Choosing a rifle for a Saskatchewan Bull Moose Hunt - Input Requested

I've never hunted Moose. I've never even seen one, but I love my old Husky rifles. I was sold on your 30-06 from the time I read it.

30/06 or 7 rem mag will be plenty , a well placed shot with even a cup and core bullet will take a moose easily. Especially if your max is 400 yards

I shot seven moose with 30-06. Most with 180 gr bullets. But I was a tracker in thick timber so most shots were fairly close. I wouldn't shoot at paper at 400 yards let alone an animal. Not with my 30-06.

Many moose are taken in Canada with the 308 and 30-06. So consider those calibers as a reasonable baseline.

As you mention Moose aren't overly hard to put down but if the shot is marginal and there's water around they have a habit of getting into wet spots than make recovery difficult.

Noting that the shots can be long I'd take the 7mm Rem Mag. It's reasonably light and accurate. Both are good qualities, especially if you're covering some ground. It will perform well on any moose. Seems like a winner.

Sako 85 is my vote, or the 375 for fun.

I don’t like weak or soft bullets for big animals like moose. No to a SST or Fusion. If you did want to use one of the smaller Calibers I’d use a Barnes or swift bullet, just my opinion. (Like the 270)

wildwilderness said:

Sako 85 is my vote, or the 375 for fun.

I don’t like weak or soft bullets for big animals like moose. No to a SST or Fusion. If you did want to use one of the smaller Calibers I’d use a Barnes or swift bullet, just my opinion. (Like the 270)

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You don't like Fusion? I've seen them perform well on big hogs. (Granted, not a moose....before someone says it.)

Or you always have an excuse to buy a new rifle. Jokes apart I think they are all capable using the right ammo.

for what its worth, i have hunted and guided moose for over 40 years. i have shot em with the 7mm and the 338 win AND the 375 ruger. seen more than 50 killed.

just grab the 338 win, it is a perfect moose caliber. better than the 7mm.

Ontario Hunter said:

I shot seven moose with 30-06. Most with 180 gr bullets. But I was a tracker in thick timber so most shots were fairly close. I wouldn't shoot at paper at 400 yards let alone an animal. Not with my 30-06.

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400 yards realistically for the general hunting crowd is too far. I’ve shot at paper at 400 yards with my 35’s but I wouldn’t hunt at that distance.
I’ve actually been hunting and seen animals at 400 and felt that i wanted to get closer because it didn’t feel like I was hunting at that distance even I was able to make a shot.

Hedge774 said:

You don't like Fusion? I've seen them perform well on big hogs. (Granted, not a moose....before someone says it.)

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Most modern bullets will work even if we think we need ultra premium ones that work better. In Canada the Speer hot-cor has dropped more moose than we want to admit!

The one that you shoot the best. And, if your guide or yourself cant get closer than 350-400 yards to a moose, you aren't a very good hunter. Hunting is about how close you can get to make a good clean kill, not how far you can shoot.

Hedge774 said:

You don't like Fusion? I've seen them perform well on big hogs. (Granted, not a moose....before someone says it.)

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We had a bad experience with a fusion on a bull elk with my son- quarter away shot with a 308 win, I don’t recall the weight of the bullet but lack of penetration.

Perfect shot for the angle,less than 200yds. Barely got to the chest cavity. Bull ran no blood, followed it by tracks . Found it an hour later bedded and alive. Luckily we didn’t bump it and he was able to put another shot in. His first Bull elk.

Big animals, can absorb shots. Sure moose are easier to kill than elk, but sometimes the angle is hard and you want to drive a bullet through the stomach (like a big wet bale of hay!) into the vitals. If the bull was perfectly broadside it would have been less important, but wild animals don’t always give you the perfect shot.

I know a Barnes would have penetrated better. That’s why I don’t like too soft a bullet for big animals. Just have more distance to travel. On smaller body cavities soft is ok to get more hydrostatic shock.

.338. Enjoy!

wildwilderness said:

We had a bad experience with a fusion on a bull elk with my son- quarter away shot with a 308 win, I don’t recall the weight of the bullet but lack of penetration.

