Really enjoyed your take on a moose cartrage. I live in Northern Alberta and hunt Moose anytime I get a draw. I've taken moose with a 30-06, 303 British, 378 Weatherby necked down to 338 and a couple 50 cal black powder and all of them with a single shot. I think bullet placement is the most important part of the kill
Thank you Ron This has been kind of a crappy day for me but, as soon as I saw the thumb nail, I had to click on it. I am now smiling for the first time today. Thank you. I always find your videos educational but the enjoyment factor is just extra icing on the cake. I appreciate what you do.
I'm not a world wide hunter and mostly hunt in Colorado. I have relieved myself of all magnum rifles and if I need magnum power I use my .35 Whelen. The most efficient cartridge I have ever loaded.
Yup, the hippies are displacing the cowboys in a lot of the west. It’s also like a lot of the country where the cities are more liberal, and the rural areas are more conservative.
@@DenverPicker I live south of Denver by a few hours right down I-25. Denver and Boulder are total liberals and do not represent the beliefs of most of the rest of the state. Colorado is a good example of why the founding fathers created a republic when creating the government rather than a democracy. The Republic has an electoral college and the State does not. In some circles it's called mob rule.
Good choice, Ron. I have a 338 Win. Mag. and here in New York we have moose but no open season. Oh well. Some day maybe. In the meantime, the old 35 Remington will continue getting whitetails.
338wm was my guess when I saw the video title! The 223 thing is most likely true but I’d argue that they would most likely head shoot as they’ll want the heart to eat often. As someone who has killed(not hunted) large bovine(think 1400lbs+) with 223 and 243 etc they were all head shots from well within 100yds, most of the time less. But I’ve also seen smaller red bulls(900-1000lbs) soak up 30-30 in the forehead from 2yds so it’s definitely not always ideal.
Ron, I'd go with the 7 mil. Rem. Mag. One thing there are many rifles in that cal., There is an abundant of manufactures that produce it, and it has a reasonable amount of recoil.
I have shot about 20 moose some times on a shared hunt and my friend also shot. I have personally seen Moose shot with everything from a 30-30 on up and yes a 30-30 will kill a moose no problem at maybe even 200yds. Moose actually are easy to kill with a good hit they don't usually go far usually less than 100 yards. With one good hit all you need to do is sit down and the animal will lay down if it's not chased and die.
In sweden 🇸🇪 and Norway 🇳🇴 we have shoot thousands and thousands mooses over the year's whit 6,5x55 swedish mauser since start of the 1900 hundreds...But thousands and thousands mooses have been shoot whit 8,57JS,9.3x57 and 9.3x62,30-06 and 308w to of course...But in The late 80:s and in the 90:s magnums become popular like 7mm rem mag,300 win mag and many younger hunters whent for 338 win mag....But time changes and now it's Light/short barrel rifles whit silancer that popular and cartridges that fit short barrels good.308w is the most popular now day's,new selling rifles is 308 outstanding the most popular ...Old 8x57JS has Come back like 9.3x57 and 9.3x62....30-06 was a popular cartridge tog back in the daya(think it become popular in the early 60:s when the swedish copmany Husqvarna start made m98 rifles in that caliber....But we that like 30-06 or the magnums can buy those good quality rifles now day's in good conditions cheap, good for us. 😊
In My Humble Opinion, I believe that the following procedures should be applied to all legislative acts going forward. To ensure the Constitutionality and the Legality of all proposed legislative bills, I propose the following guidelines be immediately implemented as a first check, before allowing any proposed bill to continue through the legislative process. (1) It is of the utmost importance, that ALL legislative bills being introduced into either house of congress, no matter the reasoning for the bill, SHALL, First and Foremost, be required to pass CONSTITUTIONAL MUSTER in the context of the stated purpose of the bill, before the bill shall be allowed to continue through the legislative process. (2) All said bills, after having passed CONSTITUTIONAL MUSTER in the context of the stated purpose of the bill, Shall be passed by the appropriate committee, before the bill shall be allowed to continue through the legislative process. (3) Only after said bills have completed steps 1, and 2, shall said bills be allowed to be introduced onto the floor for consideration by that house of the legislature. (4) Any and all changes made to said bills, either in committee or on the floor, SHALL ALSO be required to pass CONSTITUTIONAL MUSTER in the context of the stated purpose of the bill, before said bill shall be allowed to continue through the legislative process. (5) Only after having completed steps 1, 2, 3, and 4, shall the normal legislative procedures be applied to these bills. Based upon these guidelines(if properly followed), no illegal or unconstitutional bill would ever be allowed to be passed into Law. I strongly suggest that everyone that writes to his/her elected representatives, cut and paste this list into any and all correspondence to and with said elected representatives. Long Live The Constitution of The United States of America‼ Long Live The Second Amendment‼ Long Live The Republic of The United States of America‼
Nearly 40 years in Alaska and I've taken a lot of moose. My favorite cartridge is the .338 Ruger Compact Mag. Same ballistics as a .338 Win Mag but in a carbine sized rifle. It's not the moose that needs this much cartridge, it's the grizzly that just might surprise you.
That’s the thing people from the lower 48 don’t realize is when you’re hunting moose you always have to keep an eye out for brownies especially if you’re on Kodiak 🍻
Hello. Please understand that I am not trying to be rude with my comments. Where I live in northern Canada, the most popular moose rifles are, 300WM, 30-06, 303, 308, 270 and 30-30, and on special occasion 12 gauge slugs. We use our skills at stalking and shot placement over extreme caliber size to compensate for poor shooting. The 6.5x55 Swede has also been used for over a hundred years harvesting moose. I reload for my 308, and father in law 30-06, and we have never lost or wounded any animal.
YES! The Swede is sweet. The 6.5 mm has numerous great qualities and it is much more effective than its paper ballistics would suggest. My favorites are the 6.5x55 and the 6.5-284 Norma, same length cartridge the Norma has just a bit more energy/velocity if needing to take longer shots. Both are sensible cartridges
I have been hunting moose for 50 + years, used a 303 British, browning BLR 308, Tikka 270 and recently a Browning BLR in a 7mm. I would say that at moose camp the most popular is the 30-06 although we have a couple of guys with 300 Win, Mag’s. In my opinion the shot placement is much more important than the bullet size. BTW great video’s
I usually say 30-06 is the way to go. Plentiful ammunition, lots of bullet choices in a huge range of weights, decent trajectory and you can get any rifle you want in that chambering.
Moose drop so fast because once the pressurized chamber holding their vitals are punctured, they can't take their own weight. That's why elephants have been killed with 7x57s for a century or more.
I use 9.3x62 with about 250 grain from brenneke germany - brenneke TOG. We have Lots of 9.3 ammo over here. I use a ballistic tower and laser range finder. This set-up Takes down everything. Ps: as a european we like and love that cardridge. So much history behind IT and so effective and Not much recoil.
@@2dResq Absolutely, that is my base load. Those 220,s just have so much sectional density, they are a beast. Less accurate though because you are on the edge of proper twist. Just love that 3006 supports such a broad range
I love the 30-06! You can shoot anything with it, and it doesn't kill your shoulder, and you can shoot it a bunch and have fun at the range. Also, ammunition is ubiquitous!!!! Can't beat it! The dead animal doesn't care what you shot it with!
I mean it does care because it wouldn’t like you shooting it a 100 times with a .22 or like a 17hmr, so yeah they do care what cartridge to be shot with ool
Many of those by my clan hahahaha, at some sometimes astounding ranges. Moose aren't overly tough; they drop from a double lung much more quickly than an elk
With a few years of moose hunting, i experienced the same results with caliber 270, 308, 7mmrm,30-06,300wm. The worst thing i saw is not a wrong caliber, but more than once is a bad scope, full of humidity preventing to aim correctly. Dont cheap on the quality of a scope and select something that will be 100% fog proof!
I spent five years in AK and most of my buddies that successfully hunted moose used .308, .30-06, .30-30, .270 Win, and .45-70. One friend used a 7mm-08 with great success. As you said, bullet placement rules the day over caliber selection. Great video, thanks! 👍
I'm from Quebec, Canada and most hunters use 300 wm and 7mm rem mag. Also 30-06 and 308 are popular. For me, i take my only big games rifle, 7mm rem mag with federal terminal ascent 155 gr ou nosler partition 160 gr.
I had a Winchester Model 70XTR in 300WM, but later had a Browning BBR in 7mm Remington Mag. It was an awesome rifle and calibre. Only hunted once with it though, but it was a nice 6 point bull with a single lung shot at about 200 to 250 yds.
Yeah that's because there are no grizzly bears in quebec. So you don't need a 338 win mag. The 338 win mag was designed for killing the great bears such as grizzly and polar bears
And don't forget Ron they can be absolutely belligerent in the rut lol. Smart no. Large, hairy and dangerous? Yes. I divorced my first wife for the same reasons lol jk
When my Grandfather lived in Alaska (32 years!) he and the neighbors shared the hunting chores. His cartridge of choice? The .30-06 with hand loaded 180 or 200 grain bullets. Every Moose they ever killed took one, and occasionally two shots. But, the real work begins once that 1,000 to 1,500 pound critter is down! It's a huge job cutting it up and packing it out! Everyone I know from Alaska hunt for food! There is little time, due to rough country and even worse weather to "enjoy the experience"!
Here in NZ mooses were introduced at the bottom of the south island and it is thought that they died out and despite much looking they are gone but every few years someone finds and photographs a massive hoof print.
My dad took his moose with a .270 with a 130 gr. Remington Core-Lokt back in the '50s when that was a high-tech bullet. It was a little over 1000 lbs. at about 120 yards. One shot, looked around a little, fell over. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Thank you ron.bullet placement is what counts .the old standby 3006 is all you need for 99 percent of your hunting on big blue earth .having said that I have a Husqvarna 46 in 9.3x57 that the swedes had made for hunting moose .they call it a potato lobber .286gr/9.3 bullet at 2150 fps what a trajectory,hence the name.these old rifles handle better than many high end custom rifles 96 Mausers for 350 to 500 dollars .wow and you can straighten that trajectory by hand loading 250 gr nosler accubonds and lookout mr lion,cape buffalo even the almost impossible jackalope fr the southwest. Great video as always ron
@@edwardhoward4708 I would absolutely use the .308 on a moose. As I am also a virginian. I feel as though my Remington 700 with some 180 grain Winchester cxp3 will take pretty much anything that graces our Green earth. Atleast if used properly
I have hunted moose in sweden since med -80:s. Still using the same rifle, a Husqvarna 640 8x57 JS with an Aimpoint and Vulcan bullets from Norma. Works like a charm every time.
