Moose and Caribou

This coming fall I am planning a trip up to Canada for some Moose and Caribou hunting. I have been reading up on what calibers to use and I seem to be getting varied results. Even searching on here you literally get everything from a 308 to magnums, suggested.

I wanted to see which y'all would choose and why out of these three options: 308 (I already own and feel comfortable with) / 270 / 300 magnum

Also which brand?

Caribou are not very tuff animals. Your average Whitetail caliber will do them in pretty quick. Moose on the other hand are some pretty big critters with some pretty thick muscule and bone.

For me I would go with a 338 and use it on both but if you already have a 300 mag of some sort that would do just fine as well. Just use a tuff bullet and it will do the job.

A lot of Moose are killed every year in Canada with a 303 British. The 308 with good bullets can get the job done, but I would personally feel better with a lerget bullet. Have been wanting to do a moose hunt for years and bought a 350 Remington Mag for the purpose if I ever make it there.

From what I have been told Moose like a lot of other gritters are not that hard to kill with a well placed shot to the vitals but if you make a mistake and the adreline gets pumping they can absorbe a lot of lead.

Which has more available ammo a .338 or a 300 mag? I'm not a reloader so the availability of ammo is key.

Depends on which 300 you are talking about. The 300 Win Mag can be found dang near everywhere including Wally Mart. But the 338 Win Mag is not all that hard to find either. Wally Mart carried 338's for quite awhile but I have not seen them recently. Academy still carries the 338 I think. You shouldnt have a problem finding either round.........the 300 is just easier to find.

At one point I had 2 338 Win Mags and never had issues finding ammo at all.

I love my .300win and would take it moose hunting if I ever go

300 win and a good bullet

300 win mag will work very well for both. Don't go buy another gun unless you want to.

If you already have a .308 I would get a .300win

with those 2 calibers you have everything in north america covered....short of grizzly


I would change the bullets you are using when you shift from caribou to moose.

Any good deer bullet would work for caribou, on the other hand the moose would deserve a good heavy for caliber bullet.

I would use one of the following
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=471418

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=717476

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=557257

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=270223#productTabReviews

while some people have the "a .243 will kill them with a good shot" attitude I dont hold to that.

I read an article by craig bodington who has extensive experience with moose and he said some thing to the effect of...

Moose are not all that hard to kill, on the other hand they rarely if ever drop dead on bullet contact. They will run until they expire and when dealing with an 900lbs animal you want to limit their ability to run into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water where you will have a nightmare situation trying to recover them.

The point of his article was that you dont need a cannon to kill a moose but you do need enough gun and the right bullet, to hopefully penetrate and make the moose go down as quickly as possible.

So my thinking is that you can have a .300win and buy some good ammo and be ready for just about anything, then come home to Texas and load it with any deer hunting bullet from 150-180gr and have a VERY effective rifle for your home turf.

When im paying big money for a hunt i want the biggest gun i can possibly shoot. Id go with a 300 magnum of some sort shooting 180 grain accubonds.

i got my 308 so i wouldnt have to buy a gun for any of north american game including bear
feel good with it no need for another rifle

Any of the 3 you mention will work well. Where the difference comes in is the projectile you choose and which your rifle shoot most accurately.

I love my 308, I'd choose it any day of the week but (as it was posted earlier) I'd hate to make this trip and then not be able to get my victim because it was too far out. I have started leaning towards the 300 mag. Just an excuse to buy another rifle.

So where should I begin...any particular brands I should either look at or stay clear of?

Steer clear of Remington! I hear they fire by themselves!

If I were in the market for a new 300 Mag I would probably go with the Remington 700 CDL. I just love the way those guns look and feel even though I am not really a Remington fan at the moment.

Ruger is also another one of my favorites.

Savage..........well........they are UGLY!

