Moose hunting

[Vicanddogs]

Do you think a .58 english sporting rifle would be enough gun for moose.

[J Henry]

    Yes !HUNT CLOSE,,, If in doubt,, stay home,,Fire power, will never over come poor shot placement

[OldMtnMan]

A hole through both lungs kills everything. Some more slowly than others but they all die. Do that with your weapon at the proper distance and you're good to go.

[smylee grouch]

Yes a 58 is OK for moose but as in any hunting, shot placement is key.

[Daryl]

Do you think a .58 english sporting rifle would be enough gun for moose.

What load with greased or oiled patch does it like best?  24 bore (.58) is a good size for NA large game.

Fellow a bit South of here got his bull a few years back, with a .50 round ball and only use something like
85gr. 2F. The moose took a step or maybe 2? and dropped - double lunged.

I generally like a bit more powder than that, to flatten trajectories. My slow twist .58's had a hankering for 140gr. 2F GOEX
1 1/2" to 2" at 100 yards of a rest.

[Vicanddogs]

I am having trouble finding a component set larger than.58 in an English sporting rifle ( short,light rifle) Plan is for another trip to Nfl. The area we hunt can be very open would like the capability to kill a moose at 100 yds

[smylee grouch]

The last time I checked, Track of the Wolf had Rice 36" straight taper 58 and 62 cal barrels in stock. You could get them to rebreech it by cutting 6 inches off the breech end and instaling a new breech. They were 1&1/8 to 1"-36 in. long so your new dimentions would give you a strong 1" breech tapered to 1". This should make a somewhat light weight rifle.

[Dphariss]

Do you think a .58 english sporting rifle would be enough gun for moose.

Is it original. If so what is the twist? If its contemporary and has a 66 to 72 twist it should shoot fine with 100-120 grains of powder to give a flat trajectory and will kill moose easily with decent shot placement. If its an original rifle with a fast twist the powder charge will be greatly reduced.


Dan

[Dave R]

I have never hunted moose or elk! Which is harder to kill?

[Mike Lyons]

I have never hunted moose or elk! Which is harder to kill?

I’ve hunted both several times. They drop at about the same speed.

[bob in the woods]

It has been my experience that moose , if double lunged with a decent sized ball, will drop /travel a shorter distance than a whitetail deer.  A bad shot /hit however , and they'll take off through the worst possible stuff for what seems like forever.  Given a well placed shot, I think they are less tenacious of life than an elk. My Uncle shot a moose every year with an old surplus Snider rifle , and then later in life, with a 30-30.   All shot within a 100 yards and never lost one .

[smylee grouch]

With every thing equal as far as shot goes it's MHO that moose give up before elk.

[Pukka Bundook]

More or less anything will knock a moose over if hit right.
An elk shows a lot less reaction to being shot, and is a good bit tougher to knock off his pins.

[Old Ford2]

With a poor shot on a moose, it will travel into the most miserable swamp in thirty seconds.
They can walk on bog like you can't believe. Many people I know, have hunted with a 30-30, no need for a .50 BMG.
Study anatomy of a moose and you will find it's weakest spot, definitely not the shoulder or back hips.
A moderately loaded .58 is great medicine for roast of moose.
All of the moose that I have shot were less than fifty yards.
A moose is not like a white tail deer, they can be cautious, but they fear nothing, and will go where ever they want.
They climb almost as good as a goat.
Good luck!
Fred

[Vicanddogs]

I would like to thank everybody for their input. I talked with Dave Keck of Knob Mountain about a .62 cal. english sporting rifle. I think a stoutly loaded .62 is even better for moose meat. Off to find hardware for said rifle

[Daryl]

It has been my experience that moose , if double lunged with a decent sized ball, will drop /travel a shorter distance than a whitetail deer.  A bad shot /hit however , and they'll take off through the worst possible stuff for what seems like forever.  Given a well placed shot, I think they are less tenacious of life than an elk. My Uncle shot a moose every year with an old surplus Snider rifle , and then later in life, with a 30-30.   All shot within a 100 yards and never lost one .