Perfect shot for the angle,less than 200yds. Barely got to the chest cavity. Bull ran no blood, followed it by tracks . Found it an hour later bedded and alive. Luckily we didn’t bump it and he was able to put another shot in. His first Bull elk.

Big animals, can absorb shots. Sure moose are easier to kill than elk, but sometimes the angle is hard and you want to drive a bullet through the stomach (like a big wet bale of hay!) into the vitals. If the bull was perfectly broadside it would have been less important, but wild animals don’t always give you the perfect shot.

I know a Barnes would have penetrated better. That’s why I don’t like too soft a bullet for big animals. Just have more distance to travel. On smaller body cavities soft is ok to get more hydrostatic shock.

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I appreciate the story! I learn something new on here everyday!

You’ve got no problem. Just flip a coin among the two you shoot most accurately with…

I live in Saskatchewan, what area are you hunting? I’m in the same boat as those who say to use whichever rifle you enjoy hunting with the most. I’ve shot all of my moose with either my .308 or my 7mm RM. I have never felt under gunned. My wife shot her one and only with my 7mm as well. My father killed all of his with his .308 and the rest of my group mostly used .30-06s. Here in Sask very few hunters use anything larger than .300s. As a matter of fact, when my goddaughter was in her early teens, she shot a young bull with her .243. Generally most Canadian moose hunters use our deer rifles. My in-laws in Newfoundland all use .308s as well.
In a lot of the other moose rifle threads all lot of the “big gun” advocates encourage using large calibres for grizzly/brown bear protection. I totally understand the logic there. But here it is not an issue. Depending on the area you are hunting, black bears probably won’t be either.
AND…I don’t really see any need to take a 400 yard shot at a moose. If you can’t call it closer you should be able to easily cut that distance by 50-75% if the wind is right.
But pick the rifle that gives you all the good feelings and enjoy yourself and welcome to my favourite place on Earth!

Many thanks for all of the input and advice. I agree with the various comments about shooting game at 400y not being necessary. I have hunted for more than 50yrs and have NEVER shot live game at 400y (except Prairie Dogs). The longest shot I have ever taken on big game was a 314y shot on a Black Wildebeest in Africa and that was a close as we could get in that open terrain in Free State. Dropped him with one shot with a 7mm/08.

I had a 280ish yard shot on a Nilgai about a week ago but we decided to use the available cover to stalk to within 155y and I dropped the beast with one shot using the 338wm and the TTSX ammo. Within 300y, I can shoot them all well but the 30-06 and the 7mm Mag are the two that shoot the best at long range. I still would want to keep my shots inside 300y and closer if at all possible. Not because I cannot hit them or could not kill them, but as some already said we strive to be better hunters than that. Agreed.

The Husky is the only rifle on my list that has never taken game for me. I have hunted with it but just never had a shot on game with it.... Yet. That might be a good reason to take it.

I am surprised that one of you did not like the Fusion. I have taken six big game animals with various Fusions and 100% if them were one shot kills. That is a perfect record. Any bullet and any rifle will do if the shot is a perfect broadside. It is for the angled shots quartering away that we use the larger, heavier bullets that penetrate more than most. Fusion is good for about 24-28" in most cases but it does open up the most and several options will penetrate deeper, but in my limited experience, 100% of my Fusion bullet shots penetrated all the way thru the critter. That is all we can ask for of any bullet. For Moose, I am looking more at AccuBond or TTSX or Partitions or the Sciroccos.


Husky 30-06 Moose Masher

JG26Irish_2 said:

Many thanks for all of the input and advice. I agree with the various comments about shooting game at 400y not being necessary. I have hunted for more than 50yrs and have NEVER shot live game at 400y (except Prairie Dogs). The longest shot I have ever taken on big game was a 314y shot on a Black Wildebeest in Africa and that was a close as we could get in that open terrain in Free State. Dropped him with one shot with a 7mm/08.

I had a 280ish yard shot on a Nilgai about a week ago but we decided to use the available cover to stalk to within 155y and I dropped the beast with one shot using the 338wm and the TTSX ammo. Within 300y, I can shoot them all well but the 30-06 and the 7mm Mag are the two that shoot the best at long range. I still would want to keep my shots inside 300y and closer if at all possible. Not because I cannot hit them or could not kill them, but as some already said we strive to be better hunters than that. Agreed.

