Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 300 WBY for Moose

I almost did take a 270 with 150 Core-Lokt moose hunting. Instead I opted for a 7mm Rem Mag with 175 Federals

Was it 150 or 170 grain and was it a mono?😄

PennDog

170 Winchester Silvertips

I have shot many moose in Alaska and been involved in many more that were killed by co hunters. Moose are pretty easy to kill, just give them 10 seconds or so to understand they just been mortally wounded and tip over. In my experience a whitetail will generally run further once hit than a moose will. They are huge creatures and bullet penetration is needed. A well built 180 grain bullet is a good place to start. and could offer some assurance if you have to take a raking shot. In a perfect world with a clear broadside shot they are easy to kill. We often don't run into those perfect situations when hunting.

In our hunting parties most used either a 338 Win Mag or a 375 H&H (my choice). These thumpers were picked not only because they were a good choice for moose but because we all knew it was a good possibility of running into grizzlies. I killed my last two with a Chapuis double rifle in 9,3x74R. My son shot his last one with a 06 and 180 grain Partition. It worked great.

I have plenty of photos. I was asked by a couple of editors if I would write up an article or three so photos will have to wait. Suffice it to say, I was just sharing that even a .50 cal bullet at around 1800fps can do wonders shot in the right spot on a large moose.

Could not have said that better myself

So I was asked about my reaction if offered a 150 gr. TSX / 300 Weatherby for moose. And received a few comments about my "prejudice". Yup, that 150 TSX would work. Still in my opinion a relatively poor choice, but it would kill a moose. Or at least most moose in most situations.
The OP asked about steering the hunter toward his own preference, a 180 gr. or a 200 gr. Accubond. Both would be superior choices in my opinion. Wider wound channel, more tissue destruction, and penetration at least as deep as that 150 gr. TSX. Almost nobody commented on the 150 partition. Some compared their results with a .308 as if it's appropriate to assume the same bullet performance when shot from a .300 Weatherby. Apparently some don't realize the velocity from a Weatherby puts MUCH more stress a bullet, and penetration suffers when velocity exceeds bullet design parameters.
I've personally witnessed a few moose ( and elk ) that stopped .308" 150 grain cup and core bullets in the humerus/scapula joint. Shots were quartering towards the shooter. No parts of those bullets penetrated to the vitals. Good thing second or third shots were actually effective. I don't believe the Nosler Partition 150 grain would do much better, but maybe. I'm not willing to risk that. I've personally only shot whitetail and mule deer and similar sized critters with 150 grain .308". I've witnessed a couple moose killed with 130 grain Barnes tsx from a 30-06. They can do the job too if put in the right place. I just don't see the point of using the lightest possible bullet that "might" do the job when heavier ones almost always do the job! The job in this case is to break the humerus bone and continue on in a nearly straight line to penetrate through the vitals.
Moose aren't mysterious to most Canadian hunters. I've hunted moose for almost 40 years now, and in my opinion if you think all moose can be taken cleanly by just waiting for a broadside presentation because of the limitations of your light for caliber bullet you're going to be eating a lot of tag soup. And quite possibly leaving a few wounded moose in the bush to die unnecessarily slowly.
I've hunted moose with a range of bullets and cartridges from the .243 to 450-400 3" Nitro Express. Been present when moose were killed with .270, 7x57, 7mm08, .308, .30-06, 30R Blaser, .300 win, .303 Brit, .356 win, .358 Win, .35 Whelen, 9.3x62, .338, .357 H&H, .375 Ruger, .450-400, .50 Muzzle loader, and probably some I've forgotten. They all work OK. But some cartridge / bullet combinations actually seem "better" than others. Slightly better. At least in my opinion.
IF you have the patience and skill of a local hunter who has killed over 50 moose with his .250 savage, and 100 grain cup and core bullets, then you don't need my advice.

Just a sampling of one moose but this one succumbed to a 150 grain TSX from a 308. Steep quartering shot. Over three feet of penetration and an exit.

Nah, that’ll never work. 🫤

Actually, what a cool rifle. Husqvarna?

