What is the best combination for moose to 500 yards?

There you go 'Stick wade (pun intended) in on this one.......I want to hear 'Sticks #1. Laffin'

wow,its gonna take a rather large and faily quick round to do a moose at 500 yards .your gonna need 1200 pounds of energy at that range minimum. that will transfer to at least a 165 gr pill form a 7mag or a 30 caliber with 180s. but u better have your ballistics ,aka drop

Up to 500? To me I would start with faster rounds like the 264 Win mag and go up from there. Around here "moose gun" is synonymous with a 300 magnum of some sort fwiw.

Depends on what you already have. If you have a 30-06 on up, just use that. I doubt that you will actually shoot at any moose at 500 yards anyway. If you really ever get to do this, I would recommend a 9.3x62 or .375 and a very good range finder.

Interesting how people recommend .300 Magnums etc. for moose. Moose weigh more than Cape buffalo and, in Africa, they think a .375 is marginal for buff. Perhaps buff are over-rated.

Moose are not that tough, not like a Cape Buffalo. They also don't typically try to grind you into the dirt either. I would politely suggest a 9.3x62 is far from ideal for long shots (+300 yards) on moose.

I have only shot one moose past 300 yards, most are shot at ~150 yards or closer.
I tend to lean toward large diameter heavy bullets at manageable velocities as these seem to anchor the animal better than the zippy 30's and there ilk. A wandering moose can cause a lot of work.

338-06 with 225 Nosler A/B 2700 MV

It'll work just fine.

How about a 33?

I have only shot 4 moose and my wife a couple more.. So our experience is not vast.. Killed two with my old .300 WM, one with the 7mm Wea. mag. and one with my 375 H & H..
My wife took two: one with an '06 and her last with a 7mm Rem. magnum.. All worked fine.. Hit my last in the neck with the 375, of course it fell on the spot.. My wife's last was shot with a 140 g. BTBT. Hit about 1/3 of the way up behind the shoulder, it took one step and fell. The one with the 06 ran the greatest distance.. If I were going tomorrow, I would take my .300 first and the 7mm second.

I am sure someone with more experience than myself can reply to this but I bet there is a good reason why they call the Cape Buffalo, Black Death.

I killed more moose while looking through a fixed 4X scope than anything else by a wide margin, though 2.5X and 6X have always served just as well. The 30-06 has never been too much, but always easily plenty - more than anything else I've used, both smaller and larger.

500 yds is several hundred yards too far to pack one.

I know a 25-06 will kill a moose stone dead but for best the .308 would be my starting point and a 338 win mag or 375 H&H are never a bad choice. I like simple so fixed 6X.

My brother and my neighbor (and good friend) are much more experienced at killing moose than I and they both use the same rig for moose (and everything else): BLR in .308 w/1-4 Leupold and whatever ammo was on sale at Walmart when they were stocking up for the year. And yes, they've killed them close on to 500 yards if not quite that far.

I think that a SS,synthetic stocked,.338 Win.Mag,with a scope somewhere around 2.5-8 or 3.5-10(I'm a Leupold fan). Quality bullets(my wife uses 225 Barnes TTSX's),give it a 300 yrd. zero and your easily good to 400 yrds. still holding on hair.Beyond 400 and a rangefinder would be handy! memtb

Up here in moose country, 308s and 270s work very neatly. As will anything larger. They're not armor plated.

Would a 35 Whelen be appropriate in this situation? I'm by no means qualified for an opinion, but that doesn't mean I can't ask the question.

I would not feel that a .35 Whelen would be bad choice but 500 yards is an awfully long shot. Having used both on elk, my choice would be .338 Winchester Magnum over the Whelen. With either I would try to get a shooting opportunity in the 200-300 yard range.

1200 FPE? Explain how energy is relavent to the wound channel. I killed and seen moose killed with revolvers that had much less than 1200 pounds of energy. A guy killed a charging moose in Alaska with one shot from a 9mm. Claiming a certain amount of energy needed is an exercise in futility.

Yes. That is what I use.

In my VAST experience of 1 (grin), my 300Win/200TSX @ 200yds = a moose that never took a step. Angled the bullet from the center of the lungs into the off-side shoulder. Moose stood in place for ~10sec and reared up and tipped over backwards. I'd have shot again but at the shot a 2nd moose stepped in front of the one I'd already shot.

I'd be confident with that combo as far as I figure I could get a good read on the wind @ the moment I was shooting. Some days that'd be 800+, other days it'd be no more than 200.

I hunt mostly very open country so I have a 4-12x40 on the 300 I've owned the longest and used the most and 4.5-14's on the other 2. They'll all shoot the same load to the same POA, MOA or better.

Yep; would not suggest a Whelen for 'multi-purpose/distance' on animals the size of moose, although it would punch lungs alone as long as you could find them.

I did poke a moose one time with a pair of 250 cup and cores at a distance of around 400 yards. The launch vehicle was a 340 Weatherby and the landing area was the heavily muscled shoulders. A GameKing made it all the way through; the Interlock stuck in the muscles of the far side.

