Medium to large game caliber for anything up to moose?

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After reviewing the op's post, he should be looking at a tactical .308. The Marlin is a good cheap rifle but may not be much better than what he has. A good out of the box rifle would be a tactical or varmit Savage or Remington 700. If the OP wants 2 rifles, both could be .308's. Unless the OP really want's to try other cartridges. Sometimes with
different ammo you can have mix ups. Especially as you are trying to groggily load your rifle in the dark for the deer opener. Not that I would ever, ahem, make a mistake like that.
Luckily it did not fire but I lost a shot at a deer and was very embarrassed when the gunsmith fixed my jammed rifle.
 
Thats why I keep ammo for every rifle in my truck. I keep finding 45/70 shells where they shouldn't be.
.45-70 is a good cure for the above problem...when loaded into another rifle they don't get close to fitting in the chamber...when you try to load something else it just falls all the way though the barrel. :neener:



(Caveat: As usual I am joking...but I know that someone will get a bur up their buttocks and research all of the cartridges that fit and call me out on it...so yes, the above was indeed said in jest)
 
Deer-Moose Gun

If you are going to hunt elk and moose with the gun, I vote for 338WM.

270 or whatever will do a takedown with no issue for a nice clean broadside shot.

If you decide to whack an elk or moose that is quartering away at 250 yards, you are not likely to be happy with a 150-160 grain 270 power.

I have killed a number of moose/elk with 338 and old fashioned 210 Nosler partitions. Never had an issue that was the fault of the gun or it's power.
 
Humor

Guys, most of us have a pet to use that is 'the killer'.

Consider this: the last moose I saw killed was taken by a local. He was wearing tattered Walmart class boots and a patched sweatsuit in 20 degree weather. He put down a cow with a 303 of some version with no sights. He just sighted down the side of the barrel! Go figure.
 
30-06 boattail!!!!! (remains one of the best sniper rnds for over 100 years!!!

If your going up to moose the max i would go with but might be a tad much for whitetail would be the .338.

Perfect all around that will drop a MOOSE LIKE A SACK OF POTATOES.

1.) .300 WSM ( dont let people tell u the 300 mag is better than the short mag!
The short mag is much!! flatter shooting and has equal stopping power, perfect for whitetail also.

2.) AHH, THE MOST POPULAR AND VERSITLE MEDIUM TO BIG GAME ROUND IN THE WORLD. THE 30-06 BOATTAIL!! THE ROUND IS THE 308 ON STEROIDS, AND IS LARGER IN DIAMETER THAN THE 7MM AND HAS MORE POWDER DUE TO THE LONGER CARTRIDGE! DONT LET PEOPLE FOOL YOU SAYING THE 308 AND 7MM ARE MORE POWERFUL!

30-06 BOATAIL IS ONE OF THE FLATTEST AND FARTHESE SHOOTING ROUNDS IN ITS CLASS.( MEANING THE 270 TO 308 ROUNDS)

*NOW THE 270 IS A BIT FLATTER THAN THE 30-06 BUT NOT THE 30-06 BOATTAIL SO DONT GET THAT CONFUSED!

30-06 (boattail if at more than 300 yards)
*The 30-06 boattail is a proven sniper round since WWI and Is accurate to 1000 rnds. (YES IT IS!) The boat tail gives the round way better aerodynamics!
Dont be fooled with all fancey odd six rnds! IF IT DOESNT SAY BOAT TAIL ON THE BOX THEN IT PROBABLY DOESNT HAVE IT!
*****
A PERFECT RND FOR THE 30-06 IS A ACCU TIP 150 GRAIN WITH A BOATTAIL!
GOOD RND FOR ANY CALIBER, JUST CHANGE THE GRAIN ACCORDINGLY.
THIS IS THE FLATTEST SHOOTING 30-06 ROUND BUT 180 IS SUGGESTED FOR A BIT BIGGER GAME!(**SO FOR WHITETAIL GO WITH THE 150 GRAIN,AND FOR MOOSE GO WITH THE 180, THE OTHER IS 165, AN ALL PURPOSE AND GOOD FOR BOOTH BUT BEST TO USE THE RND MEANT FOR THE GAME.

**##*THE ACCU-TIP IS A PLASTIC POINTED TIP THAT COVERS THE HALLOW POINT UNTIL CONTACT WITH GAME, THIS MEANS IT HAS THE GREAT AREODYNAMICS OF BALL AMMO WITH THE DEVASTATING STOPPING POWER OF HALLOW POINTS!

U CAN GET REMINGTON ACCUTIP IN 30-06 150GRAIN FOR $20 TO $35 per 20rnds, well worth it JUST MAKE SURE U GET BOATTAIL IF SHOOTING AT OVER 300 YARDS!