Howdy Ron! I personally have nabbed a few moose over the years in Maine. It's roughly half and half for me. I've been using and still use a .358 Winchester loaded up with 225 gr Nosler AccuBonds. They're just about perfect and have a pretty darn decent ballistic coefficient. However, they're becoming harder and harder to find as of late. I recently started using my 8x57mm with 170 gr Hornady SST's and wow. I've yet to meet a moose that's walked away from being hit with one. It's definitely got a lot going for it. Hard to say, honestly. Both are accurate, not too hard on the shoulder, and I genuinely enjoy shooting them through my Savage 110 and my Yugo Mauser!
Yep, easily took my cow moose with 8x57 (factory PPU 196 gr SP) K98 Mauser iron sites. She let me walk up to 100 yards. No need to overbore a thin skinned animal that anyone can get within 200yrds.
As a 33 year old Canadian I've hunted a dozen moose in 15 years. I use one rifle, one cartridge and one bullet for everything. Remington 700 CDL in .308 Win with 150 grain Federal Fusion. Deer, elk, coyote, wolf, moose and bear. I always aim for double lung.
Anytime I was up there hunting moose I was also hunting bear so I like to take the 45-70 Marlin lever. But you're right shot placement is key no matter what you're using.
Hi, thanks for another great video. Hunting moose in Sweden since the early 80s. Historically the most common caliber was 6.5x55 with a minimum weight of 140 grains (according to law). Nowadays, there is a greater spread in calibers and 9.3x62 is much appreciated due to an increasingly large population of brown bear and wild boar. Personally, I usually use 9.3x62 as I usually hunt in the southern part of the country with dense and bushy areas. But 6.5x55 is a fantastic elk caliber, especially with Nosler partision.
The 6.5x55 Swed has feed more mouths world wide than nearly any other round. In North America the 30-40 Kraig then the 30-30 are the mainstays over the last 150 yrs.
In Newfoundland, Canada where I grew up, the 6.5x55 was more popular than probably anywhere else in Canada. In my years of gunsmithing, I have converted numerous Model 94 Swedish Mausers to sporting rifles. The standard 160gr big game bullet even round tipped had a high BC due to its long slenderness. It was more than capable of taking Moose at not only short ranges, but rivalled the 30-06 at longer ranges, due to its superior bullet ballistics performance. I myself have only taken 2 Moose with the calibre, but both were one shot kills, with one being over 200yds.
The 9.3x62 is the perfect Moose cartridge in my opinion. Even if I have shot multiple Moose with 6.5x55, 6.5-06, 308, 30-06 and 375 Ruger as well. If you are recoil shy, then a 6.5x55 with a quality bullet is the perfect choice if you shoot well with that one.
@@dg20120 At the opening of the Cabelas here in Marysville Wa I spotted a Savage 111 in 9.3x62 - one of 11 made - and haven't regreted it since. A couple cast bullet molds later I'm still having fun with it and its my "go to" rifle.
@@dg20120 You for sure should have bought it. You would not regret it for a second. It is also great when hunting whitetail, mule deer, wild boar, elk and any kind of bear.
@@louielindenmayer6653 that’s super rare all I ever see out here in wa is mostly 308 and 6.5 creedmore never even heard of the 9.3 , barely ever see a 30.06 anymore
Remember that when you're hunting moose in Alaska you are also in grizzly bear country. So having extra gun is never a bad thing if you need to put down an aggressive bear that wants the moose you just shot. Yes shot placement is everything, but if a grizzly is charging and you're having to take a quick shot at close range a heavier bullet moving really fast is a huge plus.
The 6.5x55 is my favorite all around cartridge as well, if I needed or wanted a touch more velocity or energy with the exact same cartridge length I would go with the 6.5-284 Norma. The 6.5's have excellent attributes, high BC, high SD, low recoil with non-magnum loads, deep penetration, and accurate, what more does a hunter need.
Good luck. Even though I don't have one I like the .358 Winchester. Savage model 99 or Winchester model 88 would be perfect for this left handed hunter.
@@danielgrabske2557 For me the perfect scout rifle would be a Remington 7600 with a 20 inch barrel in .358 Win. The Rem pump is very quick. I have one in .308 Win and I love it. The .358 would take performance power up a notch although I would give up a flatter shooting cartridge. But, a scout rifle is for quick, close quarters use.
Growing up on canada I used the old .303 Brit.... then in my late 20s I bought my .270 Win... used that for 10 years... then I bought my 300WM and used that for another 10 years... then in my 40s I needed a cartridge good for my som and daughter, 7mm-08 to the rescue... drops.a.moose DRT... worked so well I bought one for myself and have been using that ever since.
My brother is married to an indigenous woman. She said none of them used the 223 but the 243 was popular. Most used the 30-06 and most of them were open sights. I didn't expect that.
I'm not surprised about the open sights part, moose in Alaska spend most of their time in thick timber and wetlands and the shots presented are usually pretty close range, and with an animal that big and potentially aggressive, being able to keep your field of vision open makes a ton of sense. And with the target area on a moose being so huge, if you can hit a pie plate at 100yds with iron sights, that's probably good enough.
I’m Alaskan Native myself, and I only started using scopes in my ripe age of 38 lol. Caught everything from seals, walrus, moose, caribou, etc. Good ol reliable iron sights has been the way to go all my years of hunting.
While I love the 35 Whelen, and think it is a very good cartridge for any North American game, I killed a bull moose with one shot at 300 yards. His feet were still in the tracks they were in when the bullet hit him. The cartridge? 25-06 Remington with a 120 grain Nosler Partition @ 3000 fps mv. Bullet placement is everything, with next important variable of bullet construction.
Worst performance on a bull moose I have ever seen, a 338 Win Mag. 14 shots, all in and just behind, the shoulder. Last six shots from 10 yards. Bull kept getting up and walking away.
I'm a 35 Whelen fan too but for me it's not necessary to kill the moose or elk, it is nice to have however if you are sectioning your moose in bear territory.
@@mikewyd53 Mike, that reminds me of my friend shooting a water buffalo repeatedly right behind the shoulder. After the 4th or 5th hit I said "That parts dead, Stan. Pick another."
Awesome vid. I have seen a guy bring down a moose with a 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr ELD-X. Someone else who hunts everything with a Browning A-Bolt in .300 WSM. Another channel, Rogee Produtions, use a .300 WSM in New Zealand red or roe deer and also larger ungulates and the best you can sneak up is a few hundred yards in the side of the next hill. I could suggest the 7 mm Rem Mag. Our host, Ron Spomer brought down a bull elk with his Mossberg Patriot 7 mm Rem Mag. If I had to, I would pick the 7 mm Rem Mag, even over the new hot potato, the 7 mm PRC and that would be a good all around cartridge from whitetail in the woods to Elk and big horn sheep at some distance. Often, those are farther away and you simply cannot sneak up on them. All you can do is get in the way during the rut. With scorching rounds like the 7 PRC, you may have shorter barrel life. Mine is my constant favorite, the .308 Win. Granted, my 165 grain round is just below 1,000 ft-lb at 500 yards, and the farthest I am going to shoot where I hunt is around 225 yards. And it's not like the ft-lbs drops to 999 and the deer blows a raspberry at you and saunters away. But I could easily make do on big game with .300 WM, .30-06 Sprg, or the 7 mm Rem Mag. Everyone makes those rifles by the ton. And the ammo is widespread, though the most ubiquitous is mine, the .308 Win. I have shot a .308 W 180 grain, my mossberg LR 308 prefers Federal Nontypical Whitetail 180 gr. So, I could that weight, even a little more in the 7s or a .30-06. I think the value of the .30-06, 6.5-06, .308 W is longer lasting barrels at slower twist rates. Granted, you need to get closer than 1,000 yards with a 308. And you have a barrel that will last for 5.000 rounds. If you can get within 300 yards, a .35 Whelen would work. So would a .350 Legend, which has super low recoil. Or get a .450 Bush Master in semi-auto. Windham Weaponry makes the .450 Thumper.
Also the guys living off the land in Alaska typically (not always) don't care much for mounting heads and such, they use the animal instead of keeping trophies, and I've spoken to a few Alaskans and they use the smaller cartridges for headshots and drop animals on the spot.
I have lived in Alaska since 1989 with my business is guiding hunts for Moose and brown bear. I get a real laugh at the liars and bull shitters who write absolute crap knowing they are telling lies.
@@rustyshacklefort3715 many of them and the worst is idiots that never been to Alaska making videos saying home defense handguns are Alaska brown bear guns
Loved your video, because I lived it too! My first moose was with a 270 Win and the old 130 Nosler Partition; one shot through the heart and a pile of meat seconds later. My next was four shots through the lungs with a 338 WM; no doubt dead from the first shot, but no reaction, so I kept shooting. I did a stock repair for a long time AK resident lady who used a 6mm Rem with 100gr Remington factory ammo, which I was convinced was 'inadequate', except for her long list of moose she had collected over the years saying otherwise. She truly looked dismayed at me when I suggested something larger! As you so often say: Bullet Placement; and not being distracted by muzzle blast and recoil is a deadly combination. Great job Ron.
That 6mm has to have a properly designed hunting bullet to get in side. With Monolithic solid copper bullets. If there hit in the spine, the neck or the brain they're going down.
The great 3006 does it all, fantastic versatility, and it's not too much and certainly will get the job done without the heavy recoil. This caliber is right in the middle of choices.
In my experience, moose die easy. Also in my experience, guys tend to carry the bigger calibers if theyre worried about bears while moose hunting. But i'd say as an alaskan that 338 win mag is probably the most common moose caliber.
My dad has always used .30-06, I think 180 or 190 grain. Sometimes 220 grain .30-30. I plan on using my Mauser 1895 in 7x57 Mauser, 173 grain semi-jacketed exposed lead tip rounds.
I have hunted moose in Alaska and the rifle Caliber for the moose is bot the issue. The issue is simply the hunter is not the top of the food chain. The minimum BEAR cartridge is the best moose Caliber. Thanks for the video.
