7mm vs Moose

C.O. Shooter

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My buddy got drawn for a Maine Moose hunt. He is shooting a Ruger M77 7mm. He is currently shooting 160 gr nosler partitions. Has anyone shot a moose with a 160 gr bullet? I would think this is a little light and recommended at least a 180. Understanding that shot placement is critical. He does not reload, so factory ammo is what he is going to have to work with! Thanks
 
He'll be fine if he shoots it through the ribs broadside, just behind the two front shoulders, mid-way from the top of the back to the bottom of the chest/brisket.
 
In order to make sure I haven't misled anyone: Do NOT aim for the large front leg bone of a large bull moose.

I have two first hand experiences with bullet hits on that bone.

1) My hunting buddy hit a large Alaskan bull moose there with a 7mm Rem Mag using a 175 grain bullet at 175 yards. The bone deflected the bullet forward of the vitals. The bullet never exited this bull. This bull would not have died any time soon from that hit. A second shot with a 270 grain .375 Weatherby Magnum to the spine was required to kill this bull.

2) I shot a 55" bull moose at 425 yards with a .375 Weatherby - 285 grain Speer Grand Slam. The bullet hit directly on that leg bone a little lower than ideal. This bullet did take out the leg bone but was lodged in the rib/brisket area not too much deeper past the entry side leg bone. Had this bullet been placed 5 inches higher, it might have inflicted enough damage to vitals to have killed this bull, but the bullet was severely damaged / sheared off after taking out the leg bone. It didn't have much energy / velocity left after crushing thru that bone. Two additional hits were required to bring this bull down. This was back in the days before laser range finders and all the other wonderful technology currently available for the long range hunter today.

So when I said aim for the ribs directly behind the front shoulders, what I mostly meant to say was do NOT aim for the front leg bone. At least on adult bull moose the size of the ones we have in Alaska. The front leg bone of a Maine bull moose is likely similarly a poor aiming point.
 
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