Which rifle should I take on my Alaskan moose hunt in September?

[PredatorSlayer]

I’ll preface this by saying I was all in on the magnums until a few years ago owning 300 rums, 300 wbys, 325 wsm, several different 7’s etc. I came to the conclusion magnums were over rated and bullet selection and shot placement are more important, so this is what I have to work with. Based on personal experience with several bullets, I have settled on Hornady’s ELDM. That and bergers is all I shoot now, but mostly ELDMs for everything from coyotes to elk. This is a 10 day DIY hunt with a buddy.

#1 - Christensen Arms BA Tactical in 6.5 PRC with a Nightforce NX8 4-32x50. 28” barrel with brake. 10.5lbs with Bipod. 147gr ELDM.

#2 - Seekins Havak 6.5 creedmoor with a Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42. 24” barrel. 8.5lbs. 140gr ELDM

#3 - Christensen MPP 308 with a Trijicon Credo HX 1-8x28. 12.5” barrel and weighs 7lbs. Getting 2400fps with 168gr ELDM.

Edit: I just sold #2 and #3. Thinking of replacing them with a Ridgeline FFT in 280ai…I am leaning a certain way but am still trying to decide for sure. Let me know what your thoughts are. At this point I don’t have any desire to put together a different rifle for this hunt, and I feel confident any one of these can do the job. I recognize there are pros and cons to each.

 

[VernAK]

First off, I'd look at my bullet selection again. I also like the ELDM....for predators or small ungulates. "M" is the key......it's a match bullet designed for shooting targets....which it does very well. The M simply is not designed for breaking down a very large animal ......and I've heard all the stories about success with Ms and VLDs but if I were spending the $$$ for an Alaskan moose hunt, [which I've done for nearly five decades], I would want to be able to penetrate deep and break bones.

There are several great premium bullets out there starting with NPs, TTSX, Trophy bonded etc.

Of the rifles you listed, I guess I'd go with the 308 as the weight is favorable and the scope desirable for the purpose.

I have no idea where or how you're hunting but I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Delgue]

Match bullets definitely aren’t for moose

 

[PredatorSlayer]

First off, I'd look at my bullet selection again. I also like the ELDM....for predators or small ungulates. "M" is the key......it's a match bullet designed for shooting targets....which it does very well. The M simply is not designed for breaking down a very large animal ......and I've heard all the stories about success with Ms and VLDs but if I were spending the $$$ for an Alaskan moose hunt, [which I've done for nearly five decades], I would want to be able to penetrate deep and break bones.

There are several great premium bullets out there starting with NPs, TTSX, Trophy bonded etc.

Of the rifles you listed, I guess I'd go with the 308 as the weight is favorable and the scope desirable for the purpose.

I have no idea where or how you're hunting but I wish you the best of luck.

I have just had great success with big bull elk, mulies, bears etc with the ELDMs. Quickest cleanest kills I have seen. So I guess I am going off of personal experience with my bullet selection.

 

[diamond10x]

I personally use my .338 wm for moose, there is also a reason it’s the most popular caliber up there.

I have watched a B&C bull fall to 168 VLD’s at 2800 fps+. Penetration was 50% the width of the bull on a broadside shot, at best. After seeing those results first hand no way I would personally use a match bullet and not something bonded.

Something to think about, A mature elk isnt even half the size of a mature bull moose and no where near as heavy boned either.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

I have just had great success with big bull elk, mulies, bears etc with the ELDMs. Quickest cleanest kills I have seen. So I guess I am going off of personal experience with my bullet selection.

I would listen to VernAK, you aren’t going to find a more qualified person to answer your question.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Personally I'd want the greater range and KE of a 300WM over a .308...especially if a big bruin is coming at me from a distance. You can't have too much gun. Beyond 800 yards the .308 is useless, a 6.5CM even moreso. Now my moose hit the dirt with an arrow in his vitals but if I were gonna be hunting moose in grizz territory (thick stuff), I'd be taking the gun best suited to that unfortunate scenario. Now if your .308 is an AR10 then maybe I can see it. I have an ultralite one for that very purpose.



But if were packing a bolt action, it would be 300 Winmag with big glass and 200gr ELD-X minimum. . Something I can ring 1000 yard steel with. JMO...I could be wrong.

 

[gbflyer]

#2. The Swedes have been dropping moose for decades with 6.5x55. I’ve tipped over my share of them. They are obviously larger than a Rocky Mountain bull elk but nowhere nearly as tough to put down. Get within a couple hundred yards and you’ll be fine.

 

[MaraviaDave]

I’d recommend a fast 30 cal magnum with a controlled expansion bullet as the minimum for moose.

 

[MaraviaDave]

#2. The Swedes have been dropping moose for decades with 6.5x55. I’ve tipped over my share of them. They are obviously larger than a Rocky Mountain bull elk but nowhere nearly as tough to put down. Get within a couple hundred yards and you’ll be fine.

