As there probably are a lot of hunters reading this forum, this post, that I wrote in another forum, might be of interest to to y'all:
"When researching for my new rifle, I ran into an interesting study that was done in Sweden, Norway and Finland in 2004-2005 on the effect of gun caliber on moose. This study might be of interest to the readers of this forum, as I've noticed often the question: which caliber is the best. To my understanding this study is quite unique and it is still ongoing.
Moose hunters in the three Nordic countries were given forms to fill out on questions ranging from gun caliber to shooting distance to the distance the moose ran after being hit before falling down. Information about hit area was collected also. By the time the first report was written, 4,456 forms had been returned, 2,032 from Finland, 1,462 from Sweden and 962 from Norway. Of all forms distributed, Finnish hunters returned 34% filled, Swedes 15% and Norwegians 24%.
The first report as published in a Finnish hunting magazine can be found here:
http://epaper.mmd.net/riista/epagereader4.php?pgNum=6&issue=94
Unfortunately, I could not find an English version, but I'll translate the most interesting data.
On the first page, table 1. ("Taulukko 1.") shows the most common calibers in moose hunting in the different Nordic countries. "Suomi" is Finland, "Ruotsi" is Sweden and "Norja" is Norway. The number after each caliber is the percentage of hunters using that caliber. For instance, in Finland the most common caliber is the 308 Winchester with 53% of hunters using it. "Muut" means other.
On the second page, the first picture ("Kuva 1.) shows the average shooting distance (in meters) in the different countries. Hunters in Finland shot from the shortest distance and the Norwegians from the longest. This was attributed to the hunting terrain differences between the countries.
The second picture ("Kuva 2") is perhaps the most interesting showing the average running distance (in meters) of an adult moose as a function of the caliber after the first bullet has penetrated both lungs (from a broad side hit). This study shows that an adult moose runs the shortest distance when hit with a .458. Interestingly the moose runs the furthest after being hit with a .308 with 30-06 being just a tad more effective in killing power (hey, I am just the messenger, okay?).
The study notes that a hit to the central nervous system was equally effective bringing the moose down, regardless of caliber.
The study concludes that using the biggest caliber will result in fastest kill resulting in better tasting meat (the longer the moose runs the more adrenaline is released into muscles affecting the taste). However, the authors speculate that the smaller calibers are more popular due to the cost of the rifles and ammunition. The smaller calibers are probably also popular in no small part because of the less punishing recoil and thus more accurate shots.
Note: To move back and forth between the pages, click on << Edellinen (Previous) or >> Seuraava (Next) at the bottom of each page."
"When researching for my new rifle, I ran into an interesting study that was done in Sweden, Norway and Finland in 2004-2005 on the effect of gun caliber on moose. This study might be of interest to the readers of this forum, as I've noticed often the question: which caliber is the best. To my understanding this study is quite unique and it is still ongoing.
Moose hunters in the three Nordic countries were given forms to fill out on questions ranging from gun caliber to shooting distance to the distance the moose ran after being hit before falling down. Information about hit area was collected also. By the time the first report was written, 4,456 forms had been returned, 2,032 from Finland, 1,462 from Sweden and 962 from Norway. Of all forms distributed, Finnish hunters returned 34% filled, Swedes 15% and Norwegians 24%.
The first report as published in a Finnish hunting magazine can be found here:
http://epaper.mmd.net/riista/epagereader4.php?pgNum=6&issue=94
Unfortunately, I could not find an English version, but I'll translate the most interesting data.
On the first page, table 1. ("Taulukko 1.") shows the most common calibers in moose hunting in the different Nordic countries. "Suomi" is Finland, "Ruotsi" is Sweden and "Norja" is Norway. The number after each caliber is the percentage of hunters using that caliber. For instance, in Finland the most common caliber is the 308 Winchester with 53% of hunters using it. "Muut" means other.
On the second page, the first picture ("Kuva 1.) shows the average shooting distance (in meters) in the different countries. Hunters in Finland shot from the shortest distance and the Norwegians from the longest. This was attributed to the hunting terrain differences between the countries.
The second picture ("Kuva 2") is perhaps the most interesting showing the average running distance (in meters) of an adult moose as a function of the caliber after the first bullet has penetrated both lungs (from a broad side hit). This study shows that an adult moose runs the shortest distance when hit with a .458. Interestingly the moose runs the furthest after being hit with a .308 with 30-06 being just a tad more effective in killing power (hey, I am just the messenger, okay?).
The study notes that a hit to the central nervous system was equally effective bringing the moose down, regardless of caliber.
The study concludes that using the biggest caliber will result in fastest kill resulting in better tasting meat (the longer the moose runs the more adrenaline is released into muscles affecting the taste). However, the authors speculate that the smaller calibers are more popular due to the cost of the rifles and ammunition. The smaller calibers are probably also popular in no small part because of the less punishing recoil and thus more accurate shots.
Note: To move back and forth between the pages, click on << Edellinen (Previous) or >> Seuraava (Next) at the bottom of each page."
