.300 win mag or 7mm-08 for Sheep & Moose Hunt

[Doc Holliday]

Going on a backpack hunt next year where sheep and moose are both on the menu during the one hunt. All animals potentially harvested will be trophy caliber animals (ie: not shooting a cow moose). I can only take one rifle.

If I left today I would take my .300 win mag with 200 grain Accubonds or 168 grain TTSX.

But recently I acquired a 7mm-08 that I like a lot that weighs 1# and 6oz less, has a 2 inch shorter barrel. For that I would envision 160 grain Accubonds or 140 grain TTSX.

I am leaning towards taking the .300, due to the moose, but can’t help but wonder if I will wish I had brought the 7mm-08. I see a lot of folks posting about how they started out with magnums and then in subsequent trips downshifted to smaller action calibers and lighter more compact packages.

If it were just a moose hunt, I would take the .300 no questions asked, and if it were just a sheep hunt I would take the 7mm-08 no questions asked. I am equally accurate with both. There are grizzlies in the area, but I will be with a guide.

I think I know what the answer is, but I want to hear from folks more experienced than me….what is your opinion?

 

[Holaday]

Any upper limit on range for you?


I should be hunting but instead I’m on Rokslide...

 

[AXEL]

In Grizzly country, such as BC, where I live and spend decades working, usually solo, in the wilderness, I would NEVER reply on your "guide" to stop any difficulties with a bear. I would and do ALWAYS carry a rifle that I trust to stop any such situation and my choice, 90% of the time has been a .338WM.

So, while I have a superb, U/L 7-08 and many other light rifles with such chamberings, based on your choices, I would pack the .300. YMMV, but, I firmly believe in having an "edge".

Moose, btw, are not hard to kill with the smaller bores with decent bullets and good placement and a 7-08 WILL kill Grizzlies, but, the .300 whacks them harder and keeps my nerves calmer.

 

[Holaday]

Do you shoot one better than the other?


I should be hunting but instead I’m on Rokslide...

 

[N2TRKYS]

If I were leaving tomorrow for that hunt and had those 2 choices, I would use the 7-08 with 140 grain Accubonds.

 

[AXEL]

Do you shoot one better than the other?


I should be hunting but instead I’m on Rokslide...

I have been a decent field shot with my various .338s, few .300Ms and my .375H&H rifles for most of my life, aged 18 to 60s. Due to severe injuries and surgical errors, I now have certain issues which impact my speed and accuracy, but, with practice, I am OK, with my 8.5 lb. custom Dakota 76 and custom sts Mod.70 Classic rifles, which are my usual choices, with 250Npts @2700.

An interesting aside, my full custom Mod. Seven STS, Murphy Ti base and rings, silver VX3 2.5x8, was buill as his personal "sheep shooter" by a friend of mine. He was a guide in Canada's northern territories, then a BC CO for some 20 years, LOTS of bush experience. He and his former partner, oiutstanding smiths, built this about five years ago and then he took it hunting Stone's, in a certain range in northern BC.

He encountered a Grizzly, a very common situation here now, and told me that he then decided that this rig with the 7-08 was not enough for this type of hunting. I tend to agree and for serious reasons based on experience, but, since he went back to his and my favourite round, the peerless .338WM, I stayed with mine and have never had any REAL reason to change......other than a 60+ year obsessive love of fine rifles and thus trying about every one I could.....about 150 since 1964.

So, IS the 7-08 enough, well, there are better choices, IMHO and learning to shoot a .300 or .338 well in the field is NOT difficult and most of the really experienced guys I know and have known here tend to pack these cartridges. A dead Moose, as you cope with the task of retrieving the antlers and meat, as you MUST here, is a major attractant to Grizzlies and if you must shoot, getting even ONE bullet into the right place is hard enough, so, bigger is better, IMO.

 

[Holaday]

Sounds like you’ve made your decision haha


I should be hunting but instead I’m on Rokslide...

 

[Steve O]

You could probably get 1lb 6 Oz out of the 300 with stock and scope if that was really important. That weight is nothing IMO and I would take the 300 every time for my 1st time...once you’ve done a dozen or so you might want some added “expert” points for the 708

 

[AK Troutbum]

.300 win mag or 7mm-08 for Sheep & Moose Hunt

Going on a backpack hunt next year where sheep and moose are both on the menu during the one hunt. All animals potentially harvested will be trophy caliber animals (ie: not shooting a cow moose). I can only take one rifle.

