Moose Gun~Sub 40 cal!

[coug2wolfs]

Well I'm settled on what I'm takin for the Moose hunt in Oct.  Now I know you guys are gonna fall right off the chair on this one, but it's a........30-06!

Clinched it today.  I went to the club with some fresh loaded 200 Nosler Partitions over 53 grains of H414 with a  Fed 215 "fuse". They easily shot inside of an inch and a half at a hundred out of my Weatherby Ultra Light. I was happy with that.

But....I also had another load just in case. 220 Sierra round noses over 56 grains of H4831.  I figured the extra 20 grains might drop the pill down at a hundred, but not all that much.  Lit one off and she hit about 2 inches below dead bull.  Okie Dokie, lit another off. Hmmmm, queersome, where in hoots that one go, still the lone bullet hole. Fired another. Still one hole. I'm thinkin that's it for this load, yard it out. Musta missed the whole danged target with the other two.  

Slid on over to the spottin scope to see if I could find the other two. Soon as I got the scope on the target I notice this ENLARGED one hole, and I can make out the 3 bullet prints.

Gotta be a fluke. So I go down an tape em off, toddle back up to the bench and lite off 3 more.. Sure en shootin, 3 more, same place, same hole.  BIG smile!

Nuff of the bench stuff.  Hundred yards off the side of a tree fast as I could work the bolt and fire, 5 down range with a hold dead behind the front leg of a deer target, 2/3 down from the top of the back.

Much to my EXTREME delight, there's 4 in a 1 inch group dead in the middle of the heart, pulled one an inch to the right of that group.  All 5 were sure killing shots.

My Bro-In-Law sez "Hell, you're layin em in better offhand than I am off the bench!"  Gun fits, load shoots, and my shoulder loved the little abuse!

So now to the question. Anybody got experience with the 220 Sierra rn?  Can I take the shoulders of a moose out with it?  I gotta believe that puppy will make it through a moose broadside, the danged bullet is just about half as long as the -06 case :wink:

[Ron T.]

Coug2wolfs

You never mentioned the velocity you got on those 220 grain bullets, but if you're shooting a maximum powder load and getting around 2500 fps to 2550 fps, then I believe you'd possibly shoot "through", but NOT out the other side of a fair-sized moose... especially if you hit his shoulder(s).  If you hit him in the ribs, then yes... you might shoot through him and out the other side with your .308, 220 grain round-nose bullet.  Moose have heavy bones and his shoulder bones might stop your bullet.

I shot a big bull moose using my .338 Win. Mag with my handloads consisting of a 210 grain Nosler Partition Bullet at about 3020 fps out of my pre-'64 Winchester Model 70 "Alaskan" with a 26" barrel.

My moose was feeding in a lake when we came up the lake in a big freight canoe.  At 125 yards, the moose began to run out of the lake and across the mossy shoreline.  I aimed just under his chin for a lead, attempting to hit him in the shoulder as he ran, but he wasn't running as fast as I thought and the bullet hit his neck instead.

My bullet hit a huge vertebrae in his neck, shattered it, then turned and went down the off side of his neck to his off side shoulder where it stopped just under the skin on the off-side... and I recovered and still have my handloaded Nosler 210 grain Partition bullet... the bullet weighs 148 grains.

I ended up with 750 lbs. of pure "mooseburgers" (no bones)... so you can figure his "live weight" from that.  I was told it was "about 1500 lbs.".  He had close to a 5-foot wide spread on his antlers and stood a little over 6-feet tall at his shoulders.  He was a fine trophy... and he died instantly without suffering.

But I digress... getting back to your moose.  I would suggest ONE thing.  Use the Nosler Partition 200 grain spitzer bullet with an extremely high ballistic coefficient of .481 @ 2600 fps or the Nosler Partition 220 grain semi-spitzer rather than any other bullet.  Either of these two bullets will insure excellent expansion and deep penetration... within any reasonable range at which you may shoot.

Just remember, moose haven't grown any armor plating, but they ARE "tough"... and so, bullet placement is extremely important.  Frankly, I'd shoot for the heart/lung area just BEHIND the shoulders with a .30/06 rather than at the point of the shoulders in an attempt to "break" the moose down.

If I were using my .338 Win. Magnum, I'd load either Nosler's 225 or 250 grain Partition Bullet and shoot to break both shoulders.  I don't think the Nosler 210 Partition Bullet would do the job on the shoulders, but it might.

Ultimately, it's your decision, but in either case, I believe that with the extreme accuracy you've shown with your rifle, you shouldn't really have much of a problem bringing down the biggest moose in your woods.

Good luck to you!!!


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[coug2wolfs]

Ron

Thanks in kind for the come back, I  will strongly consider all you have said.  As I have said prior, I'm not a big fan of Sierra bullets on game as I have had a good number of jacket core separations, even with the 200 grain round nose out of a 35 Rem.  I will give it to them though, they do make some shootin bullets :wink:

Believe the biggest on record here in NH is some where in the 900 to 1000 lb range.  At that, that's STILL a big animal. As I did with the one Bison I shot, I will hold for just back of the front leg.  That shot works as you point out.  If I can be positive where the heart is, I may go for that depending on the situation.

[Cabin4]

Well I'm settled on what I'm takin for the Moose hunt in Oct.  Now I know you guys are gonna fall right off the chair on this one, but it's a........30-06!

You won't find me falling off my chair. The 30-06 with the right load is a great moose, elk, caribou and bear killer. I have been applying for a moose tag in Maine for a few years now and the -06 will be my weapon of choice. A 200grain partition would be my first choice.

