Best Moose Caliber To Buy In 2024 for Hunting

Hunting moose is an exciting challenge that requires careful preparation, skill, and the right equipment. One of the most critical aspects of moose hunting is selecting the right caliber for your rifle. With so many options available, choosing the best caliber can be a daunting task. 

What makes this even more difficult is the range of opinions about which calibers are most well-suited to bringing down moose. This article will compare some of the most popular and effective rifle calibers for hunting moose in 2024. We’ll cover ballistic performances, energy, stopping power, and which projectiles to use with each caliber for best results.

Best Moose Caliber in 2024

The best moose caliber in 2024 depends on several factors, including the hunter’s skill level, the hunting terrain, and the distance at which the shot will be taken. You obviously want to make sure you get a large enough caliber to bring down such a large animal, so to be on the safe side I won’t include anything smaller than the .270 Winchester in this list. 

1. 30.06 Springfield

Ballistic Performance

The .30-06 Springfield is one of the most popular and versatile rifle calibers for hunting. It’s been used to take down all manner of big game, including moose, elk, and bear. The .30-06 fires a bullet that’s .308 inches in diameter, with weights ranging from 150 to 220 grains. It has a muzzle velocity of around 2,800 feet per second.

Energy and Stopping Power

The .30-06 has a lot of stopping power, with enough energy to take down a moose within 300 yards and beyond if needed. It’s a reliable and proven caliber that’s capable of delivering clean, humane kills.

Projectile Recommendations

For moose hunting, it’s recommended to use a heavy, expanding bullet. The 150-grain Hornady interlock bullet is said to work well on the .30-06 for moose. These bullets will deliver deep penetration and high weight retention, ensuring a clean and ethical kill.

Pros

• Widely available
• Long history
• Versatile
• Powerful

Cons

• Heavy recoil
• Not as flat of trajectory as other options

Summary

The .30-06 Springfield is the only caliber that showed up on every single list that I was able to find. It’s a proven and reliable caliber that’s ideal for moose hunting at ranges of up to 400 yards. It delivers excellent energy and stopping power, but the recoil can be a challenge for some shooters.

2. .270 Winchester

Ballistic Performance

The .270 Winchester is a popular and highly effective caliber for hunting moose. It fires a bullet that’s .277 inches in diameter, with weights ranging from 130 to 150 grains. It has a muzzle velocity of around 3,000 feet per second, making it one of the flatter-shooting calibers on this list. The flat trajectory makes it easier to take shots further out, but still not recommended.

The .270 didn’t make it on every single list, and the typical reason why is that some authors felt that it just wasn’t a large enough projectile to be good for taking down moose. That said, the .270 is plenty powerful, and you need proper shot placement to preserve the meat of the animal anyway. Many a moose has fallen to the .270, and many more will in the future.

Energy and Stopping Power

The .270 Winchester has excellent energy and stopping power. It’s a flat-shooting caliber that delivers impressive accuracy and trajectory, making it a good choice for longer shots.

Projectile Recommendations

For moose hunting with a .270, it’s recommended to use a heavy, expanding bullet with a weight of at least 150 grains, such as the Nosler AccuBond or Hornady ELD-X. These bullets will deliver deep penetration and high weight retention, ensuring a clean and ethical kill.

Pros

• Highly accurate
• Flat-shooting
• High muzzle velocity
• Lots of options

Cons

• Some dispute that it’s powerful enough
• Recoil stronger than expected

Summary

The .270 Winchester is an excellent choice for moose hunting at ranges of up to 500 yards. It offers impressive accuracy and trajectory, as well as excellent energy and stopping power. The biggest reason to avoid it is if you are going to be hunting in bear country. Your moose rifle should double as a bear rifle in the event that you need to defend yourself, and a .270 won’t cut it for that.

3. 6.5 Creedmoor

Ballistic Performance

Ah, the 6.5 Creedmoor. The subject of intense debate. The Creedmoor is designed for long range precision shooting, so with the right projectile it can deliver very well on a moose hunt. 

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a relatively new caliber that has gained popularity in recent years. It fires a bullet that’s .264 inches in diameter, with weights ranging from 120 to 140 grains. It has a muzzle velocity of around 2,700 feet per second, making it one of the flatter-shooting calibers on this list.

Velocity isn’t everything, of course, but it makes a big difference.

Energy and Stopping Power

The Creedmoor was designed for long range, so you might see lower energy and stopping power than some of the other calibers on this list. However, it’s a highly accurate and flat-shooting caliber that’s ideal for longer shots on moose. It’s going to pack plenty of punch as long as you have good shot placement on the animal.

Projectile Recommendations

To take down moose with a 6.5, my recommendation would be to use the 143-grain Hornady ELDX. You can find plenty of other good projectiles to use because the 6.5 Creedmoor is a very common round these days.

Pros

• Fantastic ballistics
• Great for long-range shots
• Low recoil

Cons

• Smaller projectile
• More accurate shot placement required

Summary

The 6.5 Creedmoor is a relatively new caliber that offers impressive accuracy and trajectory. It’s ideal for longer shots on moose and has relatively low recoil. However, you may have issues with it if your shot placement isn’t good, and won’t be as forgiving of poor shot placement as some other calibers on this list.

