30/06 loads for Moose

[tater]

I sat in a moose camp this year with my Dad and my Uncle and their two hunting partners. Almost 170 years of combined moose hunting experience around that campfire and they were all carrying 30-06's.
Pops is a Barnes guy, my Uncle a Sierra Game King guy, Wes is a Nosler guy and Mike is a Hornady guy. They all shoot 180's and none of them have ever lost a moose.

Having said that when i asked what the farthest shot taken was, the answer was "all under 200 yards".

 

[wmd]

Outfitter told me occasionally they will have shot out to 300 yards but the vast majority are 100 yards or less.

 

[mcseal2]

Our moose were shot with 180gr E tip bullets at 2900fps from 300 win mags. They performed well at 300 and 500 yards. That would be another bullet I wouldn't be afraid of using if it shoots well. I'd be fine using any mono or controlled expansion bullet like the Partition or Accubond also.

 

[Runningwater]

Just to get you pumped for your hunt - this was from our DIY on the Kenai this September....
note old 30-06 700 bld in scabbard......

 

[MallardMaster]

Just to get you pumped for your hunt - this was from our DIY on the Kenai this September....

Dog gone and done it!!! Nice job and thanks for the eye candy.

 

[Sawfish]

180 Nosler is a great choice.

 

[wmd]

I am pumped up, that picture isn't going to make the time go faster! Congrats thetas a great moose.

 

[Runningwater]

My friend shot it, but it was a group of 3 effort. About 4.5 days of of cutting/lopping/clearing overgrown trail carving our way up and into an old burn area, .5 days of hunting, and 3.5 days getting camp and moose back out! Moose hunting can be a hell of a lot or work!

 

[Yellowknife]

This years moose... via 30-06. ELDX on this one., just because I was sighted in with those from sheep season.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

This years moose... via 30-06. ELDX on this one., just because I was sighted in with those from sheep season.


View attachment 141158

180 or 200g?

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Well if we're sharing...here's the one I took with a 30-06 180grainView attachment 141152

looks like it died in a nice place too. I’ve had bad luck so far, they always walk right into holes and I spend the next several hours knee deep in water dealing with it. I actually bet a buddy a bottle of scotch it would happen again this past season...I won.

 

[Yellowknife]

180 or 200g?

200 gr on this one.

 

[cbeck36]

Just to get you pumped for your hunt - this was from our DIY on the Kenai this September....
note old 30-06 700 bld in scabbard......

Good lord!

 

[thinhorn_AK]

200 gr on this one.

what’s your load for shooting the 200g eldx from 30-06?

 

[Yellowknife]

Don't have it in front of me, but it was very close to the max listed load of RL-17 from the Hornady manual.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Don't have it in front of me, but it was very close to the max listed load of RL-17 from the Hornady manual.

I have RL17 and 200g eldx bullets, that was going to be one of the next things I’ll probably mess around with.

 

[95tigerbill]

There is a reason partitions have been around as long as they have. They work.

 

[wmd]

I am the OP of this thread so I am giving an update.
I have a buddy who hand loads and graciously offered to help, he did almost all of the work, in finding the load that performed the best in my Savage 111 30/06. We tried 3 different bullets, forgive me if I am wrong on weights here but i didn't keep notes when a bullet didn't perform as well. The bullets we tried were 155gr Pro Hunter, 180 gr Nosler Partion and 180 gr Nosler Accubond, using recommended powder for each.
The Accubond with 54.5 gr Winchester 760 powder, 3.707 AOL and Lg primer was the winner in my rifle. I had no idea the time spent and steps taken to find the right load was so precise as I had never reloaded for a rifle before. I made that comment to Denny and his response was a grain of powder here and a thousands of an inch there and pretty soon you are shooting factory loads.
The best news is after 20 years of applying my hunting partner and I finally drew a Black Hills elk tag in South Dakota this year, so I have 2 major hunting trips coming up.

 

[Voyageur]

I am the OP of this thread so I am giving an update.
I have a buddy who hand loads and graciously offered to help, he did almost all of the work, in finding the load that performed the best in my Savage 111 30/06. We tried 3 different bullets, forgive me if I am wrong on weights here but i didn't keep notes when a bullet didn't perform as well. The bullets we tried were 155gr Pro Hunter, 180 gr Nosler Partion and 180 gr Nosler Accubond, using recommended powder for each.
The Accubond with 54.5 gr Winchester 760 powder, 3.707 AOL and Lg primer was the winner in my rifle. I had no idea the time spent and steps taken to find the right load was so precise as I had never reloaded for a rifle before. I made that comment to Denny and his response was a grain of powder here and a thousands of an inch there and pretty soon you are shooting factory loads.
The best news is after 20 years of applying my hunting partner and I finally drew a Black Hills elk tag in South Dakota this year, so I have 2 major hunting trips coming up.

Congrats on the SD elk tag. Drawing that makes you the envy of many.

 

[Voyageur]

This years moose... via 30-06. ELDX on this one., just because I was sighted in with those from sheep season.


View attachment 141158

I realize it's been awhile since you posted this pic, but I'm in the process of preparing for a moose hunt and am "field judging" every picture I can in an effort to educate myself on identifying a legal moose. In your picture it looks to me like the right (top) antler has 3 brow points and the left (lower) antler has 2 for sure, but I'm not sure that third point is actually a brow point. As far as spread I keep coming up with 62-63". How'd I do?