What Ammunitioin for my 2024 Alaska Moose Hunt

[Arcticmanak]

I have had nothing but exceptional results with Barnes bullets on moose, along with Partitions, out of 300wm, 30-06, and 270.

Probably anything on your list would work fine if put in the vitals. I would vote Barnes, then accubond. Whatever is most accurate in your rifle.

This was the 300wm this year on a bull at 135 yds. Quartering to, hit inside the front shoulder and lodged in upper opposite rear leg.

 

[AKDoc]

I responded previously to the OP's specific question, but I want to add to the bullet performance experiences being shared...

I do not doubt nor question the experiences being shared by others. That said, I've had excellent performance with the Barnes bullets. In fact, TSX's and TTSX's are all that I handload these days for big game hunting up here, and they fortunately shoot well out of my rifles. Since we're talking moose in this thread, I shoot 270gr TSX's out of a 375H&H. Every moose that I've had the good fortune to have taken, the bullet entered, expanded, and exited the far side. I've had just two exceptions out of many moose...with both of those the expanded bullet was just under the hide on the far side (both shown below).


BTW...I prefer the experience of calling moose close to me. The longest shot on a moose that I have taken was just under 200yds.

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'm getting 2800fps at the muzzle with the handload noted above.

 

[Swampr42]

I had great luck again this year with the 200gr Accubonds on my Moose from my 300wm, shots were 520 yards. This was the only one I recovered.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

This 250g Barnes ttsx was shot into a mature bull moose at 303yds.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I had great luck again this year with the 200gr Accubonds on my Moose from my 300wm, shots were 520 yards. This was the only one I recovered.

Accubonds are one of the best bullets available.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Need some help on deciding what ammunition would be best for my moose hunt based on the list below. I know shot placement is key. I'm from Michigan and can't use a rifle where we deer hunt so I don't use my rifle very often and 7mm Rem Mag. ammo is hard to find. Here is a list of a few I've been able to find and am considering:

-BARNES BULLETS VOR-TX BRASS 7MM REM MAG 150-GRAIN​

-HORNADY PRECISION HUNTER 7MM REM MAG 162-GRAIN

-REMINGTON PREMIER SCIROCCO BONDED BRASS 150-grain​

-WINCHESTER EXPEDITION BIG GAME LONG RANGE BRASS 7MM REM MAG 168 GR ACCUBOND​

Thanks!

What unit you planning on hunting?

 

[mcseal2]

I have not used the Accubond long range, but always got good performance from the standard version. The Sirocco you mentioned has performed like a slightly tougher Accubond for friends who have used it. 80% weight retention on recovered bullets instead of the 60-70% I've seen from Accubonds.

Our moose hunt we used 300 win mags with 180gr Nosler E tip ammo and it worked great. That bullet has performed well for me on everything from deer to moose in that rifle. The only recovered bullet weighed 179 grains. I think the Barnes would work about the same. I've shot some Barnes but only at deer and coyotes, I have never recovered one.

I'd personally stay away from the ELD-X for something that big from a 7mm. I have shot them from a 264 win mag and a 6.5 Creedmoor in the 143gr version. It's not a big sample size, but we took 2 whitetail with each rifle. The 2 bullets that hit bone did not exit and came apart. The two that did not hit bone exited. It's a fine deer bullet, but I'd personally pick something tougher for a moose hunt with a possible bear encounter.

I'm probably overthinking it, any of them put through the lungs will work. It's just one variable you can control on a hunt away from home, where there are so many you can't!

 

[Kyle C]

Need some help on deciding what ammunition would be best for my moose hunt based on the list below. I know shot placement is key. I'm from Michigan and can't use a rifle where we deer hunt so I don't use my rifle very often and 7mm Rem Mag. ammo is hard to find. Here is a list of a few I've been able to find and am considering:

-BARNES BULLETS VOR-TX BRASS 7MM REM MAG 150-GRAIN​

-HORNADY PRECISION HUNTER 7MM REM MAG 162-GRAIN

-REMINGTON PREMIER SCIROCCO BONDED BRASS 150-grain​

-WINCHESTER EXPEDITION BIG GAME LONG RANGE BRASS 7MM REM MAG 168 GR ACCUBOND​

Thanks!

