40-65 on moose

[AlanF]

I may have the chance to hunt moose in eastern Canada and wondered if a top end 40-65 load would be up to the task in the 100 yard range? Thanks.

[44 WCF]

I'm sure the 40-65 has taken it's share of Moose. What type rifle do you plan to hunt with, lever or single shot?

[excess650]

With a heavy boolit (350gr+) it should be fine. Even at blackpowder velocities it should drill a hole through 'em.

[gandydancer]

what gun? what powder? what bullet weight? for whitetail I use a 260 gr lead useing 5744 accurate powder 26 grains//Vel 1651 FPS also a 300 gr lead same powder 24.0 grs/1515 FPS rifle used is a 1875 sharps the loads are from accurate arms I am going to back off on the 260 gr L load I think its a little over kill back off to around 1400 FPS. 350 CSA 5744 24 GR 1521 fps 350 CSA 5744 23.0 grs 1436 fps or 400 CSA 23 GRS 1364 fps GD

[gandydancer]

unlike the whitetail deer... when you find a moose most of the time you can pick your shot. they don't spook like a deer will. but they are big and can get real mean. GD

[Good Cheer]

My "40-65" is a Lyman GPR rebarreled with a fast twist .40 bore.
I'm definitely looking forward to hunting with it. If anybody has some experiences to relate concerning hunting with the 40-65 I'd like to hear them too!
http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy192/SNARGLEFLERK/40GPR_310GRFP_70FFg.jpg

[AlanF]

I'm looking at a Sharps and I'm leaning towards the 40-65. Since I do not have the rifle yet I don't have anything determined regarding bullet or load. Would like to use as heavy a bullet as practical.

[NickSS]

The only moose I have killed or seen killed were shot with modern rifles. I shot one with a 338 Win Mag and saw two others shot with a 300 Win mag and a 308 win loaded with 180 gr bullets. I have also killed elkm deer and buffalo with a 45-70 and it worked well on all of them firing just black powder. The 40-65 has a bit less power than a 45-70 but I doubt if the animal would know the difference with proper bullet placement. I thought the moose I saw shot went down quite easily so I do not think you need a cannon to hunt them.

[nanuk]

I'd have complete confidence with a 40 cal at BP speeds inside 100yds with middle to heavy for caliber boolits

take your time, hit them in the boiler room

I predict a complete passthrough

[bigted]

I'm looking at a Sharps and I'm leaning towards the 40-65. Since I do not have the rifle yet I don't have anything determined regarding bullet or load. Would like to use as heavy a bullet as practical.

alan...moose are not hard to kill....just need to give em time to find out they are dead is all. ive seen em killed with cartridges from a 223 to a heavy loaded 416 mag....guess what....they all walked away apparently UN-phased with the shot. all went down within 50 feet when left alone to discover their mortal wound.

son-in-law killed one two years ago with his marlin 45-70 stuffed with my loads and went down inside of 20 feet...shot thru the heart/lung with a 400ish boolit.

only moose i seen killed rite where it stood was with my 338 and a noggin shot that dropped him where he stood....quivers and darkness for humpy!! im not a antler hunter.......just good ol roast and stew meat. others hunt for the rack....not so with me...just good meat thanks.

use the 40-65 with confidence and make sure your shot is all. practice..practice..practice!!! any reasonable weight slug will do for humpy in fine shape.

pleas do drop photos of meat n rifle tho as this is braggin rites fo sho!!!

[Boz330]

I've taken 3 deer with a 40-65 and 2 more with the 38-55. All straight BP. Shot this buck this year with my 40-65 and homemade BP. All shots ranged from 35yd to 100yd. and only one shot failed to go all the way through and it was the 38-55 and the shot was quartering front and the shot hit several bones and stopped under the skin in the opposite rear ham. Total deer travel was about 35 inches. This was a 250gr Lee boolit. Two of the deer were shot with the 350gr RCBS CSA boolit. The one this year was an NEI modified mold for a bigger Meplat with a boolit weight of 375gr. The boolit went completely through and hit no bone but left a 1.25 inch exit hole.
I would think the 40-65 is up to the job and especially so with smokeless. My homemade powder had the 375 going 1200fps. The boolit alloy was about 40-1 tin lead. The rifle is visible leaning against the deer.

Bob

[crash87]

I may have the chance to hunt moose in eastern Canada and wondered if a top end 40-65 load would be up to the task in the 100 yard range? Thanks.

