Best caliber for Moose

[Corkster]

A good friend of mine has a 19 year old daughter who has drawn a moose tag for Colorado. She is about 5'2" tall and 95lbs. very slight build. My buddy wants her to shoot her 270 WSM. 160 gr. bullet as he thinks anything larger is going to be to much for her to handle. I think that's to light except for a very close shot. What do you think? Is a bigger hammer in order?

 

[Bartkowski]

I would use it. Although something bigger would be more effective the .270 would be fine. Besides if she can't shoot well with something bigger; it is worthless.

 

[Regolith]

I'd say it should work, with good shot placement. My suggestion is to make sure it's a well constructed bullet that will hold together well and penetrate deeply.

 

[MDHunter]

Lots of Alaskan moose die every year to the .270, and they're quite a bit bigger than the Colorado moose. Use a good bullet (Nosler Partition, Accubond, etc) in 160 grain, and keep shots within 150 yards or so, and she'll be fine.

 

[Master of Arms]

This is a good question. While just curiously checking in to some outfitters in the Northwest, I found a few of them that had a "minimum caliber allowed rule". It`s been a few years but I remember talking it over with a buddy of mine because he uses a 25-06 alot. I don`t remember what the minimum caliber allowed was but I know that I was surprised. I know that neither a 25-06 or a 7mm were allowed because that`s what we were using at the time.

If the outfitter allows a smaller caliber, Regolith had the answer. Get as close as possible and hit the sweet spot.

 

[BENELLIMONTE]

The Shiras cow moose I shot 11 years ago in Eastern Idaho went down with 2 shots through the rib cage at approx 100 yds from my old & battered Parker Hale 270 Win. I was shooting Eldorado/PMC factory loads of 150 grain Barnes X bullets. The 270 is more than adequate with well constructed bullets and good shot placement.

 

[ArmedBear]

An aside: If you can and are willing to wear hearing protection, muzzle brakes are wonderful things.

After I swore I would never shoot a .300 Wby off the bench again unless I had a REALLY good reason, I tried it with a muzzle brake, and a lighter rifle than the first one, too. It was really no sweat. I was amazed.

 

[ravenwolf71]

What about a .308 ?

 

[ArmedBear]

Winchester sells a no-lead bullet to compete with Barnes, also. 180 gr. in various .30 cal cartridges from .308 to .300 Win Mag.

 

[Shawnee]

The 30/30 will work.

 

[Art Eatman]

Looks to me like plenty-enough gun. The question is, how competent a shooter is she? How much practice time from field-expedient positions has she had or will she have before the hunt?

 

[Justin]

Where in Colorado do you go to hunt moose?

 

[salthouse]

270 is fine for moose. They go down relatively easy, no need for an elephant gun. As others have said, the 160 NP is plenty, you may even go a little lower to reduce recoil if you need to.

 

[koja48]

No guns are actually "good" for moose, but if the young lady can place a quality bullet in the boiler room with that rifle, she should be eating moose steaks shortly thereafter.

 

[T.R.]

Although moose are larger than draft horses, their chest wall is not armor-plated. Scores of moose are toppled each year by careful hunters armed with common deer rifles. A few very popular moose cartridges across Canada include: 303 British, 30-06, .308, and others. Years ago, I knew a Cree hunter who was quite pleased with his 35 Remington rifle.

Excellent shot placement + a thick jacketed bullet will perform well.

TR

 

[memphisjim]

45-70

 

[Henry T]

Does anyone use a .35 Whelan for moose? With good shot placement, how close would you need to be?

 

[freakshow10mm]

.375 H&H or 45/70 hot loaded.

 

[Polish_Pounder]

Moose are not armored tanks. Put a pill in the boiler room and it will go down. Just make sure that she has several boxes of her hunting ammo through the gun from sitting, prone, etc. I'm not sure when it became the standard that an animal drop immediately when shot, but that is physiologically unrealistic. Even if the moose covers a few dozen yards after hit, the .270 will make a humane kill if the shot placement is right.

-Polish

 

[22-rimfire]

I think the 270 should be sufficient. IF I were buying a new rifle specifically for use with moose, larger bears and perhaps elk, I'd probably opt for the 338 myself. Recoil would definitely be an issue with a small statured young woman. I have also been looking for an excuse to buy a rifle chambered in 375 H&H. That might well be the excuse.

 

[Maelstrom]

Of course if she isn't a competant shooter with a .270 having a .338 Winchester won't help.

I agree with the others that she needs to be able to shoot first and foremost.

Having said that, of course, I honestly believe that if she can handle a .270 then I see no reason why she can't handle a .308.

Using handloads.com recoil calculator here's what I got when comparing the Remington 150 GR .270 with the 180 GR .308 , both from a 7 1/2 lbs. rifle.

Recoil impulse (lbs sec):
.270-2.43
.308-2.62

Recoil velocity (fps):
.270-10.43
.308-11.27

Free recoil energy (ft/lbs):
.270-12.67
.308-14.79

As you can see, the numbers aren't all that far apart.

Bumping it up to the 180 and 220 GR .30-06 loads here's what you get.

Recoil impulse (lbs sec):
180gr-2.87
220gr-3.06

Recoil velocity (fps):
180gr-12.30
220gr-13.50

Free recoil energy (ft/lbs):
180gr-17.63
220gr-20.13

As you can see, the free recoil energy is up quite a bit.


Finally, tell her she needs to eat as much of that moose as possible. 95 pounds? Good lord!

 

[Water-Man]

Better-off with a .30 cal. If she can accurately shoot a .270 she can handle a .308.

 

[35Rem]

Years ago, I knew a Cree hunter who was quite pleased with his 35 Remington rifle.

Absolutley. I'd love to give it a try myself, someday. Plenty of gun, Remington's slogan used to be "Big enough for the Biggest Game". Don't think the critters have gotten tougher since.

I think a few missed the fact the girl is shooting a 270 WSM. That's a Short Magnum, not a regular 270 Winchester. More power than the adequate 270 Win. I see no problem.

I still want to know where there are moose in Colorado.

 

[FITASC666]

In Canada most moose are felled within 150 yds. The pleasure is to get that buck out of the brush and close. Shooting is the harvest. Unless you realy need to get a 250yd+ shot, the .308 is a wonderful rifle. Hornady offers a 150gr SST at 3000 fps that shoots close to a 7mm Rem Mag. Lets face it, the adrelaline rush of a bush breaking bull out of the bush at 100 yds needs nothing more than 180gr soft point to save good meat.
Good hunting.

 

[eclarsen]

35Rem,

Not certain there are moose in these units, but apparently CO DNR is selling tags for them...found the following on their web site.

"The CDOW is seeking your input on the management of the moose on the Grand Mesa and in the Crystal River Valley (GMUs 41, 42, 43, 411, 421, 52, and 521, DAU M-5). The deadline to provide input is September 18, 2008. To comment on moose management in M-5, please print out the questionnaire, and return it to:

Stephanie Duckett, Terrestrial Biologist
Colorado Division of Wildlife
711 Independent Ave.
Grand Junction, CO 81505"