Start with 300 savage or 7mm-08/6.5 creed. Work up depending on distance. Many go for headshots and your 30-30 will do just fine. Many are shot with 30-06 and 220 round nose corelokt. 300 wby is an excellent if hunting clear cuts out at distance. Most are shot in the road at around 100 yards in Maine. The penetration is key to getting an exit wound. Bullet selection is important when using high velocity rounds.
Well, I'll probably never take a moose but if'n I were to head that way, I'd probably take the 7mm Rem Mag because I can shoot it pretty well and it would seem to be plenty. 150 Gr TTSX or GMX. Haven't tried any CXs yet through 7mm or 270.
Great video again Ron! Thanks... I definetely can relate to this video. Our legal minimum in Finland for moose is practically 6,5x55 or 6,5 CM. According to my experience, these have adequate energy to knock down a moose. If you are looking for a quick kill, keep your distance in a reasonable and make sure your bullet works. Problems occur when shot placement is bad or bullet is bad. Unbonded soft points can sometimes (rarely) fail you when jacket and lead separates, and you can't reach vital organs. Still definetely most of our moose are taken with 308, but 9,3x62 is getting stronger. I use mainly 9,3x62, but honestly, reactions in the moose aren't that different. 9,3x62 gives a bit of more security and peace of mind, but that is about it.
I'm a huge fan of .308 for anything I will ever hunt in North America. For sure shot placement is king and a well place bullet from a .308 has always given me the expected results.
I took down a moose with a 7.62x39, 30-30, 308, 30-06, 300 win mag. My go to for one shot take down power is 30-06. I tried 300 win mag but it just blew up bones and meat. 308 and 30-06 can break moose bone but it’s smaller. Love the 30-06 for long range and 308 for close range.
Well I live and hunt in the Yukon! I’ve got a few mooses over my 25 years up here and all of them other than last year moose have been taken with 30-06 180 premium bullets(partitions, tsx etc) and most of them got shot inside 120m and only needed one shot! Now last year moose was with a new caliber to me , the 9.3x62 and to me that is the best moose and bison medicine??
Between Galena and Fairbanks for 4 years 89-93 I used a .416 Weatherby for everything. One thing I learned was the rifle you used for anything had better be a bear rifle as well. I lost a few animals to bears who got to them before we did. A bit much for some animals but it saved our bacon once, a lesson I won't forget.
My son and I have hunted from Kodiak Island to Coldfoot , and have never let a bear take our animal , as my buddy used to say, the 375 H&H is the perfect AK. deer gun .
Good video. Probably an eye opener for many. Moose are considered a thin skinned game. Anything that has energy figures that match or exceed 308win is perfect, and an uncountable amount of Moose have fallen to the 30-30, 303 Brit and 30-40 Krag
I am a green hunter. I like to give the moose a fair chance so I wrestle my ones to the ground and then ask them if they give up? If they say yes i let them go. If not I strangle the bastard.
Exactly! I feel like 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester, 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC, 300 WSM, 300 RUM will all do it. Especially considering you can generally get at least 5 rounds in a magazine. If shooting an AR10 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester or supersonic 8.6 Blackout will all do the trick and you can get some quick followups if you need to bang off a couple in self defense vs a bear.
I killed my only moose, and it was a big one in Alaska, with a 180 grain partition from a 30-06. My two other primary hunting calibers currently are 300 Wby and 7mm-08 (my main ride these days). All three would work great but I’d probably carry the 30-06 if I did it again. That rifle is a lot easier to carry than my Weatherby and I just don’t think it gives up enough performance to matter. My second choice may be the 7mm-08 - I’ve got that in a Model 7 and it’s so nice to carry.
My Grandmother (Grandfather was a logger and not home much) shot moose with a .22LR during the Depression. She'd put 3 rounds in the stomach and then make a cup of tea. Track the moose who, not feeling well, would lie down and stiffen up. When she walked up to it, it couldn't get up and she'd shoot it in the head. Then go get her 4 children to help bring it home. All this with a knee that didn't bend because a hog had rolled her down when she was a girl. Moose aren't tough, my Dad has taken one every second year since 1963 (year I was born) until 12 years ago when he stopped hunting them because he couldn't bring it out alone. My first was a .303 Br. All the rest have been by .30-06. next one will be with my Dad's .30-30 because he stopped hunting completely last year.
I lived and hunted in north central BC for 35 years. By far up there, the most popular big game target is the moose. I've seen all kinds of cartridge choices but far and away, the most common was what I call, "Medium Oomph" cartridges. 30-06, .308. 7mm Rem Mag, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag, the occasional .243 and then some less popular but beloved by the shooter such as the .303 British and the 6.5x55 Swedish. I saw the occasional .338 Win Mag, the odd .300 WBY Mag and even the odd .30-30 Win. So, what did I see most often? I'd say it's a toss up between the 7mm Rem Mag, the .308 and the .30-06. Personally, I started with a .270 and then went to a .300 Win Mag. What I didn't see was any cartridge that didn't work if there was a well placed shot. So, the lesson is pick any reasonable cartridge, practice with your rifle, learn bullet drops over varying distances and always remember that the solution to an 800 yard shot is to get 600 yards closer. Of note, the one cartridge I don't recall ever seeing (or shooting) is the one I'd choose today for a dedicated moose rifle. That's the .35 Whelen. If anyone has an old Winchester Model 70 in .35 Whelen, topped with a plain Jane scope that they don't see using anymore....
@@RebelSandGaming About thirty years ago I acquired an Enfield Model of 1914 (the P14) from an uncle. Unfortunately, it was a 'Bubba' with a cut down stock, missing wood from the fore end. The rest all looked original including the military ladder rear sight. Chambered of course in .303 British, I was keen to see how it worked on moose. Well, I actually already knew as many a Canadian moose had met it's demise from military surplus rifles chambered in .303 British. By far, the more common surplus rifle seen in the field after WWII was the Lee-Enfield, either the No. 1 Mk.III or the No. 4 Mk. 1. My uncle told me that back in the fifties and sixties, they were sold by the thousands, often stacked in a barrel in some hardware store. Examples in very good condition could be found for $20 to $25 or even less if the store owner needed to clear stock. Even today, if you go to any place that sells ammunition in Canada, you'll likely see .303 British. I worked up a load using .303 cal 180 gr. Cam Pro flat base jacketed soft point bullets. Not a long distance target bullet by any means but just the ticket for moose, elk, bears etc. I took it on several moose hunts and even bagged two with this rig. As long as shots were no greater than say 200 yards, the original sights did just fine. You just had to be aware of your load's bullet drop over distance.
@@stephenland9361 those jungle carbines were pretty popular too for close scrub hunting and trap line checking too still got a no5 that's taken plenty of game even stopped a couple of grizzlies
When I lived in AK, the 30-06, 7mm Rem , 300 Win and 338 Win were by far the most popular rounds with everyone I ever met or talked to for moose and most everything else.
30-30 308 375 h&h andc45-70 as well ..most locals there get the standard cartriges and stansard magnums cuz the newer ones ain't stocked in small towns there mostly
@@jamiehurtt3530 Most locals simply use what is tried and true. They simply want to fill their freezers and could care less about the supposed latest, greatest whiz bang to come along.
Well, I've certainly had an education watching this. When I went to New Foundland moose hunting I took the two biggest calibers I had; a .30-06 Springfield and a lever action .35 Remington. I hoped like heck I wouldn't need the .35 Rem because I wasn't sure it would put a moose down in short order. I have read stories of hunters being big believers in the .35 Rem for moose and even big bears. But, I wanted more confidence using the .30-06 using 180 gr. Core Lokts. I was surprised at the lighter bullets being used to take such big animals. I have always been a believer in bigger heavier bullets for bigger, tougher game. I guess a good hunter can use smaller and lighter calibers and bullet weights to get the job done and done well. Thank you for the enlightenment.
Can we just say the “best” cartridge for any hunting is the one that’s legal for what & where you hunt and put in the right place … Which we all know is a 30-06 😜
30-06 is a readily available cartridge with more than enough sectional density and will kill a moose of any size if the bullet is a good hunting designed bullet. I would not even balk with taking a 270 to a moose. A well constructed bullet for hunting and put it right behind that armpit and you have yourself a dead moose with all the meat in tact. I really like the sensible videos that you produce Ron. Keep em coming and thanks!
you prove the point yet again, you dont need a 300 win mag.... 243, 270, 3006 will do everything in N Merica! shot placement is KEY as always as well as distance!
My dads buddy calls the 30-06 a elephant gun lol. he started with a .270 and has never switched. I also seen a few moose dropped with a .243 no problem. I agree shot placement, distance , right ammo and patience are all more important
I shot my only moose with a Sako .30-06 and most of the guides and hunters in Saskatchewan I talked to used either that or a .308 Win. Usually a 180 grain partition. My favorite cartridge now in the southwest is either the 280 REM or 280 Ackley. No moose down here!
.35 Whelen. My go-to elk cartridge for decades (even before it was commercialized) is also outstanding for moose. And if all I had to go moose hunting with was my all time favorite deer hunting rifle and cartridge, a Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage, I wouldn't be at all concerned about having an adequate rifle/cartridge. Other good ones? .308, .30-06, .303 British. 180 gr. bullets in the .30 calibers and 250 gr. bullets in the .35 Whelen. Go for sectional densities (SD) of .270 to .280 More is better.
Ron you have been in many hunts in many parts of the world. I have watched several videos and you have convinced me that there's really nothing in North America that a .30-06 can't handle, and handle well in the real world in less than ideal conditions. This information is invaluable to me as someone with pretty limited funding as i try to get into hunting. I can just buy one rifle in .30-06 as it is hugely versatile. Thank you for publishing all this knowledge for free. It's not obvious to someone who didn't grow up around guns and hunting.
Back in 1990, I shot a moose that was going away from me diagonally with an 8mm magnum. The shot was a little higher than I preferred above the heart into the thick part of the backstrap and precious rib roasts. There was so much primal meat loss I never hunted with it again. After that, I figured the 45/70 was a good choice because of the bears here in Alaska. Now the story about the 45/70 - I was on a ridge and the moose was low in a swamp and a ways away. I thought I made a good judgment on the trajectory PFFT and missed it completely, we did not have moose that winter, seeing it was closing day. The 45/70 was not flat-shooting enough for me. Hence, when I discovered that the 375 H&H has as much energy remaining at 300 yards as the 45/70 does at the muzzle, it was an easy switch for me and it shot considerably flatter than the lobber 45/70. AND - you can pretty much butcher up to the bullet hole with the 375 H&H vs the blood-soaked meat after the heavy hemorrhaging from the 8 mm mag high-velocity rounds. For me - win-win and probably will continue to win, with the 375! And no bears as of yet! Hallelu-Yah
What are your thoughts of the 338/06? My first moose hunt is coming up and this is what I'm planning on using. It goes without saying I will also be hand loading, and plan on using a 220 partition.
