Best Moose Cartridges: For Bringing Down Bullwinkle

With so many great options, finding the best moose cartridge to meet your specific hunting needs isn’t always easy. Fortunately, you have Ammo.com, which is always here to help make things simple..

This article looks at some of the most popular moose hunting calibers and cartridges available (plus a few wild cards). We’ll dive into the advantages and disadvantages of each to help you narrow your choices down and find the cartridge that suits you best.

Choosing the Best Cartridge for Moose Hunting

Because moose are the heaviest-bodied members of the Cervidae family, many inexperienced moose hunters believe they need a big bore cartridge. Although they are definitely large, moose aren’t inordinately tough. The rifle/cartridge combo you use for whitetail deer hunting will probably suffice in most situations.

Here are the characteristics we looked for when choosing the best moose hunting calibers and cartridges:

Power to stop a moose – or grizzly bear, if needed
Damages as little meat as possible
Availability
Manageable recoil

It can’t be a good moose hunting cartridge if it doesn’t have the power to ethically harvest your quarry of choice or protect you against a grizzly bear. A little more power also extends the range over which you can ethically harvest a moose.

On the other hand, the ideal cartridge can’t be so powerful that it damages a lot of meat. As ethical hunters, we want to waste as little of the animal as possible (noting that a well-placed shot also helps limit damage to meat).

The cartridge should also be readily available. It does us no good if we can purchase it to hunt with.

Lastly, we’ll consider recoil. It contributes to comfort and accuracy, and determines how accessible a cartridge is to young and/or inexperienced hunters.

Here are a few of our favorite options for bringing down Bullwinkle.

Cartridge	Recommended Ammo
.270 Winchester	Hornady Superformance 140 grain SST
.30-06 Springfield	Winchester Copper Impact 180 grain Copper Extreme Point
.308 Winchester	Remington Core-Lokt Tipped 150 grain Polymer Tip
6.5 Creedmoor	Black Hills Ammunition 143 grain ELD-X
.300 Winchester Magnum	Federal 200 grain Terminal Ascent

Sellier and Bellot 30-06 M1 Garand Ammo - 400 Rounds of 150 Grain FMJ Ammunition

$389.99

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.30-06 Springfield

Today’s .30-06 cartridges achieve muzzle velocity around 200 feet per second (fps) higher than what our grandfathers were accustomed to. Its extra velocity gives the modern .30-06 a ballistic edge and a bit more striking energy, which are both nice advantages to have while hunting hulking bulls from a distance.

One of the major perks to moose hunting with the .30-06 is that there is no shortage of either ammo or rifles. Moose hunters can find suitable bolt-action and semi-auto .30-06 rifles with no problem.

Like some magnum rounds, the .30-06’s recoil is stout yet bearable. Its light (relatively speaking) kick facilitates accuracy, which in turn helps you land a shot that damages minimal meat.

.308 Winchester

PMC 308 Win Ammo - 500 Rounds of 147 Grain FMJ-BT Ammunition

$499.99

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The .308 Winchester is another popular deer hunting cartridge that works well on moose. It doesn’t have quite as much velocity or terminal energy as the .30-06 Springfield, but modern powders and bullet designs have helped close the performance gap between the two popular cartridges.

One advantage the .308 Winchester has over the .30-06 is its recoil. With significantly less felt recoil than the hard-hitting .30-06, the .308 helps hunters make faster, more accurate follow-up shots. That can be a major advantage when pursuing an injured moose through thick brush (or firing on an advancing grizzly).

Rifles chambered in .308 offer another advantage to moose hunters. Because the .308 Win is a short-action cartridge, chambered for it tend to be lighter, more compact, and easier to tote through the backcountry.

.300 Winchester Magnum

Although the .30-06, .308 Win, and .300 Winchester Magnum are all .30 caliber cartridges, the .300 Win Mag delivers more power and better ballistic performance. Think of the .300 Win Mag as a .30 cal cartridge on steroids!

Hornady 300 Win Mag Ammo - 20 Rounds of 150 Grain SP Ammunition

$34.99

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The .300 Win Mag’s 180 grain bullet achieves an impressive muzzle velocity of 3,130 fps: fast enough to confer a whopping 3915 foot-pounds (ft-lbs) muzzle energy followed by a laser-flat trajectory. If you really want to milk the power advantage of the .300 Win Mag, choose a load with an even heavier bullet.

The .300 Win Mag’s commanding stopping power comes at a price: hefty recoil. While most hunters should find the .300 WM's recoil to be manageable, it doesn’t exactly make for a fun day at the range. If you are recoil-averse, this definitely isn’t the cartridge for you.

