After my previous query regarding the .270 Winchester on moose I was wondering what the majority would consider the optimal choice for moose hunting, both long and shorter ranges.

I`m also pretty confident that my trusty 270 would work well on the caribou up near Shefflerville(sp?), not sure what subspecies they are, but I am interested in doing a 'boo hunt maybe next year so I`d like to throw this into the mix.

I have many friends who have done the caribou hunts and they all state that an `06 is the minimum calber that they would use or that the guides want to see in camp. I am looking at buying another rifle to use as either a back up or my primary so I`m interested in hearing what you guys have to say. I also want to state again what a great and helpful bunch of guys we seem to have here, the overall best bunch that I`ve met on any forum and I own a forum, LOL.

Here in NH you will see everything from 6.5 to 300 Win Mag used on moose. Most of the guys that hunt Caribou that I know use a 7mm Rem Mag. Jim

jp pretty well summed it up. My personal favorite has been the 8mm Rem mag. I shoot a 220 grain Sierra spitzer boat tail at 3080 fps. this works good to 455 yards. It might work well past that, but that's as far as I've ever killed a moose with it.

Shot was thru the front shoulders from side to side. Moose was at the edge of a river on about an 8 food wide bank between the river and a swamp in Alaska.

It did the elevator thing to the ground. Actually very little bloodshot with this big 32 caliber bullet.

Cartridges I would recommend besides the 8mm mag would be the 338 Win mag, 340 Weatherby or 338 Rem Ultra-mag.

Of course if you don't like the mags there's been a pile of moose killed with the 30-06. Got to say that moose seem much easier to kill than elk. I've never had one that went more than a few steps after being shot where I've elk with the same shot placement go several hundred yards, hence the shoulder shot.

If I can ever get the cash together I would like to go west and do an elk hunt so a caliber that would be good for elk is also attractive. I like the .338wm, nothing against the 8mm mag just that I`ve only known one guy in my life who had one and ammo is scarce locally although that is much less an issue now with my knowledge now of where to buy components via mailorder.

What about the .325wsm? Anyone have experience on game with this one? Initially it was touted as having the slightly flatter trajectory and recoil of the 300wm with the knockdown of the .338wm. Seems though this is viewed as myth by several whom I have encountered lately, including Chuck Hawks. On paper this round looks pretty good and I can get all the brass that I need from Midway unless someone wants to recommend a better source.

Actually with a careful shot your 270 would do ok, especially with a premium bullet. I like the bigger bores and do think they give you an advantage on long shots if they shoot flat enough.

The 325 WSM is a good looking cartridge and seems to deliver plenty of energy. I wouldn't buy a new gun if your comfortable shooting what you have. Of course that is a good reason to get a new gun. My wife always glares at me when I start saying you can never own enough guns.

Your certainly right about the big 8 being scarce. You just don't see them in the shops. I hold that's because the folks shooting them simply like them and don't let them go.

Traditionally 8mm's havn't done well on the gun market. I suspect that's why the 325 moniker on Winchester's 8mm offering.

You ever get out this way I'd be glad to show you a few places to hunt. I just can't get up and down the hillsides anymore so that really limits my elk chasing.

The 30-06 seems perfectly adequate to me, and the 270 will work OK. The 300 mag is just a long range 30-06, IMO. I haven't seen that it really kills better on elk or deer, it just shoots a bit flatter.

Heck, the most popular round for moose in Scandanavia is the 6.5x55, and studies show it works about as well as anything there.

If you really want a bigger gun, I really like the .338 Win, as well. It's quite popular and performs well if you can stand the recoil. I don't carry one any more, mostly because of rifle weight, but it's a good cartridge, no doubt.

I suspect the 325 is a good cartridge, but I don't think it'll be around too long.

Personally if I were heading to ME , VT or NH for bullwinkle I would carry a pair of rifles .

Most likely a Marlin 1895G(45-70) or 1895M(450 Marlin) that was scoped with a Leupold 1-4 .

And also a bolt action most likely the Winchester Model 70 I have in 325 WSM or possibly a 338 Federal .

And if I really thought I was gonna get on a big one I might take my Mark X Mauser in 375 H&H MAG . That one is a tack driver with the 260 grain Nosler Partition .

Incidently if I took the 375 I wouldn't bother with either of the others :D

What about the .325wsm? Anyone have experience on game with this one? .


I got one in the cheapest version of the model 70 the first year they came out . And have killed a couple man eating VA whitetails with it . The trigger in my rifle was not to consistent , so I have since installed a RifleBasix trigger and now it is a very decent rifle .

I used the Nosler 180 grain Ballistic Tip on the WT's . But I also have some Nosler 200 grain Partitions and Accubonds .

I think for bullwinkel I would use the 200 Partition .


When the short mags forst came out I remmember reading a couple articles where they used both the REM and WIN versions in 300 caliber to take both elk and shiras moose . If I'm not mistaken the Shiras is about the same size as an eastern moose . So IMHO I think the 325 WSM should do a good job provided of course you shoot in the correct spot.

My personal favorite has been the 8mm Rem mag.

I had a Remington 700BDL in the 8mm REM MAG back when it first came out . And for some idiotic reason I traded it off .

Now I have a 375 H&H MAG and 416 REM MAG that are built on Interarms Mark X "Whitworth" actions . If I can ever find another Whitworth action at a reasonable price I think I'll build an 8mm REM MAG . Do I need it ? NO

But I don't NEED the 375 or 416 ;)

I've witnessed alot of moose kills. The .375 H & H is popular with my hunters, but those guys all are African hunters too, so I think that may be a reason. Other popular calibers are the .338 Win Mag, and the .300 Win Mag. Biggest modern gun to date: a .458 Win. Mag. If I didn't own a gun and was planning a moose hunt, I'd buy a .280 rem. but that's just me. The big magnums certainly kill the bulls, but the smaller calibers seem to cause them to drop quicker, which can be a factor with a moose.

I'm kind of surprised that no one has mentioned the .348 Winchester in a Winchester (or Browning) Model 71.

maybe I'm just showing my age. . .

The Old Guy

350 rem mag or 35 Whelen or longer ranges 358 Shooting Times Alaskan.

I've been told by a friend who has hunted moose in Canada a bunch of times that mostly people use the .30-06 and .270s, with the heavier bullets for the caliber of course.

Same guy punched the ticket on a nice caribou with his .270, and some bullets I helped him load. Said it tasted awful, by the way, being in the rut.

I sure wouldn't feel handicapped with either a .270 or my .30-06, to be honest.

Any guide with an ounce of brains should be a whole lot more concerned about your shooting ability, and use of appropriate bullets for the chambering, then what caliber you have.