If I left today I would take my .300 win mag with 200 grain Accubonds or 168 grain TTSX.

But recently I acquired a 7mm-08 that I like a lot that weighs 1# and 6oz less, has a 2 inch shorter barrel. For that I would envision 160 grain Accubonds or 140 grain TTSX.

I am leaning towards taking the .300, due to the moose, but can’t help but wonder if I will wish I had brought the 7mm-08. I see a lot of folks posting about how they started out with magnums and then in subsequent trips downshifted to smaller action calibers and lighter more compact packages.

If it were just a moose hunt, I would take the .300 no questions asked, and if it were just a sheep hunt I would take the 7mm-08 no questions asked. I am equally accurate with both. There are grizzlies in the area, but I will be with a guide.

I think I know what the answer is, but I want to hear from folks more experienced than me….what is your opinion?

I think I’d just go with the .300. Sheep are easy to kill and both will kill moose, but after seeing my son shoot a moose with his .08 a couple months ago, and having it run off a few hundred yards, in thick woods, and not leave any blood trail whatsoever, it left me a little skeptical regarding the .08’s potency on moose. He put a double lung, pass through, shot on a broadside moose at about 40-50 yards, using 140 grain Barnes bullets. The Moose stood there for about 20 seconds and dropped a total of three tiny drops of blood, then ran off. I told him not to follow up with a second shot because I thought the moose was going to tip over. Well it didn’t, and after spending about 40 minutes looking for it I was thinking that telling him not to shoot it again was the obvious wrong choice. We did end up recovering the moose and all was well, but it was concerning. Maybe it was just my bullet choice, but that experience, coupled with the fact that you will be in grizzly country, makes me think you should choose the .300. As far as the difference in weight, I would just try and make up the difference in some other departments.


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[Kotaman]

I struggle with this dilemma every year and have two sheep hunts coming up that I'm struggling with as well. Most of the time I end up taking my 5.5 lb. Boswell .300 WSM. Next year, I'd really like to take my HS 7mm-08, my Gunwerks 6.5 Creedmoor or my Proof Research .260. Sheep only is on the menu for both hunts. The problem in my case is that the .300 WSM is the lightest option weight wise I have! My buddies call these "White Girl Problems".

In your situation, I'd probably go with the .300 Win with moose on the menu and a potential for grizz. If you so desire, you can probably trim a little weight from the .300 if you really want to.

 

[Fire_9]

I told him not to follow up with a second shot because I thought the moose was going to tip over. Well it didn’t, and after spending about 40 minutes looking for it I was thinking that telling him not to shoot it again was the obvious wrong choice.

I'm a firm believer in 'keep shooting until they quit moving'. You just never know when they'll get their feet back under them and take off

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

I was somewhat surprised to read this story recently, and it helped give me confirmation in my selection of a .30-06 for western/backcountry hunting.

Grizzly bear attacks elk hunter, guide in Wyoming - KTVQ.com | Q2 | Continuous News Coverage | Billings, MT

I had previously counted grizzly attacks as things that folks from other areas hem and haw about, but guys who live in their territory don't consider to be a big deal. I've been within 30 yards of a coastal brown bear in AK, and they are huge, but I've also grown up swimming in waters with alligators, bull and tiger sharks, and hunting spots with 4-6' water moccasins that people from the north would flip out about.

It does seem wise to carry an appropriate bear caliber in their territory, though I believe one member on here recently posted that they killed a grizz out past 800 yards with a 6.5 caliber.

 

[duchntr]

If weight is a concern which it always is on a sheep hunt AND you are proficient with the -08 Id say take it. Seen a few bull moose tip over easily to 308s with 150 corelokts, and last year my bud short a big cow with 300winnie with accubonds and had the same result as Troutbums. When it comes to firearms and calibers you can 10different people the same question and they will come up with 10 different answers. Both rifles will kill everything in N/A one will just be easier to carry. If your still in doubt just remember people kill things with arrows.

 

[Idaho Lefty]

if i were leaving tomorrow for that hunt and had those 2 choices, i would use the 7-08 with 140 grain accubonds.

yup,.."this" ^^^^

 

[Idaho Lefty]

"Double TAP" the Moose,.. IF,.. necessary !