I'm reposting a response I made in another post....in regards to this same idea. Specifically, using a 6.5 Creedmoor for Alaskan moose hunting.

********************

Yes, the Swedes do use the 6.5x55 to harvest thousands of moose per year. However, Alaska moose hunting and Swedish moose hunting is quite a bit different. For starters, the Swedes are hunting the Eurasian “elk” version of a moose. While still large, the Eurasian elk (moose) are similar to the Shiras, found in the rocky mountain states and is considerably smaller than the Alaskan moose; in fact, about 1/3 or so smaller.

Shooting a Shiras or Eurasian moose is more like shooting an elk than an Alaska / Yukon moose with respect to size. A couple of google searches will make the difference in size very apparent.

The 6.5x55 is very popular, largely due to the fact that it was widely available in very inexpensive surplus rifles. Any sort of bargain rifle will inevitably find its way into the hunting field and be used out of proportion to other options regardless of its technical merit.

Moose hunting in Sweden is very much a pastoral pursuit. The focus is on harvesting animals for market and a lot of the harvest is cows, calves, and small bulls.

Hunting is generally in timber and the shooting tends to be close, in comparison to Western U.S. and Alaska standards. The Swedes typically use very heavy for caliber round nose bullets. As opposed to the lighter weight (140'ish grain), more frangible, high BC bullets commonly shot from 6.5's in the U.S.

In Alaska, the focus is mainly on harvesting large, mature bulls. Which are generally found in open country, where longer range shots are a distinct probability. Or, they'll be coming to the call, which typically results in short range shooting, with the most likely shot angle being head-on or steeply quartering towards the hunter.

I want a cartridge and bullet combination that will be versatile enough for either of these two most likely scenarios.

This years bull is a good example of this. Killed at 396 yards. G.A. Precision built 375 H&H, Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42 scope, shooting Barnes 270 grain Long Range X (LRX) bullets. Shot off an RRS tripod, from the standing, due to the tall brush I was in.

I'm a big fan of the 6.5 Creedmoor. When used appropriately. For me, that's going to be a high round count training rifle, while working on positional shooting from tripods and natural obstacles. My 6.5 CM shares the same stock (Manners EH1), trigger (TT Primary) and scope reticle as all of my other rifles. This allows me to shoot ~1,000 rounds per year, with a lot of training value that will apply to my hunting rifles.

I don't consider the 6.5 Creedmoor a capable hunting rifle for Alaskan moose.

 

[Wrench]

I'd bring the 308 and stoke some partitions. Moose are hard to miss and you're not going to want to shoot one 6 mils of adjustment away.

Coming from someone who promotes the 6.5 magic pretty hard.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Personally I'd want the greater range and KE of a 300WM over a .308...especially if a big bruin is coming at me from a distance. You can't have too much gun. Beyond 800 yards the .308 is useless, a 6.5CM even moreso. Now my moose hit the dirt with an arrow in his vitals but if I were gonna be hunting moose in grizz territory (thick stuff), I'd be taking the gun best suited to that unfortunate scenario. Now if your .308 is an AR10 then maybe I can see it. I have an ultralite one for that very purpose.

View attachment 421989View attachment 421990

But if were packing a bolt action, it would be 300 Winmag with big glass and 200gr ELD-X minimum. . Something I can ring 1000 yard steel with. JMO...I could be wrong.

View attachment 421991

I guess I don’t see the difference between my 308 and your 308. If we are talking bear defense, we are praying for a CNS shot anyway or several rounds in the face as a deterrent. I am carrying a 10mm with Hardcast bullets. I posted a 44mag vs 10mm thread with an interesting video.

Anyway, I tried to preface my comments by saying that 300 plus mags are super overrated, thats my opinion based on owning several, I understand nobody has to agree with it. I don’t feel like they kill any better than my PRC. I am comfortable taking big game out to 1200 yards in the right conditions with that rifle and the 147 eldm. We could have a debate about how overrated energy at impact vs how important velocity at impact is(has to be enough for bullet expansion) but we can save that for another time. I have never lost an animal since I started shooting Amax/Eldm bullets - every single time it has been one shot kills. Plus there is a massive thread with strong evidence that supports the effectiveness of 77gr TMKs out of a 223 on Bears, Deer, Elk and Moose. Honestly, I have a bergara premier 6mm creedmoor with an NXS 5.5-22x56 shooting 108 gr eldms that I believe would do the job on a moose as well. Its just 13lbs and I would rather not haul her around. It did a number on the bear I killed this spring.