I think you already have your answer. the .308...... why? with heavy bullets at reasonable distances it's up to the task. But most importantly you have faith in it and are comfortable with it.

i'm sure i'm about to step on a few toes and i'll probably get all kind of muzzle energy figures quoted, but if i already owned a .30 caliber, i would not buy a 300 win mag. my 30-06 will handle just as heavy bullets and do all i need at any distance that i personally would shoot. yes the 300 will handle heavier bullets than the 308, but imho, for the same cost, i can make a huge stride by choosing the 338 win mage over the 300

I am a fan of larger bores and heavier bullets. those two items remain constant. velocity is a varialbe and diminishes quickly.

If I just wanted to buy a new rifle for the moose, i'd go to .338 mag, 35 whelen, or 9.3x62(never shot one of these but everything that's been shared with me is making this my next rifle purchase).

since you don't reload, I reckon .338 win mag is the easiest to find. i've seen .35 Whelen on the shelf before at academy, never seen 9.3x62.

jmo,
c.r.

JCB u turning into a traitor, ever pic I see u are carrying that ole ratty 300 rum. Oh yeah it is a Remington

But its 10 years old! Its a REAL Remington, not one of the new ones!

I guess mine suck!

i would say a 300 mag of some sort

300 weatherby! And be done from ducks to elephant

I am a Ruger man so it is what I would go with. However, I like the old tang safety Rugers. If you were here in C. LA I know where there are 2 of the old Rugers in 300 Win. Mag. for good prices. Good luck with your hunt.

I've shot 3 moose and seven caribou. Most any deer bullet will quickly dispatch a caribou, but moose are as big as a horse, but with longer legs. My 3 moose were shot at 40+/- yds, 22 yds, and 11 steps, all broadside chest shots. Every one of them simply stood there for 10-20 seconds before falling on their nose. They are large and phlegmatic, and it simply takes a moose several seconds to realize they're dead. Here are my moose loads:
.338 WM/210 Nosler Partition in Alaska. Howa 1500.
7mm Remington Mag/160 Nosler Partition in B.C. Sako.
.30-06/ 180 Nosler Partition in Newfoundland. Tang Ruger 77.




The caribou were taken with:
.338 WM/210 Nosler Partition in Alaska. Howa.
.30-06/165 Nosler Partition(2) in B.C. and Newfoundland. Ruger.
7mm Rem Mag/160 Nosler Partition(2) In NWT. Remington 700.
.300 WM/200 Nosler Partition(2) In Quebec. Winchester 70.






I believe that your 308 will do the job quite nicely, as long as you choose a load with a premium bullet along the lines of a partiton, TTSX, or bonded bullet for moose. The caribou will succumb quite nicely to any cup-and-core deer bullet. BUT....all true rifle addicts are looking for a good reason to purchase another gun. Were I you, I think I'd buy a dedicated rifle for Way up North. This would be a .338, .300 Weatherby or .300 Winny (remember, grizzlies live in moose and caribou country). It would, of course, be a stainless gun in a synthetic stock to hold up in all weathers. It would wear a quality scope of 2x7 or 3x9 power, say a Zeiss Conquest 3x9($399 everywhere) or even the underrated Bushnell Elite 4200 3x9(currently $199 at Cabelas...smoking deal). Choose a bolt gun in your favorite brand.


Hope this helps. Have fun!

I should also add that my brother and I went to Quebec last September for caribou. He shot 2 bulls, each with 1 shot from his .338 WM/200 Hornady SP bullet from his Browning ABolt stainless. Most any bullet from your .308 will work just fine on caribou.
.

awesome pics dawaba. Id take the guys advice who has been there.

I appreciate all your advise guys and the time you took to spell it out for me.

I would go with a minimum of a 300wm in Remington 700 AWR(AWRII)

maybe this ; http://www.texashuntingforum.com/forum/u..._33#Post2168782

I am not a fan of the 308, but if you already have one that you are used to and feel comfortable and confident with, stick with it unless you just want to buy a new gun.

The 308 with 165 to 180 grain bullets will be more than enough for either species if you place your shots properly.

I have shoot 1 moose, Newfoundland and 2 caribou, Newfoundland and Nunavut.

What is the twist rate on your 308? Not that it matters a lot under 100y. I would listen to dawaba too, he seems to have the requisite experience, and nice pictures to prove it.