I did not shoot a moose when I had a 338-06. Worked fine on a 9 foot brown bear in SE Alaska and a cow elk in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Would not hesitate for a minute to use it on moose. 185 Barnes TTSX for the elk and a 250 grain Kodiak bonded core for the bear.
If I don't fill my moose tag with a muzzleloader this year, then I plan to leave a safe full of 338s and various magnums for a rifle hunt with my dear 338-06. Lightweight, not bad recoil, and a proven killer for me on deer and elk with the 180gr Accubond. You may find a lighter bullet to be more accurate and flatter shooting, but with proper construction, they all work. Good Hunting!
The 6.5x55SE has killed more Moose in Sweden and Norway than any other Calibers since nowadays yes they are a good bit smaller framed than Yukon Moose I would take every good Midfield Cartridge 30.06 7x64 280 270 ....and so on with a good Bullet but propably for the one Hunt (ok i can never afford a Moose Hunt in Alaska the Prices are insane for Europeans) and one Shot my 8x68S would be my Choice
Us hunters have to have something to talk about in between shots so we argue about stuff like this!! It’s always been about shot placement and penetration. Just a couple more months left until I get to head back out to the deer camp and “argue” with my buddies! Can’t wait! Especially since I just ate some of my last ground venison I had in the freezer!
I use the 243 and the 300wm mostly. just got a 6.5prc so should be a happy medium between the two. but honestly my fave is the 243 with an 85gr interbond for now. until get to try this prc more.
@@billgraham5387 for sure. by far my fave round. i used it for everything. moose, elk, chickens, deer, rabbit. no matter what came across wasnt afraid to use it if need be.
Let’s not forget that the legendary Heimo Korth started out with a 444 Marlin for Alaska but later settled on the 22-250 for the perfect cartridge for moose and caribou 😳
"... but later settled on the 22-250 for the perfect cartridge for moose and caribou" Hmmm... while moose and caribou are not particularly tough animals to bring down, I'd say that the .22-250 is definitely under powered for hunting both moose and caribou in Alaska, or anywhere else. Yes, a decent hunting bullet through the heart kills any big game animal, but it has to get there. I'd recommend something heavier like a 180 gr. bullet from a 30 calibre or a 140-160 gr. from a 7mm. Another concern is that Alaska is also bear country. When hunting moose or caribou, you never know when a bear like a big grizzly boar is going to find your presence unwelcome. Stumbling onto a bear's kill or worse, onto momma with cubs can seriously ruin your day. To stop a charging grizzly, a .22-250 just isn't going to cut it. You might get lucky but chances are you won't.
🤠 Ron, I actually worked with a guy whose son took a Big Bull Moose with a BB Gun! Yes, you heard me right! He drew a once in a lifetime tag and brought his little boy along, who wanted to shoot squirrels with his BB Gun! They came up behind the bull, who was feeding in the swamp! He left his son and snuck around to get a broad side shot at very close range! As the father loaded his rifle and began to raise the gun to shoot, the bull had his head down in the water to feed! The son then shot the bull in the butt with his BB gun and the bull snorted in the water and filled up his lungs and he drowned! As the man prepared to find the bull in his scope, it fell over dead! The boy yelled out, " I got him Daddy, I got him!" So their you go! Sometimes Truth is better than fiction! 😁 So, the Moral of the Story is that you don't need a Big Magnum to kill a Big Bull Moose - you just need to wait for the right ass shot - and using a BB gun will wreck the least amount of meat! 🤣
Yours is the second version of this myth I've read here, Ron. The other version had the BB hit a testicle. Tall tales are fun. That said, I did once stop a Dall ram by hitting it in a testicle with a 243 WSSM, 95-gr. Winchester Ballistic Silvertip. A follow up shot put him out of his discomfort.
My father shot 2 moose with a 22 lr.... NO BULL SHYT... Shot placement.... if you don't know where you're bullets are hitting...you shouldn't be hunting... I have shot hmmm 15 moose with my 270 with 140 grain bullets...NEVER had to fire a second round....NEVER
I had a friend who lived out in the Alaskan wild in a cabin for a few years. He was a prolific hunter. He used a 25-06 on moose. Clean hits, no fails, shot placement saved a lot of meat. He stated that moose were pretty easy to take down also his favorite meat. His words and experience, not mine.
I live in northern Canada and have hunted moose for the past 34 years. I used a 270 Weatherby magnum for all but 2 moose. Those 2 were taken with my brother’s 300 Win Mag. My dad’s hunting partner has used a 270 winchester for years with excellent success. The target area is huge making the shot placement relatively easy. Anything bigger than a 270 is plenty for a moose unless you’re shooting at a distance. In that case bump up to the associated magnum. If I was to pick one rifle to shoot moose on a regular basis I’d choose my brother’s 300 win mag. It’s pretty much the perfect moose rifle in my opinion.
Really enjoyed your take on a moose cartrage. I live in Northern Alberta and hunt Moose anytime I get a draw. I've taken moose with a 30-06, 303 British, 378 Weatherby necked down to 338 and a couple 50 cal black powder and all of them with a single shot. I think bullet placement is the most important part of the kill
Yeah bullet placement is the thing i have shot moose with a 7.62x53R and i know a lot of people who shoot moose with .308
@Rockwell Rhodes no i mean 53, the finnish version of the mosin is chambered in 7.62x53R rather than 54
I know a lady hunter here in alberta she shot a cow and a bull moose with one shot from her marlin 336c 30-30
Yup
In think the 303 British would be close to taking the most moose over the last 70 years.
Thank you Ron
This has been kind of a crappy day for me but, as soon as I saw the thumb nail, I had to click on it. I am now smiling for the first time today. Thank you. I always find your videos educational but the enjoyment factor is just extra icing on the cake.
I appreciate what you do.
I'm not a world wide hunter and mostly hunt in Colorado. I have relieved myself of all magnum rifles and if I need magnum power I use my .35 Whelen. The most efficient cartridge I have ever loaded.
I’m in Denver. Just moved here. It’s wayyy more liberals than I was expecting. Sure hope to connect with some hunters maybe elsewhere up north
@@DenverPicker Looking at an election map could have told you that.
Yup, the hippies are displacing the cowboys in a lot of the west. It’s also like a lot of the country where the cities are more liberal, and the rural areas are more conservative.
@@DenverPicker I live south of Denver by a few hours right down I-25. Denver and Boulder are total liberals and do not represent the beliefs of most of the rest of the state. Colorado is a good example of why the founding fathers created a republic when creating the government rather than a democracy. The Republic has an electoral college and the State does not. In some circles it's called mob rule.
I used my '06 with 180 grain nobler partition for Maine moose. 2 shots. worked like a charm.
Good choice, Ron. I have a 338 Win. Mag. and here in New York we have moose but no open season. Oh well. Some day maybe. In the meantime, the old 35 Remington will continue getting whitetails.
Those are some forearm veins, dude must be jacked 😎
338wm was my guess when I saw the video title!
The 223 thing is most likely true but I’d argue that they would most likely head shoot as they’ll want the heart to eat often.
As someone who has killed(not hunted) large bovine(think 1400lbs+) with 223 and 243 etc they were all head shots from well within 100yds, most of the time less. But I’ve also seen smaller red bulls(900-1000lbs) soak up 30-30 in the forehead from 2yds so it’s definitely not always ideal.
Another great informative review.
Ron, I'd go with the 7 mil. Rem. Mag. One thing there are many rifles in that cal., There is an abundant of manufactures that produce it, and it has a reasonable amount of recoil.
I have shot about 20 moose some times on a shared hunt and my friend also shot. I have personally seen Moose shot with everything from a 30-30 on up and yes a 30-30 will kill a moose no problem at maybe even 200yds. Moose actually are easy to kill with a good hit they don't usually go far usually less than 100 yards. With one good hit all you need to do is sit down and the animal will lay down if it's not chased and die.
well said. Hit a moose good, and leave it alone for awhile. Most moose that get away are jump up too soon and run.
338 Win Mag is my favorite.
My 14yo son killed a huge elk in Utah with a 300WSM Sako at 308 yards. Dropped dead without a step. Awesome cartridge.
I'll stick with the 300 weatherby. It works every time.
You might want to check the primer seating on that 280 AI. It wobbled like a weeble.
Just curious, have many folks taken moose with a 300 savage? Just wondering how they'd preform n one..
358 nm must be a good pick beacuse its made for moosehunting! Wien will you do a presentation for it?? 😀
3006 pump 760 Gamemaster with 220 grain round nose Walmart specials in the grey box.
The 7mm Rem Mag is pretty lethargic. 150 grain bullet out of a 26" barrel should be doing between 3,150 fps and 3,300 fps. Energies are a bit better.
What are your top Cartridges for Bear? Video perhaps?
Personally I would take my 45-70 marlin 1895cb it's my normal deer rifle
In sweden 🇸🇪 and Norway 🇳🇴 we have shoot thousands and thousands mooses over the year's whit 6,5x55 swedish mauser since start of the 1900 hundreds...But thousands and thousands mooses have been shoot whit 8,57JS,9.3x57 and 9.3x62,30-06 and 308w to of course...But in The late 80:s and in the 90:s magnums become popular like 7mm rem mag,300 win mag and many younger hunters whent for 338 win mag....But time changes and now it's Light/short barrel rifles whit silancer that popular and cartridges that fit short barrels good.308w is the most popular now day's,new selling rifles is 308 outstanding the most popular ...Old 8x57JS has Come back like 9.3x57 and 9.3x62....30-06 was a popular cartridge tog back in the daya(think it become popular in the early 60:s when the swedish copmany Husqvarna start made m98 rifles in that caliber....But we that like 30-06 or the magnums can buy those good quality rifles now day's in good conditions cheap, good for us. 😊
In My Humble Opinion,
I believe that the following procedures should be applied to all legislative acts going forward.
To ensure the Constitutionality and the Legality of all proposed legislative bills, I propose the following guidelines be immediately implemented as a first check, before allowing any proposed bill to continue through the legislative process.
