Moose hunting, recommended caliber

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Gungnir

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Trying to Dodge Wildfires in the Alaskan Bush West
So, I'm shortly (in the next year or so) giving up civilization and moving to AK off grid on my 80 acre spread, building a homestead etc

I have previous hunting experience, but not really with anything as big as a Moose, but as a resident I can subsistence hunt for them.

So while I'm still here earning money, I was wondering whether any of you had any recommendations for moose calibers, from doing an online search 338 Win Mag seem to be popular, I know placement is important too, but given that I'm literally looking for "bang for the buck" I'm after a caliber that has fast takedown effectiveness (even if I'm off a little), so the damn thing doesn't run off for 3 miles into the bush, to be half eaten by the local critters by the time I get there.

Advice on any rifles would be useful to, since I know diddley-squat about medium caliber rifles.

Thanks for any info.
 
What rifles, if any, do you already have? Chances are you may already have a rifle suitable. A 270, 30-06 or many others may do just fine for you.

I thimk the big magnums are probably more important for someone from out of state who has a limited time to make their kill before leaving. They may have to take a marginal shot, or none at all. A resident who can hunt anytime can take their time and wait on a better shot.
 
Hmm, good point hadn't thought of that, my Wife (who owns all the guns since I'm a WA LPR) has an older 30-06 bolt action covered in dust in the closet, which considering what else I'm looking to spend in the move and construction is looking really attractive right now :) not to mention ammunition costs.

Most likely be able to take the shot when the thing's eating my wife's cabbages she's planning to grow :)
 
The .30-06 will work with heavy bullets and the right shot placement. However, I would much rather have one of the .30 magnums or a .338 magnum. .30-06, .300 win mag, and .338 win mag are all widely available in AK.
 
30-06 with 180 gr is 'THE" all Alaska Round.

Magnums cant do any more than extend your range, but 30-06 will do any job at 500 yards, easily, so why bother?

.243W with 100gr bullets is a most excellent and widely used round up here too.

If you cant kill it with a 30-06, you should hide.:D
 
You can use a 30-06, Alot of people do. However a 06' will kill a moose, a 338 will put a moost down. Moose are very slow to react to being shot, and if that moose wants to he can take you on a very wild ride before he goes. Moose have a reputation a a stupid, eay going, easy to kill animal. Not true. The first time you see a bull in rut you will ask what you are doind there. In addition to that the terrain is not like other places, the backcountry of Alaska can be pure hell, but its also the most wonderful place on earth. I would say that if you have a 30-06 use it (load it with 180 -200 gr Barnes TSX) But if you can get a .338 Win Mag You will be very glad you did. Good luck on your new life its a wonderful place.
 
I personally like a .300 WSM for elk and I'm sure it would also work for moose. It's a great all around cartridge.
 
I'm after a caliber that has fast takedown effectiveness (even if I'm off a little), so the damn thing doesn't run off for 3 miles into the bush,
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Gungnir,

Careful big guy, that comment is a common misconception about magnums and their ability to kill with poor shot placement. It simply ain't so!

I don't care what you are shooting if you miss the good even by a little bit on a moose sized critter it is going to run off and die later.

If you want more shot opportunities form varying shot angles go with a heavier larger diameter like a .338 with 250 gr bullets or a .375 H&H with 270 or 300 gr bullets. But for practicality purposes a .30-06 with 180 or 200gr bullets will be your best bet. Shoot a moose in the goods with that combo and the rest is simply a matter of manpower and sweat to get the thing home.

A .30 cal mag won't do anything for you in killing department on moose it will increase your point blank range by about 50 yards.
 
H&Hhunter...

Cool you might have just justified my "requirement" for a Barrett M82A1 with Leupold and BORS :)

Seriously though we already have a 30-06 that needs some TLC that will fit the bill great, and the TLC is a lot cheaper than a new 30-06, which fits the budget better.
 
Well lets see considering that moose hunting takes place where bear country over laps i would go with a 338win in a bolt gun and if you are looking at a lever gun a 450 marlin would get my vote.
 
You probably will not have a shot more than 75 - 100 yds so a great way to go is with a new lever gun such as a Marlin with a 24" barrel in .45-70 caliber. Mount a low powered (less than 4 power) scope or a good receiver mounted peep sight and you are good to go. A .45-70 with 350 or 405 grain factory loads will work on anything that you can run into. The lever gun will give you a faster follow up shot if you need one and a great deal of firepower should the need arise. A friend has taken moose, elk and bear with this setup and on rare occasion he has need a second shot. The .45-70 is a very old and very reliable cartridge that has been used effectively on large game the world over.
 
