Hard Hitting Bullet for Moose???

[jrebel]

Specs: 

300 win mag
26" barrel
Current set up is a 212 grain eld-x pushed by H1000 with 2830 fps. 

I shot my moose in the head last year at about 30 yards and and obviously it worked.  Though it didn't go down right away it was dead on it's feet.  The follow up shot was behind the shoulder and the bullet did not exit.  I didn't recover the bullet so don't know how it perfomed.  I was surprised it didn't exit though. 

Just wondering If I should look at other bullets for better penetration. 

The accubonds do not shoot well in this rifle, othewise it would be the bullet of choice.  I perfere a good BC for ranges pushing 500-600 yards.  What are you thoughts. 

Thanks in advance. 

[Woodchuck]

I am a ttsx fan. 

[jrebel]

I am a ttsx fan. 

I was looking at them for the solid copper option, but their heaviest is only 180 grain.  Wish they made a 200+ grain for .308 diam. 

Unless I am looking at it wrong?? 

[grundy53]

I was going to recommend accubonds until I read the end of your post. Honestly I don't know if I would expect a pass through on a moose. I didn't get one with 200 grain accubonds out of my .300 WM last year.

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[bobcat]

You should try the Nosler E Tips. High BC and all copper so they retain nearly 100% of their weight (like the Barnes).

Great deal on the 180's at Shooters Pro Shop:


http://www.shootersproshop.com/loading-reloading-bullets/nosler-30-caliber-180-grain-e-tip-banded-bullets-blem-50ct.html

[Bob33]

Moose are not any harder to kill than elk, and probably easier in most instances. Any bullet that works well on elk should work well on moose.

I prefer Barnes TSX / TTSX bullets, and use the 165 grain TTSX in a 300 WSM for nearly all big game animals deer size or larger.

[jrebel]

I was going to recommend accubonds until I read the end of your post. Honestly I don't know if I would expect a pass through on a moose. I didn't get one with 200 grain accubonds out of my .300 WM last year.

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Not sure I expect a pass through, but was surprised I didn't get it.  They are huge animals with lots of mass and lots of muscle.  Maybe I am over thinking this a bit.....one of my weakness, if you will, is always looking for the best.  Often I find myself chasing my tail....LOL  The moose never took a step so what I used obviously worked. 

[BULLBLASTER]

215 Berger!
 

I shot my bull a few years ago with a 300 grain interlock from my 375. It didn’t exit either but definitely worked.

[BULLBLASTER]

I was going to recommend accubonds until I read the end of your post. Honestly I don't know if I would expect a pass through on a moose. I didn't get one with 200 grain accubonds out of my .300 WM last year.

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Not sure I expect a pass through, but was surprised I didn't get it.  They are huge animals with lots of mass and lots of muscle.  Maybe I am over thinking this a bit.....one of my weakness, if you will, is always looking for the best.  Often I find myself chasing my tail....LOL  The moose never took a step so what I used obviously worked.

That’s the joy of moose hunting. Lots of time and opportunity for more shots.

[The scout]

I would not expect a exit on a moose with a ELD-X, especially no close range. But from my experience the damage they do internally you don’t need an exit. If you hit it behind the shoulder with the follow up shot it’s lungs were moosh.

[Woodchuck]

I am a ttsx fan. 

I was looking at them for the solid copper option, but their heaviest is only 180 grain.  Wish they made a 200+ grain for .308 diam. 

Unless I am looking at it wrong??

A 180 steaming along at 2950ish or so will do some work. 

[92xj]

Though, I have no experience on game, my 300wm likes the 199gr Sledge hammers in front of h1000 traveling at 3015 and I would imagine would do damage to a moose.

[jrebel]

Though, I have no experience on game, my 300wm likes the 199gr Sledge hammers in front of h1000 traveling at 3015 and I would imagine would do damage to a moose.
[/quote

Do you like the way they shoot??  May have to try them.  I was looking at their 214's.

[92xj]

Yeah, 75grs produce that velocity with groups overlapping holes.

[Jonathan_S]

I don't think they hit much harder than the 215 hybrids. Excellent velocity from them too

[Bill W]

I had a 180 grain Nosler Partition shoot thru 3 foot of moose and sail off into the sunset.  I used a .300 Win Mag.

[Jonathan_S]

Yeah partitions are sure nasty too

[yorketransport]

Though, I have no experience on game, my 300wm likes the 199gr Sledge hammers in front of h1000 traveling at 3015 and I would imagine would do damage to a moose.