The Husky is the only rifle on my list that has never taken game for me. I have hunted with it but just never had a shot on game with it.... Yet. That might be a good reason to take it.

I am surprised that one of you did not like the Fusion. I have taken six big game animals with various Fusions and 100% if them were one shot kills. That is a perfect record. Any bullet and any rifle will do if the shot is a perfect broadside. It is for the angled shots quartering away that we use the larger, heavier bullets that penetrate more than most. Fusion is good for about 24-28" in most cases but it does open up the most and several options will penetrate deeper, but in my limited experience, 100% of my Fusion bullet shots penetrated all the way thru the critter. That is all we can ask for of any bullet. For Moose, I am looking more at AccuBond or TTSX or Partitions or the Sciroccos.

View attachment 750464
Husky 30-06 Moose Masher

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In my opinion the goal should be to know how to make a 400 yard shot if necessary. I had to make 450 yard shot on a Chamois in a difficult shooting position, cross canyon, at a significant downward angle, and swirling wind.

We knew the rifle shot accurately out to 500 yards and had the DOPE to dial for it. It took a few shots to get it done, but that’s why we practice.

A lot of this is circumstance and the effort should always be made to get closer to your target…

NIGHTHAWK said:

In my opinion the goal should be to know how to make a 400 yard shot if necessary. I had to make 450 yard shot on a Chamois in a difficult shooting position, cross canyon, at a significant downward angle, and swirling wind.

We knew the rifle shot accurately out to 500 yards and had the DOPE to dial for it. It took a few shots to get it done, but that’s why we practice.

A lot of this is circumstance and the effort should always be made to get closer to your target…

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The attached photo is a 3shot grp fired from the Husqvarna 30-06 at 400y from a bench. It measured 2.25". Just because we can make a 400y shot does not mean we should take one. I generally limit my shots on game to the distance where my bullet's impact velocity drops below 2000fps. That is about 400y for this rifle but I further limit my shots on game to a range that is well less than that which I use for practice on tgts. Most situations for me make that limit closer to 300y since I usually do not have a bench rest to help me in hunting situations. When possible, I get closer. That insures a clean, quick kill, with less tracking involved.

I know many hunters take game at longer ranges and good for them. That is not my MO. We always have a choice when taking or passing on a shot. I care little if I kill an animal or not when hunting. For me, the fun is in the preparation and execution of the hunt. The actual shot is rather academic and is the sad period at the end of the story.

JG26Irish_2 said:

Many thanks for all of the input and advice. I agree with the various comments about shooting game at 400y not being necessary. I have hunted for more than 50yrs and have NEVER shot live game at 400y (except Prairie Dogs). The longest shot I have ever taken on big game was a 314y shot on a Black Wildebeest in Africa and that was a close as we could get in that open terrain in Free State. Dropped him with one shot with a 7mm/08.

I had a 280ish yard shot on a Nilgai about a week ago but we decided to use the available cover to stalk to within 155y and I dropped the beast with one shot using the 338wm and the TTSX ammo. Within 300y, I can shoot them all well but the 30-06 and the 7mm Mag are the two that shoot the best at long range. I still would want to keep my shots inside 300y and closer if at all possible. Not because I cannot hit them or could not kill them, but as some already said we strive to be better hunters than that. Agreed.

The Husky is the only rifle on my list that has never taken game for me. I have hunted with it but just never had a shot on game with it.... Yet. That might be a good reason to take it.

I am surprised that one of you did not like the Fusion. I have taken six big game animals with various Fusions and 100% if them were one shot kills. That is a perfect record. Any bullet and any rifle will do if the shot is a perfect broadside. It is for the angled shots quartering away that we use the larger, heavier bullets that penetrate more than most. Fusion is good for about 24-28" in most cases but it does open up the most and several options will penetrate deeper, but in my limited experience, 100% of my Fusion bullet shots penetrated all the way thru the critter. That is all we can ask for of any bullet. For Moose, I am looking more at AccuBond or TTSX or Partitions or the Sciroccos.

View attachment 750464
Husky 30-06 Moose Masher

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which outfitter do you use for this hunt ?