300 win mag effective range on moose

[tako976]

Hey all I'm gonna be putting in for my moose permit this year and the area ill be hunting ill be able to make shots out to 950 yards I'm just curious if the 300 winmag has the ability to put down a good sized moose at that range. If not how far is the maximum range that I can guarantee a quick clean kill thanks for any input

 

[hermannr]

A 300 win mag has about the same energy left at 600m as a 30-30 has at the muzzle....would you shoot a moose with a 30-30?

Personally I would sight in at 200m and not excede 300m

 

[kludge]

Easy answer... Sight in for 200 yards and limit shots to 250 yards.

Hard answer... Sight in for 200 yards and then practice shooting a lot of ammunitions from realistic hunting positions. When you can no longer keep a 6" group, stop. If that is less than 250 yards, then that is your max range.

Yes, I know the vitals of a moose are more than 6" in diameter, but other factors are in play too on an actual hunt.

 

[mnrivrat]

A 300 win mag has about the same energy left at 600m as a 30-30 has at the muzzle....would you shoot a moose with a 30-30?

And my anser is - yes ! The 30-30 has about the same energy at the muzzle as a 30-06 has at 100 yards. Would you pass on a 100 yard shot with the 30-06 ?

 

[H&Hhunter]

With the right bullet in 180 or better yet a 200 gr loading it will kill a moose as far away as you can hit it in the vitals. Moose are just big deer and they die when you put holes in their hearts or lungs.

Now you might want to consider where you shoot it. Moose love to run out into deep water before they die. That is a real consideration on where you shoot your moose. Swimming for a dead moose SUX!@

 

[nathan]

I watched Jim Shockey outdoor show wherein he guided a hunter who shot a huge moose . THe moose run and layed on knee deeped water. They have to use an Argo all wheerler vehicle to get it into high ground . Without it would have been impossible. THey have to fielddressed the moose in water.

 

[buck460XVR]

Hey all I'm gonna be putting in for my moose permit this year and the area ill be hunting ill be able to make shots out to 950 yards I'm just curious if the 300 winmag has the ability to put down a good sized moose at that range.

You may be able to TAKE shots out to 950 yards, but can YOU consistently make them? If you have to ask about the terminal ballistics of your rifle at that range, I'm guessin' you don't have much experience shootin' that far.

 

[Frozen North]

If the Moose runs, you have 950 yards of catch up to do. It is best to stalk your game, get close, and dispatch it with a sure shot.

Many sportsman consider very long range shots unethical.

 

[exbiologist]

Some people's children...

 

[H&Hhunter]

Anything past 300 yards on game is getting to be a serious poke in the dark IMHO. I prefer 200 and under.

 

[rcmodel]

ill be able to make shots out to 950 yards

Wanna bet?

Seeing game at 950 yards is one thing.
Hitting anything at 950 yards is another, let alone the kill zone on a moose.

The 300 Winmag is very capable of hitting a moose that far.
Out of a very good rifle.
With the range measured exactly from a topo map or with a range finder.
And with your exact bullet trajectory known with the load you will be using.

But are you that good a shot with experience doping wind & mirage & 27 feet of bullet drop at 950 yards to even attempt it?

Most of us who have hunted a lifetime are not.

rc

 

[d2wing]

I agree with RC.

 

[WTBguns10kOK]

Moose are one of the easiest big game animals to get close to. Why is this even a question. Drop the 9 from 950 and you have the range your shot should be from.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Moose are one of the easiest big game animals to get close to. Why is this even a question. Drop the 9 from 950 and you have the range your shot should be from.

Good point.

 

[jim in Anchorage]

Hey all I'm gonna be putting in for my moose permit this year and the area ill be hunting ill be able to make shots out to 950 yards I'm just curious if the 300 winmag has the ability to put down a good sized moose at that range. If not how far is the maximum range that I can guarantee a quick clean kill thanks for any input

What kind of hunt is this that you know it's 950? Not 1200, not 800?

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I'm with rcmodel. The number of people who can put a bullet into an animal's vitals at 900+ yds are very few. In real life at least. I'm well aware that just about everyone on the internet can. Even if you can do it on paper, there are factors to consider when shooting at game. There's a big difference in doing it from a bench and in the field.