What's the twist on your barrel? If you have a 1:9 or faster Choice Ammunition has some heavier stuff available you could shoot. Lots of choices in stock on their website. You could run the 175 eldx, or the ABLR. No experience with the ABLR even though I have about 600 sitting on my loading bench I've done nothing with. Looks like they got the 160 Accubonds as well which would be a hammer. Not sure how the 162 Hornady SST perform, but they are on sale for around $40 a box.

 

[VernAK]

I much prefer the Barnes TTSX and TSX for moose and bears also.

Far right is 250gr 9,3 at 380 yards on a crippled bull....I don't usually shoot that far unless crippled. Like AKDoc, I enjoy getting close and challenging that bull. Second from right is a 375 270 gr at 60 yard lung shot and middle two are 180 gr out of a 300 WSM at 80 yards in a bulls neck.

I've begun using TTSX even in predator calibers as that occasional wolf may appear.

The far left bullet is a 129 LRX 270 bullet from a bull caribou shot in front shoulder and recovered in back quarter. Several more around here someplace.

 

[35WhelenAI]

From years ago, .358 200X and 250X recovered from hard quartering shots on elk. Diagonal penetration of 4'. One quartering to and one quartering away. 200 TTSX shown for length comparison. Haven't recovered a .358 200 TTSX yet on 6 elk, 2 mule deer bucks and 3 whitetails, but much more vital tissue damage is apparent based on quicker expansion. From a 35 Whelen AI. No regrets or concerns using any version of Barnes mono's since I started reloading in 1992.

 

[PA Hunter]

I have shot quite a few moose and by far my best bullets are accubonds, in my opinion they are all you need. Perfect mushrooms and almost always passthrough for me, even after hitting some massive moose bones still hold together extremely well. I shoot a .300 RUM for moose and handload 200 gr Accubonds.

 

[35WhelenAI]

If it's not a version of the Barnes Mono's I've been loading the past thirty years, an Accubond is on the short list for what goes up the spout.

For those who've taken or seen game first hand taken with a mono such as Barnes vs a bonded bullet such as the Accubond, what is the typical meat loss variation in the field when hitting a shoulder or heavy structure?

I've seen what a CoreLokt or Hornady interlock spire point does on an elk with a shoulder hit, and it's dramatic. Never seen first hand what a bonded bullet does on a similar hit.

 

[mcseal2]

It was a much different animal, but probably the best example of an Accubond's toughness I've seen was a shot through both front shoulders on a big midwestern whitetail buck. A buddy shot it at 80 yards broadside with the 110 grain Accubond from his 257 Weatherby. Muzzle velocity was right at 3400fps from the load he was using. The bullet punched through both shoulders, dropped the buck, and exited without making an exit much different than his usual lung shots. I thought it did well to hold up at that speed on bone.

From my experience with Accubonds compared to E tips, the Accubonds front end expands pretty dramatically, and they open fast. They generally retain around 70% but sometimes it's closer to 60% on a close shot from something fast. They don't always penetrate as deep if they get a big mushroom on the front, especially on something like an elk. The E tip expands slower and less dramatically and penetrates more. The Accubond gets a bigger frontal diameter faster, so it penetrates less.

 

[Behlftball]

Accubond all the way

 

[Leembelden]

What unit you planning on hunting?

I will be in Unit 18

 

[Robinhood21]

200gr Accubonds from a 300RUM going about 3200fps leaving the muzzle. Shots were 360 yards

 

[thinhorn_AK]

These were pulled out of 2 different moose.

260g accubonds from my 375HH, going like 2680fps from the muzzle, impact ~ 180yds.

 

[35WhelenAI]

It's a given accubond has great penetration. What's the difference compared to a regular cup and core bullet with respect to meat damage on shoulder shots, as an example.

I'm a big proponent of any control expansion bullet, trying to gauge with respect to a traditional bullet versus bonded.

 

[BCsteve]

I’d vote for the Barnes load. I’ve been using nothing but TSX, TTSX and LRX for moose for the past 20 years. I’ve used them in a 7mm Rem Mag, .300 WSM, .35 Whelen and .375 Ruger. Moose may be “easy” to kill but they are big and thick and make good bullet stoppers. Even with monos, I’ve caught at least one bullet from each of the above cartridges used. (Can’t find the pic of the 175gr LRX from the .300 WSM at the moment)

160gr TSX 7mm RM

225gr TSX .35 Whelen

250gr TTSX .375 Ruger

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Another one you should consider - 168gr berger.