That was going to be my suggestion for a solid copper bullet. I'm a huge fan of all the Hammer bullets just because of how well they shoot. What's the max OAL you can use and what's your barrel twist? Their 181gr Hammer Hunter is the same length as a 200gr Accubond though so they're really long bullets which can be an issue in some guns. That's why the 199gr Sledge Hammer might be better since they've got a much shorter nose profile. They have a lower BC, but it's not enough that I'd worry about it inside of 600 yards. I've shot the 275gr Sledge Hammers to 600 yards out of my 375 Ruger with a muzzle velocity of around 2675 fps with great results.

For lead core bullets I usually go for the Accubonds, but if they're not working for you maybe the Swift Scirocco is worth looking at. I think 180 is the heaviest they offer in that though.

[Stein]

I pretty much echo the consensus, find a strong elk bullet.  TSX, Partition, whatever your favorite is.

I had a well placed TSX not exit a raghorn at 70 yards, it was just as dead as one with two holes in it.  In fact, it tipped over and was the only animal I ever shot that didn't take a step.

[BULLBLASTER]

I saw a 162 eld x end a moose with a not so well placed shot from a 280 ai. It was impressive the wound channel that bullet made on that shot. Range was 400 or more yards I believe.

Moose really aren’t difficult to kill, they certainly don’t have the fight or will to live like an elk.

Just make a hole in the right spot and they die. 

[lokidog]

2 of 3 soft point 180 grains out of a 300 short mag went completely through my moose at 318 yards. The one recovered under the far side skin only lost 10 grains of weight.

 

[Dan-o]

That's surprising.

I do believe you - just surprising to me.

[Curly]

Sounds like a good excuse for a new rifle.   

[jrebel]

Sounds like a good excuse for a new rifle.   

No....that's what this one  is for.  I have a 45/70 and 450 Marlin that would get the job done too.....but range is limited.    This is just another reason to work a load with the same rifle.  Ordered 150 bucks worth of hammers in 214 gr and 227 gr to see what they do.  Hopefully I draw a bear tag In The spring to try them out.  If not I will have to get a fall bear before the hunt. 

[Damnimissed]

I think a 200gr A-Frame has about as good a chance of a pass-through as anything.

[huntnphool]

 180gr Nosler Partition Spitzer

[Threethirtyeight]

I am a ttsx fan. 

I was looking at them for the solid copper option, but their heaviest is only 180 grain.  Wish they made a 200+ grain for .308 diam. 

Unless I am looking at it wrong??

Barnes makes a 200 grain 308 bullet in the lrx line! I have used this bullet on moose all the way to 902 yards and up at 35-40 yards on elk  with great success out of my 300wsm. Bc of .546 should be plenty good for the distances you are wanting to use them at.

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[mountainman]

Sounds like a good excuse for a new rifle.   

No....that's what this one  is for.  I have a 45/70 and 450 Marlin that would get the job done too.....but range is limited.    This is just another reason to work a load with the same rifle.  Ordered 150 bucks worth of hammers in 214 gr and 227 gr to see what they do.  Hopefully I draw a bear tag In The spring to try them out.  If not I will have to get a fall bear before the hunt. 

Those should fill the bill just fine! Moose are big and tough..saw a couple tonight up near Chen hot springs. Can't wait to draw

[Curly]

Sounds like a good excuse for a new rifle.   

No....that's what this one  is for.  I have a 45/70 and 450 Marlin that would get the job done too.....but range is limited.    This is just another reason to work a load with the same rifle.  Ordered 150 bucks worth of hammers in 214 gr and 227 gr to see what they do.  Hopefully I draw a bear tag In The spring to try them out.  If not I will have to get a fall bear before the hunt.

Hope they work for you. I'd be worried about them being too long. I think you'd be fine with 200 gr monolithic bullets since they retain so much weight.

[opdinkslayer]

I double lunged my wa moose with a 200 gr accubond from my 300 wm at 150 yds & there was a fist size exit hole. He didn’t go far😁

[Rob]

In terms of hard hitting, another Vote for the Swift A-Frame...  Maybe not the best BC though. 

If a 375 cal will take down a Cape Buff with prejudice, then a 30 cal should have zero issues with a moose!

I took this snip from Craig Boddington's "Perfect Shot North America" Book.  Outstanding Book that I highly recommend!

[Rob]

Looks like the flash made the important part hard to read!

it says:
"If you are using cartridges from .270-.30 caliber, it's especially important to think about heavy-for-caliber, controlled expansion bullets like the Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, Barnes X-Bullet and Winchester Fail Safe."

