What caliber for a youth moose gun?

[andrew_12gauge]

i think its possible he means if you slice the backstraps not that you could take the whole length of the backstrap and put it in a frying pan, some people(myself included) like to slice the backstraps into small steaks instead of doing like others do and splitting them and doing what ive heard referred to as "butterfly steaks"

[bankwalker]

idk about a moose being a whimp or anything. but the guy up the street from me. has been hunting moose in canada for quite a few years, he is in his 70's now. i know 5 years straight he and his son came home with moose. he would use a 257 roberts 117gr, and his son used always used a 25-06.

[Axle]

When giving an opinion, a guy risks getting ribbed or ridiculed a bit. That is fine. Last time I checked, I was still a man. (I'll check again later).

I have harvested 3 moose. I have butchered several others. The biggest (of mine) being a 60 incher. Antler pic attached.

I have talked to a few guides and they say that you don't need a super caliber for moose. That is what they said and they also gave me the phrase 'whimp'. I did not use a guide on my trips but I made friends with a few. I did see a huge moose lay down after being hit in the foreleg (only muscle). Whimp! Absolute whimp!
My second to largest was a 48 inch rack moose and he was rather large. Did I pack it out whole?..... Are you nuts?! After cutting off the first hind leg, I thought - 'I'll just pick it up and move it over there to a better place so I can bone it out'. Boy was I wrong! I could not lift the leg off the ground and I was very healthy, strong, and athletic at the time (29 year old then). I had a hard time even dragging it.

Tease me if you want but a youngster does not need a magnum caliber rifle for moose. Nobody does. It is shot placement that counts. And if you find a whimp that will lay down for you, then that just makes tracking that much easier. The 7mm calibers would be my recommendation. It is bears that a hunter protects themselves from when hunting moose. That is the gun you choose first.

The backstraps were small in diameter. Compared to elk (and body size), they were smaller - even on the 60 inch moose. I will hold to this since I have seen so many elk and moose and deer and others. I've seen bigger backstraps off of elk. Every animal has its own characteristics. Moose have theirs and I still say elk are a much stouter animal. The best part of a moose is the taste.
 

[C-Money]

I'd look at getting a a 308 or a 7mm-08 if my kids were to hunt moose. I would have them shoot the .270 and or the 30-06 to see how they handled one of those first, depending on age. Your child is still young, so I'd probably just lean twards getting a 7mm-08 or a 308. I'd also love the idea of shopping for a new rifle!

[Bigbuckhunter_1996]

moose deffintely arent wimps it took 6 shots out of the 7mm REM MAG 160 nosler accubonds but for a kid i would say 7mm-08 or .308

[PA BEN]

At least wipe the dust off the rack before the the picture. 

[Axle]

At least wipe the dust off the rack before the the picture. 

oops! 

[C-Money]

I only know 3 people that ever shot moose. One guy shot a 270win with 150gr soft points, another shot a 30-06 with 180gr Sierra hand loads,and the last guy shot a 30-06, no idea what bullet. I have said it before, Magnums are a bit over rated. Hats off to the mag shooters that shoot mags well, you have an advantage. But for kids, .308 or 7mm-08.

[addicted]

.338 federal. very little kick. boasts the same energy downrange of a 7mm mag.

[bobcat]

.338 federal. very little kick. boasts the same energy downrange of a 7mm mag.

same as a 7 mag    hmm... I kinda doubt that. It's just a 308 Win case necked up to 338.

[WDFW-SUX]

7mm-08

[Curly]

For a young kid, like a lot of others have stated .308 or 7mm-08.

Just use Barnes TSX bullets and the kid should have no problem putting the moose down.  I'd go with 150 grain in the .308 or 140 grain in the 7mm.  No need to go heavier than that......heavier bullets than those will just kick the kid more and not really kill the moose any better.  Those bullets will penetrate like crazy and make mush out of the vitals.

[Intruder]

Many folks have recommended handi rifles.  While I agree they are a good rifle at a good price a couple things to consider when kids are involved.

1. Recoil... could be an issue if going w/ a bigger 308/7mm-08.
2. Hammer.... depending on the kid these can be a bit tricky for em.... especially un-cocking.  Have heard of several close calls where kids are trying to un-cock single shots and have it go off.  Hand strength, gloves, etc. 

 

[ing]

What about a 35 Whelen?  I have never shot one personally, but from what I hear they dont kick much more than a 30-06.  Load up 250 grain Barnes TSX's and that should kill a moose just fine.

[bobcat]

35 Whelen for a 13 year old girl   Still too much recoil I would say, if it kicks more than a 30-06.

7/08 or 308 would be perfect IMO.