ruger I previously mentioned had a McMillian stock with a Sako palm swell, medium comb, and a nice Sorbothane recoil pad that made it feel like the same recoil as a .30-06 150 gr. with 200 gr. Noslers.
 
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For those of you talking about the recoil of a 7mm mag or 300 win mag, what does it feel like compared to a .30-06? Twice as much, 5 times?
It really depends on the individual rifle setup and your load. (off the shelf or home rolled)
I own all 3 (M70 in 30.06, M70 in 7RM, 700 in 7RM, and a 700 5R in 300WM). All are in aftermarket stocks. I can load them all to feel about the same or load them all to max. Even then I don't think it would be 2x.

Also, what are the opinions of here about barrel lengths.
26" is pretty standard to burn up all that powder. I am guessing there are some makers that do 24" (unsure)
 
.30'06 is about all the recoil I want to deal with in a bolt rifle. I've hunted elk and shot targets with them, don't own one, and am not shopping for one at present, but they are fine and very much capable of taking a moose.

.300WM is just the same bullet from a bigger case. I have shot a few rounds (2-3) from one. I'd not shoot that rifle again, but a heavier one might be okay for me.

It's kind of a personal thing. My deer rifle is a .243, and I like it, but I'd probably not want to hunt a moose with one in purpose. Some people think it's too small for deer. Lots of things come down to opinions. You kind of have to give it a try to have an informed opinion.

Good luck! That sounds like a fun hunt.
 
IF you can't kill a moose with a 7mm mag., you won't be any better off with ANY 300 mag...

Use a good 160 or 175 grain bullet in it and you will have more than enough bullet/cartridge for any moose on the planet!

DM
 
26" is pretty standard to burn up all that powder. I am guessing there are some makers that do 24" (unsure)
For the magnums 26" is the standard barrel length from Winchester, Remington, and Browning at least (perhaps others that I'm forgetting or don't know about), but all three also offer 24".
24" standard for most everyone else, unless it's a specialty rifle.
22" and 20" are available but much more rare. (Mostly I think, because they are inefficient, and the blast is obnoxious)
I just chronographed my 7mm rem mag 162gr loads in my new Ruger American Magnum which carries a 24" barrel. I also have data from 3 other 26" barreled 7mags.
The 24" American launches the 162 amax at 2990, and the longer 26" barreled guns got 3040-3100.

Standard long actions usually get a 24 or 22" barrel, tho some can be found as short as 18".
My current 06 has a 24" tube and gets nearly 3k from 165s, my only 22" barreled 06 got 2900ish with the same load.
I've never owned one of the short barreled 06s, tho I've had a couple fired nearby and they weren't pleasant to be standing next to.


Personally I prefer longer barrels, but from my experience the shorter "standard" barrel length for both Magnum and long action cartridges (24" and 22" respectively) produce relatively little velocity difference. If your likely to be hunting in thick cover giving up those 2" won't mean alot balistically, but will improve handling, at least to some degree.
 
If we were to list how many moose killed by particular caliber, the winner would probably be a 6.5 x 55. .30-06 is whole lot more powerful than a 6.5 x55.

If I was wanting a rifle more powerful than a .30-06, it wouldn't be a 7mm or a .300 Mag. I would opt for a .338-06. More caliber, more bullet weight, less velocity but still plenty.

If I were looking for a new rifle, I'd look at a Tikka. I've heard good things about them. Leupold is my favorite scope.
 
Many years ago i had a .300 WM, a Sauer FN. It was a nice thing to shoot. I shot a few deer with it and came to the conclusion that it was just to much rifle to lug around and not necessary for what i wanted.
For Moose hunting i use a .308 firing 165grn Norma Oryx home loads. I've shot, Muntjac, roe, fallow, red, boar and moose with the 165grn .308 bullet. That rifle, bullet combination kills moose deader than a dead thing. I have killed moose with my 7x57R with 156grn Norma Oryx bullets, again no problem killing the moose. In my experience, for their size, moose are not hard to kill.
 
I would get in contact with locals from the area and ask all these questions. Seriously, the natives know what they are doing more so than visitors most all the time.
 
I'd throw my vote in for a .30-06, it's a no-fuss cartridge to shoot and load, you usually get 4-5 down in a mag, and it's about the most powerful round that most people can easily get comfortable shooting. As other folks mentioned, a relatively light bolt gun is probably going to kick more than your current semi in the same cartridge, so keep that in mind.

