BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[Don Fischer]

::woot:

[atomikall]

Dont forget the guys that use the Power Points and Silver tips there musta been some of those in there too. Anyway youd get a nice chunk as a butcher bringing those to the scarp yard.

[Widux]

Not in Alaska-- it's Partition country--besides two buckets would hold enough bullets to kill most moose in AK.

[expatriate]

At the risk of taking this farther off the moose topic, I'll put in my two cents and defend Barnes. Last week I put a 180 grain TSX broadside through a brown bear with a .300 WSM. Can't testify to what it looked like afterward, because after it went through the left shoulder and boiler room, it left a hole the size of a quarter when it came out just behind the right shoulder and kept going. As for the bear, it dropped like a rock. So I bet you didn't see any buckets of Barnes bullets because you can't recover what doesn't stay in the animal. The beauty of Barnes is that they don't shed weight. Partitions and Accubonds are excellent bullets, but are still expected to lose some weight -- and that reduces their ability to penetrate compared to a Barnes.

That said, I'm still making up my mind about them. I get tighter groups with partitions, but that may because I've been handloading partitions and the only Barnes I've shot so far have been Federal factory loads. On a side note, I'm starting to wonder about Federal -- the case neck split almost to the shoulder on the round I shot my bear with -- shouldn't happen on a first-use case. I'll have to buy some triple shocks and see if I can work up a load that gets the accuracy I'm after in decent brass.

As far as moose go, I've heard a lot of people swear by .300s and .338s. But I believe statistically more moose are killed with a .30-06 than anything else.

[Widux]

Believe me I have no problem with Barnes--Used to load 325's and 350's for my 416 Rem mag--as for stats-I agree the 06 kills more moose than any other round- I used mine for first 12 yrs in Ak then went to 300 and 338 when I got a few coins in pocket.
Congradulations on the brownie- where did you get him?

[expatriate]

Got the bear down by Yakutat. Got a sweet deal that got me and a buddy a nine-day fly-in for less than a grand apiece. As you know, that's one of the benefits of living here -- no requirement for a guide. Couldn't pass that up -- it was about a week from the time we decided to go for it until we had wheels in the air. Great trip that really put everything to the test. The only problem is that it's a 1 bear every four years area, so I kind of hosed myself for going back anytime soon.

[Widux]

How well i remember--Used to help Art warbelow of Warbelow Air ventures out some for free flying--My last Dall's hunt cost me about $50 without mount. Even for residents hunting ain't cheap- flying costs, equipment like boats etc but far less then non res esp tags. Nice going.

[PopeShawnPaul]

My .358 Winchester with 225 grain Barnes TSX bullets performed flawlessly this year. The bullet completely shattered the moose leg/shoulder and put him down on the spot.

That being said, debating calibers is worthless. The most important thing is the shooters accuracy, then the bullet size/choice, and then the caliber. Big premium bullets are what's important in my opinion.

[Widux]

You bet it is pope- and me, I'd hate to waste all that meat with a shot anywhere near the shoulder.

[ratrivertrapper]

the 30-06 is the round that all others are judged by !! so go figure :thumbsup1:

[Don Fischer]

The discussion always rotates around cartridges when in truth it should be about suitable calibers, proper bullets and bullet placement. A 375 H&H is no more effevtive than a 300 Savage with the right bullet properly placed.

The best gun/caliber doesn't exist. Many are the best!

[atomikall]

Ok well I have to say with the right calibre and right bullet, its still the shot of the shooter that makes the harvest. If you go into the field and you cant shoot the overall success wont be determined by the rfle and calibre.

[DaGooster]

atomikall's got it about right. I've taken one bull moose - that with a 180 gr. Partition out of my 300 Win Mag. Down with one shot to the shoulder hump. Other guys in camp got on a bull that was all fired up, and it took 6 shots from a 338 to finally put the thing down.

The bottom line is the same old story: anything 7mm or larger, well-placed, is gonna do the job just fine. Everything else is just a matter of personal preference. You like the 358? Feeling the whole 45/70 thing? Sold on the WSMs? Fine - whatever floats yer boat. These preferences just give us something to talk about, but they really don't mean much in terms of bottom line results.

[maddenwh]

Don Fischer wrote: The discussion always rotates around cartridges when in truth it should be about suitable calibers, proper bullets and bullet placement. A 375 H&H is no more effevtive than a 300 Savage with the right bullet properly placed.

Don- when you say that a 300 savage is as effective as a 375 H&H with proper bullet placement, I assume you are talking about moose alone. I don't know enough about moose to argue with you there, but I don't think your logic applies to all game (e.g. shooting a cape buff in the lungs with a 300 savage would probably just tickle the critter. The lung shot with a 375 on the other hand, is a good one. I imagine the same thing is applcable on all thick skinned and tougher game.). ::-k

I know the old brain shot logic, but how often are those taken on anything other than hippo and eles?

[Don Fischer]

The discussion is about moose. I don't know of anywhere in North America you can hunt a cape buffalo.