*******JUST REMEMBER THE BOATTAIL 30-06 IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST SNIPER ROUND BREAKTHROUGHS EVER FOR DISTANCE, AND FOR SOME REASON MOST AMMO MANUFACTURES DONT MAKE THEM FOR ALL THERE ROUNDS, MAKE SURE IT SAYS BOATTAIL ON BOX!!!!!!!
3.) a .270 WSM, OR A .308 MAG OR NO MAG, AND 7MM-08 OR 7MM WSM OR WINCHESTER MAG.



******EVERYBODY NEEEEDS TO STOP SAYING THE 7MM HAS TOO MUCH KICK GO WITH THE 30-06. DOOOO U REALIZE THE 30-06 IS 7.62MM, THAT IS LARGER, AND IT HAS A LARGER CARTRIDGE WITH MORE POWDER.

****ALSO THE ONLY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 308 AND THE 30-06 IS THAT THE 30-06 HAS A LONGER CARTRIDGE WITH MORE POWDER! (PRETTY MUCH A 308 MAG)

***********Overall, if u want a good rnd to put down a moose and use for smalle game down to whitetail go with the .338(not magnum too much for whitetail) or the 30-06 boattail! This is my opinion but i can promise u it is good i have hunted with both the 30-06 boattail and the .338 lapua and both are excellent!

I actually use the 30-06 boattail for deer, and the .338 lapua for elk, caribou, and moose! But have shot a moose with a 30-06 boattail form 350 yards plus and it dropped after running 15 yards, and it was windy! .338 will drop a moose more often than not though, that is why i use it for moose!

That was a lot of typing!!! HOPE THIS HELPS, AND IF U QUESTION MY INFO, RESEARCH IT, I DID!
 
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For anything up to and including moose, my vote goes to the .358 Winchester. Browning still chambers their BLR lever-action rifle in this round and I see where Ruger is now chambering their Hawkeye bolt-action rifle in .358 caliber. Though hard to find (and pricey when you do), my favorite .358 rifle is the proven Savage Model 99 lever-action rifle.

The .358 Winchester is easy to reload (its parent case is the .308 Winchester); flexible for hunting medium to larger game (200 grainers for whitetails, black bear, etc., 250 grain bullets for the bigger stuff); moderate recoil and sufficiently flat shooting for up to 250 yards or so.

The biggest downside is that factory ammunition is not cheap and, not only will you seldom find .358 Winchester ammunition "on sale", you'll never find it at your local Wal Mart. Bring plenty of it with you when you go hunting.
 
pitty920 said:
.300 WSM ( dont let people tell u the 300 mag is better than the short mag!
The short mag is much!! flatter shooting and has equal stopping power, perfect for whitetail also.
Dead wrong! The 300WSM has roughly the same ballistics when comparing factory loads, but the original WM can offer greater performance by a handloader. The .300WSM offers no difference in trajectory when comparing the same projectiles, and can have a slightly inferior trajectory.

30-06 BOATAIL IS ONE OF THE FLATTEST AND FARTHESE SHOOTING ROUNDS IN ITS CLASS.( MEANING THE 270 TO 308 ROUNDS)...*NOW THE 270 IS A BIT FLATTER THAN THE 30-06 BUT NOT THE 30-06 BOATTAIL SO DONT GET THAT CONFUSED!
Wrong again, the .270Win is a flatter shooting round when comparing projectiles with roughly equal BCs. Nothing magical about a boat-tail...they are even available in .270Win. :eek:

******EVERYBODY NEEEEDS TO STOP SAYING THE 7MM HAS TOO MUCH KICK GO WITH THE 30-06. DOOOO U REALIZE THE 30-06 IS 7.62MM, THAT IS LARGER, AND IT HAS A LARGER CARTRIDGE WITH MORE POWDER.
Uhmm, despite the difference in caliber, the 7mm magnums all have a greater powder capacity and roughly equivalent recoil (save for the large magnums such as the STW and RUM which have far greater recoil).

I think you need to lay of the coffee, way too much CapsLock and Asterisks.

:)
 
My choice, under those criteria, excluding .308 and .30-06 as you are, would be (and is) .280 Remington. Some of the more interesting ones besides .280 might include:

.280 Rem AI
8mm Rem Mag
7mm-08
.338-'06 A-square
.35 Whelen
9.3x62mm
.338 Federal
8mm Mauser
7x57 Mauser
.284 Win
.303 Brit
.30-40 Krag
.45-70 gov't
.350 Rem mag
.356 Win
.358 Win
.375 win (or .38-55)


Then there's always the tried and true 7mm Rem Mag, .300 Win Mag, & .338 Win Mag, not to mention short mags, other 7mm maggies, other .300 maggies, and such. They'll all work just fine if you do, for your use there. :) Personally, I probably wouldn't go below a 7mm chambering for moose, because if I'm on a moose hunt, that means I've paid dearly for it, and don't want to take any chances with less than a 160-175 gr bullet. But if I lived up there in moose country, I'd be fine using a .270 or 6.5 chambering if it tickled my fancy - sure they'd work splendidly too, with proper bullet and shot selection.
 