 

[jhm2023]

Those are all kind of crap choices for one reason or another to be honest. Some are too long and too heavy, all are using the wrong type of bullets and leave a bit to be desired for power. Moose aren't particularly hard to kill but they do have this little habit of making a death run into water or thick brush if you can't anchor them. If you you don't want to carry a gun capable of anchoring a moose, then I'd suggest also packing a rope-a-long and some good rope. That's a lot of weight on top of an already heavy rifle though.

My wife shoots moose with her little Creedmoor but I load it with quality mono-metal bullets like Barnes LRX and Hammer Hunters and I'm always there to back her up with an adequately chambered rifle should it be needed. If you absolutely had to take one of those choices, I guess I'd go with the PRC and load it with something like a Hammer, Barnes, a-frame or similar constructed bullet. I'd also remove the bipod to save weight and ease traveling through brush since moose country more often than not doesn't allow a lot of prone shot opportunities and you can shoot from a pack if the opportunity does arise. Then I'd cut like 4-6 inches off the barrel to make it reasonable to maneuver through thick brush and in the event of a bear encounter. I guess after all that you might as well buy a new rifle deserving of being used for an Alaskan moose hunt. The 308 could work nicely since its shorter and lighter but with that short of a barrel its a bit anemic. Perhaps load it with some Absolute Hammers to get the velocity up to a more reasonable level so you have more reach if needed.

Whichever route you decide to go, be sure to post up some pics when you get back and enjoy moose country in Alaska. It's an awesome experience and you'll likely want to keep coming back.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

Do you still have a real gun for alaska? If so why not bring that. Seems like most people up here hunt with 300s or bigger. Seems to be a good enough reason to use what they use. Verns got alot ot hunts under his belt. Wise to listen to him

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Those are all kind of crap choices for one reason or another to be honest. Some are too long and too heavy, all are using the wrong type of bullets and leave a bit to be desired for power. Moose aren't particularly hard to kill but they do have this little habit of making a death run into water or thick brush if you can't anchor them. If you you don't want to carry a gun capable of anchoring a moose, then I'd suggest also packing a rope-a-long and some good rope. That's a lot of weight on top of an already heavy rifle though.

My wife shoots moose with her little Creedmoor but I load it with quality mono-metal bullets like Barnes LRX and Hammer Hunters and I'm always there to back her up with an adequately chambered rifle should it be needed. If you absolutely had to take one of those choices, I guess I'd go with the PRC and load it with something like a Hammer, Barnes, a-frame or similar constructed bullet. I'd also remove the bipod to save weight and ease traveling through brush since moose country more often than not doesn't allow a lot of prone shot opportunities and you can shoot from a pack if the opportunity does arise. Then I'd cut like 4-6 inches off the barrel to make it reasonable to maneuver through thick brush and in the event of a bear encounter. I guess after all that you might as well buy a new rifle deserving of being used for an Alaskan moose hunt. The 308 could work nicely since its shorter and lighter but with that short of a barrel its a bit anemic. Perhaps load it with some Absolute Hammers to get the velocity up to a more reasonable level so you have more reach if needed.

Whichever route you decide to go, be sure to post up some pics when you get back and enjoy moose country in Alaska. It's an awesome experience and you'll likely want to keep coming back.

Thanks You lost me at Hammers tho. We have dabbled with them and had some poor experiences where they failed to expand. And I think the owner is an Ahole, so there is that.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Do you still have a real gun for alaska? If so why not bring that. Seems like most people up here hunt with 300s or bigger. Seems to be a good enough reason to use what they use. Verns got alot ot hunts under his belt. Wise to listen to him

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

I am taking one of the three I listed. Or my 6mm creedmoor that I didn’t. If we are talking about hunting with what a lot of the locals do, I would be using an AR15 wouldnt i?

 

[jhm2023]

My experience with Hammers has been great, I wonder if you had a stability issue causing the failure to function. The owner has always been super helpful too but that isn't the topic of discussion here.

As far as using what the locals do, it really depends on the community you're talking about. Most people from communities on the road system use bolt guns in larger cartridges. I've worked in 15+ rural communities throughout interior Alaska and I can tell you old 30-30 lever guns and some skeleton stock Rugers are the more common choice for moose hunting in those areas for locals.

 

[gbflyer]

I am taking one of the three I listed. Or my 6mm creedmoor that I didn’t. If we are talking about hunting with what a lot of the locals do, I would be using an AR15 wouldnt i?

Mini-14 is more widespread hahaha. I’m going to use my 6x45 this year. Bullets will probably just bounce off though.

 

[Muskykris]

I’m also in the 30cal camp.
Barnes ttsx or nosler partitions.

Or do what you want and ignore the guys that know, only you will know how it turns out for ya… good luck

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Moose are big and tough. I use a 375HH with either the Barnes ttsx 250g or a 260g accubond.

I wouldn’t dream of using any of the guns you listed but you’re and adult so you can make your own decisions.