Is there an ultimate brown bear, elk, and moose cartridge?

[JBradley500]

I think I have a gap in cartridges that i'd enjoy filling for no good reason other than to buy something new. A .338 or larger cartridge that can carry energy out past 400 yards. Something id be totally confident in taking a brown bear, elk, or moose. I was mainly thinking 375 h&h but it seems to scrub off velocity pretty quick. 338 win mag is ok but I have a 300 win mag so it feels a little too close. Also have 45/70 but that's about 125 yard Max shooter.

Is there anything that you'd recommend? I also don't reload at home (just use family member equipment when possible) so factory "available" ammo is ideal.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I think the .375 H&H magnum is pretty much the perfect big bore rifle for just about every BIG game species on the planet. Just my personal opinion, which I’m sure is biased.


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[Gunnersdad49]

I'm a big fan of the .340 Weatherby.

 

[LightFoot]

340 Wby 225 TTSX/TSX
375 H&H 260 Accubond or Partition


Though I'd hold out for the 338 WBY RPM in the Backcountry Mark V and load up some 160 TTSX and 225 Partition or Accubond.

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[S-3 ranch]

I think the .375 H&H magnum is pretty much the perfect big bore rifle for just about every BIG game species on the planet. Just my personal opinion, which I’m sure is biased.


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For what was discussed in the OP , .375 HH or 9.3 x62 , 35 whelen
in traditional calibers

 

[Dennis]

I have used and hunted with many different calibers including 375 H&H, 338 Win Mag and 300 Win and RUM mags. However I have grown to love a Custom CZ 550 in 9.3 x 62 shooting 250 and 286 grain bullets with 21" barrel. It is not a long range rifle, but good to 300-400 yards. This caliber has a long history dealing with large dangerous game and is a pleasure to hunt with and shoot.

The rifle was built by Lon Paul Custom Rifles as a dangerous game rifle and is a dream to carry and hunt with. It is set up with either a detachable peep sight or detachable 2.5-5x20 Leupold scope with heavy duplex and CDS system. Good luck

 

[Steve O]

.375 H&H or the Ruger can cover the entire world.

 

[NuclearGrave]

I’m a 9.3x62 fan. 85% on the 375 H&h in a large action(more rounds, lighter) and less recoil. It is an efficient cartridge that is proven all over the world.

 

[keystone112]

Another vote for the 340 Weatherby. I run a 338 WM, but if I had a 300 Wm and didn’t want a375, the 340 would be worth a hard look.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Any 275 that tickles your fancy will work.

The 340 Weatherby and 378 Weatherby will also work. The 33 Nosler also will work.

On a side note, I’d not be overly fixated on energy alone. There are some .264s (ex: 26 Nosler or 6.5-300 Weathby) that produce comparable energy as the 375s at 400 yards. Not recommending them for your use case but just providing them as an example of the risk with only looking at one metric.

 

[mtnbiker208]

338 win mag

 

[2five7]

Most 338 Win Mags can get a 250 up to 2800 fps, that's a step up in killing power over the 300 Win, IMHO. 340 Wby or 33 Nosler would be the next level up.

 

[MOBowkill]

8mm Rem Mag if you want something not so common

 

[Rifles And More]

Since it's not my money, go live my dream...

Get 3 winchester Super Grade rifles .458WM - 338WM - 264WM and be done with it.

 

[hodgeman]

33 Nosler

A 250AB at 2650 can slap the meat out of any of those critters near or far.

 

[Axlrod]

416 Rigby -you can wait till it gets real close, and still not worry!

 

[wildwilderness]

375 Ruger is the improved H&H

375 Rum would be a great long distance thumper.

Those will also set you up nicely for Africa dangerous game as well.

For the animals you listed though I would stick with something in the .338” caliber-

the 338 WM Will by far have the most factory ammo,

the 338 RUM/Edge is a proven long distance round,

Or make the jump to the 338 Lapua class…

But as you know your 300 WM is perfectly capable . Maybe just book a hunt instead of a new rifle

 

[35WhelenAI]

Hunting elk at 400 yards and beyond has become more frequent with the long range crew, is it typical to engage unwounded moose and grizzly bear at 400 yards and beyond with any cartridge? Asking the question sincerely.

I like the post above. You already have it covered with the 300 WM on the hunt you book with the money you would've used for a new rifle.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Hunting elk at 400 yards and beyond has become more frequent with the long range crew, is it typical to engage unwounded moose and grizzly bear at 400 yards and beyond with any cartridge? Asking the question sincerely.

I like the post above. You already have it covered with the 300 WM on the hunt you book with the money you would've used for a new rifle.

Don’t believe that it’s the norm to shoot moose and grizzly bears past 400 yards. But I do know that it happens. Think a lot of it is up to the guide and his/her comfort level in the hunter’s shooting ability.

I shot my grizzly at 425 yards. Couldn’t get closer (tried for a couple of days), had a rock solid shooting position, wind was favorable, and the bear was slowly feeding on berries. Guide gave me the green light and that was that. I regularly hunt and shoot with the guide in AZ so he already knew my skill level and my mannerisms.

I had not planned on shooting at that distance but the stars did align. If the bear was chasing squirrels, if my shooting position was less than ideal, or if I had buck fever, I would not have taken the shot.

If I were to hunt grizzly again, I would prefer a much closer shot. Just not too close.

 

[MaraviaDave]

The 375 H&H with the right bullet is very capable out to 400 yards. The Barnes 270 grain LRX is a great choice. I've killed quite a few bull moose with this cartridge and bullet combination. It's also a relatively comfortable cartridge to shoot. The recoil pulse is more of a progressive push, as opposed to a sharp snap (Recoil Energy 37.59 ft/lbs and Recoil Velocity 15.32 FPS).

From my perspective, ft /lbs of Kinetic Energy is not the best measurement of terminal ballistic energy....when shooting large game, with heavy bone and muscle structure. In the table below you'll see some of the other ways of quantifying terminal impact energy (e.g. Optimum Game Weight, Taylor K.O. Factor, Momentum). Each method places different biases on bullet velocity, bullet weight and bullet diameter. Of all the formulas the Taylor K.O. Factor seems the most accurate for moose...because it takes caliber (0.375") into account and shouldn't be understated

My bullets are leaving the muzzle at 2839 FPS and are still above 2000 FPS at 400 yards.

Ammunition is loaded by Unknown Munitions using Norma Brass and RL-17. Jake's ammo is incredible!!

When I initially zero'd my rifle I shot seven 3-round groups, with an overall average of 0.427 MOA. Followed by truing my Kestrel 5700 ( Applied Ballistics software), which called for a truing distance of 718 yards. Shooting into a paper target set at 720 yards...I shot one 10-round group...with all 10 shots grouping into 0.673 MOA as measured by Ballistic-X. The correction to muzzle velocity required for truing was 0.28% (2831 FPS-->2839 FPS) The AB Custom Drag Model for the Barnes 270 LRX was wicked accurate.

The longest shot on a bull moose with this setup has been 427 yards. Broadside, double lung hit, excellent terminal bullet performance, bull tipped over within 5 seconds.

My purpose in mentioning all of this, is for anyone considering a 375 H&H, my experience with this cartridge and bullet combination has been really good. It's been very accurate, comfortable enough to shoot and has been devastating on moose and interior Alaska Grizzly bears.