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

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?