What caliber for a youth moose gun?

[lokidog]

She is a good shot.  When she was seven she came to a high school rifle team practice that I was coaching.  I set her up with an Anschutz that was a bit big for her, but from a prone position she outshot three of my kids that had been shooting for a month already.

The Howa 2 in 1 looks like a nice rifle but not sure we'll go with something new at this point.

[mkcj]

I have a 280 that I put a muzzle brake on so my boy's could shoot it when younger my oldest took a cow elk with it and 2 years ago my youngest was drawn for the youth moose tag on Mt. Spokane and took a moose with it. We shoot 140gr accubonds.

[PA BEN]

Moose are wimps. Just about any caliber will work.

Shot placement is the focus.

Let me tell you about my wimpy Washington moose. I shot him in the neck facing away from me at 37 yds. Centered the cross hairs on the line of hair that runs down the back of the neck. Touched it off and he ran away, he didn't flinch, buck or shake his head just ran. I thought I missed, I put two more in him quartering away, they went in about 5" apart. He still went 200 yds before he dropped. I used a 7MM REM. Mag. 175 gr. Core lock bullet.  
To answer the question about a youth gun for moose, I started putting my 10 yr old daughter for moose and will use a youth ranger win. mod. 70. 7mm-08. I will hand load 160 gr Nosler AccuBonds.
BTW, here's the 175 gr I dug out of his neck between two vertebra's.

[Skyvalhunter]

Yea that is pretty wimpy

[PA BEN]

 

[bobcat]

Well, a neck shot isn't the best place to shoot an animal, deer it's ok, but elk and anything bigger it's not a good idea. Also Core-Lokt bullets aren't the best bullet to use for moose either, in my opinion. I'd want a bullet that's built to stay together and that will penetrate more. At minimum a Nosler Partition or Accubond. Better yet would be a Barnes TSX or Nosler E tip. With a bullet such as the Core-Lokt you need to take only broadside shots on a moose, where you can dougle lung them without hitting any major bones.

[Dipsnort]

I used a Trophy Bonded Bearclaw bullet with my 30.06 to put down a moose a few years ago.  I had spooked him and he started to run so he had the adrenaline going.  My shot hit both lungs and he died and dropped immediately.

I have taken shots under remarkably similar conditions and shot placement on deer and 2 elk and few have dropped immediately like the moose.

[Axle]

Moose can absorb a tremendous amount of lead but they are still whimps and others have baked up my statement on this with their experiences. I could give the whimpy stories too but I can get long-winded on those and don't want to cause anyone to go to sleep at the keyboard.

I've seen one soak up so much lead that I couldn't believe he could still stand. But stand was all he did. Elk will run as far as possible in those conditions (and I know some have had moose do that too but it is not the norm for them).

One thing I found interesting on moose is - they have rather small backstraps. I was so amazed at this. I couldn't wait till I got my first moose to see the size of the backstrap. I figured that if elk had huge backstraps, moose must have extremely huge backstraps. Enough to fill a frying pan! Boy was I wrong! I was extremely disappointed at the size of it. It was about the size of a big MD backstrap. It was then that I realized that they are not stout like elk. They sure are fun to eat though!

[PA BEN]

The Core-lock held together. It made it about a 1/4" deep between the vertebra's. If it hit the process bone that sticks up about 3" to 4" off the back vertebra it might gave broken the neck. One thing I do know is know your gun and be ready for follow up shots. I had a 50 yd window to put the other two in him before he went over the hill.

[ADAMS]

Perhaps an H&R Youth Handi-rifle in 7mm-08. 

[PA BEN]

H&R is a good youth size gun, but they kick a little hard w/moose size loads.

[PA BEN]

He still went 200 yds down the hill before he dropped.

[cohoho]

AXLE-  Are you sure your hunting Moose?  I can honestly tell you out of the 5 that I have gotten in Alaska and involved in another 10 or so on hunts of friends, kids etc... I would not call them Wimps by any standards at all.   You got your opinion and that is fine, but calling the stud of the deer family a wimp is unrealistic.  I have seen them absorb so much lead, that the EPA declared them unfit to eat...  Will agree with proper bullet placement most will drop as any animal will IF hit right.  My kid (11-13) shot his couple bulls with a .243, but they were calm animals when he shot.  When their adrenaline is up, you ain't stopping a bull from going where he wants to period....  Comment on the back strap, Really fit inside a frying pan, holly crap that must be some frying pan for sure... Wow, keep humoring me please as this is getting good.  Next you'll probably tell us you pack em out whole too...

[GoldTip]

"One thing I found interesting on moose is - they have rather small backstraps. I was so amazed at this. I couldn't wait till I got my first moose to see the size of the backstrap. I figured that if elk had huge backstraps, moose must have extremely huge backstraps. Enough to fill a frying pan! Boy was I wrong! I was extremely disappointed at the size of it. It was about the size of a big MD backstrap. It was then that I realized that they are not stout like elk. They sure are fun to eat though!"

Axle, my guess is that Moose must not have been much bigger than a good sized Mule deer then.  Cuz I've been involved in killing 3 shiras Moose and been involved in about 5 Canadian bulls and everyone of their backstraps would have embarrassed any of the dead elk I've seen.

[cohoho]

"One thing I found interesting on moose is - they have rather small backstraps. I was so amazed at this. I couldn't wait till I got my first moose to see the size of the backstrap. I figured that if elk had huge backstraps, moose must have extremely huge backstraps. Enough to fill a frying pan! Boy was I wrong! I was extremely disappointed at the size of it. It was about the size of a big MD backstrap. It was then that I realized that they are not stout like elk. They sure are fun to eat though!"

Axle, my guess is that Moose must not have been much bigger than a good sized Mule deer then.  Cuz I've been involved in killing 3 shiras Moose and been involved in about 5 Canadian bulls and everyone of their backstraps would have embarrassed any of the dead elk I've seen.

    Good one Goldtip, I thought I was the one going crazy here on this Moose subject.  Sorry to hi-jack the subject...