I know this question seems to always be asked, but is my 270 good enough for moose? I have heard conflicting reports, some say with the right ammunition it is a fine gun, yet others say it is too small. Whats a fellow to do?
Yeah it will work. A 30-06 would be a better choice, owing to its heavier bullets and greater downrange energy, but a 270 has enough wallop in its heavier bullet weights to make a clean kill on a moose.
I have never hunted moose. However check out the comments here:
[ This Message was edited by: bitmasher on 2004-01-18 21:55 ]
Fisrt off - I've never personally hunted moose either. But moose hunting was big back home, and I have several friends who hunt them regularly. One uses a .270, the rest all use 308, 30/06 or 300Mags
For what it's worth, my humble opinion is although I doubt you'll ever read an article reccomending the .270 as a "moose cartridge" there have been plenty of moose cleanly killed with it. If you're considering becoming an ardent moose hunter, you'll probably want something more powerful, but if you're a deer hunter going on a moose hunt, I wouldn't stay home for lack of a bigger rifle.
I'd make sure that I used the heaviest premium ammo I could, and wouldn't want to go any lighter.
I am considering buying a new gun most likely a 308 or 30-06 I can't seem to decide. For now my 270 seems to be my choice to use over my 35 marlin. With the 270 though I would probably want to stay away from ballistic tips and g with the heaviest bullet I can find , correct?
150 grain bullets should work. If you reload, you have access to even heavier bullets for the 270.
.270 will work on moose. Plenty of moose have been taken over the years with it. The question is, will you have the discipline to pass on questionable shots, waiting for the near-perfect broadside?
If this is a once-in-a-lifetime moose hunt my guess is the answer to the above question will be, no. When it gets to the last day and the only shot you have is quartering away, you'll want to take it. The .270 will not be good for that kind of shot. In that case you'll want something that will be able to break the moose's hip and drop him.
So, if this is a once-in-a-lifetime moose hunt I would recommend nothing less than a .300 magnum. If you expect to be able to hunt moose year after year, and will be willing to wait until next year for the right shot, then a .270 will work adequately.
As to .308 vs 30/06 I am a bit biassed on this since I shoot a .308. However I would say that if:
1) 300yd or better shots will be "common"
and/or
2) You intend to hunt larger game (moose/elk/bear) "regularly"
then I vote for the 30/06.
Otherwise, I'd go with the .308. Why put up with the recoil if it's not neccessary.
Naturally I would take my 7mm Remington Magnum on a hunt like this. Its plenty of gun for moose, and everything else in North America, and my accuracy with this rifle is near-perfect.
Interesting...when the .270 subject comes up when discussing elk, there's guaranteed to be controversy over whether it's enough cartridge. Yet when the issue is much-larger moose, the debate (so far) isn't there. Makes me wonder if the .270 controversy's roots lie in geography rather than ballistics.
That's a good point ex - although I think so far there's unanimous agreement that the .270 is definitely on the light-end of acceptable for moose. I would imagine that it would be the same for elk. If you're a serious moose (or elk) hunter I would definitely opt for something bigger.
But if all I had was a .270 and I drew a moose (or elk) tag, I wouldn't think twice about using it. Like someone else said, you'd have to be careful about what kind of shots you took.
Related Forum Threads You Might Like
Thread | Thread Starter | Replies | Last Updated |
---|---|---|---|
White Moose - MNR public consultation period | [email protected] | 0 | 09/15/2005 21:35 pm |
MNR proposed Change to Moose Hunting in WMU #48 (2004) | y2kcrash | 0 | 09/26/2003 13:25 pm |
Chuck Hawks Recoil Table | jim boyd | 5 | 12/30/2010 07:50 am |
.50 cal or .270? | Lordgunner | 2 | 02/09/2004 10:24 am |
Wildlife Officers Use DNA Evidence To Solve Cold Case. | Hiker | 2 | 08/24/2006 09:57 am |