(1) It is of the utmost importance, that ALL legislative bills being introduced into either house of congress, no matter the reasoning for the bill, SHALL, First and Foremost, be required to pass CONSTITUTIONAL MUSTER in the context of the stated purpose of the bill, before the bill shall be allowed to continue through the legislative process.
(2) All said bills, after having passed CONSTITUTIONAL MUSTER in the context of the stated purpose of the bill, Shall be passed by the appropriate committee, before the bill shall be allowed to continue through the legislative process.
(3) Only after said bills have completed steps 1, and 2, shall said bills be allowed to be introduced onto the floor for consideration by that house of the legislature.
(4) Any and all changes made to said bills, either in committee or on the floor, SHALL ALSO be required to pass CONSTITUTIONAL MUSTER in the context of the stated purpose of the bill, before said bill shall be allowed to continue through the legislative process.
(5) Only after having completed steps 1, 2, 3, and 4, shall the normal legislative procedures be applied to these bills.
Based upon these guidelines(if properly followed), no illegal or unconstitutional bill would ever be allowed to be passed into Law.
I strongly suggest that everyone that writes to his/her elected representatives, cut and paste this list into any and all correspondence to and with said elected representatives.
Long Live The Constitution of The United States of America‼ Long Live The Second Amendment‼ Long Live The Republic of The United States of America‼
Nearly 40 years in Alaska and I've taken a lot of moose. My favorite cartridge is the .338 Ruger Compact Mag. Same ballistics as a .338 Win Mag but in a carbine sized rifle. It's not the moose that needs this much cartridge, it's the grizzly that just might surprise you.
I agree about the bullet diameter. The 338 Ruger Compact is an excellent choice. The 338/06 is just a little slower, but uses same bullets.
That’s the thing people from the lower 48 don’t realize is when you’re hunting moose you always have to keep an eye out for brownies especially if you’re on Kodiak 🍻
I have a 338 rcm in the ruger M77 hawkeye and love it! The only thing I don't like is ammo availability
That 338 fly’s pretty straight too
Hello. Please understand that I am not trying to be rude with my comments. Where I live in northern Canada, the most popular moose rifles are, 300WM, 30-06, 303, 308, 270 and 30-30, and on special occasion 12 gauge slugs. We use our skills at stalking and shot placement over extreme caliber size to compensate for poor shooting. The 6.5x55 Swede has also been used for over a hundred years harvesting moose. I reload for my 308, and father in law 30-06, and we have never lost or wounded any animal.
YES! The Swede is sweet. The 6.5 mm has numerous great qualities and it is much more effective than its paper ballistics would suggest. My favorites are the 6.5x55 and the 6.5-284 Norma, same length cartridge the Norma has just a bit more energy/velocity if needing to take longer shots. Both are sensible cartridges
I use a 270 and 300 but prefer the 270 I get at least two every season one with each
@@twitchie989 Nice. Cant go wrong with either one
@@reloadnorth7722 all about shot placement 💯
@@twitchie989 It sure is
I have been hunting moose for 50 + years, used a 303 British, browning BLR 308, Tikka 270 and recently a Browning BLR in a 7mm. I would say that at moose camp the most popular is the 30-06 although we have a couple of guys with 300 Win, Mag’s. In my opinion the shot placement is much more important than the bullet size.
BTW great video’s
Ahh! Good to hear from a wise hunter. Happy trails ❤️
@@briant7652 No I have had no issues with either of them.
What? No mention of the .338-06 A Square? An excellent and very underrated cartridge.
How did you find the tikka 270 worked? Just got one and hoping to use it for a variety of animals.
@@benissel6160 It worked flawlessly, I had it for several years and took several moose and a couple deer with it.
30-06 is spot on.👍
I usually say 30-06 is the way to go. Plentiful ammunition, lots of bullet choices in a huge range of weights, decent trajectory and you can get any rifle you want in that chambering.
I still have a couple of boxes of 220gr corelocks
Moose drop so fast because once the pressurized chamber holding their vitals are punctured, they can't take their own weight. That's why elephants have been killed with 7x57s for a century or more.
@@corporalpunish6089 Actually 180 corelocks works fantastic
I use 9.3x62 with about 250 grain from brenneke germany - brenneke TOG. We have Lots of 9.3 ammo over here. I use a ballistic tower and laser range finder. This set-up Takes down everything. Ps: as a european we like and love that cardridge. So much history behind IT and so effective and Not much recoil.
@@2dResq Absolutely, that is my base load. Those 220,s just have so much sectional density, they are a beast. Less accurate though because you are on the edge of proper twist. Just love that 3006 supports such a broad range
I love the 30-06! You can shoot anything with it, and it doesn't kill your shoulder, and you can shoot it a bunch and have fun at the range. Also, ammunition is ubiquitous!!!! Can't beat it! The dead animal doesn't care what you shot it with!
I mean it does care because it wouldn’t like you shooting it a 100 times with a .22 or like a 17hmr, so yeah they do care what cartridge to be shot with ool
Many moose in canada have been dropped by 30 30 win, and 303 british.
Many of those by my clan hahahaha, at some sometimes astounding ranges. Moose aren't overly tough; they drop from a double lung much more quickly than an elk
See my comment above, that's exactly what my niece's father in law used.
303 is a hell of a round.
A 30-30 is stretching it and I am sure many have wounded Moose with it and often the Moose died later for the meat just to rot or feed other animals.
.303 British is great for most game in north America though I use the 215 woodleigh for grizzly
With a few years of moose hunting, i experienced the same results with caliber 270, 308, 7mmrm,30-06,300wm. The worst thing i saw is not a wrong caliber, but more than once is a bad scope, full of humidity preventing to aim correctly. Dont cheap on the quality of a scope and select something that will be 100% fog proof!
Nikon Buckmaster Fog/Waterproof but only if you find because Nikon doesn't make rifle scopes anymore
I totally agree! The scope should be of very high quality and sometimes cost more than the rifle!
30-06 is all I ever use. Eat moose every year. 180 grain
dad said all you need up here in Alaska is the 30-06
Just use the 30-06 its a solid all around
I spent five years in AK and most of my buddies that successfully hunted moose used .308, .30-06, .30-30, .270 Win, and .45-70. One friend used a 7mm-08 with great success. As you said, bullet placement rules the day over caliber selection. Great video, thanks! 👍
I'm from Quebec, Canada and most hunters use 300 wm and 7mm rem mag. Also 30-06 and 308 are popular. For me, i take my only big games rifle, 7mm rem mag with federal terminal ascent 155 gr ou nosler partition 160 gr.
This is exactly why I bought my Remington in 7mm magnum
I had a Winchester Model 70XTR in 300WM, but later had a Browning BBR in 7mm Remington Mag. It was an awesome rifle and calibre. Only hunted once with it though, but it was a nice 6 point bull with a single lung shot at about 200 to 250 yds.
Yeah that's because there are no grizzly bears in quebec. So you don't need a 338 win mag. The 338 win mag was designed for killing the great bears such as grizzly and polar bears
And don't forget Ron they can be absolutely belligerent in the rut lol. Smart no. Large, hairy and dangerous? Yes. I divorced my first wife for the same reasons lol jk
When my Grandfather lived in Alaska (32 years!) he and the neighbors shared the hunting chores. His cartridge of choice? The .30-06 with hand loaded 180 or 200 grain bullets. Every Moose they ever killed took one, and occasionally two shots. But, the real work begins once that 1,000 to 1,500 pound critter is down! It's a huge job cutting it up and packing it out!
Everyone I know from Alaska hunt for food! There is little time, due to rough country and even worse weather to "enjoy the experience"!
Here in NZ mooses were introduced at the bottom of the south island and it is thought that they died out and despite much looking they are gone but every few years someone finds and photographs a massive hoof print.
Truer words were never said.
I have enough fits pulling deer by hand in mountains. I couldn't imagine pulling a moose.
@@GunGuy258 We had a draft horse pull one out and were lucky enough to shoot the other two where we could drive a truck to them.
A good platform sled with a waste to sled rope lead comes in handy there.
My dad took his moose with a .270 with a 130 gr. Remington Core-Lokt back in the '50s when that was a high-tech bullet. It was a little over 1000 lbs. at about 120 yards. One shot, looked around a little, fell over. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Them are still good solid bullet choice and also the federal fusion is my go too! But shot a lot of core locks
Thank you ron.bullet placement is what counts .the old standby 3006 is all you need for 99 percent of your hunting on big blue earth .having said that I have a Husqvarna 46 in 9.3x57 that the swedes had made for hunting moose .they call it a potato lobber .286gr/9.3 bullet at 2150 fps what a trajectory,hence the name.these old rifles handle better than many high end custom rifles 96 Mausers for 350 to 500 dollars .wow and you can straighten that trajectory by hand loading 250 gr nosler accubonds and lookout mr lion,cape buffalo even the almost impossible jackalope fr the southwest. Great video as always ron
I suppose if I lived in Alaska I’d have a .30-06. I live in Virginia so my .308 is fine for deer and hogs down south.
Yah we grew up in Alaska and 30.06 was the bullet of choice for our family anyway…
@@edwardhoward4708 I would absolutely use the .308 on a moose. As I am also a virginian. I feel as though my Remington 700 with some 180 grain Winchester cxp3 will take pretty much anything that graces our Green earth. Atleast if used properly
I have hunted moose in sweden since med -80:s. Still using the same rifle, a Husqvarna 640 8x57 JS with an Aimpoint and Vulcan bullets from Norma. Works like a charm every time.
Howdy Ron! I personally have nabbed a few moose over the years in Maine. It's roughly half and half for me. I've been using and still use a .358 Winchester loaded up with 225 gr Nosler AccuBonds. They're just about perfect and have a pretty darn decent ballistic coefficient. However, they're becoming harder and harder to find as of late. I recently started using my 8x57mm with 170 gr Hornady SST's and wow. I've yet to meet a moose that's walked away from being hit with one. It's definitely got a lot going for it. Hard to say, honestly. Both are accurate, not too hard on the shoulder, and I genuinely enjoy shooting them through my Savage 110 and my Yugo Mauser!
Yep, easily took my cow moose with 8x57 (factory PPU 196 gr SP) K98 Mauser iron sites. She let me walk up to 100 yards. No need to overbore a thin skinned animal that anyone can get within 200yrds.
Fantastic cartridge the 358win for moose couldn’t agree more! I hunt in the Nordic countries and it works as well here!
