Favorite cartridge/rifle for moose

It's all about shot placement and using a good bullet. My hunting buddy's 14 year old got his first moose last fall. The 40" bull came in aggressive to calling and got dumped quickly to a Partition from a . 270 at 100 yards.

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Congratulations to the young hunter.
Agree, it is always about the bullet and it’s placement. I certainly don’t think the 270 Winchester is a whimp of a cartridge.
And I am sure the 270 Winchester was that lad’s favorite moose hunting cartridge and that rifle at least at that picture time. A buddy’s daughter killed a big cow on a drawing permit with a 270 Winchester and “some brand of 150 grain”. One shot, one big pile of meat.
As to my favorites, I do not proclaim them as the best, cartridges/rifles or anything else. Merely what I like. They all work with a decent bullet and placement. I hope to add an 8mm with a 200 grain TSX at 2800-2850 fps to my-favorites list this year.
It's all about shot placement and using a good bullet. My hunting buddy's 14 year old got his first moose last fall. The 40" bull came in aggressive to calling and got dumped quickly to a Partition from a . 270 at 100 yards.
 
That's a good point too Idmay375: shooting something you want to shoot, enjoy shooting, and are confident shooting. I like levers. I know not everyone does. To each their own. (y)
 
That's a good point too Idmay375: shooting something you want to shoot, enjoy shooting, and are confident shooting. I like levers. I know not everyone does. To each their own. (y)
A man after my own heart...love the levers! Currently have a Browning BLR and a Winchester 94. Soon I will inherit my Dad’s Savage 99. And if I ever have enough money to waste on a custom type rifle, it will be a Turnbull lever in some caliber that I don’t have yet!
 
A man after my own heart...love the levers! Currently have a Browning BLR and a Winchester 94. Soon I will inherit my Dad’s Savage 99. And if I ever have enough money to waste on a custom type rifle, it will be a Turnbull lever in some caliber that I don’t have yet!
I like your thinking Ragman. Never seen one in person but they sure look pretty in pictures.

I still have finding the right Winchester 1895 on my bucket list, and if I ever had enough money to waste (Is it really waste??? I think not) on a something a bit higher on the price ladder, I'd really like one by Big Horn Armory. Not sure what flavor. They have several that look really nice.
 
I too am a lever fan. I would love to smack one with my 45-70 and either the 380 grain copper flat point or 460 grain hard cast flat point. One cannot have too many favorites!!
That's a good point too Idmay375: shooting something you want to shoot, enjoy shooting, and are confident shooting. I like levers. I know not everyone does. To each their own. (y)
 
That's a good point too Idmay375: shooting something you want to shoot, enjoy shooting, and are confident shooting. I like levers. I know not everyone does. To each their own. (y)

I too am a lever fan. I would love to smack one with my 45-70 and either the 380 grain copper flat point or 460 grain hard cast flat point. One cannot have too many favorites!!

Marlin 45-70 Guide Gun, 405gr Rem SP at 1800fps. Perfect moose medicine...
 
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i have never hunted moose, but i would like to if a hunt came along that suited my price and i would use my cz 550 in 375H&H, it knocked the lights out of this eland with one shot.

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A man after my own heart...love the levers! Currently have a Browning BLR and a Winchester 94. Soon I will inherit my Dad’s Savage 99. And if I ever have enough money to waste on a custom type rifle, it will be a Turnbull lever in some caliber that I don’t have yet!
Funny thing: I've never owned a model '94. Back in the day I really wanted one, had a Winchester 88 in .358 Win., a Savage 99 (with the brass rotary magazine) in .300 Sav., a Marlin in 35 Rem and another in 44 mag. A Winchester .22 but no '94. I think that they are one of the handiest rifles ever, better to carry than a Marlin. (Without a scope...)
I always wanted a 1895 in 30-06 as well. Knew an ol one armed trapper that used one. But that is another story...
 
All we ever used were .308, .30-06, .270 and .30-30's. Nobody ever used a magnum in my younger years (1980's and 1990's), I noticed a difference in calibers going from residents to non residents and from different parts of the country. Different terrain and different animals (Grizz) make a difference in what you carry.

I like different calibers, and I want a .45-70 , .35 rem or a .375 Ruger in my hands now. I also have hunted with my .50 cal Black powder on a 2019 moose trip in Northern Ontario.
 
I seen a 54" bull a 16 yr old kid shot at 60 yards with a beat up old .30-30 on our trip in 2019. That family was dirt poor and lived in the middle of nowhere,5 hours north of Pickle Lake,Ontario. The other son had shot a bull in the same area the year before with the same gun. I had a blast on that trip, we had action and just never could get a bull killed. That family came in and sang to us on our last night in camp.
 
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Just curious as to what other hunters prefer for moose hunting. I am fully aware that you can kill them with anything, shot placement, and other standard comments.

My typical shooting distances have varied from about 25 yds to approximately 180 yds. In my present hunting area 225 yds would be maximum visibility. 25 yard to 75 yds are probably the most likely shots. Shot times have varied from early morning, mid-afternoon, and very late evening. Conditions usually fog/mist, rain, and on the rare occasional sunny.

I am a fan of 323/8mm through 416 calibers.

My personal used favorites are:
338 Winchester, 24” stainless Ruger rifle
375 Ruger, 20” barrel stainless Ruger rifle
416 Ruger, 20” barrel stainless Ruger rifle
I may break tradition and hunt with a 325 WSM this year. If it returns from the gunsmith in time. I like this cartridge. I have carried it once prior, but no legal cooperative bull was seen.

Scopes vary, and change at times. But, 1.1-4x24, 1-6x24, 1.5-6x42, 1.5-8x42 dominate my scope use. I like scopes with ample field of views, and a highly visible reticles. I prefer 60’ at 100 yards as a minimum field of view.
You’ve got all you need in the .338 WM with either the 225gr Swift A-Frame or Barnes. Let us know how it goes.
 
My "business rifle" the one I carried during my guiding days, is a Ruger 77 mkII in .338 Win that I had the barrel cut to 20", bolt face milled for controlled feed, and head blasted so it doesn't shine like a new silver dollar in the collection plate.
It loves 250 gr bullets, especially Nosler partitions.
I have a few rifles, but if I want to kill something it's the one I grab. It just works.
 
I don't think there is such a thing as "best" as any caliber that kills quickly at the range you plan on shooting is good enough. Once you have enough gun to do that, how much better can you get? Lets see, there is dead, extra dead, really dead and graveyard dead. Any one of these will put meat in the freezer. I have used a 338win once,a 308win twice, a 300H&H once and a 270win 6 or 7 times. All of which put moose in the freezer. I'm not sure how to tell if one worked any better than the next. I think a better question would be where is the cut off point as to being too small. And, even that is pretty subjective. It will be interesting to see how many will say this or that whiz bang magnum is the best.
 

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