Moose hunting with the .54

[Hiwallhunter]

Greetings from NW Ontario. I have hunted with my JBMR in 54cal since I bought it in 1984. I have taken moose with it and my hunting load is 120 3f Goex and a .530 ball , lubed patch backed with a wad of wasp nest. I also use a load of 40 3f for target shooting- very satisfying! I am a great believer in Bore Butter and use it to lube and season my barrel. The set trigger is very smooth on this gun as well.

 

[tom_in_vt]

Welcome! How did the .530 balls perform on moose? I imagine they did just fine.

 

[Hiwallhunter]

Hi Tom!
HNY from north of Superior. Shot a 4year old bull broadside at 110 yards one shot. The animal just looked in my general direction for a few seconds and then crumbled. The ball had passed through side to side and was flattened on the inside of the opposite side just behind the shoulder. Total wreckage on the inside and no meat lost!! I have taken deer as well and two of them jumped in the air and came down hard. Those were about 75 yards and both pass through. Lungs and heart combos. 54 caliber seems to work rather well!

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

Good to know, I love my 54 and have every confidence it will put a stag down hard this year.

A bull moose is a dream of mine someday, you guys in North America have amazing game animals.

 

[Hiwallhunter]

Good to know, I love my 54 and have every confidence it will put a stag down hard this year.

A bull moose is a dream of mine someday, you guys in North America have amazing game animals.

Good to know, I love my 54 and have every confidence it will put a stag down hard this year.

A bull moose is a dream of mine someday, you guys in North America have amazing game animals.

Thanks! It is a bona fide thrill! However … once you pull the trigger and he goes down then the real work begins. I can tell you that it can be quite the physical workout!! But when you get that steak on the bbq or have moose burgers it seems all worthwhile!!

 

[zerosprk]

Hi and welcome from northern New Mexico!

 

[Hiwallhunter]

Hi and welcome from northern New Mexico!

Hi Zerosprk! How’s your weather down there? Ours was -38c this morning that was with windchill. Too damned cold to go and shoot!! We have lots of snow here too on the north shore of Lake Superior. By the way the ministry of Natural Resources advises we have wild pigs in southern Ontario now!!no hunting of them yet though…

 

[MooseHunter92]

Thanks! It is a bona fide thrill! However … once you pull the trigger and he goes down then the real work begins. I can tell you that it can be quite the physical workout!! But when you get that steak on the bbq or have moose burgers it seems all worthwhile!!

Most people don’t realize how large a bull moose is until you are skinning one and packing out quarters!

 

[GoodRabbitPilgrim]

Most people don’t realize how large a bull moose is until you are skinning one and packing out quarters!

They're about the size of a big buck whitetail arent they?

 

[MooseHunter92]

I’m still trying to find someone to make me some moccasins and a jacket out of the HUGE hide. Let me know if you guys know anyone. I keep wanting to make them myself but I haven’t done much work with raw material other than fleshing, salting and brain tanning. Don’t want to waste any material. Hoping to maximize use out of the animals hide.

 

[MooseHunter92]

I’m learning taxidermy from my sister tho! Started on my red stag shoulder mount the other day. Coming along nicely

 

[William Lincoln]

Well you are running good charges at 120 grs and that translates into a lot of
energy-- for moose and Elk no problem. Now the thick matt of hair ,fat and
muscle on a Charging Grizzly? Who knows??

 

[Hiwallhunter]

Most people don’t realize how large a bull moose is until you are skinning one and packing out quarters!

One who has done it will know how involved it can be. Not a one man job unless the moose drops behind your truck and you have an electric winch attached…oh I forgot…you have to gut the thing first!!Their usually is no I in team here!

 

[Hiwallhunter]

Well you are running good charges at 120 grs and that translates into a lot of
energy-- for moose and Elk no problem. Now the thick matt of hair ,fat and
muscle on a Charging Grizzly? Who knows??

Where I live we have black bears no browns or grizzlies. But I guess in a pinch 120-130 triple fg would be adequate… and with a guy at your side carrying a repeating rifle of adequate power like a .338 Winmag…

 

[thomas]

Welcome to the forum.
Thomas

 

[nit wit]

Welcome from Maine
Nit Wit

 

[UndeadPoet]

Welcome, from North Carolina! That is an exciting hunt!

 

[Cvkotvkse]

I’m still trying to find someone to make me some moccasins and a jacket out of the HUGE hide. Let me know if you guys know anyone. I keep wanting to make them myself but I haven’t done much work with raw material other than fleshing, salting and brain tanning. Don’t want to waste any material. Hoping to maximize use out of the animals hide.

If you have already braintanned the hide, the tough work is done. Depending on the style of jacket you want, there are custom leather workers who advertise on the internet.
Re: movs, Crazy Crow and other powwow/reenactor supply outfits sell a variety of patterns you can use to make them yourself. If there are any First Nations communities in your area, and you want something legitimately Native, you might check at their tribal office.. My impression is that the people up there continued making and using traditional footwear far later than we did down here in the Southeastern U.S., and those skills haven't become as scarce as they have down here. (Thankfully, I did find a couple of pairs that were passed down in other families in my community, and they let me study them before I started experimenting with using any of my braintanned buckskin to make them I am thankful that the knowledge had been re-introduced into my family, and my kids and grands have genuine Creek mocs to wear when they want.)
With a little bit of looking, I suspect you can get what you need to get what you want made, or what you need to make it yourself. Just make sure you get heavy enough awls, etc., to handle the thickness of the moosehide.

 

[Old Timer 48]

Welcome!

 

[BigBoreBLR]

I shoot a .535 with 80gr no problem. Moose are big, but are about the same to put down as a deer. Elk.... That front leg is massive for climbing hills, that takes more to put down than bullwinkle.

Moose are dangerous game in my opinion. If you can use a rifle, you'd be wiser to do so. I'd hunt moose with a muzzleloader from a stand no problems. 50 cal might be ok too. Don't own one though.

I do not hunt elk, but If I did, I would cast my own balls with pure lead and buy some lyman antimony to harden up the lead to a known amount. With some homework, casting from wheel weights that are known to be nt zinc would be ok too. I dont cast a ton, but use sheet lead from old doctor's offices.