What Caliber for Moose?

[SudSlinger]

I'm watching a special on Alaska on the Discovery Channel and it seems moose (plural?) are everywhere, even in major cities. What calibers are used to hunt moose? Just curious as these things are HUGE, tipping the scales at a half ton.

 

[Deaf Smith]

I'd say .30-06 or better up to .338 WM. Anything between those should do fine. They are like large Elk. True a smaller one would work, but I'd use something like a '06 or better.

Deaf

 

[shaggy430]

I've seen a moose taken at 200yds with a 30-06 using Remington green box 180 gr Core-lokts. Dropped without taking a step. Don't let anyone tell you you need the newest ultra-mega magnum with $50 a box ammo.

 

[eitrheim31]

i've never been moose hunting but i think a 35 wheelen is what i'd bring

 

[WardenWolf]

Anything .308 or larger.

 

[627PCFan]

Keep the mini-bmgs. 6.5x55. very sensible

 

[jacob.elliott]

i don't know but i have heard that moose aren't any tougher than whitetail. just what i heard

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I've heard the .303 british works quite well too. It's mostly about putting a heavy bullet where it needs to go.

 

[MutinousDoug]

My Dad shot his moose from a canoe in AK in 1971 with a .308 at about 35 yds; 180 gr Win Silvertip.
If you can't get within 50 yds of one, you are not trying very hard. They are not afraid of anything so they act kind of stupid. On the other hand, one will stomp you to a pulp if it takes a mind to.

 

[wyocarp]

i've never been moose hunting but

I've seen a moose taken

i don't know but i have heard that moose aren't any tougher than whitetail. just what i heard

I've heard

There seems to be an abundance of great advice worth taking on here, and I know all about bullet placement and all the rest. I also live in the real world in Wyoming where hunters come from all over the country, putting the bullet in the right place, and on any given day animals are limping and leaving blood trails for miles during hunting season.

I've shot a moose with a .308. I wouldn't do it again. I would say that a 30-06 would be a minimum for lower 48 moose. Even then, I have shot a moose at the above mentioned 50 yards and it didn't go down with a 30-06. It probably would have eventually, but my dad and I stood beside each other talking about what do to after each shot as it just stood there looking at us. It would work, but I wouldn't take a 30-06 to Alaska for moose.

Just a side note, there are two animals I really don't like meeting on a trail. One is a buffalo, the other is a moose. I'd rather meet a grizzly, I'd at least be pretty sure of his intentions.

 

[Runningman]

What calibers are used to hunt moose?

Well in the areas I've hunted Moose in there was also a good supply of Black Bears, Grizzly Bears and Wolf packs. Calling Moose in can bring in a Wolf pack. Firing a shot in some areas is like a dinner bell to a Grizzly. So what ever round you use make sure you are comfortable with the rifle first. Very good bullets are also not a bad idea. Most people I've known use everthing from 7mm Mag up to a 375 H&H to hunt Moose. They all seem to work if the shot is right.

 

[caribou]

Ive shot alot Moose with a .243w, a couple with a 30-06 and for the last few years, a 7.62X54r
Most Locals ude .243, 22-250, .270, .308, 30-06, I dont know any that use a magnum and a few use ,223. Never a problem.
Then again, most all hunters here shoot them in the head like I do. It is very easy to get close to Mosse, they fear few things. A well placed shot is what it takes.
This last Fall, about a week apart, I helped a friend and then his wife who took both their Moose with a 30-30 they shared.They shot theirs in the Hearts and it was plenty good.

Shoot the gun you can place the shot with, what ever that may be.

Moose are not "Tougher" than whitetails , they are 4X's bigger.

 

[moooose102]

with all do respect to caribou's post, personaly, i would not go after anything that is willing to charge me with less than a 30-06. besides, when you are in moose territory, you are in bear territory. and i certainly would not want to fend off a big bear with a 243!

 

[kanook]

my brother has been on two moose hunts. both times he used his 30-06. both times he only shot once. both times he brought home meat.

 

[REDEYE]

+1 caribou

Moose are easy to get close to, so you don't necessarily need a long range rifle. Most any rifle cartridge that was designed for big game will do the job, if you do yours.

