Torn - 123gr A-Max for moose?

[feetpiece]

So, as much as I would prefer to have a TSX or partition for moose this weekend I'm left with the factory A-Max which dispatched my Ram. Inside of 200 I'm confident that a controlled pair would do the deed but I wanted to ask the hoard. Is it enough or would you go with option B which is my LMT MWS loaded with VOR-TX 168gr which has yet to be zeroed?

[jurassic]

I have read many posts in different forums, and have first hand experience of people using the A-Max ammo or bullets for hunting, but that bullet was designed for target shooting (unless I read the Hornady web site incorrectly.) The SST is designed for hunting thin skinned game, and is very similar to the Nosler ballistic tip which I have seen come apart to many times on deer. I would not recommend an A-max load for hunting and would never shoot an animal as big a a Moose with it. If in doubt ask Hornandy. On the other hand a .22 centerfire will kill a moose when shot in the right place, but there is a reason you can't hunt deer, etc. with them in many states.

I think it really comes down to what camp you subscribe to, some people want a bullet to dump all its energy inside an animal, I prefer bullets to create wound channels, in one side and out the other. Something to think about.

The Vor-TX is a much better choice in my opinion. This thread is discussing the same question as your's .

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...erformance

http://www.hornady.com/store/match

[Schwag173]

I personally would not choose an A-Max for heavy hide/boned animals like moose or elk. But I see the spot you're in. I don't know anything about VOR-TX ammo.

[SChunter]

I would go with the VOR-TX and the LMT - hopefully you can get the rig sighted in without too much trouble. The TTSX Barnes bullets are good products and a much better bullet choice for a big critter such as a moose...

[stokesrj]

When I lived in Alaska, my rifle was a 270 winchester, and I shot 130 grain factory power points out of it, which are as frigile as the A-max and I took several moose with clean one shot kills. I was careful not to shoot through heavy muscle and bone, so resticted my shots to broadside or slight quartering away shots though the ribs. Every moose reacted about the same, swung their big head around to look at me and walked a few steps forward, wobbled and fell. I think the results with the Grendel if placed similarly will be the same.
Bob

[hm2 clark]

I've shot 3 moose with a 6.5x55 mauser 120gr bullets (about the same balistics as the Grendel). Do like stokerj says, pick your shots. Try for a hit in the central nervious system. Avoid shooting through the big sholder bone. If your counting on a heart shot, dont expect any more then 15 inches of penetration. A well placed pair in the lungs should do. Oh and bring 2 sharp knives moose can get biig

[JASmith]

...and if you connect and recover any parts of the bullet, can you post pictures?

[feetpiece]

Thanks all - My partner/Spotter/Guide will have his 30.06 so I'll take a leap of faith an hunt again with the Grendel. The A-Max managed to enter the inside of the left shoulder of my Ram and exploded into fragments which destroyed a nice bit of his back-strap. While not a through and through that's at least 48 inches of penetration. Getting within 240 yds of him was a gift and the shot was less than ideal but I can afford to be a little more picky about my range and shot placement on a moose. This is a subsistence hunt for me so if I have a clean head/CNS shot its bed time for bonzo. We'll have a substantial base-camp nearby and won't be humping up to 4.5K so I should at the very least have some photos that will further entice you guys to visit The Last Frontier ;-)

[Schwag173]

When I lived in Alaska, my rifle was a 270 winchester, and I shot 130 grain factory power points out of it, which are as frigile as the A-max and I took several moose with clean one shot kills. I was careful not to shoot through heavy muscle and bone, so resticted my shots to broadside or slight quartering away shots though the ribs. Every moose reacted about the same, swung their big head around to look at me and walked a few steps forward, wobbled and fell. I think the results with the Grendel if placed similarly will be the same.
Bob

OK, you have me rethinking the subject. I still want a better bullet, though.