Even moose are in short supply since Biden took office. Thanks a lot Brandon
As a 33 year old Canadian I've hunted a dozen moose in 15 years. I use one rifle, one cartridge and one bullet for everything. Remington 700 CDL in .308 Win with 150 grain Federal Fusion. Deer, elk, coyote, wolf, moose and bear. I always aim for double lung.
Anytime I was up there hunting moose I was also hunting bear so I like to take the 45-70 Marlin lever. But you're right shot placement is key no matter what you're using.
I’ve never gone after moose, but if I did, my Henry 45-70 would probably be my choice.
it's comin' right for us
When i used to live there, 45-70 was the go to bush caliber there
Having quicker followup shots and a real thumper of a cartridge would be wise, especially for (as you mention) bear.
@@MDR-hn2yz LOL time I was in AK. we heard a guy empty his 45-70 on a Grizzly , claimed he hit it every time, never did find it .
Hi, thanks for another great video. Hunting moose in Sweden since the early 80s. Historically the most common caliber was 6.5x55 with a minimum weight of 140 grains (according to law). Nowadays, there is a greater spread in calibers and 9.3x62 is much appreciated due to an increasingly large population of brown bear and wild boar. Personally, I usually use 9.3x62 as I usually hunt in the southern part of the country with dense and bushy areas. But 6.5x55 is a fantastic elk caliber, especially with Nosler partision.
I am really interested in the 9.3x62. I use a .35 Whelen and I believe the ballistics are close to the same. I love my .35.
The 6.5x55 Swed has feed more mouths world wide than nearly any other round. In North America the 30-40 Kraig then the 30-30 are the mainstays over the last 150 yrs.
@@Pyle81 love my 30-40 it always makes things into food
My two favorites in the USA too!
In Newfoundland, Canada where I grew up, the 6.5x55 was more popular than probably anywhere else in Canada. In my years of gunsmithing, I have converted numerous Model 94 Swedish Mausers to sporting rifles. The standard 160gr big game bullet even round tipped had a high BC due to its long slenderness. It was more than capable of taking Moose at not only short ranges, but rivalled the 30-06 at longer ranges, due to its superior bullet ballistics performance. I myself have only taken 2 Moose with the calibre, but both were one shot kills, with one being over 200yds.
The 9.3x62 is the perfect Moose cartridge in my opinion.
Even if I have shot multiple Moose with 6.5x55, 6.5-06, 308, 30-06 and 375 Ruger as well.
If you are recoil shy, then a 6.5x55 with a quality bullet is the perfect choice if you shoot well with that one.
There was a CZ550 in 9.3 at a shop near me. It was marked down $100 because no one working there knew what it was. I should have bought it.
@@dg20120 At the opening of the Cabelas here in Marysville Wa I spotted a Savage 111 in 9.3x62 - one of 11 made - and haven't regreted it since. A couple cast bullet molds later I'm still having fun with it and its my "go to" rifle.
@@dg20120
You for sure should have bought it.
You would not regret it for a second.
It is also great when hunting whitetail, mule deer, wild boar, elk and any kind of bear.
@@dg20120 man I’ve always wanted a cz550 in 9.3.
@@louielindenmayer6653 that’s super rare all I ever see out here in wa is mostly 308 and 6.5 creedmore never even heard of the 9.3 , barely ever see a 30.06 anymore
Remember that when you're hunting moose in Alaska you are also in grizzly bear country. So having extra gun is never a bad thing if you need to put down an aggressive bear that wants the moose you just shot. Yes shot placement is everything, but if a grizzly is charging and you're having to take a quick shot at close range a heavier bullet moving really fast is a huge plus.
An EXCELLENT POINT to make 👏
Im from there, i carry a rifle on my back, a shotty in my hand.
I got my moose with a 6.5 swede at 100yds and iron sights. Was a pretty quick death and almost no meat damage
The 6.5x55 is my favorite all around cartridge as well, if I needed or wanted a touch more velocity or energy with the exact same cartridge length I would go with the 6.5-284 Norma. The 6.5's have excellent attributes, high BC, high SD, low recoil with non-magnum loads, deep penetration, and accurate, what more does a hunter need.
Perfection. 😍
Gonna use my new Browning Stainless BLR in 358 Winchester this year for my moose draw up here in BC!
Good luck. Even though I don't have one I like the .358 Winchester. Savage model 99 or Winchester model 88 would be perfect for this left handed hunter.
I ve taken many deer with the same rifle and cartridge. You won't do wrong with a BLR
27 years ago my wife used my Savage 99 in 358 Winchester to take her moose in northrn Wyoming. First shot 100% effective.
The .358 has 33 % more punch then a 35 remington.Back in the 80s I did my research before I got one.
@@danielgrabske2557 For me the perfect scout rifle would be a Remington 7600 with a 20 inch barrel in .358 Win. The Rem pump is very quick. I have one in .308 Win and I love it. The .358 would take performance power up a notch although I would give up a flatter shooting cartridge. But, a scout rifle is for quick, close quarters use.
Growing up on canada I used the old .303 Brit.... then in my late 20s I bought my .270 Win... used that for 10 years... then I bought my 300WM and used that for another 10 years... then in my 40s I needed a cartridge good for my som and daughter, 7mm-08 to the rescue... drops.a.moose DRT... worked so well I bought one for myself and have been using that ever since.
If I had to pick in my collection I would grab either the .280AI or my 30-06
My brother is married to an indigenous woman. She said none of them used the 223 but the 243 was popular. Most used the 30-06 and most of them were open sights. I didn't expect that.
I'm not surprised about the open sights part, moose in Alaska spend most of their time in thick timber and wetlands and the shots presented are usually pretty close range, and with an animal that big and potentially aggressive, being able to keep your field of vision open makes a ton of sense. And with the target area on a moose being so huge, if you can hit a pie plate at 100yds with iron sights, that's probably good enough.
I’m Alaskan Native myself, and I only started using scopes in my ripe age of 38 lol. Caught everything from seals, walrus, moose, caribou, etc. Good ol reliable iron sights has been the way to go all my years of hunting.
While I love the 35 Whelen, and think it is a very good cartridge for any North American game, I killed a bull moose with one shot at 300 yards. His feet were still in the tracks they were in when the bullet hit him. The cartridge? 25-06 Remington with a 120 grain Nosler Partition @ 3000 fps mv. Bullet placement is everything, with next important variable of bullet construction.
Worst performance on a bull moose I have ever seen, a 338 Win Mag. 14 shots, all in and just behind, the shoulder. Last six shots from 10 yards. Bull kept getting up and walking away.
I'm a 35 Whelen fan too but for me it's not necessary to kill the moose or elk, it is nice to have however if you are sectioning your moose in bear territory.
@@mikewyd53 Mike, that reminds me of my friend shooting a water buffalo repeatedly right behind the shoulder. After the 4th or 5th hit I said "That parts dead, Stan. Pick another."
Awesome vid. I have seen a guy bring down a moose with a 6.5 Creedmoor 143 gr ELD-X. Someone else who hunts everything with a Browning A-Bolt in .300 WSM. Another channel, Rogee Produtions, use a .300 WSM in New Zealand red or roe deer and also larger ungulates and the best you can sneak up is a few hundred yards in the side of the next hill.
I could suggest the 7 mm Rem Mag. Our host, Ron Spomer brought down a bull elk with his Mossberg Patriot 7 mm Rem Mag. If I had to, I would pick the 7 mm Rem Mag, even over the new hot potato, the 7 mm PRC and that would be a good all around cartridge from whitetail in the woods to Elk and big horn sheep at some distance. Often, those are farther away and you simply cannot sneak up on them. All you can do is get in the way during the rut. With scorching rounds like the 7 PRC, you may have shorter barrel life.
Mine is my constant favorite, the .308 Win. Granted, my 165 grain round is just below 1,000 ft-lb at 500 yards, and the farthest I am going to shoot where I hunt is around 225 yards. And it's not like the ft-lbs drops to 999 and the deer blows a raspberry at you and saunters away.
But I could easily make do on big game with .300 WM, .30-06 Sprg, or the 7 mm Rem Mag. Everyone makes those rifles by the ton. And the ammo is widespread, though the most ubiquitous is mine, the .308 Win. I have shot a .308 W 180 grain, my mossberg LR 308 prefers Federal Nontypical Whitetail 180 gr. So, I could that weight, even a little more in the 7s or a .30-06.
I think the value of the .30-06, 6.5-06, .308 W is longer lasting barrels at slower twist rates. Granted, you need to get closer than 1,000 yards with a 308. And you have a barrel that will last for 5.000 rounds.
If you can get within 300 yards, a .35 Whelen would work. So would a .350 Legend, which has super low recoil. Or get a .450 Bush Master in semi-auto. Windham Weaponry makes the .450 Thumper.
Also the guys living off the land in Alaska typically (not always) don't care much for mounting heads and such, they use the animal instead of keeping trophies, and I've spoken to a few Alaskans and they use the smaller cartridges for headshots and drop animals on the spot.
I am all for sensible cartridges, the Alaskan hunters have their head screwed on straight about smaller rounds with excellent shot placement.
I have lived in Alaska since 1989 with my business is guiding hunts for Moose and brown bear.
I get a real laugh at the liars and bull shitters who write absolute crap knowing they are telling lies.
@@Lure-Benson What's the lie?
@@rustyshacklefort3715 many of them and the worst is idiots that never been to Alaska making videos saying home defense handguns are Alaska brown bear guns
Loved your video, because I lived it too! My first moose was with a 270 Win and the old 130 Nosler Partition; one shot through the heart and a pile of meat seconds later. My next was four shots through the lungs with a 338 WM; no doubt dead from the first shot, but no reaction, so I kept shooting. I did a stock repair for a long time AK resident lady who used a 6mm Rem with 100gr Remington factory ammo, which I was convinced was 'inadequate', except for her long list of moose she had collected over the years saying otherwise. She truly looked dismayed at me when I suggested something larger! As you so often say: Bullet Placement; and not being distracted by muzzle blast and recoil is a deadly combination. Great job Ron.
Thanks John. And thanks for the additional anecdotes.
That 6mm has to have a properly designed hunting bullet to get in side. With Monolithic solid copper bullets. If there hit in the spine, the neck or the brain they're going down.
Hi Ron very good video talk , I think the golden bullet I would use is from 30-06 caliber 180Grn
The great 3006 does it all, fantastic versatility, and it's not too much and certainly will get the job done without the heavy recoil. This caliber is right in the middle of choices.