 

[lefteyedom]

While station at Loring AFB ME in the early 80's I had to chase allot of moose off the runway, taxiway, wsa, ect. The thing about a moose is that they are very powerful. People are so often fooled into thinking that they are slow and dumb "Bullwinkles" They are not. If you fail to DRT a bull and he decides that you are source of his discomfort there will be trouble.
Given the close range that moose are often encountered your chances of a Funnest Home Video moment is high. A rifle that will DTR as apposed to simply kill is something to be valued.

Allot of moose have been killed with 6.5X55s but I would not think of using anything less than a 30.06 with 180 grn. A 338 win mag with a 225-250 grn would be my first pick.

 

[jacob.elliott]

i would like to go on a moose hunt. and event though i have HEARD a lot of things i think that i would still like to bring a 338 or about that. because yes moose are bigger and bears (can) eat people.

 

[Albert A Rasch]

What do I know, I shoot a lot hogs!

But I do read a lot...

The Scandinavians use the 6.5X55 almost exclusively. But then again, they don't have the brown bears to contend with.

I would much rather see someone with a 243 that they can shoot well, than a 300 they can't.

Up in Alaska I think folks must have a guide if they are from out of state, so let the guide carry the firepower if you can't or don't.

Just so y'all know, I've killed more hogs with a 22 rimfire than with all the other calibers I own combined. And I've killed my fair share of them.

My 2 cents!

Regards,
Albert
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
The Range Reviews: Tactical

 

[NCsmitty]

This last Fall, about a week apart, I helped a friend and then his wife who took both their Moose with a 30-30 they shared.They shot theirs in the Hearts and it was plenty good.

The venerable but effective 30-30 often does not get the respect it truly deserves. It's been the choice of many serious hunters for 100 years for a reason. It gets the job done. A medium size bullet traveling at a medium velocity puts meat in the freezer.
Ya don't need a magnum for moose.

NCsmitty

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

I was talking to a gun in our gunshop some years ago. Somehow the .351 winchester came up. He knew of an older gent that used on for moose with great success. Seems he would sneak up on them and shoot them in the head. I read years ago that the Eskimos favored the .222 remington for polar bear, walrus, seal. They were hunters and excellent shots. They liked the .222 because it was cheap to reload.

 

[Coyote_Hunter_]

If I ever go moose hunting it will be a great excuse to get a new rifle - a .338 or .375 Ruger.

Or maybe I'll just use my .45-70...

 

[HorseSoldier]

I'm watching a special on Alaska on the Discovery Channel and it seems moose (plural?) are everywhere, even in major cities. What calibers are used to hunt moose? Just curious as these things are HUGE, tipping the scales at a half ton.

12 gauge with slugs is the preferred means to dispatch crippled or belligerent moose here in the couple of metropolitan areas we have up here, though that's different than hunting them.

From personal experience it's definitely not fun to have a run in with a moose at close range where whether or not you get maimed or killed is pretty much up to the moose and whatever does or doesn't get it annoyed. Bear guns up here are definitely a year round requirement, even if "getting off the beaten path" is just some of the city parks up here in Anchorage (and bear mace, but that's another post).

For hunting, 308 and 30-06 will work, though people tend to favor larger. I've always wondered how Scandinavian moose stack up against Alaskan and Canadian ones on the issue of 6.5x55, much as I like that calber.

 

[Ankeny]

I have been fortunate enough to draw two tags. Both bulls were taken in wide open sage brush areas of western Wyoming with a .30-.338 shooting 200 grain Sierra Game King bullets. The idea of shooting a big bull moose with a .223, 22-250, etc. just seems silly (unless subsistence hunting and that's all you have). I have a pretty nifty Sako 75 in 6.5x55 and at close yardage I wouldn't give a second thought to shooting a bull with a 140 grain bullet. But in the area where I took mine I would feel somewhat under gunned...and I am not a magnum maniac. A trophy bull is a once in a lifetime opportunity so why risk it with a poodle shooter?

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

where whether or not you get maimed or killed is pretty much up to the moose and whatever does or doesn't get it annoyed.

now for some reason that got my attention

 

[lefteyedom]

where whether or not you get maimed or killed is pretty much up to the moose and whatever does or doesn't get it annoyed

Finding out that you are not at the top of food chain real sucks!