Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Moose rifle

If you are not recoil sensitive (and I assume you're not since you're shooting the .45-70) then the .338WinMag (as others have suggested). If you are recoil sensitive, then the .270,.280, 7Mag, .30-06 class of cartridges will work fine.

I have killed a lot of moose with a .338wm. It has never let me down, it also gives you a little more bite if you run into that other large brown mammal that runs around up here. My little brothers 300wsm does a great job on bullwinkle as well.

It's what comes in to the dinner bell after you've shot that moose that you need to be thinking about in a moose gun.

No experience here with the AK/YK moose, but the 45/70 does wonders on shiras bulls. Even though they are bigger, I would imagine that 45/70 of yours would do just fine with AK/YK bulls as well, unless you are looking for a longer range moose gun. In that case, I would trust those who have already sounded off.

Well I shoot a Sako 75 SS in 338 Winchester just for that purpose and elk too. You really can't go wrong with an .30-06. I have a friend who shoots nothing but a 7mm-08 and he collects his every year. The key is a good bullet and being able to put that bullet in the right spot.

You already have the rifle....distances can and will vary though. I've shot them out to 185 yards and as close as 10.

There it is.

Thanks for the welcome. This is a great site!
Todd

I had not idea that moose had rifles!

slow day at the improv....? he he he

338 Win Mag gets my vote as well, love mine and it's a killer!

Like, Klikitarik, I've killed moose with a lot of different stuff from the .243 up. Including a 12 guage slug. Currently carry a .338WM for moose only, but that's mostly in case Big Hairy shows up. Hasn't in 35 years of moose shooting, but ya never know. And if I need to shoot one of those hairy-footed, night-creeping deck crawlers, most anything works at 7 feet. Especially behind a big flashlight!

Of about 20 bulls, only two were over 100 yards. They die easy generally- my '06 has worked just as well as the .338. (Shoot 'em through both lungs, wait 2 minutes, and they'll tip over. Somewhere within 200 yards or so, but generally within 100. Most of us just keep shooting until they go down, if we can see them. About a dozen years ago, after loosing my second bull getting "lost" in nasty chit long enough for the meat to spoil overnight, I went to CNS shots if they present themselves. Saves a lot of angst looking for the durn things.) So for that matter, did everything else work equally well, all things equal. The toughest moose I ever shot was a spike - he took 3 225 grain TB (2nd one thru the knee), and a 250 Sierra Game King before going down. Those other 3 were all good shots, exiting his far side, 2 through the same hole, the last one several inches higher, just below the spine.- he just didn't want to go down. In fact, the first TB went through both shoulder blades and both lungs (120 yards). Every once in a while, if you hunt long enough, you'll find one like that. Especially if they have the adrenaline up, as this one did.

My average shot-distance for all the moose I've killed is 60-70 yards, from 16 closest to about 160 farthest.

In your shoes, I'd get a .300 short mag in stainless/synthetic. Paired with 165 or 180 grain premium bullets of your choice, you have everything up here from deer to brown bear covered, at any range YOU are good for, and it should be light enough for backpacking/ mountain hunting. Good luck.

I think anything from .308 and up is adequate for moose, but I generally go with "bigger is better" as long as you're comfortable with it. I use a 375rum with 300gr a-frames.

The 300wsm is a great gun if you are only going own one rifle for Alaska -- for exactly the reasons stated above. I just purchased one but haven't got to the range with it yet. Of course, why would you only want one?

when you stated you own a .45-70 the rest here took off "lit on fire" about there choices, don't think I came across one reply that said it is a plus. The .45 cal is sure something to see at work, nothing wrong with it either. I surely loved mine before I gave it to my kid brother-a WWG worked over lever gun. Gets some good hardcast or reload and you are gauranteed steaks for dinner if you know where the moose are at.

The other rifle of choice would be for distance shooting-many fine calibers and many fine ones recommended. I too would have to say right off the bat is the .338 win mag. Have 2 of them and is tough to beat. Good bullet selection. Many a moose have fallen to the three-three-eight.

For Pete's sake: he said he has a Mini-14. I thought all Alaskans loaded up TSXs in a 223 and went hunting, grizzlies and all from what I hear.

'Course, I ain't from Alaska either!

You hit a moose in the boiler room with any reasonable cartridge/bullet, they walk off about 50 yards or so, lie down and bleed to death. It makes little difference if it's a .338 WM or a .308.

I have never killed a moose with anything bigger than a 30 cal and have never had any of them do anything but die in short order. Moose arent hard to kill, though it seems that hitting an animal in the right spots is a lot harder for some folks. If you can shoot a 45-70 accurately you'll be fine though it can limit your range some. The primary reason that guys up here use big guns (338WM's and up) for moose hunting is not for the moose, its for the bears they may potentially encounter, and that goes for just about every animal we have here. Guys dont usually grab a gun because it will kill Caribou, Sheep, Moose and Deer exceptionally well but one that can handle the chance encounter with Griz and Browns, they tend to dictate that for us in our psyche's and a few chance encounters just reinforces teh thought process.

He asked what else do I need?.....need I say more.
And yes I think the 45/70 is good.

Oh-oh....guess I gotta quit using that darn 7x57 that's been doing the job!

The .338WM is hard to top as all around cartridge for Alaska hunting.