[mongoosesnipe]

Midway USA has the AA nosler load in stock http://www.midwayusa.com/find?sortby=1&i...onid=9880& they have always been jonnie on the spot for shipping when I order from them while the Amax would not be my first choice for moose it will do the job it you put the bullet in the right spot as long as you don't try to punch it through the shoulder for a heart shot it should do the job I think I would go for a neck shot or give him a double tap in the lungs and hopefully slip on between the ribs to keep the bullet a little more intact but I still think I would go high neck for a clean kill the closer you sever the spine to the skull the faster it will die

[feetpiece]

I wish I could order ammo online - nobody ships to AK and the AMax is the only thing sold locally. My press is not ready to start cranking out rounds topped with TTSX's...

[mongoosesnipe]

Gotcha whats holding you back from hand loading if you already have a press you could even pull the amaxes and place the tsx if you were having trouble getting powder or primers

[feetpiece]

I''ve thought about pulling/swapping but I'm a complete novice when it comes to reloading. I'll get some pictures of my bench which is a work in progressm after I get off staff duty. With that in mind what say the hoard about swapping bullets? They are easy enough to get but the powder charge from Hornady is the unknown variable. Would it be safe to frankenload like that?

[JASmith]

Have you looked through this thread: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...light=amax ?? It should put at least some of your concerns to rest.

Swapping bullets, while doable, has a lot of unknowns that would cause even many experienced handloaders to hesitate.

If the discussions in the referenced thread aren't enough to ease some concerns, you might be able to do a test that would tell you if they are "good enough" without a whole lot of hassle:
[INDENT](1) Line up 5-6 water-filled milk jugs at the closest range you might sensibly take a shot. Shoot the center of the first one and you will get an interesting splash on this one and the next 2 or 3. Expect to get wet if you take that shot from less than 10 yards!

With luck, the bullet and most of its fragments will be in the 3rd or 4th jug unless it holds together like a premium bullet.

If you are OK (not the same as delirious with joy over perfection) with the results, then go to step 2.

(2) Repeat this at the longest range you would ethically consider taking a shot. The bullet will hold together a bit better and you might have difficulty retrieving it the first time or two.

The difficulty arises because you are likely to hit closer to an edge at the longer ranges, making it easier for the bullet to depart the line of jugs.

This also presents an interesting test of your initial judgement of your longest ethical range. If you completely miss the first jug more than 2 out of 5 shots, you might want to knock 20% of the range so you will be sure of getting into the vital zone every time. (Yes the moose has a huge vital zone compared to deer, but being sure saves a bit of misery.)[/INDENT]

The test can be done at intermediate ranges to get a more complete picture.

A neat side effect of this kind of testing is that the milk jugs take up a lot less space in the recycle bin since many of them get shredded and most have holes that allow for easy crushing.

[feetpiece]

I'm not too worried about it inside of 300 meters:

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...my-Grendel

It's a bit too late to experiment since we roll out tomorrow. But when I get back I'll have a couple of boxes of Amax left in addition to 100 rounds of Lapua brass to play with. Subsistence hunts are coming to an end and next up are predator control hunts.

[JASmith]

My gut tells me that, since this bullet seems to be good for hogs, it should be good for moose. The trip through your sheep also suggests that it should do well.

Have a good time ... and let us know how things went!

[Deer Hunter]

Im interested in the outcome of your hunt. I think the Amax does the job inside 300 yards . Under normal circumstances id probably take my Remington 700 bolt action 30.06 or 300 weatherby mag for Moose but With that said id love to have a A box of BARNES TSX in 6.5 Grendel. Where exactly do i get them or are yall talking handloads only? Unfortunately im not set up for reloading. Yet! Good luck.

[mongoosesnipe]

Given the lack of experience I would just use the Amax and go for a neck shot

[leopard6.5]

Deer Hunter: Try this link at Alexander Arm"s website: http://www.shopalexanderarms.com/Ammunit...T_box.html

Good Luck with the hunt.

Lee

[rasp65]

Feets It should work fine as long as you drill it in the side through the lungs. My cousins stepson shot an 850 lb bull with a 243 shooting 100gr bullets. I spoke with a lot of people before I went on a moose hunt and the consensus was that they are not as tough as people think. That being said you want to avoid any shots that would require a lot of penetration. I was told to shoot them through the lungs and a lot of times they will stand there till the lungs fill up with blood and fall over. Good luck and good hunting.