Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 99 for moosies

Howdy boys:

Gonna use my new 99 .300 on moose this year. Would like any input from others who have done so. Please no lectures about marginal calibers, as I shun magnums and have killed enough game with a .30 WCF to be leary of armchair balisticians. For me, a .300 is an ultra moderne ripsnortin flat shootin scare the crows and old women kind of cartridge, and the 99 the first new fangled non-hammer gun I've owned. I am also, thanks to the ginormous old black powder cartridges a tad recoil sensitive, so would l like to stick to the 150, and am not yet geared up for reloading this cal. If you've kilt moose with this round, I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks

I've shot calf moose with my 300 Sav, and have a friend who has shot a bull with 300 Sav. Both clean kills.

If you are gonna shoot a bull, I find it fairly easy to get close to them in my neck of the woods. A 75-100 yard shot with a 300 Sav will definently do the trick.

If you'd use a 308, use a 300 Sav and get 10 yards closer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Beyond 200 yards, I believe something with more gusto is needed.

vega: The little 300 will do a nice job on moose at reaonable ranges. My inclination would be to use a heavier bullet than the 150,either a 165 or 180 flat base bullet, but if you have a strongly constructed 150 in mind it would do the job. I've never found moose hard to kill and have either used or seen used 30-30, 243, 250-3000, 257 Rbts. as well as a host of more powerfull cartridges. All worked when shots were well placed although the 243 and 250 are pretty marginal in my mind as moose are large with solid bones and good penetration is a must.

Hey Vega, love your sig line! Add side by side shotguns to the list and you've got it covered (even though the banjo I'm playing now is a Bacon)! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Well heck, naturally doubles. Any other kind of shotgun ain't. And, of course, a Bacon is as good as ham with your eggs.

As Craig Boddington of Guns & Ammo says... There's nothing more important than proper shot placement!!!!

Sorry, we don't have many moosies down here in Texas.

Happy Hunting!!!

In Murray's book there are some testimonials about killing some bull moose with a 303 savage. I think one was at 60 yards and the other one was at 280 yards. Of course the one killed at 280 was tracked for half a mile. I would think the 300 savage would have a little more punch than the 303.

I've shot 3 moose, two with a 308 win and the other with a 375HH. The 375hh was a t 150 yards and it wnet down in it's tracks. It was a bull guestamated at 1400 lbs in the yukon.

The two with the 308 where both within 100yards, both where in the 1000lbs range and both where recovered within 100 yards. The only problem is that within 100 yards of one was a nasty swamp. It took 48 hours of back breaking work to get him out.

The 300 or 303 savs will definatly do the job within 200 yards or so, they can pretty much do anything that a 308 can, but from my limited experience they don't anchor the animal the way I'd like.

Use premium bullets, I like the 150gr nosler partition myself, but a bear claw, a-frame or the like will work OK.

The only question is do you want to take the slightly higher risk of using an adequate caliber to take what for most people is a very rare game oportunity. If you take a 7mm or 30 mag you definatly up the percentages a little and for a good moose every little bit helps.

In days of yore, including now, I have gotten much ribbing from my hunting partner for using the .30 WCF on game (girl gun, can't kill anything bigger than a rabbit etc.) but have killed plenty of deer with it, and about 20 deer with a round-ball muzzleloader, so tend to think shot placement is the key. When I want to knock the big stuff off their feet, I have used the .45-70 with mild loads. Now that I am older, beat up and poverty stricken, the Savage is the only rifle I have. I hunt for food, not sport, so it will have to do the job. Will let you know how it works. Thanks for all the input.

IMO,if you can't kill a moose with a 300 Savage with a decent bullet,you have no business hunting them.

Heck,I wouldn't hesitate to hunt them with a 30/30,and this is coming from someone who does their black bear hunting with a 378 Weatherby.

It's all about where you hit them.

The Native Americans had no problem getting their meat with their 30/30 carbines.

WB.

This is true, but why hunt with an adequate caliber that should do the job when you can use a caliber that will do the job.

If you can shoot a 7mm mag well, and most people can. Then this gives you more range and more power. Believe me when you hit a moose in swamp country it's nice to put them down. Draging them out of a march just ant any fun.

I'm not saying that a 300 sav will not do the job I'm saying that a 7mm mag or 30 mag will do it much better.

This post is going just where the original poster didn't want to go. He's gonna do it! He just asked to hear from others who have already done it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Well I'm not realy an armchair ballistician. I've taken at least 20 bears, 20 deer and 4 moose (three bulls and one cow) as well as 2 caribou. I'f also been to africa where I took a greater kudu, gemsbook, thonpsons gazelle, warthog and sable antilope.

That being siad I don't realy understand how anyone can say that a 7mm mag is not better then a 300 sav for moose. Moose are often taken at longer ranges then are deer. They do weigh well over 1000 lbs and they can certanly cover some pretty tough groung when hit.

Is a 300 sav adequate for the job? Yes at moderate ranges.

Is a 7 mag or 30 cal mag better for moose? Yes at longer ranges and where putting the animal down so that it can't head into a god awful swamp is an issue.

Wow! I'm really impressed...

I know three people who have killed moose with their .308 Winchesters, using the 165 grains Nosler Partition bullets.

I know several guys who have killed quite a few bull elk with their Savage 99s in .300 Savage, some with factory cartridges and some with handloads. Two I called said they reload with the 165 grains Nosler Partition.

So, if you want to use your .300 Savage, I strongly suggest you either reload with a premium 165 grains bullet, or buy the same in factory cartridges.

Good luck. L.W.

yes hand load's is the way, If you use enough powder you may get a magum as powerful as a pal of mine that killed a huge moose in canada with a long bow. go magum go, Hubie,, <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Adequate is enough gun for me. If I wanted to kill 'em, gut 'em, skin 'em and bloody all the meat in one shot, I would use a magnum. Magnumitis, huge scopes, rangefinders, GPS and the rest have done much to ruin the original joy, mistique and off-your-feet iron sight hunting ability of our ancestors. It surprises me that the gun manufacturers haven't yet come up with a recoiless lazer guided .50 BMG that weighs 5 pounds shooting an explosive bullet. They would sell a zillion. Seems to me also, that folks intersted in 99's would be of the old-time hunting religion. I worked for many years in the gun business, and you wouldn't believe how many lost animals I heard about that were hit with magnums by people who couldn't shoot straight, either because of recoil or because of shots attempted at ridiculous ranges. If I had my way, all hunting would be with 19th century guns and iron sights. OK. that's enough from me.

Sorry about that spleen venting, folks. Live and let live.