Bob nailed it, from my experience. Moose, if double lunged, or even one lunged, if not chased will lay down normally, within 50 yards of where they were hit, and die right there. Push them, however and you've screwed up royally. They then will match an elk for tough.

On the other hand, if not pushed, moose do not put up much of a fight- depends on how much you scare them, before the shot is made. If they are unaware of you, they will not go far before laying down.

An elk will go down quickly to a double lung, but for lord's sake - don't chase them. Give them at least a full 10 minutes, better yet, 15 minutes to die and stiffen up. The 'chase' will then be less than 100yards.  Yes - I have heard of guys who say they lung shot elk and lost them after a 2 mile 'chase'. I don't believe that for a second - lost it after gut shot & chased it, yes.  An elk of moose cannot run for 2 miles if it has holes through it's lungs, no more than you could.

A shot BEHIND the diaphragm that misses the liver - is a GUT shot. Make sure you do not over-reach your capabilities.

Most clients I have guided, thought they could out-run a moose after it had been holed. 

[Hungry Horse]

Load up the heaviest load your gun, and shoulder, can tolerate, get close ( a hundred yards or less), shot at the lower third of the area behind the foreleg.
 Realize that when the moose hits the ground the fun is definitely over. You will likely do a major part of the butchering on the spot.
 Oh, and remember that the butchering will take time, so shooting a moose late in the afternoon could mean you may have to camp on it to keep the big meat eaters from getting it. Good luck.

  Hungry Horse

[Lobo]

I took a moose with my .62 Jaeger, prb with a heavy load of 2ff. I like my .62 but I think your .58 is very adequate.

A word of advice, carry a small block and tackle in your pack, it will prove invaluable.

[Daryl]

Good "SHOT", Lobo.

[OldMtnMan]

Pictures look familiar Ron.

[Joc7651]

Your .58 will do fine. Don't take a shot that you can't make, and put it in the vitals. Shot placement, shot placement, shot placement.

[varsity07840]

Do you think a .58 english sporting rifle would be enough gun for moose.

Is it original. If so what is the twist? If its contemporary and has a 66 to 72 twist it should shoot fine with 100-120 grains of powder to give a flat trajectory and will kill moose easily with decent shot placement. If its an original rifle with a fast twist the powder charge will be greatly reduced.


Dan

Good point about original rifles. My Westley Richards stalking rifle was around 16 bore with a twist around 1 in 60. It shot best with 75 gr of Swiss 2F. The rifle was so light, that charge was murder off the bench.

[Daryl]

Taylor's Joseph Lang 16 bore rifle made an almost square group of 2 1/2" for 5 shots, at 100 meters (109yds) using 85gr. 2F GOEX. The twist in that barrel is 48".

My own 14 bore has a twist of 60" or 66" (GRRW of early 1980's) and does OK with 85gr. 2F for 1,225fps but prefers 140gr. 2F and maintains it's excellent sub 2" accuracy right to

 200gr. 2F.

One must test his gun with different combinations.

[Old Ford2]

.

A word of advice, carry a small block and tackle in your pack, it will prove invaluable.


[/quote]
If you think spreading the hind legs on a white tailed deer is a bit of a challenge, wait till you try a moose.
That is where a block and tackle comes in handy.
Packing a 1/4 of moose is also an experience. Did I mention "ATV" are handy also..
Fred

[Lobo]

If you think spreading the hind legs on a white tailed deer is a bit of a challenge, wait till you try a moose.
That is where a block and tackle comes in handy.
Packing a 1/4 of moose is also an experience. Did I mention "ATV" are handy also..
Fred

Exactly the reason I recommended the block and tackle. ATV's are great for getting game out of the bush, but where I was an ATV would have had to be dropped off by helicopter. We were 40 miles by canoe into the bush. The meat had to be carried on our back 1/4 mile to the river to the canoes.....I was a lot younger 39 years ago.