I get questions every year from folks lucky enough to have gotten a Maine moose permit. Often they want to know if their .270 Win, or .30-06 is sufficient medicine for their moose hunt. My answer is basically one we've all heard, perhaps many times. Shot placement and bullet construction are the most important factors in making a clean, humane kill on game animals, in this case moose. If your rifle is in the .270/.280/.308/.30-06 range of calibers, you'll be fine as long as the actual bullet is one of stout construction, and designed to hold up well and penetrate. Just to name a few, the Nosler Partition, Speer Grand Slam, Trophy Bonded Bear Claw, or Swift A-Frame are all good bullets. By all means, if you've a .300 or .338 Win Mag, or a .375 H&H, or the like, that's not a problem (with a good bullet). My point is, you don't need a cannon to kill a moose. To take this out one more step, I'd rather my hunter had one of the less powerful aforementioned calibers with a proper big game bullet, than to be hunting with a big magnum with a bullet such as a Nosler Ballistic Tip, or any other bullet designed for thin skinned animals.
Sometimes, it can be a case of having a rifle that's just too big and too long for the user. Again, a for a small woman or a youngster, a youth model rifle in .308 will kill a big bull as dead as anything. So don't let yourself be swayed by the hunting journalists. Just make sure you are very comfortable with all functioning aspects of your rifle, and that you have a good big game bullet.
I'll never see enough moose kills to generate true scientific knowledge on this subject, but here's something that I find interesting. Some of the most dramatic one shot kills that I have been witness to have occurred with smallish bullets (140 to 150 grains) shot from cartridges in the .280/7mm size. This is purely anecdotal. Conversly, I have seen some bulls soak up all kinds of big lead and go a ways before crumbling (rarely in the right direction). I know another moose guide who won't let anyone in his camp hunt deer, bear, or moose with any bullet less than 170 grains in weight. This says to me that he'd let someone in with a .30-30 (170 grain bullet), and turn back a hunter with a whole lot of better calibers in the 150 to 165 grain class! Furthermore, he makes no distinction regarding bullet construction. Oh well, that's what makes the world go 'round.
guy
Guy Randlett - Registered Maine Guide (207) 633-4549