Rifles chambered for .300 Win Mag tend to be heavy, long, and somewhat cumbersome. The high-pressure ammo is also notoriously tough on rifle barrels, which necessitates frequent replacement if you fire it often.

You shouldn’t have trouble finding plenty of .300 Win Mag ammo, but be prepared to spend a few extra cents per round. .300 Win Mag loads aren’t as cheap as most other .30 cal rounds.

6.5mm Creedmoor

A relative newcomer to the big game hunting scene, the 6.5mm Creedmoor has earned a large and dedicated fan base (including myself).

Winchester USA 6.5 Creedmoor Ammo - 200 Rounds of 125 Grain Open Tip Ammunition

$179.99

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The cartridge was first developed for Precision Rifle Series long-range shooting competition. Its aerodynamically efficient bullets make the 6.5 Creedmoor a ballistic superstar. The bullets clear the muzzle fast and conserve a relatively high percentage of their velocity downrange, and they do so without bucking the shooter with excessive recoil.

The 6.5 CM’s high ballistic coefficient (BC) bullets do a fine job of resisting wind drift, making it one of the most inherently accurate loads available to modern big game hunters.

Many hunters consider the 6.5 Creedmoor to be a bit meager for large moose. However, Scandinavian moose regularly fall to the Creedmoor’s ballistic twin, the 6.5x55mm Swedish.

The 6.5 Creedmoor is currently surging in popularity, so you can find plenty of ammo to feed to your moose rifle.

Speaking of moose rifles, the 6.5 Creedmoor is widely available in most major models. You can choose everything from a traditional bolt-action to a modern AR-10.

6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum

If you want the high BC of a 6.5mm bullet – but with a little more velocity and power – then the 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum delivers.

Although this cartridge has yet to achieve widespread popularity, it is the fastest 6.5mm factory ammo currently in production. The 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum is derived from a full-length .300 Weatherby Magnum case that was necked down to seat the narrower 6.5mm projectile.

Since off-the-shelf hunting loads are still hard to come by, handloading opens a whole new world of moose-stopping potential.

The 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum’s muzzle velocity beats the 6.5 Creedmoor’s by a blistering 600 fps. That extra speed also increases energy transfer, meaning a 140 grain bullet will depart the muzzle of a 6.5-300 Wby Mag moose rifle with 3,384 ft-lbs of knockdown power. And because the round is loaded with high BC 6.5mm bullets, it reliably conserves over 1,750 ft-lbs of energy at 500 yards.

Few moose hunters have the marksmanship they would need in order to implement the 6.5-300’s full effective range, though it has serious long-range chops if you’ve got the goods.

.270 Winchester

Prvi Partizan 270 Win Ammo - 20 Rounds of 150 Grain SP Ammunition

$24.99

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Since its introduction in 1925, the .270 Winchester has become one of the best-selling big game cartridges of all time. I’ve used my own .270 Win rifle to harvest many big game animals over the years.

This cartridge delivers blistering muzzle velocities and shoots flat out past 300 yards. It also carries enough power to handle any North American game, including massive bull moose. If you want a do-it-all rifle that can easily transition from whitetail to antelope to caribou, you want one chambered for .270 Winchester.

As far as big game cartridges go, the .270 Win has mild recoil. All but the most recoil-sensitive shooters should be able to handle it without batting an eyelash.

Most .270 rifles tip the scales at around the 6.5 pound mark, making them ideal for slogging across arduous backcountry.

7mm Remington Magnum

Winchester 7mm Rem Magnum Ammo - 20 Rounds of 150 Grain PP Ammunition

$39.99

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The 7mm Remington Magnum has remained a staple among American big game hunters since its arrival on the market in 1962.

New cartridges die almost as often as they are born. Why, then, has the 7mm Rem Mag endured for as long as it has? One simple reason: It works!

The 7mm Rem Mag occupies a sweet spot between the big-bullet .30 cals and the smaller 6.5mm Creedmoor’s higher BC performance. It nearly matches the ballistics and long-range capabilities of the 6.5 Creedmoor, but hits with energy closer to that of the .30-06 Springfield.

The 7mm Rem Mag also manages to provide all that incredible moose-dropping performance with fairly manageable accompanying recoil.

Thanks to the 7mm Rem Mag’s enduring popularity, rifles and moose-worthy ammo aren’t at all difficult to find.