Since the likly hood of drawing in the Maine lottery is slim to none, I am looking inot the Canadian option.

[sport240]

Ain't it just great when everything comes together.....Last week I took my new 300 Win. Mag (traded a 700BDL for a 700LSS) to the range and had a similar close-encounter-of-the-"bulls-eye"-kind...I won't go as far as stating that a barely enlarged holes, but my 180 Gr. Hornady Interlokt's were grouping at 1/4 inch after only 5 shots and 2 minor adjustments...talk about out of the box accuracy!!  I repeated the experience today....and boom...same thing...I know what I'm "Moosin'" with this year....

As for your '30-06...it's a great moose caliber...almost everyone I hunt moose with shoot '06's...us younger, fancier folk tote magnums as a cure for our ineptedness, but pretty much all the experienced hunters I know would not trade their '06's for the life of them....

Good Luck!!

P.S. Where you huntin' moose?  I'll be on the border between Canada and Maine....gonna try to call in the Maine Moose with some hot talkin', fancy smellin' Canadian Missy....LOL

Sport240

[coug2wolfs]

Thanks for the come backs guys!  I am most confident in the rifle and my ability to lay the lead where it belongs, that's a lot of the equasion as you know.

Oddly, this is the second Weatherby rifle that shot heavy round nose bullets best. When I was younger and foolisher, I had a 7mm Wby in a Mark V. It was without a doubt one of the most pleasant guns I have ever shot.  The rifle was made when Wby was in transition with the rifle twist and I ended up with the one that would not shoot a spitzer for beans. But that rifle did love the Speer 175 rn and it grouped better than most varmit guns.  Like a fool, I traded it off. If there was one rifle I could get back, that would be it.

These days, the -06 is my BIG gun.  My shoulder is pulped from shootin them danged hoss loads in portable cannons.  So I reckon I'll have to settle down and strat killen em with "normal" guns  :wink:

[coug2wolfs]

Sport

Huntin em right here in NH!  Got section F,  which covers Campton and North to the Kancamangus Highway.

Most of that sector is State Forest and the guides won't be caught dead in it because the State sees fit to rape them.  But of what's left, some 25 to 30% of the land mass, there are some good core areas. We're optimistic.

The guide we picked is young, has to make a name for himself.  We're gonna give em the chance  :wink:

[Rick Teal]

Coug:

I didn't know Weatherby made a Lever action.... :twisted:

I've shot my last 8 moose with a 30-06, and the longest a well hit animal went was 50 yds (one hit too far back went about 200 yds), so you won't find me questioning your choice of cartridge.  

In Ontario we shoot them up close and personal (my longest was a little over 100yds with a .303), so MOA accuracy isn't really a requirement.  A lot of guys use heavy round nosed bullets, but I prefer fast expanders - my last 3 being shot with 180 grain ballistic tips.  These were the original NBT's, and did an excellent job.  More recently, I put some of my loads together for a friend using the current NBT, and the things shot right through his moose - but put it down within a few yards in spite of this bad performance.

I switched to a .358 Winchester ten years ago, and haven't connected since  :x , so I've switched to a Whelen to improve my luck, but if that doesn't work soon, I may go back to an '06 myself.

Lots of luck on your hunt!

[sport240]

Coug's...

I know that countryside well...Even though I'm from Canada, I only live about 3 hours from where you plan to hunt and I've hiked there a couple times (not really THERE, but in and around that area)...some parts of your State forests are pretty dense and should offer quality cover for healthy moose populations....the best of luck to 'ya!! Let me know how you make out and I'll give you a shout if Lady Luck comes my way too...

Sport240

[John Y Cannuck]

I don't see any problems with that combination either. Good luck Coug.

[coug2wolfs]

Rick

That IS odd that Weatherby don't make a lever gun. Hmm, now there's and idea for em

Sport & John

I watched a moose video last night and could not help but notice that those suckers don't venture far from the puckerbrush.  Granted these were 2000 pound motherin mooses up in Alaska, but it caught my attention that even there, where I would think it is less pressured than around here, them moose just didn't offer any Sports Afield cover shots.

Most of the time the moose were on the move, and even when they came into a call they were antsy.

That 220 is long for the caliber, isn't going warp 12, and I may just need that to snap a few whipsticks along the way.  I'm sure gonna give it my best.

Of course IF we do make the cut, you better believe the "victim" will be featured right here!

Thanks for the well wished luck guys

[sport240]

Coug's...

I've been hunting moose for 6 years now and have been lucky enough to see quite a few...one thing that always surprises me is the fact that for such a huge animal (some hugely antelered) they just don't seem to be bothered by brush and heavy trees at all.  I've seen monsters walking through dense cover as if it was Central Park....I always figured they would prefer to stroll around in the open, but they do enjoy cover quite a bit.  One final remark...where I hunt, the moose usually spend the nights sleeping in open areas, such as logged out fields or clearings in the dense brush....you might want to check such spots out early in the 'morn!!

Good Luck!!

Sport240

[John Y Cannuck]

They can be awful quiet too. Had one sneak up to within fifty feet of me just at the end of shooting light. I let out one last call, and he came trotting out of the bush right at me. (yearling, no tag)

I think i'll be toting my 99 Savage this year, in 308, with 180gr Partitions. Probably take the 1886 in 45-70 as backup. But then maybe the Ross in 303Epps?..... decisions...   :roll: