300 win mag

[kramerleo]

Hey all, just found the site. I just acquired a 300 win mag & plan on using it for hunting whitetail. What grain bullets would you recomend, or do I need to see what the gun likes? Its a stainless ruger M77 mark II if that makes a difference. Thanks.

[WisconsinDeer]

150 or 165 grain bullets would work alright. Try different types of ammo to see what works best. With a 300 Win mag you might want to find a bonded bullet or an all copper bullet like Barnes.

[CircuitRider]

150 or 165gr will work real well and is a flat shooting round. My favorite for white tail in my 300Win mag is the 165gr Game King HPBT.

[Karl.Luhr]

I have never owned a 300 Win mag but I consider it a 30-06 on steriods. Just as with the 30-06 most use 150gr or 165gr for Deer. The beauty is that both 180gr and 200gr bullets can be pushed much faster than you can push them with the 30-06. If you reload for yourself you can basically reduce the performance to 30-06 levels. Some may ask why would you want less and I would answer that I don't like recoil if I don't have to have it.

Karl

[starburstdan]

i personally believ the gun is overkill for deer try a 30-30 or 30-06

[turner]

Originally Posted by starburstdan

i personally believ the gun is overkill for deer try a 30-30 or 30-06

Just what is it that makes one .30cal bullet overkill, when two others are not? Overkill is a word bandied around far too much by some hunters, IMHO. I've killed two deer with two different .300 mags, among the 20+ calibers I've taken deer with and within my personal experiences of one mule deer buck and one big whitetail buck it worked great. Both fell on their feet and, in both cases, that may have saved me and my Buds a very tough drag, should they have moved even 50 feet.

If you prefer the 30/30 or 30/06, well have at it. Matters not to me. So why someone else wanting to use a .300 mag (or .338WM or .375 H&H for that matter) bothers you for some reason, is simply lost on me. I am still confused, actually, as to what exactly "overkill" is

Shoot what ya want, just shoot it well!!

[Karl.Luhr]

I would never say someone is wrong for shooting to much gun. I only want new shooters/hunters to know that having a cannon that is capable of killing anything on the planet might NOT be a smart choice for the average new shooter/hunter. I also worry about the group of shooters/hunters that feel using a absolute minimum makes them a better hunter/shooter. I am not a big trap/skeet shooter, I have shot probibly 50 rounds of trap/skeet. In those competions it is considered a self imposed handicap to use a lesser gauge shotgun or in the case of trap backing up farther from the house. In the case of a failed shot in trap/skeet the only fallout is your buddies rubbing it in. Taking a shot at an animal and not killing it clean is something that I think all of us want to avoid. That is why I always recommend the standard choices for anyone starting out in our shooting/hunting sport. I also always recommend that those same newbees stay away from anything with the term magnum in it. In my opinion a newbee shouldn't be steered toward a magnum, it is more power/noise/recoil than they really need. I would hope they start in the sport with something easier to master. To those that are capable of shooting really long ranges then the stuff in the magnum class is made for them.

Karl

[kramerleo]

Thanks for all of the feedback.

While I havn't hunted in 13 years, I don't know if I'd consider myself a newbie. I did hunt for nine years before that. The reason I choose the 300 win mag is the fact that you can hunt anything with it. I understand that shot placement is far more important than calliber or bullet grain. I was asking because I was hoping to get some opinions on the different mushrooming effects in whitetails depending on bullet grain & makeup. I plan on useing 165 grain hornady sst. But if anybody has some insight why a particular bullet grain or composition would be better I'd love to hear it.

Thanks again

[WisconsinDeer]

Originally Posted by kramerleo

I plan on useing 165 grain hornady sst. But if anybody has some insight why a particular bullet grain or composition would be better I'd love to hear it.

Don't hit the shoulder with that ammo, you'll have a mess. If I was in your shoes, I think I would take Winchester Power-Max 180gr Bonded Hollow Point ammo.

[Hunting Man]

caliber choise will always reside with the shooter. I can see someone who has limited budget and can only have 1 gun would take a 300 wm as their all around rifle. However, I'm one nowadays that doesn't want/need to shoot a mag caliber. When I read posts that attest to a drop in the tracks shot with a mag bullet, I smile and can say the same thing after dropping a spike buck with my 22-250 with a solid heart shot. In fact the spike was dead before he hit the ground exploding internally. The real difference would be if a less than perfect shot took place and a shoulder hit happened. Which bullet would give the best results? Obviously the heavy mag would and destroy 20% of the meat. My personal goal ahs always been to achieve a quick clean kill with the least waste of valuable meat. For deer most legal bullets will do a great job dispatching them in short order with a well placed shot. I've been all over the place with bullets 444, 375, 300 sav, 30-06, 32, 243,30-30 ect ect. The simple fact is to use whatever you find enjoyment using (legal of course) and tune out the detractors. Shoot your rig till you know each other well and good things will come. Understand, I'm not anti mag with the above comments, just different!