Another moose, same rifle, 535 yards stopped both Barnes 225s - which didn't expand. That moose died - slowly- because one bullet breeched a major artery.

70 grains of RL15 and a 300 Partition were not enough for the shoulder muscles of a big bull at less than 50 yards.

Perhaps I should have used more than the 375 H&H?

The 300 mags seem to have both the needed bullet weights and the speed to separate themselves from lesser cartridges when the going gets long for moose. But as has been mentioned, many moose hunting scenarios involve much shorter distances.

Thanks, I'm using a +P 9.3x62 , getting a dial installed on the scope to compensate for the rainbow like trajectory with the 285gr Mega, it has enough power . + 300 yard shots are rare where I hunt but still don't want to pass on a longer shot.

I can't think of a better choice than a 338-06 w/a 210gr partition at 2750fps. And no I don't believe a 300gr partition failed on a moose's shoulder at 50yds, even if it was shot out of a 300Blackout. powdr

I've seen lots of moose die. I've seen mini-14s bring them down easily and I've seen .375s and their ilk do the same. I once shot a fair-to-middling bull at something more than 450 yards with a Whelen and, if he could vote, I expect the bull would rate the Whelen as too much gun for moose even at 450+ yards.... I'd take the same shot again and expect a similar result.

I've killed them with other rifles and cartridges all with the same ending, a dead moose and a tiring pack. No reason to make this harder than it is: finding the moose is the hard part, killing it is rather simple and big moose die all the time from cartridge and bullet combinations that many on this forum would consider marginal for whitetails.

How many meese you shot? Seen shot?

I just wish we had enough moose to shoot here

The only conclusion that can be ascertained here after all these more than adequate options, is to buy one of each, and approach it scientifically.................eenie - meeeenie - mineeeeeee - moe. Problem solved.

Guess the forum think that bigger is better, at least for moose. But, 500 yds is way too far to be shooting at any animal.

I've shot 5 moose. Closest was a cow moose at 30ft Savage 340, 150gr Hornady Spire Points at 2200fps. Calf Moose at approx 100yds 400gr cast from a Ruger #1 45-70. Decent sized bull at about 75 yds 416 Rigby. Cow Moose at 125 yds 6.5x55 from a surplus 38 Mauser 140 gr Norma SP 2200fps . Fairly large bull at 80 yds with a Marlin 336a 30-30 150 gr fp .

All were shoot in the lungs none went farther then 50 yds.

Killing Moose is easy, once they are down the fun (work) starts.

It was late season when I shot the Bull with the Rigby -30c, the frozen hummocks in the willows just about did us in trying to pull the quarters out. This was pre quads so it was a couple of ropas and pull.

The cow shot with the 6.5x55 was shoot on the shores of a lake and floated back to a landing area.

Flyer

OH, that was Klik's post...I repent. powdr

no repenting... just saying, they ain't all that small, and bullets take a beating going through solid muscle.

Its hard to describe, until youv'e BTDT.

a 300 out of a whisper wouldn't have a chance and being a pass through.

Just saying...

I have carried a 30-30 many times, but have never had the allusion that the bullets would be pass throughs either.

They remind me a LOT of shooting nilgai..

While it can be done with smaller, they need good bullets and precise shot placement off of the larger meat/bone areas.... IE arrow placement thinking.

For many yes, but don't handicap those that are capable with blind statement.

Moose at 500 for me would be a very simple target. Its easy to hit clay pigeons at 500, but for moose it would require a large, IMHO, round... 338 Lapua type territory to be on the safe side.

I limit my 338-06 to about 250 personally....

I'm perfectly comfortable with my 7-08 and 162AM...

Probably my favorite video on youtube. At least right up there 1100 meter moose shot.

Perhaps I'm alone in this, but I actually find that video rather troubling. But perhaps they have so many moose around there that they can afford to lose a couple now and then?

Your not alone! Do it on steel but 500 is the limit under perfect condition on game. First round hit at 1100 yards is tough in field conditions.

Troll.

Its not a shot I would be comfortable with but I seldom get shots over 200 yards but it was a well placed ethical shot, from what I can tell.

Im not handicapping anyone. How is getting closer handicapping the shooter. I just believe that any ethical Hunter will get as close as possible or pass on the shot. Shooting as far away as you can make the shot doesn't make it ethical. Few bullets from any chambering at good velocity will properly expand at that range.

I am more than happy to second guess what that guy was doing. There were two bulls there plus cows/calves. The bull he shot ran a slightly smaller bull off. His shot went a bit high since he quite obvious either hit the spine - or close (probably), or his shot hit the kidneys. Getting the rug jerked out of his back end wasn't a centered lunger. Obviously the lungs were punctured judging by the blood out of nose/mouth, and presumably that was from the original shot, though it could have been a follow-up while motoring up - though I doubt that the way the animal went down; the hinds looked pretty much done. Perhaps the camera picked up the muzzle blast, but it looked like the bullet zipped through and landed to the right beyond the right hand animal.