4. .308 Winchester

Ballistic Performance

The .308 Winchester is another classic, almost as much of a household caliber as the .30-06. Ballistically, it’s very similar to the .30-06 with a lot less recoil. It fires a bullet that’s .308 inches in diameter, with weights ranging from 150 to 180 grains. It has a muzzle velocity of around 2,800 feet per second.

Energy and Stopping Power

The .308 Winchester has excellent energy and stopping power, making it suitable for taking down moose at ranges of up to 500 yards and beyond. It’s a versatile and reliable caliber that’s suitable for hunting in a wide range of conditions. The .308 combines a bulky projectile with a lot of velocity so you can take moose a lot further out than with some other options.

Projectile Recommendations

For the .308, I’d suggest using a bullet with a weight of at least 165 grains, such as the Nosler Partition or Barnes TSX. These bullets will give you what you need in terms of making the kill and keep your shot plenty accurate for good placement.

Pros

• .308 can be used for a lot
• Lots of power
• Recoil is manageable

Cons

• Lot of variance in ammo quality

Summary

The .308 Winchester is a popular and versatile caliber that offers excellent energy and stopping power. It’s a reliable and effective choice for moose hunting at ranges of up to 300 yards, although its relatively high recoil may be a concern for some shooters.

5. .300 Winchester Magnum

Ballistic Performance

The .300 Winchester Magnum is a good choice for hunting large game at long ranges. It fires a bullet that’s .308 inches in diameter, with weights ranging from 165 to 200 grains. It has a muzzle velocity of around 3,000 feet per second.

Energy and Stopping Power

Just from the ballistics information, you can gather that it’s like a really speedy .308 Winchester, and that’s exactly what it was designed to be. Like a car moving faster packs a lot more punch than a car moving slower, the extra velocity on the magnum gives it a lot of force when it hits the moose.

Projectile Recommendations

Nosler AccuBond is a good choice here much like with some of the other calibers on this list. Particularly the AccuBond Long Range (ABLR) projectile that’s designed for big game. For the most part, ammo boxes will be clearly labeled as intended for hunting big game if you’re going to the store, so if you see something more affordable feel free to ask the guy at the counter about it.

Pros

• Very fast muzzle velocity
• Lot of power behind the bullet
• One of the best for long-range shots

Cons

• Heavy recoil
• Ammo is among the more expensive

Summary

The .300 Winchester Magnum is a semi-truck of a caliber that offers excellent energy and stopping power. It’s a flat-shooting caliber that’s ideal for longer shots on moose, but the recoil puts the .308 to shame. Even seasoned shooters won’t find range time very enjoyable with the .300 Win Mag.

6. .338 Winchester Magnum

Ballistic Performance

As long as we’re upping the ante on shoulder-cannons, we might as talk about the .338 Win Mag! It fires a bullet that’s .338 inches in diameter, with weights ranging from 200 to 250 grains. It has a muzzle velocity of around 2,900 feet per second. It’s a tad slower than the .300, but with massive projectiles that more than make up for the ~100 feet per second reduction in speed.

Energy and Stopping Power

This ammo still has around 1,800 foot-pounds of energy at 500 yards, so if you are hoping to take a moose from far out, this is a great caliber to choose. If you’re going to be hunting in dense forests, the .338 Win Mag is still going to give you all the power you would want, of course, it just might be more gun than you need. 

If you already have one, though, rest assured it will do the job with aplomb. The .338 Win Mag has a muzzle energy of about 4,000 foot-pounds, making it an extremely powerful round.

Projectile Recommendations

The Barnes TSX is a good choice, but that ammo tends to be really expensive. Nosler’s Partition is a good alternative choice, and there may be others you can choose from. The difficulty with .338 Win Mag is that it’s not as common, so you may have to purchase it online, which means you can’t ask the guys at the counter questions about specific products.

Pros:

• Really fast
• Big projectile
• Unparalleled stopping power (on this list)

Cons

• Recoil is quite significant
• Ammo is expensive
• Ammo is hard to find

Summary

The .338 Winchester Magnum is a popular round for moose hunting, especially for those who prefer a larger bullet for taking down large game. It also has a high ballistic coefficient, which allows it to maintain velocity and accuracy at longer ranges. 

It has a significant amount of recoil, which can make it difficult for some hunters to manage, but the tradeoff is the ability to take down large game like moose with ease.

7. 7mm Remington Magnum

Ballistic Performance

The 7mm Rem Mag has a muzzle velocity of around 3,000 feet per second and a muzzle energy of about 3,500 foot-pounds. It also has a high ballistic coefficient, which means it can maintain its velocity and accuracy over longer distances. It’s not quite as powerful as the .338, but it has a very flat trajectory and will resist tumbling from wind as it flies.

Energy and Stopping Power

While the 7mm Rem Mag is not the most powerful round on this list, it still has excellent energy and stopping power. It has a high sectional density and is known for its excellent penetration, ensuring a clean and humane kill.

