Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Light .300 Winchester Magnum, 208 A-Max, 1000 yards

How much does "light" weigh?

Nice shooting btw!

10 # with the scope

Nice shootin. tomorrow I'm going to dial in my 7mm one more time before Colorado deer(lot run change)..I'll try to do some video.

Phoneskope is great. Spotter on 40X with the iPhone on full zoom. Great tool to spot for yourself when nailing down drop data if you can't recover from recoil in time to see the shot.

That's the Barbary load for February...

I bought a phoneskope recently, just havent used it much. I'll try to shoot some vid with it tomorrow..Getting it uploaded might be the trick tho, i'm on satellite out here in the sticks, it sucks ass. usually a miracle to load a picture let alone a video.

Barbary in February sounds fun..Always jones'in to hunt something that time of year.

Nice shooting through the mirage, what powder are you using ...H1000 ?????

H-1000 is definitely the best powder for the heavy bullet in the .300, but I only have 32#'s of it and am reserving it for my target gun



I have 6 or so pounds of RL-25 that I wasn't using for anything so I just used it for the hunting load. 72 grains. 2820 fps is what works for drops in Ballistic AE

I was doing that with my 308 yesterday.



I couldn't hit the dirt at those distances.

rc, nice see someone who appreciates the old .300... My old 700 is on its third barrel.. Have a newer semi target gun that I use for long range deer/elk.. But by long range I am not, shooting game over 500 or 600 yards, as I mostly hunt alone and don't have a spotter.. I really like this old caliber.. It does it all for me.. I could sell about 2/3's of my rifles, keep the .30 and a couple varmint rifles and be set... BUT I would miss fooling with the others..
Have you used the 208 gr. Amax on game.. I have more than enough bullets for my remaining hunting days, but I like to try something new.. That always looked like a great bullet..

Haven't shot anything with the 208 yet. Mixed reports from DRT's to possible penciling.

I would like to hear anyone's experience with it as well...

They are like huge varmint bullets. Complete destruction inside and 4-5 inch exits on deer. They will upset at least a little down to around 1,500fps.

A friend loaded some in a RUM. His dad shot a bull at 70 yards and it penciled. He had to shoot it multiple times.

As far as 123's and 140's out of a Creedmoor, I have good info that they put down 800 pound animals handily.

No video..Couldnt even shoot a 6" group at 100.

Pulled the scope, front base is loose..Glad I had a lot run change, or i'd have took off to Colorado with it with no idea. used loc-tite this time (wasnt any on it at all before)

I cant imagine any Hornady bullet "penciling" let alone the the 208gr A-Max. they have the softest jacket on the market, bullet blow-up is much more common. only penciling bullets I have used are 338 Cal Scenars and any Barnes.......except the grenades.

I love the 210gr Berger VLD in the 300WM, the 208gr A-Max does well also but they work better the farther the distance, the closer the more likely they come undone too quickly but NEVER seen one pencil through !!!

[spoiler][/spoiler]


Good thing you went out!

The 208 AMAX has been tested A LOT. They have a very thin jacket and soft core. There is zero chance that several pencilled through at 70 yards. Completely come unglued leaving only the core and base to penetrate past the first few inches? Sure.



A 208gr AMAX out of a 300RUM at 70 yards IS a big varmint bullet.

Well, I don't know what to tell you formy.

That's exactly what happened; the 208 A-Max penciled at 70 yards. It's not as though I heard it through the grapevine. The dude is a competitive shooting buddy and a guide.

Funny as hell that you're gonna tell me differently. Do you think the other A-max bullets in 6mm and 6.5mm are constructed and perform the same as you "think" the 208's do?

I'll be using it on barbary sheep in February and will call some coyotes to see.

In fact I just talked to him again to make sure I'm not mistaken.

He said,

Is he talking about the entire wound channel, or just the exit wound?

The 105 AM certainly comes unglued pretty quick, IME. Kills great but comes apart at close range.

I guess the entire channel.

He said the bull was at 100 yards, first shot caught the top of the heart, second through the lungs and the bull ran off. Told his dad to take out the spine and he dropped.

