I agree with most everything Rost said, and we can talk shot placement, caliber, bullet weights/designs all day, citing examples - mostly one-of...
But.... I almost never recover bullets with anything- almost all, regardless of species, caliber, bullet weight, are exits, unless hitting spine, in which case there isn't usually much left to find. You guys must be shooting iron-plated or rubber-hided critters.....
I shot my first of 21 or 22 bull moose with an open-sighted 336 in 30-30, using silver tips. Probably 170s. Unaware, double lunged (with exit) at about 100 yards, the 3 year old bull, turned and ran toward me, dying in a small spruce clump about 15-20 yards to my left.
I shot a running spike with a 12 ga slug, through the artery just under the spine, at 35 yards. Nice 12 ga. slug hole all the way through, no expansion. He fell over in dead run about 100 yards down the meadow, all bled out (best moose I've ever eaten).
My wife took a 3 year old bull with 100 grain .243 (factory Corelokt or Partition- I don't recall) at about 70 yards, after I cautioned her to let him finish his drink and turn back away from the stream. Double lunged, again a .243 size pencil through (missed ribs both sides, jellied lungs), he hunched, then walked about 25 feet to behind a screen of willow, stood there for maybe a minute while his lungs filled up and he fell over.
I punched a fork-horn, face on, just under the "chin" at 16 yards with a .338 WM 275 gr Speer GS hand load, hitting the spine, half-decapitating him and almost flipping him over on his back. No exit, apparently, just lots of bone and bullet frag in a very large wound!
My largest (and second) at 62 1/2 inches was taken quartering on at perhaps 150 yards, using an 03-A3 in 308 Norma Mag, and 180 grain , Norma factory loads. Caught the nearside lung, went back through the diaphragm, don't recall if it exited. He stopped, turned sideways, and the second one to the spine just behind the ear dropped him like a brick.
I've gone to cns shots if I can get them, with any animal, caliber, or load. "if I can get them", depends on several factors, the over-riding one being surety of placement.
About half of my bulls were taken with 30-06, and 150, 165, and 180 loads, mostly factory Corelokts. The last one, at about 20 yards, was with factor ySP Hornady 150 GMX to the spine at the base of the ear. Next to my wife's previously mentioned bull, easiest one I've taken. Shut the snowmachine off, lay the rifle across th wind screen, boom, drive the snowmachine up next to him ands start dressing.
I have to admit tho, that little Bravo really didn't care much for 500 lbs or so of moose meat in the sled behind, along with a caribou and 100 lbs or so of gear. Got terrible milage on the way back.... :)+
I've often regretted not keeping a log or diary of my hunts and kills, but it's too late now, and my memory is for chit sometimes.