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Any of the 7mm magnums will do just fine for elk and moose - use any good 160 or 175 bullet. Easier on the recoil than the big 300, 338 or larger, flat shooting, plenty of power
 
Thought this one was resting in peace!

8.59 Titan By none other than Lazzeroni, or if you think the .338 caliber too small, try on the 9.53 Saturn(my favorite) a .375 caliber whopper...still in doubt, the .416 caliber 10.57 Meteor will stop your crazed moose....or rhino!
 
.223 for Moosies...

All you need for deer and moose is an accurate .223 with a large magazine, shoot 4 times, one in each hoof and he will sit down and wait for you to come club him over the head with the rifle. JUST KIDDING!!!

In my opinion, I consider anything from a 7 x 57 175 gr, to the .338 Win. Mag. as adequate for deer and moose. The Magnums larger than 7mm are more than I need for deer, but they will do the job very well. The .30's standard and Mag. will do the job well, also.

If I were going after moose and elk, I would use one of the .300 mags or the .338. You will need to practice with them quite a bit, and ammo is expensive. A 30-06 and .270 will do the job in most cases and you can practice more due to the much cheaper ammo. It matters most where you put the slug, I use heavier grn ammo on big game, 150's or 160's in the .270 and 180's up in the .30-06 and brothers.

You can get Howa's and Savages in 300 Win Mag at Wallyworld for $450. Rem's are a little higher. They also have a 300 Weatherby for $350...if you are interested.

My local Wally has Weatherby Accumark 7mm Mags for $397 and $400 with the heavy barrel.

Good luck.
 
i met a moose guide once and i told him i am not a very big guy and do not like rifles with alot of recoil so i asked him what would be a good moose caliber for me. he laughed and said he would rather see me shoot a .270 that i can shoot confidently than a .338 that i cant.
 
i met a moose guide once and i told him i am not a very big guy and do not like rifles with alot of recoil so i asked him what would be a good moose caliber for me. he laughed and said he would rather see me shoot a .270 that i can shoot confidently than a .338 that i cant.

Quite true. But if you can shoot a .338 "confidently"...well then, that's what I'd do.
 
Another vote for the .375 H&H. I have one and it is my favorite rifle. Its very effectively taken everything from deer to elephants for the past century.
 
Stalking Moose is no tricky thing. So, you will have a very close shot when you go to take him down. I'd have a 45-70 with 400 gr JSPFN. Or if you have an AR-15, then get the upper for the 50 Beowulf. Then if you need a follow-up if the herd turns on you and attacks. You will be ready.

Thanks for the opportunity to reply.
 
I just want to say something about the .30-06. I am pretty critical when it comes to just about anything, but I even have to admit that the .30-06 is probably the best cartridge ever invented. I would not give up on that savage, or the 06'. Have it re-barreled, the problem with your rifle is that the barrel wasn't broken in properly, the crown is messed up, or the throat of the chamber isn't strait. The 06' is versatile, offers long barrel life, and re-barreling is cheaper than a new rifle.
I totally agree with this. I have my dad's old Sako Finnbear 30-06 he bought in the early 80s. He made sure it was properly broken, and has kept good care of it. From a rest, the rifle shoots .5 to .3 inches at 100 yards with 5 shot groups, (more, but they start going through the black). Offhand, I can shoot it about 1" at 100 yards, maybe better sitting (which is the position I take most game).

I am sure it has everything to do with the barrel. That's the real "gun" part of the gun, isn't it?

but if you want bigger than the 30-06 either now or later, my vote is the 375H&H mag, hands down. Very versatile caliber. Ammo everywhere as I've seen.
 
Properly broken in = Time to buy replacement parts. :p ...but I do have to agree with everything else.

:)
 
300 WSM has about the same felt recoil as the 30-06, with about 100fps slower velocity than the 300WM. That was the reason I bought one. If you only have the funds for one rifle the 30 cal magnums make sense. 338 gets into to the realm of beating the snot out of you at range time. I dont plink with mine. Just pick something you can easily find ammo for if you don't reload.

If you can afford multiple rifles I like 260 rem or 7mm/08 for deers, its a little light for elk, but it does work. Then for bigger stuff go with a 45/70, you can load them down to powder puff shells (like the factory rounds) or with enoungh poop you wont want to shoot more than 3 rounds.

The last few critters I killed didn't know the caliber or weather it was a standard mag or short mag when I asked them. My last elk was a little upset because it was shot with a muzzle loader and not a fancy smokeless round. He did die just the same. He just thought I should have spent the money for a scope and a fancy new caliber instead of really old technology with out dated propellant and iron sights. Elk are so self important.
 
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