Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Moose rifle

For you guys that have killed Moose.

I have a SHR 970 SIG Swiss hunting rifle in .270 that will do the job

My question is will the 7x57 R do the job with a well placed shot in the vitals?

If so what grain bullet?

Thanks.

Steve

My 25-06 did the job on a big bull moose at 280yrds with a 115gr Partiton don't know why that won't. Just need to know the limits of the rifle. I had set my limit at 300yrds.

The 7x57, R or not, will kill moose very efficiently. Do not use junk bullets.

Quality bullets and a lung shot and it's over!

Either will be fine.. Just depends how far you may have to shoot..
We have killed moose with .30 cal. 200 grain downd to 7mm with 140 BTBT's.. They never seem hard to killed.

That is a vote of confidence for the 7x57.
The outfitter said to sight in for 200 yards.
I'll ask a friend to do a couple boxes of reloads.

Thank you.

Isn't the 6.5x55 the most popular moose rifle in Scandinavia? A 7x57 or .270 would be fine I would think.

JB killed his last moose with a 7x57.....

Oh, heck no! This is your excuse for a .458 WM!

I have killed in excess of 20 moose, using following calibers:

.22 Mag handgun (2 road hits, shot in heads from feet away - the rest were while hunting)

.243 (100 gr)
.270 (150)
.30-30 (170?)
.30-06 (various)
.308 Norma Mag (180)
.338WM (various)
12 gauge slug


So far, I haven't noticed any difference in killing ability between calibers or bullet weights, given similar shot placements. Some were lung shot, some were CNS. None were beyond 160 yards, only two over 100.

Zero at 200 is good. That's what I do mostly. That should put you somewhere around 8 inches low at 300, and 24 at 400 should you need it. Likely not.' but easy to remember and adjust to minute of moose.

I 'm hoping to use both my .260 and my Dad's '94 -30-30 yet before I crap out...

Most of the Eskimos up here use .22CF or .243 for just about everything.

The 7X57 will do fine.... For that caliber, I'd choose a mid-spectrum bullet weight of excellent construction of 140 or so. Doesn't need to be premium, but doesn't hurt either, as long as it is accurate.

Wow, great info, thank you.
The 6.5 x 55 is the go to gun in Sweden and Scandinavia.

I shot this cow in N.H. in 2008 with an 18 1/2" barrel 308 using Hornady's 150 grain JSP. She took two hits at 120 yards. She kept eating at the first shot behind the right shoulder. The second shot high in the left shoulder dropped her instantly. She weighed 610# at the check station.


This bull was shot in Maine in 2015 at about 60 yards. Straight on shot just above the brisket. The rifle was a sporterized 03 Springfield loaded with 180 grain Remington Corelocts from Walmart. One shot and he went maybe 20 yards before dropping. He weighed 819# at the check station.


I guess the moral of the story is you don't really need high tech bullets.

I would use a 160 gr Nosler Partition in a 7x57.

My one moose fell to a .450 Marlin and 325 grain flex tip, so it isn't much of a comparison to what you're asking...but doubt you could go wrong with the 7x57 (or .270 Win) with any decent bullet. I'd pick a partition, accubond, interbond, etc., but even cheaper C&C bullets should work just fine. I'd avoid Sierra, but I am sure one would work with the slower speeds the 7x57 operates at.

Avoid varmint bullets and FMJs and you'll be fine.

Steve

Hope you have found an outfitter that you are comfortable with and reserved a spot with him. The 7X57R should be adequate. May I, as others have, suggest you load it with full loads and a stout bullet. Cannons and field artillery are not really necessary. Parts of Newfoundland can present some very rugged terrain and open spaces. Where I hunted 300-400 yard shots were not uncommon. I hunted with a 300WSM and was pleased with the performance. When I return I'll be carrying a Kim Montana 270 Win. shooting 150's pushed by a full load of R26. Backup gun will probably be my Pac Nor barreled Ruger #3 in 6.5X55. (Swede)

Best to you
Jim

6.5-06 and 127 Barnes LRX.

I live in British Columbia and have shot somewhere around 35 bull moose. I have used several calibers down to. 25/06. The 7x57 will drop a moose given ideal conditions, but like the 25/06 it is a marginal moose calibre.
You would be better served with the 270 or a 30 calibre.

No difference between the 270 and 7x57 when it comes to performance on game, either is plenty for moose......

I've killed a Moose with the lowly 30/30.


Vermont 2003 30/30



New Hampshire 2004 450 Marlin


Vermont 2009 .30-06


All the guns did the job. I'd even use the .30/30 again.