Interesting thread, guy can allways learn something from others. Haven't shot any moose but considering their size I would never place a bullet on purpose in the near shoulder. I dbl lung most animals I shoot and try to bust the FAR shoulder on the big animals I've shot that need anchoring. Vitals first and bones on exit it has allways served me well. Just my thoughts and method..mb

In the '60's I was, (still am) a novice hunter living in the Kuskokwim drainage, I had bought it mostly because it was cheap, a pretty nice Mauser 8mm-06 with a bunch of stuff to load it with (modified Lee loader kit), and the oldest Leupold 4x Mountaineer ever seen. But it proved to be a lucky buy, the 225 gr Speers (before Nosler offered an 8mm) with a case jam full of 4350 was a no drama moose killer. Soon my rifle became the village 'loaner', community property so to speak, just like the Oreos in my cabin. Anything to be accepted in the village, LOL.
It killed a lot of moose in a lot of varying situations. It gained a rep for stopping them close to the riverbank for easy transport by raft or skiff.
My point being, I don't know how important the word 'magnum' is to a well hit moose with a high sectional density bullet.

It’s a BSA Majestic. It belonged to her brother who left it to her son. After her son passed from cancer, our daughter in law insisted we keep it. We had been keeping it for him for several years since he didn’t have a safe and wasn’t a hunter. Etta killed several deer and a couple elk with it as well as that cow moose.

That there is a good plan! Monos should work well punching through shoulder blade, I hear. Never used 'em myself. A 300WBY is more gun than is needed, but if it's all you have.....

I've taken 21? moose , (not counting several road hit I've finished with .22Mag pistol) , using .243, 270, 30-30, 12 ga slug, one each, the rest about equally divided between '06 and .338WM. They all died about the same. That high shoulder shot taking out the spine, or any cns/head shot also works very well indeed.

The only problem I've ever had was using a 210 NP .338 WM into the shoulder. Probably a defective bullet and anomaly, as it blew up on the blade, peppering the near side lung with bb-sized bone and lead. That's as far as it made, and I never found the rear portion. Large entry wound.

Having a 50 " bull surge back to it's feet when one is 10 feet in front of it (don't do that!) is more adventure than I care to have. I am going to load up that other 30 rounds from 30 years ago and shoot them up one of these days. Maybe even use them on caribou, if any hunting of those is accessible to me anymore. I've stuck with 225 -275 gr. bullets for that rifle/caliber since.

I'd recommend for the WBY monos 165 and up, or most anything else in 180, 200, 220. NOT any "power-shok" bullets. Or a 30-06, 165 and up.

Nice rifle and a better story. Glad to see you folks putting it to good use.

Just had a moose 20 yards away laying down. Pretty sure I could have killed it with my 22 rimfire. Edk

Why the preference for raking shots over a good broadside lung shot?

No. I said I don't want to "have to" have an animal broadside. Another words I don't wish to be limited. I want to have the option to take the angling shot

I can beat that. I was calling one season, and a sub-legal bull came in and laid down in front of the deadfall I was sitting in, 12 (later measured) feet away. I didn't move anything more than my eyeballs for the next several hours, until he got up and left. I was hoping the big guy I could hear back in the brush would show, but no luck.

It was the same sub-legal that the weekend before had spent 10 minutes or so browsing within 10 yards, at one point 17 feet (also measured) from my feet . I was sitting on the ground, back against a birch, surrounded by a dozen or so cows. He liked me, apparently! At one point, one of the cows was just 5 feet away. I know more about moose bellies than is really necessary!

That big guy never did offer me a look, all season long. His antlers had a very hollow sound to them, tho, so I know he was big.

Bashful too.

Daylight a few weeks ago, out my bedroom window with the cell phone. I think the one above is a bull, need a better look.

As to the effectiveness of 150 grain bullets, my last two bulls and at least one other) were taken with 150's in 30 cal. One was with a Corelokt from a RU77, 17 inch barrel '06 at about 20 yards, right between the eyes, offhand. I prefer 180s tho.

The other was at about 15 yards, with a heavy barreled Mauser 98 '06 (inch groups at 300 yards) , 150 gr. Superperformance just under and behind the ear. Yes, I used the snowmachine windscreen for a rest, on a moose standing dead still, broadside.....

I’ve told this story before but what the heck. When living in Fairbanks in the mid 1970s a guy I knew was coming home from work and saw a two year old bull standing next to a berm pile. He had his 22 rimfire and shot it in the chest. Down it went but it jumped up so he shot it again. Was a lot of work dressing two moose out at one time. Kinda funny though. Edk