OK, so I violated common knowledge

[AKRyan]

So I did it. I live in Alaska and love to hunt. obviously Alaska is famous for moose. (& some other stuff) So about 8 months ago I sold a 300 RUM not being a fan of the recoil, cost of ammo, etc etc. So this year I packed the old 30-06 into the woods. Guess what else? there's moose meat in the freezer. One shot from 475 yrds and the little 06 with it's pointy bullet did the job. I don't regret parting ways with that RUM one bit. THe reason I bother posting this is because I have heard from many that "you got to have that magnum" to hunt in Alaska.
No, you really don't.
My 2 daughters are going this coming year and they, like their Mom will be carrying rifles chambered in 270 Win. Ill let everyone know how well their caribou die in a little less than a year.

Enjoy your hunting everyone, I sure did & my shoulder don't hurt.

 

[BergerBoy]

Shot placement is %95 of it. Sounds like you hit your target. Congrats.

 

[cowboy]

Take some of the money you're saving from not having to feed that RUM and put a muzzle break on your wife/daughters 270, buy them a set of good ear plugs and you'll really have some happy girls in your family.

 

[Dgd6mm]

First off congratulations on your 475 yard Moose harvest. I bought my wife a 700 ADL chambered in 30-06.I bedded it, lapped the luggs, cut out the bottom and put a nice floor plate with an animal scene on it. Last but not least I had a muzzlebrake installed. I built a load for it and my wife is capable of shooting 5 shot half in groups off the bench with it at 200 yards. She has killed Deer with it. The brake made the difference for her.gun)

 

[mustang58]

I lived in Alaska in 1971-72. While there I met a family that had lived there for 25 years. They harvested 2 moose every year with a '92 Winchester rechambered to 357 Magnum.

 

[d11r529]

I'm not a fan of muzzle brakes, can't stand the muzzle blast. My now late wife shot a 270 with max loads with no problem, she was 5'3 and 115 lbs. I cut about 3 1/2 inches off the stock so it would fit her and put a magnum shotgun recoil pad on it. I did the same with her 22-250 and she shot both with no problems, I don't remember her ever missing a deer and her longest was at 483 yards. So just make sure the gun fits with a good recoil pad on it.

 

[silvertip-co]

I don't think every real Alaskan has or thinks they need a big magnum. That's all hype to sell gun magazines and guns and is mostly bigbs. A new Army shooting friend from subarctic AK told me recently he killed a big grizzer with two shots from his .270. Admittedly he has also a NEMO .300winmag AR, but he told me frankly 'I aint hunting with that thing'. If you go to the 'cantmentionotherforumshere' forum on alaska hunting and read you'll see the locals use all varieties and calibers of rifles to hunt with, from omgitsonlya.223556 to 243 and 308 and 30-06 and 35 Whelen( being one of the better non mags) and their success rates are outstanding, but of course they live there. So find a good cal and shoot it a lot and be comfy with it. And good luck.

 

[DonnaCam]

Aw now, fellas, girls don't need muzzlebreaks and such to shoot a 270! My little tiny daughter who weighed about 95lbs at the time and was all of 5'1 took her first few antelope with a 30.06. Since then, we got her a Tikka T3 Lite because her hand me down 30.06 weighed so much. She shoots anything. But pleased to see you didn't buy into the magnum thing as shot placement and shooting time is everything.

 

[rooster740]

I do congratulate your sucsessful hunt, and do not mean to urinate in anybody's Wheaties, but this is a long range hunting forum. It is hard to argue with down range energy of a properly prepared long range hunting rifle of magnum status on large big game. Just sayin.
Happy hunting

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I think the 475 yard moose shot from the original post qualifies as long range. That's a pretty good poke. I have an absolute love for the giant overbore magnums. So I am certainly not anti magnum. But non magnum chamberings are very capable long range rigs.

Steve