A simple lung shot would probably have left some uncertainty about a lethal hit. Perhaps he was so confident in what he was doing that he wouldn't have shot again. Seems to me a fellow ought to finish it once it's started, but that's just me. Sorting out which animal was hit - maybe- among several milling moose is not a comfortable situation to be in, even at a small fraction of that distance! I don't know who was keeping an eye on the little girl besides the shooter. Had that turned into a rodeo, she becomes a big liability and would certainly make tracking an interesting deal.

I've seen a 300 Win Mag go to work on moose quite a few times at much less distance than that. It's one of the best, but it isn't an unlimited death beam.

And besides, when you've got moose doing what those animals are doing, and have a kid in tow, why not motor up closer and cow-call the 'loser'? How cool would that be for the kid to see a moose approach?

It's an interesting video to view, for sure, but it is so loaded with potential problems that it doesn't really offer much in the way of recommendations (other than go make some of those same videos but hunting moose-lems in Iraq. )

Not one for long shots, but on goats, bear and moose have had the chance to do it, but only as I felt it was doable. 25/06 for the goat, 375 H&H for bear and moose.
This is one bullet I did take a picture of, 300 grain Nosler partition.
Had the rifle sighted to be on at 300 yards, had to hold on the top of the mooses hump to hit him.

30/06 has been doing it for decades

Because of the 500 yard distance mentioned, I'd go with a fast 30 or 338. In this situation with the distance mentioned I'd pick the 300 WIN MAG over the 338 WIN MAG, but under 250 yards I'd do the reverse.
Best if you can shoot it would be a 338 RUM, 340 WBY MAG or 338 Lapua.
Pick the cartridge that'll work when things go wrong, not the one that only works when it's all cherry.

That 1100 meter shot seemed to take ~ 3 seconds from gun-shot to impact. I wouldn't take the chance on the critter moving, making a crippling shot - even if I was so equipped, and capable.

On this issue , yes. Waiting to hear from shtick, need to know what a phuqk-up I am at choosing a moose rig.

............Interestingly, no mention of what cartridge and bullet used.

i'm taking a 300 win mag after a Canadian one, topped it with a swarovski z6i 3-18x50. killed oryx and whitetail with it too. good all around rifle and round for what i do and what i wanna do. the oryx was shot with a 190 gr berger bullet


killed this guy in New Mexico 350 yards

Don't know about 500, but it worked fine at 440. M70 in 358STA with leupold 1.75-6X.

338 Rum, 338 Lapua, 358 Norma Mag, 338-378, 378, or big 50 BMG.

Many of these would work for mulligan moose.

My father shot a mulligan moose at 450 yards with an 8mm Remington Mag and I had to go out and finish it off. He is a good shot but even then his Bushnell Scopechief 3x9 was not up to the job.

Many hunters who like the long range hunting are moving to the 50 BMG. They say that it results in a bang flop.

Why was it the scopes fault instead of the limitations of the man behind the trigger, did the scope break?

Cheap scope. the poi would shift 6 inches at 450 yards. That would be a very long shot at that time. He had to engage very quickly because it was near Denali Highway and many people were hunting at the time. Late 1980s.

If you follow the link back to the YouTube site, the fellow, Trey, indicates that he used a 300 Win Mag.

Dedicated moose guns begin with .30 cals and get bigger. While any progectile that will penetrate the lungs will kill a moose and I love the 6.5x55, .270 and similar cartridges and have no issue hunting moose with them, a dedicated moose gun they are not.
The 500 yard portion of your request eliminates some personal favorite big moose guns such as the big bore levers, .358 Winchester and 9.3 & 8x57 mauser. I'd have to look at the .338, .358, .375 magnums, probably with the .358 Norma or a wildcat like my friends .366x300 win mag.

Hard to beat at 7mm in a Semi Custom CRF Winchester platform.
Bullet was 150gr TTSX over 65gr H4831SC. Federal Match Magnum Primers.

Love the color on that'un. (I've always wondered if those red/brown antlers resulted from thrashing mainly alders rather than just about everything else as some do.) Looks like you collected quite an adventure on that hunt.

Not exactly sure where he hunted but it can't be too far from here, the color of those moose antlers look totally normal :)They seem to like to rub on red alder and pine trees around here from what I have seen.

..........Thank you sir........I would not attempt an 1100 meter shot on a moose. But should I ever get the opportunity to take a 500 yard shot on a moose, then I think the middle cartridge below will do the trick...

Hunted 100 miles from Prince George. Same darn beautiful country.

Good moose country near P.G.

If I was putting together a dedicated moose rifle it would be a 35 Whelen shooting a 250 gr bullet. It would have a 4 power scope on top. This is a 358 Norma with a stubby barrel delivering Whelen ballistic's.

Mine exactly.

Winchester 70 Classic stainless, McMillan Edge, Zeiss Conquest 2.5-8.

8 lbs all up, loves 225 TSX at 2900 FPS.

What is the barrel length on it?

I like shooting Moose close. My longest shot was 150 yards and my closest was 65 yards. Both with the .30-06. I also killed one at 75 yards. I want to kill one even closer. Under 50 yards I hope.

Wrong forum. Big Stick isn't allowed to post here in Gunwriters.