 

[H&Hhunter]

Jeff Cooper said it best. If you can't get to within 300 yards of a game animal the problem does not is not with the firearm.

The unwashed masses tend to have some confusion with the differences between hunting and target shooting.

 

[tako976]

I know its 950 yard cause I walk that area all the time I'm with you guys id mutch rather take a 50 yard shot but I'm going to be in a blind and shooting off a rest I've shot my win mag out to 950 yard and am able to put all my rounds into a 12 inch target I'm just curious if a the trophy of a lifetime walks out at that range if I should even consider making a shot more realisticly the shot will be less the 400 yards thanks for the input

 

[tako976]

To answer the other question the area I'm hunting is a massive clear cut that separates a bog from a small pond that moose are always crosing I was thinking if I sat at the far end of the clear cut I could cover the entire area most likely ill sit about 2 thirds up the cut so ill limit my shot to about 300 yards

 

[ghostwriter]

I'll step up and take some heat... I shoot a .300 Win Mag and I agree with most of the remarks here about getting close. It's probably better to do that but... I don't know you. I don't know how you shoot, but the 12" at 950 is a beginning in my mind. At a longer distance, you should have more time to evaluate the shot. I suspect if things are right and the moose isn't in a herd that was spooked and are in a jog mode to get away from whatever was the cause, and they are just grazing and walking then stopping you should be able to range it, take your time dialing in the scope and placing the shot EXACTLY where it should go. If you have the optics to do the job, a great rest, and the conditions are good... I'd go for a decent shot placement out to about 500-600 yards with a 200 gr SMK or GK bullet. I'd prefer the 208 A-Max at about 3000'/sec but that's just me.
The ballastics on a 200 gr SMK @ 2900'/sec are included for a 40 degree F day at both 1000' and 5000' elevations.
As you will see if you look, the drop at 600 yds is about 70" (5.8') at it still has about 2000'/sec velocity and 1750 lbs of energy... which I would think is sufficient to drop your bull moose if you're as good a shot on a live target as the steel disk at 950 yds. As has already been stated, closer is better but you don't always have that luxury so if you're confident and can range the target, know the angle if any, can throw together some quick ballastic calcs in your head, I'd be fine with a 600 yard shot but out to the 950 yard mark the energy drops off so much that you'd need a really good upper neck/head placement to be marginally effective. (If you could move up to the .338 Lapua... now that would be a different story... and chapter to this novel.)

PS: You need to develop your own handloads and chronograph them to get a good ballastic chart to cut and paste on your stock for your rifle. Go with a good heavy bullet with great B.C. numbers, the gameking sierras' are fine or the Hornady A-Max versions or the TFX (I think it's called) are all knock down bullets... keep the velocity up and the weight up for accuracy, not just speed. Work it out to the 700 yard range and make that your limit. Hit the 12" disk 12 for 12 at 700 and you're ready. Have a fun trip and be sure to post pics...

 

[shaggy430]

I'd go for a decent shot placement out to about 500-600 yards with a 200 gr SMK or GK bullet. I'd prefer the 208 A-Max at about 3000'/sec but that's just me.

Neither the SMK or the A-Max are hunting bullets and should not be used on game, especially an animal as big as a moose.

 

[rcmodel]

but I'm going to be in a blind and shooting off a rest

Move the blind closer to the bog!!

rc

 

[DM~]

I've shot 25 or more of those swamp donkeys, and i've never needed to take even a 400 yard shot. I refuse to put my ego or bragging rights over the huge chance of wounding a big game animal by shooting at it at long range.

Get closer or let it go by, it's called "hunting" not shooting.

DM

 

[H&Hhunter]

I have a custom .330 Dakota that makes your .300 Wm look like a pop gun especially past 400 yards. I launch 225 Gr Hornandy IB's at just over 3000 FPS. I ding 1000 yard steel with it all the time. I've been hunting big game extensively for going on 30 years now.

I wouldn't dream of popping at a moose at 950 yards. I don't know how to put it to you any other way besides that doing so is just plain old stupid and unnecessary.

 

[ghostwriter]

@shaggy430: The A-Max is a hollowpoint with a plastic filler, the MatchKing, a hollowpoint without the filler. You should see what they do to a 230# Mule Deer, I guess I shouldn't hunt with those then. Glad you told me before I did something dumb...