.30-06 also does well in 22"-24" barrels, I personally like 22" barrels and haven't had any problems hitting 2,800 fps with 180gr bullets and 2,900+ with 165gr in a few different rifles. I'm about to have my current .30-06 chopped to 18"-19" and threaded for suppressed hunting, I'm not at all concerned about it having enough power to knock over the elk it will be used on.

There 7mm mags I've shot were very similar in recoil levels to hot .30-06 (which makes all kinds of sense when you look at the ballistics), if you're not planning on taking shots at longer ranges (400yds+) I'm not sure I see an advantage, but either should work fine. I personally don't see what benefit you would get over either of those by opting for a .300 WM.

As for rifles, in the chamberings you're considering, I'd probably look at M70s (the Extreme Weathers, or the soon-to-be re-released Stainless Featherweights), Tikka T3x, and Browning X-Bolts. Montana Rifle Company X2/X3 might be worth a look as well.
 
I'd throw my vote in for a .30-06, it's a no-fuss cartridge to shoot and load, you usually get 4-5 down in a mag, and it's about the most powerful round that most people can easily get comfortable shooting. As other folks mentioned, a relatively light bolt gun is probably going to kick more than your current semi in the same cartridge, so keep that in mind.

.30-06 also does well in 22"-24" barrels, I personally like 22" barrels and haven't had any problems hitting 2,800 fps with 180gr bullets and 2,900+ with 165gr in a few different rifles. I'm about to have my current .30-06 chopped to 18"-19" and threaded for suppressed hunting, I'm not at all concerned about it having enough power to knock over the elk it will be used on.

There 7mm mags I've shot were very similar in recoil levels to hot .30-06 (which makes all kinds of sense when you look at the ballistics), if you're not planning on taking shots at longer ranges (400yds+) I'm not sure I see an advantage, but either should work fine. I personally don't see what benefit you would get over either of those by opting for a .300 WM.

As for rifles, in the chamberings you're considering, I'd probably look at M70s (the Extreme Weathers, or the soon-to-be re-released Stainless Featherweights), Tikka T3x, and Browning X-Bolts. Montana Rifle Company X2/X3 might be worth a look as well.


Very good info, I’m thinking that I will stick to looking at 7mm magnums. I do like the tikka T3x, and I’ve been looking at ruger Hawkeye, Bergara b-14, and savage 110. Sadly Montana rifle company rifles would be on the very high end of my budget, but they look like amazing rifles.
 
Montana rifle company rifles would be on the very high end of my budget, but they look like amazing rifles.
:):):)Thank you...They ARE!:):):)
My custom Montana Rifle Company 308 Norma Magnum was my retirement gift to myself. It took my first two Social Security checks to pay for it, but I LOVE it.:)
My rifle is stainless with Montana Rifle Company's own, granite grey synthetic stock. It has a 3X9 Weaver mounted on it, and it wears a 1" nylon sling. It's action and 3-position side-swing safety are pre-64 Model 70 Winchester style, but stouter. I won't brag about how "accurate" or "precise" it is because there's already too much of that on these message forums. I'll just say this; I can shoot it as accurately as any big game rifle I've ever shot.
Anyway, getting back to your question - one of the things about recoil I don't think anyone has addressed yet (if someone has, I apologize) is that some synthetic stocks absorb some of the recoil. The synthetic stock on my 308 Norma is a good example. I've had two different 300 Win Mags over the years, and while according to the recoil charts my 308 Norma should kick as hard as either one of them, it doesn't. The fact is, one of the 300 Win Mags I owned was a Model 70 with a regular, factory wood stock, and that danged thing kicked so hard it made me dizzy. I ended up putting a Hogue rubber stock on it. That helped, but it was butt ugly.:barf:
The other 300 Win Mag I had was also a Model 70 with a heavy barrel. The extra weight dampened the recoil somewhat, but it was a real challenge packing it up the hills as I grew older every year.
Oh yeah, one more thing about recoil charts - they all show that my old 338 Win Mag kicks harder than a 300 Win Mag. It probably does, but I sure as heck don't think it hurts as much. It's a slower kick, even if there is more of it.
My wife shoots a semi-custom Model 70, 7mm Rem Mag for deer and elk. I can't tell the difference in recoil between it and my old Ruger 77, 30-06 - which kicks a-plenty according to my wife. But that brings up a couple of more points you might consider: First, my wife's 7mm Rem Mag fits her perfectly. It's customized to fit her perfectly - that helps with the recoil. And second, we handload. Mrs. .308 Norma practices with reduced 7mm Rem Mag loads off and on all summer. Come fall, after a few shots to check the zero, she's good to go with full-house 7mm Rem Mag loads.:)
 
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