Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 40’s for AK Moose but 375’s for Buffalo!

Have been reading some of MAINER IN AK’s posts and he has convinced me a 40 is just right for Alaska’s moose. In contrast I am convinced a 375 (or a 9.3-62) is just right for African buffalo. What? That can’t be! Read on.

Mainer likes the 40’s for moose so he can drop them where they stand. He points out that moose that run tend to die in water or in cut banks etc. They never die in a better place than where they are shot. Also he handles them himself or with one other unfortunate soul. No help coming. The bulls tend to be solitary and hunted in very remote locations. The hard work just begins after the critter is down.

In contrast African buffalo are herd animals. After receiving the first shot they always run away with the rest of the herd. It is very very unusual for a buffalo to charge before it is wounded unless suffering from an old injury. So it isn’t a big deal if your bull runs some distance before expiring. When it is down there are always lots of men around to wrangle the thing and get it into a Toyota. The celebration begins when it is down.

The specifics of the situation call for different solutions.

Sounds logical.

Sounds like a call to use a big gun on moose.

That's not the same as justifying a small gun for Buffalo.
Just saying a 375 is plenty. As it would be for moose, unless you want more.

Definitely does not imply any reason to not use a 40 on a Buffalo.

I'm a bigger is a bit better guy, but I find it hard to believe a 40 is really going
to make much difference over a 375 on a moose. Given the standards of similar
placement, bullets, animal angles...

Never shot a 4 legged moose,
never had a two legged one be rude enough to ask for a bigger gun.

Brings to mind the best place to shoot a moose, regardless of caliber or cartridge , is IN THE ROAD.

A guy should shoot what he wants. It’s his fun, after all. Still, the percentage of moose shot with 40+ cal rifles must be exceedingly small. Probably too small to draw any firm conclusions. I’d think shot placement would be the biggest factor with such issues.

30-06 is all you need for a moose, if you use correct bullet and shot placement. Many more moose fell and still fall to 30-06 then 40's.

Read mainer in AK’s posts. I am relying on his reports of moose hunting. He has more experience than anyone I know.

Moose instinctively run into water when escaping predators as their long legs give them a distinctive advantage for defense. Moose shot through the lungs, usually stay on their feet for a short while and will often run into the water if water is available. NOT A GOOD THING!.......butchering a moose in the lake or river is a bitch.

I can't remember shooting a moose with >40 cal but it's been several decades since I hunted the waterways. Mainer is a talented canoe builder and primarily hunts waterways and he likes to hunt with more traditional gear and firearms. His reasoning fits his needs IMO.

Hmm. I’ve always thought African buffalo is tougher than a moose. But I’ve seen moose take some hits and just stand there. Tough SOB.
If the 375 is big enough for elephants then it has to be big enough for moose.
Q, Anyone ever shoot a moose in the neck? I’ve shot 3 elk in the neck, and they drop where they are standing.

That’s what I gathered as well. For his specific circumstances the bigger bores plant them big rutted up beasts. Makes sense to me. I am sure Mainer knows other stuff will kill them but he also doesn’t wanna take a bath while quartering them so he wants em deader faster.

Cool thread Rick.

I've shot deer and caribou in the neck and dropped where they are standing. Certainly desirable!
But My buddy had wounded a large bull moose and asked me to help put it down before it got into the brush. Two shots at 80 yards with 300 WSM and 180 TSX failed to drop the bull. Neither TSX impacted the CNS nor did either bullet exit the neck. I recovered both perfectly opened bullets. The neck of a bull moose is a very dense mass of muscle.

Necked an Alberta moose with a .300 Win, 180 gr NP. Nearly straight-on facing me. Dropped so hard could hear/feel the impact 75 yds away. Guide drove right to it with quad, hugged me, didn't have to wade into the brush

Friend on same trip, couple days later, got same same result with .338 and 210 gr NP.

Vern,
Yep. Helped track/recover a bull that was shot in the neck with a brenneke black magic 12 gauge slug. The slug hit four fingers width low, from behind the ear. A "perfect" neck shot.

Bull dropped, bled all over the place, the guys set down guns. the guys started high-fiving, shaking hands.

Bull recovered from the shock, got up and covered at least half a mile of territory and bedded down. Still had to be finished off when they caught up to him. My right knee still isn't right, from packing that moose.

I always break out the front end as my first shot.


I believe this was the thread yall are referring to:
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/15949455/1

Where you hit them,is farrrrrrr MORE important than whatcha', hit 'em with. Hint.

I don't have a Bloody Moose Rifle with more than (5) Bulls and (5) shots on it and a "lowly" 7-08 to boot. Hint.

Smoothbores are for Feathers. Hint................

True words!

After retrieving a moose from a 3' deep icy cold beaver pond, thank heaven for the chainsaw powered winch, I am all in favor of them dying in the road.

I’d tend to listen to mainer as he’s actually out killin big shiit. You could always listen dummies like liar Larry, that guesses and listens to imaginary voices in his head.

Spike moose don’t count dumbfuuck.😘👊🏻

The point I was attempting to illustrate was that there is a big difference between dropping a big animal where they are standing compared to hitting it and then waiting for it to expire after running for 10 to 15 seconds.

A 375 works very well on buffalo because, being a herd animal, they run off with the herd at the shot. Therefore it isn’t necessary or even possible to drop them where they stand. But if you want to drop a big moose where he stands the I agree with MAINER’s reasoning.

Finally, I am certain MAINER or any other Alaskan hunter does not have 3 or 4 guys with a Land Cruiser and winches to haul their moose and cut it up.

If you can get the perfect, broadside, double lung shot at a moderate distance, almost any respectable hunting rifle will do the job. It's when you screw up that the plan changes.

Each to their own choices.
I might be prejudiced in favor of the .416's. I have shot a couple of moose with my 20" barrel 416 Ruger / 350 TSX. This rifle & cartridge is definitely one of my favorites. I consider it near ideal in the area that I hunt.
The cartridge itself certainly does not limit my shot opportunities.

I have also been very pleased with the 338 Winchester / 225 TSX and 375 Ruger / 270 TSX also. I have had, dead on bullet arrival / drop at the shot with these. Limited examples, and no two shots are absolutely identical, but I think the 416 gives a bit more destruction when heavier bone is hit.