3,500 foot-pounds at the muzzle is nothing to scoff at, and while it’s going to lose its velocity fairly quickly as it flies (of course), you’ll still more likely be limited by your environment and your own shooting abilities before you are limited by the caliber.

Projectile Recommendations

Some popular options for the 7mm Remington Magnum include the Nosler Partition, Swift A-Frame, and Barnes TTSX. If you’re reading through all of these recommendations, you have probably noticed that the same names keep coming up, and that’s because these companies make hunting projectiles for all these calibers, and just adapt them slightly for each one.

Pros:

• High velocity
• High power
• More available than .338 Win Mag

Cons:

• Still a lot of recoil
• Ammo isn’t as common as other options

Summary

The 7mm Remington Magnum is another popular choice for moose hunting, thanks to its flat trajectory and excellent accuracy. It is a versatile round that is suitable for both short and long-range shots.

8. .45/70 Government

Ballistic Performance

The .45/70 Govt has a muzzle velocity of around 1,300 feet per second and a muzzle energy of about 1,600 foot-pounds. While it may not have the long-range accuracy of some of the other rounds on this list, it is a powerful and reliable round that is suitable for hunting in dense brush.

That’s the long-and-short of this round, and it’s proof-positive that the idea that you need 2,500 foot-pounds of energy to down a moose is not true. Even when you are delivering 2,500 foot-pounds, if you only hit one lung or miss the lungs completely, all you’re doing is causing more damage to the meat and being inhumane while you’re at it.

That said, .45/70 doesn’t have the ballistics to justify shots much further out than archery distances. Even 100 yards might be a stretch for this round.

Energy and Stopping Power

The 45/70 has large bullets that weigh a lot. In both form and function, it’s about as close to a shotgun slug as you’ll get from a rifle. If you want to put a large hole in something that’s not very far away from you, the .45/70 is a great choice. If you want to be more than a hundred yards away from the moose when you shoot it, choose something else. 

Projectile Recommendations

There aren’t a ton of projectile options to choose from here, but you can get the 420-grain (yes, you are reading that correctly) from pretty much anywhere that has .45/70 in stock. The main reason why .45/70 works the way it does is because of how huge the projectile is. 

Pros:

• Classic round
• Historical significance
• Great for dense forest/brush

Cons:

• Hard to find ammo
• Hard to find rifles

Summary

The .45/70 Government is a classic round that has been used for over a century for hunting large game like moose. It is a powerful and reliable round that is ideal for hunting in thick brush. It’s a unique round that doesn’t have a large modern following but is still in use with a lot of older lever action rifles.

9. .375 Ruger

Ballistic Performance

The .375 Ruger has a muzzle velocity of around 2,800 feet per second and a muzzle energy of about 4,800 foot-pounds. It has a high ballistic coefficient, which means it can maintain its velocity and accuracy over longer distances.

Energy and Stopping Power

If the .300 Win Mag is a semi-truck, the .375 Ruger is a train. Truthfully, the .375 Ruger really is more gun than you need for hunting moose. Granted, the extra power won’t hurt, and can open up some options for long range shots, but you get a lot more power than you need with this round.

Projectile Recommendations

Projectiles will be largely the same as for other rounds. Barnes, Nosler, etc. I see .375 Ruger at gun stores pretty regularly so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a good hunting round.

Pros:

• Crazy power
• Reasonably fast speeds
• Good for medium to long distance shots

Cons:

• Lower muzzle velocity means more drop
• Trajectory not as flat

Summary

The .375 Ruger is a newer round that has quickly gained popularity among hunters for its excellent performance and versatility, but it may not get you out as far as some other calibers.

10. .375 H&H

Ballistic Performance

The .375 Holland and Holland Magnum has been a favorite among big-game hunters since its introduction in the 1920s. It is capable of launching 300 to 350-grain bullets at high velocities with a relatively flat trajectory up to around 250 yards, making it ideal for taking down large animals like moose. 

Energy and Stopping Power

The .375 H&H Magnum is a proven performer in the field, delivering tremendous energy and stopping power on game. It produces energy levels that range from 4,500 to 5,000 foot-pounds, making it one of the most potent calibers for hunting moose. The .375 H&H Magnum is capable of producing bullet speeds of up to 2,800 feet per second, which is more than enough to take down a moose.

Projectile Recommendations

What you want to look for with .375 H&H are projectiles that 270-grain or 300-grain. These are large enough to keep the high energy but still maintain the high velocities as well.

Pros:

• Lots of power
• Good velocities
• Been around a long time

Cons:

• Ammo is expensive
• Ammo is hard to find
• Recoil sucks

Summary

The .375 H&H Magnum is a reliable and potent caliber that can drop even the largest moose with ease, assuming you can find (and afford) ammo for it and don’t mind the recoil.

Conclusion

When it comes to hunting moose, the choice of caliber doesn’t matter all that much, within a certain range. Generally speaking, if you’re in the .300 range, you’ve got a caliber that will work for moose. The .300 Blackout is an exception, and there may be other exceptions, but the general rule holds true. 

A lot of times it comes down to what rifle you already have or have access to. If you’re looking to buy a new rifle in one of these calibers, any of the ones on this list will give you a good chance at success.