The .45-70 is a very old and very reliable cartridge that has been used effectively on large game the world over.
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Careful with that statement. The .45-70 with VERY specialized ammo has been used effectively on large game the world over. I wouldn't dream of using factory 405 gr soft points on moose or bear. There are some very effective loads for the .45-70 but they are not your average Wal-Mart stuff they are expensive and tough to find most are special order or hand rolled only.
 
I have a cousin in Alberta, and he has taken countless moose with the 7mmRem.Mag. I am going with him in less than a year, and was going to take a scoped Mosin Nagant, but he talked me into getting a nice 7mmMag built on on a K98 action with a Douglas barrell and a Nightforce scope that cost me almost as much as the rifle. At the range, I zeroed her 2 in high at 100 yards. I was shooting 3 round cloverleafs at 100 yards and 1.5 in groups at 200 yards. This seems acceptable to me, and he says that with ANY modern controlled expansion bullet, the 7mmRem Mag will dump a moose right now. We'll see. But that cartrige does have excellent ballistics, and a pretty good reputation for most N. American game.
 
Well lets see considering that moose hunting takes place where bear country over laps i would go with a 338win in a bolt gun and if you are looking at a lever gun a 450 marlin would get my vote.
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Nothing wrong with that or the standard .30-06 advice either, but I'll just throw this out there - there may be something to be said for the DPMS LR338 in .338 Federal. A double tap or triple tap of .338 federal in less than 2 seconds should significantly up your odds of survival on a charging grizzly.

The LR-338 "L" version is the short handy lightweight version (18" bbl):

http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=5293

Comes in at just 7.9 lbs empty. But you'd better keep it clean. I wouldn't trust this one in wet/rainy/muddy conditions.

Personally, I'd use a .45-70 levergun in thick country, or a .30-06 or 9.3x62 turnbolt if there are some open areas, because that's what I have. But many other calibers would work too. I hear that .338-06 and .338 win mag are also popular up there. Some would say make sure it's a turnbolt with CRF (CZ 550, Rem 798, Win 70, etc.) if worried about bears.

Chaingun, I could see getting a very long range cartridge gun like 7mm remmag for very open area where plains caribou roam - but dunno if the part of Alaska where he's moving too has those open areas. Typically moose areas are swampy with lots of trees & brush, not just tundra.

H&H, I find it interesting that you wouldn't recommend level 1 .45-70 loadings for moose - I would think that they would work most excellently, particularly the 405 gr Rem load - you don't think they'd penetrate through and through on a moose? I wouldn't use then on a grizzly bear, but meese are thin-skinned, correct (more or less)?
 
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While I’ll always be a fan of the several “mil-surp calibers” I sometimes hunt with (esp. 7.5x55, .303, and 8x57), I have settled on only 2 main hunting calibers for me and my kids (once they're old enough). Basically, I figure that 7mm-08 does 99%+ of what I need in N.A. However, I also have a CRF .30-06 rifle for when I want a little more insurance (w/ heavier loads). So, while I know YMMV, for moose I'd suggest you grab a .30-06, some good ammo, and clear some space in your freezer. That said, I know of several people who have cleanly taken moose with 7mm-08 (handloaded to .280 specs).
 
A .45-70 405 gr. will kill moose all day long!
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Waterman,

How much big game as in elk or larger have you killed with factory Remington 405 gr soft points out of a .45-70. I've killed a bison with them and they are WAY to soft to be depended on for big critters.

No you stiffen up the bullet construction a bit and then I agree you've got your self a dependable moose and bear killer.
 
I put three 1 inch plus holes in a large moose two seasons ago. There was over an hour between the first and second. All lung shots, but the moose didn't want to die. didnt' take it down right away.

I think a .270 win with a Barnes bullet would be just as affective as anything else. As in most things, shot placement means more than cartridge. Of course a rifle for killing is different than a weapon for defense.

I have a brother in law who has taken several elk with a .220 swift. He hits were he is aiming, and he kills.

One consideration with the moose, if you can't count on shot placement, shoot solids. I have moose femur bones in my yard for over a year, and the dogs still haven't got through them yet. If you think you might hit the shoulder, then go big and deep.
 
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