I’ve only shot one moose so this is a small sample size but I used a 35 Whelen on my Maine bull in 2000 with 225gr TBBC bullets. We were hunting out of Long Pond Camps in Jackman. There were 6 or 7 other moose taken that week but mine was the only one taken with one shot. Some of the moose were shot 5 or 6 times and these were all fairly close range shots – under 100 yards. Granted some of the guys got a little excited and didn’t put the first round in the vitals. Still, moose are big animals and can soak up a lot of lead before they go down.

I haven’t been to Newfoundland but I’ve heard that shots can be a couple hundred yards. Personally I would want to be shooting something that could anchor a moose quickly on a hunt like that.

Good luck, Bill

7x57R and any good 150-175 grain bullet, placed in the vitals equals moose on the grill.

My wife killed hers with a 160 gr. partition from a 7X57 and another with a .308 with a 180 gr. Hornady.
I shot a large bull with a .270 Roy 130 tsx. Your 7mm will be fine. moose are not that hard to kill but sometimes it takes them a while to realize they are dead!

Lefty C

Heavier Partitions.

To while-away some long winter evenings, I've been going through a pile of home, moose hunt, videos in an attempt to figure out a way to compile the better parts.

There are 16 kills of very large Alaska Moose....three of which scored for B&C entry. Fourteen were broadside lung shot and two were frontal lung shot. None went further than 20 yards and most stayed where shot until they collapsed.

Some were shot with 375 H&H, one with 338 and several with various 300 mags.....and one with a 9.3x62. And finally the last bull taken by my buddy's 16 YO daughter with a 270 and 130NPs with a quartering frontal lung shot. This 61" bull collapsed after a few seconds like all the rest.

A couple of the bulls had 2nd or 3rd shots by inexperienced, excited hunters. These shots didn't hasten the collapse of the bulls as far as I can tell.

Experienced deer hunters are accustomed to the frantic reaction when a deer is shot. Moose just don't usually carry on the same. They stand around until they collapse.

Shoulder shot bulls hobble around for a few yards and then collapse.

Growing up on a homestead in western Canada my Dad use to shoot moose with a 30-30 and every body knows you can't hurt any thing with a 30-30.
Cheers NC

MooseMike-
You were able to draw 2 non-res Moose tags in vermont in less than 10 years? Thats incredible

I drew the first tag. The last tag was an auction tag.

I have a 280AI and have knocked over elk and moose with 160 partitions, 162 interlocks. I can't imagine anything from 150ish to 175 in a 7X57R or no R not working well on moose within reasonable range. Put it where it counts and forget about it.

42 inch MN bull. 150 grain sp from a borrowed 30-06. Either of your options will work.

That looks like fun!!

I've killed a few moose, but only shot one moose with a 7x57. The 175gr. roundnose gave good penetration and expansion at just over 250 yards. I'd choose a 160 grain premium bullet like the Nosler Partition, or any regular cup and core 175 grain bullet in a 7x57R. My own 7x57R rifles are hunted with 175 Nosler partitions and 175 Hornady interlocks. I have some Norma 156gr. Oryx factory loads on hand but haven't used any on game yet. My hunting partner uses a .270 with 140 grain premium bullets every season for moose, and it works OK, but i'd have slightly more confidence in the heavier bullets from a 7x57. I know that is splitting hairs.

My only moose was a 42" Shiras. We'd been tracking him in new snow and I caught up with him bedded down, facing away from me. I shot him in the back of the neck from 80 yds. I was using a 30-06 with 180 gr bullets but I could have done the job with about anything larger than a 22 cal and with a good bullet. Even a 22 cal might have worked ok but I don't like to push it.

Bill N - If the first shot is good, the next several ain't gonna speed the process on a moose unless it is a CNS. All those extra rounds will do is ruin more meat.

Bustards take awhile to fill up and die with lung shots...

I've done it both ways..... . Best not to excite them....

That's s lot of meat

My 45 Colt handgun worked too so the 45 Colt out of a Win M92 would qualify.

Alan

Almost anything works on Moose if you use a good penetrating bullet. But I often hear it said that you should use the biggest gun you can handle.

I would be tempted to use a classic bullet like the 175 Norma Mega or the Alaskan or the Lapua Naturalis as these were designed with Moose or "Elg" in mind. A Woodleigh would be a good choice too. I used the 175 partition in a 7RM these would do well in the 7x57 too.

I've killed a fair number of bulls and have used .284 bullets for two of them. I once used a 120 TSX and its performance was impressive. I used a 162 A-Max and it too performed beautifully. The 7x57 will be plenty of cartridge and there's little need to overthink the bullet. I'd be using a 120-140 grain monolithic (TSX, GMX, etc.) or a 150-160 jacketed bullet.