[Bob33]

Conventional wisdom is that “heavy for caliber” bullets penetrate better. I believe that may always be true to an extent, but I suspect much of that thinking came from a time when bullets shed a lot of weight. A 180 grain bullet that sheds 40% of its weight only has 108 grains of weight left.

I’ve had excellent results using 165 grain Barnes bullets in .30 caliber on elk/moose size animals. I’ve only recovered a couple of them; most were pass-throughs and are still circling the planet in orbit. 165 grains going in, 165 grains going out.

[bearpaw]

Conventional wisdom is that “heavy for caliber” bullets penetrate better. I believe that may always be true to an extent, but I suspect much of that thinking came from a time when bullets shed a lot of weight. A 180 grain bullet that sheds 40% of its weight only has 108 grains of weight left.

I’ve had excellent results using 165 grain Barnes bullets in .30 caliber on elk/moose size animals. I’ve only recovered a couple of them; most were pass-throughs and are still circling the planet in orbit. 165 grains going in, 165 grains going out.

   Same experiences here, I think you can use lighter bullets and have less recoil with greater penetration than lead bullets of heavier weight. I've tested the theory almost to an extreme by loading 160 gr in .338 caliber, very light for the caliber, very fast, and have not recovered one yet from a few bear or an elk taken at 500+.

As far as killing a moose, I really think any modern big game bullet will get the job done if you hit the moose where it counts.

[Furee65]

I used a 180 grain Trophy bonded tip from my 300 H&H to take my elk two years ago and it did a great job with a complete pass through.  Last year I took an elk with a .358 Winchester using the 200 grain Hornady Interlock and that worked good as well but did not pass through.  I have heard good stuff about the Barnes TTSX and tried them in my 6.5 Creedmoor just messing around and really liked what I saw when shooting wet phone books.

[Matth]

I called a moose in for my hunting partner 2 years in NE Washington to inside 5 yards, and he got a complete pass through with a 510 grain arrow and broadhead combo.

[jackelope]

I believe I've heard @bearpaw  tell stories of multiple moose kills with a .257 Roy....

[bearpaw]

I believe I've heard @bearpaw  tell stories of multiple moose kills with a .257 Roy....

Yes numerous hunters have used the .257 and that is what my son used on his moose. What is interesting, a past hunter has used his only gun a .257 WTBY, on almost all the N American species, he is completing his slam with one rifle a .257, and he's close to being done, I'm pretty sure he has already gotten all the big bears with it too.

[dewandgin]

Have shot two moose both with a 338 win mag and 225 grain accubonds. One was a hard quartering away shot that went in behind the rear rib and was under the skin on the right front shoulder. it ran maybe 20 yds.  Second one was a neck shot at 180 yds (could only see head and neck on the only cow we seen in 8 days of hunting) Went in at base of neck and broken spine and fragmented, She did not take a step.

[Magnum_Willys]

225 TSX is a solid round. Dropped a big moose at 400 yds from 338-378.  Like the 300 gr SmK on elk but on moose the 225 is fine. 

[NWShooter]

Moose are fairly easy to kill. I've been around a bunch shot my Natives. Using old Enfield .303 British's and factory Norma ammo. Would make the "Ethics" crowd here go nuts. If I posted the distances, let alone the fact they were shooting open sights. I guess that's the difference when it's a necessity and not a sport.

[Call em in]

Though, I have no experience on game, my 300wm likes the 199gr Sledge hammers in front of h1000 traveling at 3015 and I would imagine would do damage to a moose.

That was going to be my suggestion for a solid copper bullet. I'm a huge fan of all the Hammer bullets just because of how well they shoot. What's the max OAL you can use and what's your barrel twist? Their 181gr Hammer Hunter is the same length as a 200gr Accubond though so they're really long bullets which can be an issue in some guns. That's why the 199gr Sledge Hammer might be better since they've got a much shorter nose profile. They have a lower BC, but it's not enough that I'd worry about it inside of 600 yards. I've shot the 275gr Sledge Hammers to 600 yards out of my 375 Ruger with a muzzle velocity of around 2675 fps with great results.

For lead core bullets I usually go for the Accubonds, but if they're not working for you maybe the Swift Scirocco is worth looking at. I think 180 is the heaviest they offer in that though.

I have had great luck with the 180gr swift sciroccos out of my 300 RUM. I shot them before they had a bonded version and now I like the bondeds even better! Also had great luck with A-frames and Nosler Partions out of a 338 WM.

[huntnnw]

as big as moose are they are about the weakest animal I have ever hunted or been on. They are done once hit