You wondered if... well wonder know more. While I have not taken a moose, I have shot a 2 year old Bison. Laid his heart open with a 350 gr. RCBS CSA cast with a soft point. I was concerned with the small meplat and went with the soft point cast, and was not disappointed. at about a 100yds with bullet traveling at approx. 1400ish. I also used 23.0 gr 5744, rifle was a 1875 C.Sharps Arms.
In my opinion;
You will have no problem with the taking of a moose with your 40-65WCF.
CRASH87

[Mooseman]

Alaska Moose are massive and can approach 1700 pounds on the hoof, I'm not sure about Canadian Moose as to size.They all Have a thick Hide.
I have seen them take Multiple shots from Modern 7mm or .30 cal bullets and still run away . Shot Placement is the most critical for a Humane kill, something all true hunters desire. I found that Head shots right between the eyes or in an ear drops them in a heap right now. Heart /Lung shots do not act as fast due to the amount of Blood in their system. A gut shot and that moose can run Miles away and leave little sign to follow.
Whatever you use, know where to place the shot and know where your shot is gonna hit...Good luck !
Rich

[nanuk]

Mooseman:

you are right. they are big and have tough skin.

the ones around here (Central Sask) top out around 1400-1500#
the Northern Manitoba moose can top out at 1800#

they are big bodied, but as a rule, do not have the big racks like the Yukon/Ak moose.



but even a 30-30 with a shot inside 100yds in the chest will kill one.

the thing I was always taught was to not push them. Shoot them two or three times, then let them go. they won't go far, and they will lay down to nurse their wounds.

BUT if you chase after them before they stiffen, you might be in for a long chase.

[Mooseman]

AND...If you chase them the adrenaline will surge and get all in the meat. The meat will taste like "Sweat" and be nasty.
I learned the hard way on a Caribou that had just run a Mile and crossed my gun barrel. That meat was nasty , even after aging.
Head shots...They dont get time to think about running !!! LOL

[bigted]

only addition i would place here is that here in alaska where you find moose...big bear are around the corner...dont know bout the eastern side but if they are around ...sometimes it pays to be watchfull as that big bang is sometimes a dinner bell for 'big n black n hungry'

[Mooseman]

only addition i would place here is that here in alaska where you find moose...big bear are around the corner...dont know bout the eastern side but if they are around ...sometimes it pays to be watchfull as that big bang is sometimes a dinner bell for 'big n black n hungry'

You got that right...My Neighbor dropped a bull Moose and while he was gutting it , an 8 ft. Grizz approached the kill...He got 2 trophys in a few minutes !

[Boz330]

I would have thought that the bears would have been in their dens by now.

Bob

[bigted]

the way this stupid weather is going...id not trust anything to 'what should be'. and you can believe me when i say that a winter grizz is not a thing you wanna run accross!

[Boz330]

Griz, especially in AK are out of my area of expertise. We had a little interaction with blacks when I was guiding in NM, but for the most part they were more afraid of us than we them. A black bear not afraid of humans is another problem altogether. I had one hunter that had the bejesus scared out of him after trying to run a blacky off of a water hole he was sitting on.:shock: This after he had chided another hunter for being afraid of a bear that had intimidated him. This was a bow hunt and for some reason the guy didn't want to go back to that water hole after that. It was a great spot to.

Bob

[waksupi]

Black bears are pretty well denned up, but will come out a time or two during the winter. Griz don't sleep near as soundly, and can be out wandering at any time.

[bigted]

these crazed grizz up here in winter usually stay asleep for the duration and mostly up here in the interior sleep up on a southern exposed slope so as the sun will wake em up in spring when it starts to shed heat again...[grizz are mostly the first ones up] BUT!!! they will wake up in mid winter as well and when they do they have a worse attitude and seem more grumpy then their ussual sunny self in summer. id hate to walk into one camped up on a winter killed moose or cariboo in the snow. thay have been known to tackle a feller rite off a running sno-go and this aint pretty.

not tryin to be scarrey but it pays to be carefull when out...even in winter when the big crunchers are spose to be asleep...just watch and maybe bring along a lil sumptin to ward off the horror that may be the thing that takes your fun outta huntin and of bein in the woods is all.

[DHB]

The 40-65 has take everything on the North American continent. Use a heavy - hard enough boolit to get where it is going, and be sure to put it in the right place. You'll do fine. Let us know.
DHB

[Good Cheer]

With black powder what's the best barrel length for a 40-65?

[Boz330]

For hunting I like a 28". If you don't like the weight a 26 should work fine as well. I don't think the loss in velocity wll be noticeable.

Bob

[bigted]

did you ever get to go on your hunt?

[curator]

In the late 1890s and early 1900s, the .40-65 was the most popular cartridge for Moose and Black bear in the northern Adirondaks. Bullets were 210 to 260 grain "express" soft copper jacketed hollow point. Since the hunters of the time exterpated the Moose by about 1920 from there, obviously the cartridge was adaquate for the task.

[Red River Rick]

I may have the chance to hunt moose in eastern Canada and wondered if a top end 40-65 load would be up to the task in the 100 yard range? Thanks.

The Natives up here, have used .22 RF for years to harvest moose.................don't see why a 40-65 won't work!

I've seen lots taken, either by bow or rifle, both will get the job done if the shot placement is correct.

RRR