Yes, 140's and up. A big 175 would be extra cool though. A 7X57R sounds like an interesting rifle. Do you have any pictures you can share?

I have watched moose be killed and killed a number of moose critters with everything from 223 up to 375 H&H and 45-70, and I know of some that were fairly, if not legally, dispatched with rimfires. That being said, moose country, and the critters themselves, can create situations which are conducive to major goat-rope scenarios. And that's putting things mildly. So, while I have zero issues with using an Interlock or Gameking, a lighter and/or smaller bullet or rifle when I know what my opportunities and presentations will be, I tend to make sure I have enough when I'm not sure. (There is substantial difference between getting a single chance for a legal animal whose only presentation allows intermittent opportunities as it saunters through the black spruces, and the kind of hunting where you can choose one of several animals basically standing in the open over the course of a hunt.) I'd be quite content to carry my 7x57 (a single shot even ) with a 'magazine full' of 150 Partitions (or 139/140 monos, but they just seem wrong in the old Mauser chamber somehow.)

I've only taken one bull moose so I'm no expert on the subject. But I hunted with a Savage levergun in .308 shooting 180 grain core-lokt ammo. Distance was about 125 yards. Two quick shots into the chest organs toppled the beast. We found both bullets curled up like the magazine photos. Damage to the lungs was quite ghastly.

Sherwood

Use a premium bullet around 150-160 grains.

I lost a nice black bear on a guided hunt with a Sierra 170 in my 7x57. I contemplated getting some Barnes X's and wish I had. My shot wasn't perfect...and that can happen .

Don't skimp on the bullets.




Dan

I agree, lots of cartridges and bullets work. Put one in the boiler room and the moose will die. The problem is sometimes it doesn’t happen that way as was the case in 2000. And some of those moose didn’t stand there waiting to be shot again. That may be the norm in Alaska but a few of the moose taken that year Maine ended up in a swamp or a ravine and it took hours to get them out.

My point was to use a gun that is capable of putting a moose down quickly. I guess the 7x57 could do that but I probably wouldn’t intentionally take a shoulder shot with one like I did with the Whelen. If I’m paying 5k for a hunt or drew a tag I may never draw again, I’m using something that can anchor a moose from any angle. To each his own.

The real moral to the story is when you need high tech bullets its to late to pull the core lokt out of the chamber...

Nothing hard about killing moose, just cuz they are big animals doesn't mean they are tough. They have vitals the size of a sheet of plywood and lots of lung! I can recall when I moved to Alaska in 95 and started asking folks I met about hunting moose. Keep in mind the guys I was asking were military guys with very little Alaska hunting experience, but they had more Alaska experience than I did. The only rifle I owned was a 30-06 and these guys were spouting off all kinds of garbage how a 338 WM should be considered the minimum and that a 375 H&H is optimum and I was like chit I don't have the money to buy another rifle. Fast forward to my first moose hunt and I'm 30 yards from a bull I stalked for 3/4 of a mile and as he lay there chewin his cud I raise the crosshairs on this bull and all the garbage I had been told was going through my head. Your guns not big enough your guns not big enough.....well that bull never even stood up, 30-06 crushed him, as it wasn't a little bull. After killing a half a dozen moose of my own and another 6-10 by buddies I'd say there aren't many bullets that won't work on moose, they simply aren't hard to kill. The only real advice I can give you is don't shoot them in the water if you don't have the right equipment to get them out, that sucks!

First Bull

It appears the consensus is either cartridge (7X57 & 270) will work. Now I propose the question:

Factory fodder or hot reloads?

I am assuming since it is so old the 7x57 maybe downloaded in the factory stuff.

Seriously you think .007" of diameter could make a difference?

The most practical option would be to buy my .375 H&H listed in the classified

Of course it would.


There was the gun counter guy that explained to a customer why the 340 Wby hits so much harder than a 338WM....

"It's amazing the difference those two thousandths make!"

Well yeah, and the same holds for why the 308 is so good. (It's 0.0074 bigger than the 30/06 of course.)

Damn, you learn something new here, every day.

When I lived in Northern BC, by far the most popular firearms for moose were the .30-06, .303 British, and the lowly .30-30.

It's all about shot placement.

Ive done it with 30-06 and 308. Both worked about the same. next time I go I'll be using a Weatherby Vanguard Back country in 06.

Don't start making fun on here; there are probably more than couple Alaskans that could give you a reel edge-ewe-ucation!

7x57 Mauser was used effectively on African plains game for decades.

I hunted moose in New Foundland in 2015 (unsuccessfully) and the guides used 7-08 and 300 Savage when they hunted.

"Newfoundland" is one word.

Just sayin'.

Many folk there use plain olde 303s.