In my experience, moose die easy. Also in my experience, guys tend to carry the bigger calibers if theyre worried about bears while moose hunting. But i'd say as an alaskan that 338 win mag is probably the most common moose caliber.
Thoughts on a 30-06 with 180 grain tsx or ttsx?
@@phild9813 it will for sure kill moose. Go for the double lung, avoid the shoulder if you can, and they bleed out fairly quick.
@@phild9813 I always used 180 or 150 nosler partitions. Maybe not the most accurate but always worked.
@@phild9813
That is a great choice for Moose.
@@siegehammer63
The shoulder will be no problem with a 180 grain tsx/ttsx.
My dad has always used .30-06, I think 180 or 190 grain. Sometimes 220 grain .30-30. I plan on using my Mauser 1895 in 7x57 Mauser, 173 grain semi-jacketed exposed lead tip rounds.
Got to love the 7x57mm Mauser!!! I have two Rifles, so chambered,
My uncle Lowell was killing moose with a 30-30 Winchester over 100 years ago. Lost several toes to frostbite while trapping in Canada.
I have hunted moose in Alaska and the rifle Caliber for the moose is bot the issue. The issue is simply the hunter is not the top of the food chain. The minimum BEAR cartridge is the best moose Caliber. Thanks for the video.
Heard/read a lot of instances of moose taken with 30-30.
I worked for a man many years ago that used a Savage 99 in .300 Savage and he took a number of big moose with it.
Start with 300 savage or 7mm-08/6.5 creed. Work up depending on distance. Many go for headshots and your 30-30 will do just fine. Many are shot with 30-06 and 220 round nose corelokt. 300 wby is an excellent if hunting clear cuts out at distance. Most are shot in the road at around 100 yards in Maine. The penetration is key to getting an exit wound. Bullet selection is important when using high velocity rounds.
I could listen to this guy all day! Love how he just makes you think a little. What about a 12ga. Slug? Probably wouldn't hurt out to say... 75 yds???
I think that slug would do the job without question. I'd like to see Ron's take on 12ga. slugs for short ranges.
@@sylviajones3355 I agree. I actually love a 20 ga. Slug too. Absolutely destroys deer
@@sylviajones3355 Sadly;In British Columbia Canada 12 gauge slugs ,In fact all shotgun slugs are illegal for moose.
12 or 20 ga slugs would work just fine to 100 yards or so -- depending on the slug style and material. Those Ddupleks slugs are the bomb!
@@RonSpomerOutdoors thanks man! Please do a video on the effectiveness on all bores both slug and buck shot
Well, I'll probably never take a moose but if'n I were to head that way, I'd probably take the 7mm Rem Mag because I can shoot it pretty well and it would seem to be plenty. 150 Gr TTSX or GMX. Haven't tried any CXs yet through 7mm or 270.
Great video again Ron! Thanks... I definetely can relate to this video. Our legal minimum in Finland for moose is practically 6,5x55 or 6,5 CM. According to my experience, these have adequate energy to knock down a moose. If you are looking for a quick kill, keep your distance in a reasonable and make sure your bullet works. Problems occur when shot placement is bad or bullet is bad. Unbonded soft points can sometimes (rarely) fail you when jacket and lead separates, and you can't reach vital organs. Still definetely most of our moose are taken with 308, but 9,3x62 is getting stronger. I use mainly 9,3x62, but honestly, reactions in the moose aren't that different. 9,3x62 gives a bit of more security and peace of mind, but that is about it.
I'm a huge fan of .308 for anything I will ever hunt in North America. For sure shot placement is king and a well place bullet from a .308 has always given me the expected results.
I took down a moose with a 7.62x39, 30-30, 308, 30-06, 300 win mag. My go to for one shot take down power is 30-06. I tried 300 win mag but it just blew up bones and meat. 308 and 30-06 can break moose bone but it’s smaller. Love the 30-06 for long range and 308 for close range.
Well I live and hunt in the Yukon! I’ve got a few mooses over my 25 years up here and all of them other than last year moose have been taken with 30-06 180 premium bullets(partitions, tsx etc) and most of them got shot inside 120m and only needed one shot!
Now last year moose was with a new caliber to me , the 9.3x62 and to me that is the best moose and bison medicine??
More Moose have gone to Heaven because of a 30 ‘06 than everything else combined
Shot an Alaskan moose last year with an ‘06 with 180gr psp corelokt. 1 shot at 250 yds. It stood there, jogged 20 yards and toppled.
Between Galena and Fairbanks for 4 years 89-93 I used a .416 Weatherby for everything. One thing I learned was the rifle you used for anything had better be a bear rifle as well. I lost a few animals to bears who got to them before we did. A bit much for some animals but it saved our bacon once, a lesson I won't forget.
My son and I have hunted from Kodiak Island to Coldfoot , and have never let a bear take our animal , as my buddy used to say, the 375 H&H is the perfect AK. deer gun .
Good video. Probably an eye opener for many. Moose are considered a thin skinned game. Anything that has energy figures that match or exceed 308win is perfect, and an uncountable amount of Moose have fallen to the 30-30, 303 Brit and 30-40 Krag
I am a green hunter. I like to give the moose a fair chance so I wrestle my ones to the ground and then ask them if they give up? If they say yes i let them go. If not I strangle the bastard.
Exactly! I feel like 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester, 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC, 300 WSM, 300 RUM will all do it. Especially considering you can generally get at least 5 rounds in a magazine. If shooting an AR10 6.5 Creedmoor, 308 Winchester or supersonic 8.6 Blackout will all do the trick and you can get some quick followups if you need to bang off a couple in self defense vs a bear.
Also 6.5x55 and 7.62x54R have both probably taken their fair share of moose and caribou.
I killed my only moose, and it was a big one in Alaska, with a 180 grain partition from a 30-06. My two other primary hunting calibers currently are 300 Wby and 7mm-08 (my main ride these days). All three would work great but I’d probably carry the 30-06 if I did it again. That rifle is a lot easier to carry than my Weatherby and I just don’t think it gives up enough performance to matter. My second choice may be the 7mm-08 - I’ve got that in a Model 7 and it’s so nice to carry.
Elk have a fair bit more survival fight and even will to drive their spines and hooves through a hunter.
My Grandmother (Grandfather was a logger and not home much) shot moose with a .22LR during the Depression. She'd put 3 rounds in the stomach and then make a cup of tea. Track the moose who, not feeling well, would lie down and stiffen up. When she walked up to it, it couldn't get up and she'd shoot it in the head. Then go get her 4 children to help bring it home. All this with a knee that didn't bend because a hog had rolled her down when she was a girl.
Moose aren't tough, my Dad has taken one every second year since 1963 (year I was born) until 12 years ago when he stopped hunting them because he couldn't bring it out alone.
My first was a .303 Br. All the rest have been by .30-06. next one will be with my Dad's .30-30 because he stopped hunting completely last year.
In my experience in northern Alberta, 30’06 is king. Works every time.
Partitions.
I lived and hunted in north central BC for 35 years. By far up there, the most popular big game target is the moose. I've seen all kinds of cartridge choices but far and away, the most common was what I call, "Medium Oomph" cartridges. 30-06, .308. 7mm Rem Mag, .270 Win, .300 Win Mag, the occasional .243 and then some less popular but beloved by the shooter such as the .303 British and the 6.5x55 Swedish. I saw the occasional .338 Win Mag, the odd .300 WBY Mag and even the odd .30-30 Win.
So, what did I see most often? I'd say it's a toss up between the 7mm Rem Mag, the .308 and the .30-06. Personally, I started with a .270 and then went to a .300 Win Mag.
What I didn't see was any cartridge that didn't work if there was a well placed shot. So, the lesson is pick any reasonable cartridge, practice with your rifle, learn bullet drops over varying distances and always remember that the solution to an 800 yard shot is to get 600 yards closer.
Of note, the one cartridge I don't recall ever seeing (or shooting) is the one I'd choose today for a dedicated moose rifle. That's the .35 Whelen. If anyone has an old Winchester Model 70 in .35 Whelen, topped with a plain Jane scope that they don't see using anymore....
🤠 Well said! 👍
I'll take a 303 British rifle anyday
@@RebelSandGaming About thirty years ago I acquired an Enfield Model of 1914 (the P14) from an uncle. Unfortunately, it was a 'Bubba' with a cut down stock, missing wood from the fore end. The rest all looked original including the military ladder rear sight. Chambered of course in .303 British, I was keen to see how it worked on moose. Well, I actually already knew as many a Canadian moose had met it's demise from military surplus rifles chambered in .303 British.
By far, the more common surplus rifle seen in the field after WWII was the Lee-Enfield, either the No. 1 Mk.III or the No. 4 Mk. 1. My uncle told me that back in the fifties and sixties, they were sold by the thousands, often stacked in a barrel in some hardware store. Examples in very good condition could be found for $20 to $25 or even less if the store owner needed to clear stock.
Even today, if you go to any place that sells ammunition in Canada, you'll likely see .303 British. I worked up a load using .303 cal 180 gr. Cam Pro flat base jacketed soft point bullets. Not a long distance target bullet by any means but just the ticket for moose, elk, bears etc. I took it on several moose hunts and even bagged two with this rig. As long as shots were no greater than say 200 yards, the original sights did just fine. You just had to be aware of your load's bullet drop over distance.
@@stephenland9361 those jungle carbines were pretty popular too for close scrub hunting and trap line checking too still got a no5 that's taken plenty of game even stopped a couple of grizzlies
You call 7mM Rem Mag and 30-06 medium oomph?
Hi Ron! In my opinion 338 win mag is the best overall moose cartridge. Work for bush and also longer ranges.
When I lived in AK, the 30-06, 7mm Rem , 300 Win and 338 Win were by far the most popular rounds with everyone I ever met or talked to for moose and most everything else.
30-30 308 375 h&h andc45-70 as well ..most locals there get the standard cartriges and stansard magnums cuz the newer ones ain't stocked in small towns there mostly
@@jamiehurtt3530 Most locals simply use what is tried and true. They simply want to fill their freezers and could care less about the supposed latest, greatest whiz bang to come along.