He said the 208 punched a nice hole through the spine and held together well for full penetration

3300 fps

I don't "think" anything. Every single Amax save the 50, is constructed similar in that they all feature a relatively thin jacket and soft core. Some are more suited than others for hunting, not because of pencilling, but because of lack of penetration due to coming apart. AMAX's make NBT's blush. But fear not. I've only seen a few thousand test shots, and kills with the 105, 120, 123, 140, 162, 155, 168, 178, and 208gr 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm and 30cal AMAX's.

The guy can be the best shooter on the planet and it still has nothing to do with this. Would LOVE to see pictures of the wound channels from the 208's that didn't expand in that elk. This isn't an argument. You could send 10k of them and never get one to "pencil". Most hunters, including bad A shooters look at exit holes and say- "gee it's kind of small. Must of not expanded" even though the insides are wrecked. I have seen and heard some of the most "experienced" hunters, some who have been discussed on this board, say some of the most stupefying chit while standing over an animal. What someone "thinks" happened, and what really happened is often quite different.

Smoke that sheep and you'll see the same thing. "Several" 208 AMAX's not expanding at close range out of a RUM, is about like saying that several 40gr VMAX's didn't expand in a deer when shot out of a 220 Swift.

This isn't me trying to "tell" you anything other than to fear not and take someone saying 208's didn't expand with a grain of salt.

With a 208 and a RUM?


Also, just to be sure, are you/he positive that they weren't 208gr HPBT's? Oddly enough I have known people to confuse the two.

Yep and Yep

So you think lack of penetration is what folds 800 pound wild horses with the 123 A-Max at Creedmoor velocity?


These guys aren't "average Joes" BTW

My buddy will be happy to know that he is a liar.

Does the same fellows believe in "energy", "knockdown power" and that bullets "rise" coming out of the barrel...? I didn't slight your "buddies" other than they more than likely have no idea what terminal ballistics is. Then again Steve may have let a secret stash of depleted uranium cored Amax's slip out as well. Never can tell with those new fangled magical projectiles. You asked for input from those that have killed with Amax's and you'll not likely meet anyone who's killed more big game with them than I, But ANYONE who has done some work with them will find it just as odd as I, that an Amax "pencilled".



Btw- how are those Leupolds holding up?





Ps. Forgot that 75 and 80gr Amax's. I feel like there's more.....

I appreciate the input, but to blatently state that there is zero probablility of the A-Max penciling when it actually did, gives me cause to follow up with your posts.

I would have to say that there are no Absolutes with anything having to do with rifles or bullet performance.

You are correct. Like a lot of times on the errornet, stuff was probably lost in translation. Is it possible that one pencilled? Sure. Anything is possible. However, a single 208 Amax, let alone several not upsetting under those conditions would land a call to Hornady and the man would probably recall the whole lot. It would be an anomaly, not like a Barnes not opening- which is repeatable, but an anomaly such as to cause terminal ballistic people to think you were playing a joke.



Spill your guts on the sheep.

I have no problem telling the truth as you can gather from my going out of my way to inform the board of a couple of scopes breaking. Believe me, I hope the 208 performs more like you have experienced than like my friend's. Barbary meat sucks.

I hear this so called penciling and have a tough time accepting that a pointed bullet stays on track and penetrates straight through. Try it is test media and you will find it extremely unlikely.

They WAY over penetrated evidently.

LOL

Re the thread title.

Here is a bull taken at 1031 yards with a Kimber Montana 300wm with 180 grain AB. Who says light rifles don't shoot?

Fhugkin pencils.....

Entrance wound.... 162 Amax, impact velocity about 2825fps (.280 Rem, 18yds)..... no exit, deer dick in the dirt poste haste.

Well within range and unethical

162 A-Max gave you a nice hole.

I wet newspaper tested some 168g Amaxes from a 30-06 at two different impact speeds, 2800-odd and 2500-odd fps to simulate impacts at 50y and 200y or so.

They both expanded real nice, 0.700 or so, the fast one retained about 30% weight and the slower one 70% or so.

Haven't used them on game yet but for pigs or deer and goats, there'd be no hesitation from me. I generally prefer heavy Interlocks for general work but to stretch the 30-06s legs the Amax looks a goer.

Good to hear. Thanks for the report!

What scope RC?

6.5-20 VX3 LR 40mm custom TMR and target knobs

Thank you sir!