.338 Winchester Magnum

Hornady Superformance 338 Win Mag Ammo - 20 Rounds of 200 Grain SST Polymer Tipped Ammunition

$49.99

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The rimless bottleneck .338 Winchester Magnum was first unveiled in 1958. It is basically a shortened, blown-out .357 H&H Magnum cartridge.

The .338 Win Mag packs a powerful punch. Although it is a bit too much for whitetail, it works well for moose hunting – especially in areas where you might encounter dangerous game. For that reason, this cartridge is a favorite among many Alaskan outfitters.

The .338 Win Mag lobs a hefty 225 grain bullet at 2,800 fps muzzle velocity, with 3,817 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. If you’re hunting in brown bear country, go a little heavier by choosing ammo loaded with 250 grain bonded bullets.

The .338 Win Mag carries a ton of energy downrange, making it a lethal option out to at least 400 yards (with proper shot placement). However, this cartridge can be pretty abusive to your shoulder. If you aren’t a huge fan of recoil, then you aren’t going to have a fun time firing this one.

.375 H&H Magnum

Developed by London gunmakers Holland & Holland in 1912, the .375 H&H Magnum remains one of the most reliable dangerous game cartridges in current production.

Although the .375 H&H Magnum is arguably overpowered for hunting moose in the Lower 48, it is hugely popular among Alaskan moose hunters. It is also powerful enough to drop large African game like the elephant and Cape buffalo.

The .375 H&H can propel massive 300 grain projectiles to a muzzle velocity of 2,530 fps. Right out of the gate, that bullet is carrying an impressive 4,263 ft-lbs of hard-hitting energy. It still packs enough energy to drop a moose well beyond 300 yards.

However, the .375 H&H isn’t a long-range performer. Although it carries enough energy to fill your moose tag beyond the 300-yard mark, its trajectory drops off sharply beyond that point.

While the .375 H&H delivers some serious terminal energy, it also delivers some pretty harsh recoil. When fired from a sturdy 9-pound rifle, that 300 grain bullet is going to hit your shoulder with a cruel 37 ft-lbs of recoil energy. It takes some serious muscle to tame so much kick.

.375 Ruger

The .375 Ruger first hit the market in 2007 – a joint effort between Hornady and the company it’s named after. It was conceived as a cartridge that would outperform the .375 H&H without being too long for a standard-length action.

Whether it succeeds at outperforming the .375 H&H is largely a matter of opinion. The two cartridges exhibit fairly similar in-flight ballistics. The .375 Ruger does have a slight power advantage over the .375 H&H, albeit not enough to kill a moose any deader.

The .375 Ruger’s case holds about 5% more powder, which produces slightly higher velocities. That added velocity doesn’t necessarily improve the round’s effectiveness at killing game. What it does do, however, is allow hunters to have the same power as the .375 H&H but in a lighter, shorter-barreled rifle.

.45-70 Government

Fiocchi 45-70 Govt Ammo - 20 Rounds of 405 Grain LRN FP Ammunition

$43.99

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The .45-70 Government first hit the scene back in 1873. It began as a black powder cartridge for the breech-loading Springfield Model 1873 (also known as the “Trapdoor Springfield”).

As one of the cartridges that helped tame the American West, the .45-70 was a popular chambering for cowboy-style lever-action rifles. It still makes a sturdy brush gun for chasing bulls in the Lower 48.

Since the .45-70 is a straight-walled cartridge, it is permissible for hunting in states that enforce straight-walled restrictions.

Despite its large-caliber bullets, the .45-70 is fairly mild-mannered and surprisingly easy to fire. The .45-70’s ballistics aren’t exactly impressive, especially compared to more modern cartridges. Muzzle velocity tends to be pokey; usually just over 2,000 fps. However, the heavyweight projectiles hit with a wallop.

The .45-70’s .45 cal projectiles shed velocity and energy faster than a golden retriever on a black carpet. That's why you’ll want to keep your shots inside of 150 yards.

If you’re toting a lever action with a tubular magazine, then you’ll want to avoid loads with spire point bullets. As cartridges line up end to end in the magazine, one bullet’s tip could potentially ignite the primer it bumps up against with catastrophic consequences. Stick with simple round or flat nose soft points, such as the Remington Core-Lokt.

If you want the advantage of a more aerodynamic bullet, try Hornady’s LEVERevolution series ammo. These rounds’ bullets have supple polymer tips that pose no risk of ignition inside the magazine.

Final Thoughts

There are a slew of moose-worthy cartridges on the market for big game hunters to choose from. Any of the options on this list are plenty capable of ethically harvesting big bull moose. Ultimately, the best moose cartridge is one you can use confidently and proficiently.