@@404nitro
Lol I know
Cuz I am a local
@@jamiehurtt3530 Didn't sound that way since you said "most local's there"
@@404nitro
Even up here not everyone's on the same page ..lots of millenniasl now that want the latest greatest ..most of us use what we know works
The 338 Win Mag is the best …. I knew it! Ron told me so. Now what do I do with my 223, 243, 30/30, 308, 257 Wby, 300 WBY Mag , 7Rem Mag, 45-70! 🤷
Well, I've certainly had an education watching this. When I went to New Foundland moose hunting I took the two biggest calibers I had; a .30-06 Springfield and a lever action .35 Remington. I hoped like heck I wouldn't need the .35 Rem because I wasn't sure it would put a moose down in short order. I have read stories of hunters being big believers in the .35 Rem for moose and even big bears. But, I wanted more confidence using the .30-06 using 180 gr. Core Lokts.
I was surprised at the lighter bullets being used to take such big animals. I have always been a believer in bigger heavier bullets for bigger, tougher game. I guess a good hunter can use smaller and lighter calibers and bullet weights to get the job done and done well. Thank you for the enlightenment.
Can we just say the “best” cartridge for any hunting is the one that’s legal for what & where you hunt and put in the right place …
Which we all know is a 30-06 😜
Yeah buddy! love it! So true!
30-06 is a readily available cartridge with more than enough sectional density and will kill a moose of any size if the bullet is a good hunting designed bullet. I would not even balk with taking a 270 to a moose. A well constructed bullet for hunting and put it right behind that armpit and you have yourself a dead moose with all the meat in tact. I really like the sensible videos that you produce Ron. Keep em coming and thanks!
you prove the point yet again, you dont need a 300 win mag.... 243, 270, 3006 will do everything in N Merica! shot placement is KEY as always as well as distance!
My dads buddy calls the 30-06 a elephant gun lol. he started with a .270 and has never switched. I also seen a few moose dropped with a .243 no problem. I agree shot placement, distance , right ammo and patience are all more important
45-70?
Thank you Ron! Very informative. I still haven't found a need to replace my 30 06 I have been shooting since 1982! 🤣
No need to reinvent the wheel!!!! 30 06.... nuff said!
I shot my only moose with a Sako .30-06 and most of the guides and hunters in Saskatchewan I talked to used either that or a .308 Win. Usually a 180 grain partition. My favorite cartridge now in the southwest is either the 280 REM or 280 Ackley. No moose down here!
Living off the land you use what you have. No other options available!
.35 Whelen. My go-to elk cartridge for decades (even before it was commercialized) is also outstanding for moose.
And if all I had to go moose hunting with was my all time favorite deer hunting rifle and cartridge, a Savage Model 99 in .300 Savage, I wouldn't be at all concerned about having an adequate rifle/cartridge.
Other good ones? .308, .30-06, .303 British.
180 gr. bullets in the .30 calibers and 250 gr. bullets in the .35 Whelen. Go for sectional densities (SD) of .270 to .280 More is better.
Ron you have been in many hunts in many parts of the world. I have watched several videos and you have convinced me that there's really nothing in North America that a .30-06 can't handle, and handle well in the real world in less than ideal conditions. This information is invaluable to me as someone with pretty limited funding as i try to get into hunting. I can just buy one rifle in .30-06 as it is hugely versatile. Thank you for publishing all this knowledge for free. It's not obvious to someone who didn't grow up around guns and hunting.
Clearly the 45/70 gov't is the ultimate big game rifle! Anything from squirrels to moose and grizzly !
Squirrels would be interesting with the 45/70…
@@danielbell4007 my 270 Alaska o. Squirrels was useless of course couldn't find em
@@danielbell4007 I’ve considered it several times when you’re deer hunting, and all you see are squirrels when you hear the leaves rustle haha.
Back in 1990, I shot a moose that was going away from me diagonally with an 8mm magnum. The shot was a little higher than I preferred above the heart into the thick part of the backstrap and precious rib roasts. There was so much primal meat loss I never hunted with it again. After that, I figured the 45/70 was a good choice because of the bears here in Alaska. Now the story about the 45/70 - I was on a ridge and the moose was low in a swamp and a ways away. I thought I made a good judgment on the trajectory PFFT and missed it completely, we did not have moose that winter, seeing it was closing day. The 45/70 was not flat-shooting enough for me. Hence, when I discovered that the 375 H&H has as much energy remaining at 300 yards as the 45/70 does at the muzzle, it was an easy switch for me and it shot considerably flatter than the lobber 45/70. AND - you can pretty much butcher up to the bullet hole with the 375 H&H vs the blood-soaked meat after the heavy hemorrhaging from the 8 mm mag high-velocity rounds. For me - win-win and probably will continue to win, with the 375! And no bears as of yet! Hallelu-Yah
What are your thoughts of the 338/06? My first moose hunt is coming up and this is what I'm planning on using. It goes without saying I will also be hand loading, and plan on using a 220 partition.
338/06 is a fantastic cartridge.
I did not shoot a moose when I had a 338-06. Worked fine on a 9 foot brown bear in SE Alaska and a cow elk in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Would not hesitate for a minute to use it on moose. 185 Barnes TTSX for the elk and a 250 grain Kodiak bonded core for the bear.
If I don't fill my moose tag with a muzzleloader this year, then I plan to leave a safe full of 338s and various magnums for a rifle hunt with my dear 338-06. Lightweight, not bad recoil, and a proven killer for me on deer and elk with the 180gr Accubond. You may find a lighter bullet to be more accurate and flatter shooting, but with proper construction, they all work. Good Hunting!
@@johnoltrogge6333 I’m smiling reading this love it! Really appreciate the input.
@@georgeking6901 I love that trifecta ;) I’m feeling better and better about this new rifle I built.
The 6.5x55SE has killed more Moose in Sweden and Norway than any other Calibers since nowadays yes they are a good bit smaller framed than Yukon Moose
I would take every good Midfield Cartridge 30.06 7x64 280 270 ....and so on with a good Bullet but propably for the one Hunt (ok i can never afford a Moose Hunt in Alaska the Prices are insane for Europeans) and one Shot my 8x68S would be my Choice
Us hunters have to have something to talk about in between shots so we argue about stuff like this!! It’s always been about shot placement and penetration. Just a couple more months left until I get to head back out to the deer camp and “argue” with my buddies! Can’t wait! Especially since I just ate some of my last ground venison I had in the freezer!
I’m going after my very first Labrador moose next month and I’m going to be shooting 30-06 180gr. Let you know how it goes
I use the 243 and the 300wm mostly. just got a 6.5prc so should be a happy medium between the two. but honestly my fave is the 243 with an 85gr interbond for now. until get to try this prc more.
Right on. I use a 243 too. I use 80gr ttsx barnes. I have no problem dropping moose.
@@billgraham5387 for sure. by far my fave round. i used it for everything. moose, elk, chickens, deer, rabbit. no matter what came across wasnt afraid to use it if need be.
Let’s not forget that the legendary Heimo Korth started out with a 444 Marlin for Alaska but later settled on the 22-250 for the perfect cartridge for moose and caribou 😳
A Wisconsin born legend at that!!!!!!!!!!!
I always enjoyed watching him on television.
Shooting moose with a .22?
love the 444 Marlin. Underrated cartridge for sure, but not for everyone.
"... but later settled on the 22-250 for the perfect cartridge for moose and caribou"
Hmmm... while moose and caribou are not particularly tough animals to bring down, I'd say that the .22-250 is definitely under powered for hunting both moose and caribou in Alaska, or anywhere else. Yes, a decent hunting bullet through the heart kills any big game animal, but it has to get there. I'd recommend something heavier like a 180 gr. bullet from a 30 calibre or a 140-160 gr. from a 7mm.
Another concern is that Alaska is also bear country. When hunting moose or caribou, you never know when a bear like a big grizzly boar is going to find your presence unwelcome. Stumbling onto a bear's kill or worse, onto momma with cubs can seriously ruin your day. To stop a charging grizzly, a .22-250 just isn't going to cut it. You might get lucky but chances are you won't.
🤠 Ron, I actually worked with a guy whose son took a Big Bull Moose with a BB Gun! Yes, you heard me right! He drew a once in a lifetime tag and brought his little boy along, who wanted to shoot squirrels with his BB Gun! They came up behind the bull, who was feeding in the swamp! He left his son and snuck around to get a broad side shot at very close range! As the father loaded his rifle and began to raise the gun to shoot, the bull had his head down in the water to feed! The son then shot the bull in the butt with his BB gun and the bull snorted in the water and filled up his lungs and he drowned! As the man prepared to find the bull in his scope, it fell over dead! The boy yelled out, " I got him Daddy, I got him!" So their you go! Sometimes Truth is better than fiction! 😁 So, the Moral of the Story is that you don't need a Big Magnum to kill a Big Bull Moose - you just need to wait for the right ass shot - and using a BB gun will wreck the least amount of meat! 🤣
Now that story was worth a read.
Now that's a story of a lifetime
🤠 Thanks! 😳 I've got plenty more! 😉
Yours is the second version of this myth I've read here, Ron. The other version had the BB hit a testicle. Tall tales are fun. That said, I did once stop a Dall ram by hitting it in a testicle with a 243 WSSM, 95-gr. Winchester Ballistic Silvertip. A follow up shot put him out of his discomfort.
@@RonSpomerOutdoors wow! 👏
My father shot 2 moose with a 22 lr.... NO BULL SHYT...
Shot placement.... if you don't know where you're bullets are hitting...you shouldn't be hunting... I have shot hmmm 15 moose with my 270 with 140 grain bullets...NEVER had to fire a second round....NEVER
😁 Amen! 🙏
I had a friend who lived out in the Alaskan wild in a cabin for a few years. He was a prolific hunter. He used a 25-06 on moose. Clean hits, no fails, shot placement saved a lot of meat. He stated that moose were pretty easy to take down also his favorite meat. His words and experience, not mine.
That sounds like a dream.
The 25-06 is an exceptional cartridge, it should be more popular.
Yep, sounds ideal
.25.06? what a girls blouse?
@@ryanehlis426 sure is!
I live in northern Canada and have hunted moose for the past 34 years. I used a 270 Weatherby magnum for all but 2 moose. Those 2 were taken with my brother’s 300 Win Mag. My dad’s hunting partner has used a 270 winchester for years with excellent success. The target area is huge making the shot placement relatively easy. Anything bigger than a 270 is plenty for a moose unless you’re shooting at a distance. In that case bump up to the associated magnum. If I was to pick one rifle to shoot moose on a regular basis I’d choose my brother’s 300 win mag. It’s pretty much the perfect moose rifle in my opinion.