Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game .300 Mags / in the real world?

I've shot a lot of elk with both of those calibers although with different bullets. There were no survivors. For that matter, none made it more than 50 yds before their expiration date.

How about a .280?

This again... BobfromNH, explained several years ago, the 06 and .270 will kill elk, a .300 flattens them... Several years ago I shot a big cow elk with my .270.. It killed her, but she ran about 200 yards shot square though the lungs... I have never had an elk go more than a few yards shot with a .300... The bigger case allows me to shoot farther without the need for hold over... But the 06 etc. are fine, but many times 06 users stood around saying to far while I killed my elk with the .300... I don’t get this continual question about the .300’s.. Don’t like em don’t use em.. But they are one heck of a fine caliber... Even John Jobson a .270 fan said the perfect elk rifle was a .300 with 180 grain Partitions...

Sure did a job on this one.

DF

Wow! Nice bull! How far?

The purchase of the .300WM was a lark. Carrying it for hogs was kind of a, "Hey, y'all - watch THIS!".

Taking it for the mtn goat was on account of the outfitter had always (through 4 previous hunts) recommended a .300 Magnum (of any kind) for his territory, and especially so for goats. I think the species-specific notion was due to the hardy constitution of said critters, and that they habituate such areas that following them after a shot won't be possible. I had worked up a good load, & then practiced with it to 500 yards to be sure of my drops at such distances. A .30-06 would certainly have worked, but the .300WM made it easier, and gave a little more margin. That the felt recoil of that particular rifle was slightly less than a few .30-06's I've had, made the choice that much easier.

For Whitetails in the Midwest, however, you're right: a .300 Mag is mostly just self-gratification.

FC

Around 125 yds. First shot thru the boiler room. Ran, second hit the spine and he went down. First was a fatal hit, he just didn't know it.

DF

A Shaman, I've been using a 300 WM off/on since @1978 and I have NEVER seen that much damage - in person -
done to WT.

It seems to me, that was a case of IMproper bullet & IMproper bullet placement.

I only have a few pix of deer I've killed with the 300 but these are representative.



This is the first buck I shot with my 'current' M 70 Black Shadow 300 WM in 2008.
That is the EXIT side/hole from 180 yds. The Speer 180 H C separated and only PART of the bullet exited.
After 3 or 4 of the same results I CHANGED bullets! !




This 6 pt. was killed in 2009 at 389 yds...again that is the EXIT side. BEFORE I changed bullets! !
In 2009 I was NOT a member here and I only took the pic to show the rack & NEED of a higher power scope.
Even at 10 X or maybe 12 X (?) I had to look close to FIND a 3rd point on 1 side. We have a 3 pt on 1 side legal minimum.





This is one of my better bucks - length, width, & height. I shot him from @ 160 yds.

In 2010 > I HAD changed bullets -- that is the EXIT hole. The hole was NOT that high until I put him in the truck and the hide rolled when I scooted him in the bed. The buck ran into a pine plantation and I had a VERY good blood trail. He ran down hill and then turned R for about 50 or so yds.

I have a couple more pix in "photoPUKEIT" ...... nuff said. I ain't payin them.


B. To answer your first ?, IMO the 300s are NOT needed for WT or deer in general.
I've hunted my 300s primarily to get ready to hunt Elk, and get used to the recoil when hunting, AND because I had them. LOL I'm loony that way. I've also killed WT with my 8mm Rem Mag.

Speaking for MYSELF only, the 7 mags, 300 mags, etc. come into their own when hunting Elk, Moose, Bear, et.al.
Please Note This: -> It's NOT the FPE... it's the Speed and Flat Trajectory that makes hitting your target easier. ***

OMMV


Jerry

WCH, you posted that while I was typing and editing my last post.

You are RIGHT !! GRIN


Jerry

I know what I witnessed was an anomalous result-- seeing a deer blown in half. It came from someone using a 300 WM at very close range and connecting with the spine where the ribs join. Yikes! It was a hole. Let me tell you. Probably the same shot through the boiler room would have been indistinguisable from an '06.

" Several years ago I shot a big cow elk with my .270.. It killed her, but she ran about 200 yards shot square though the lungs... I have never had an elk go more than a few yards shot with a .300... "

Different men have different experience.

In my 50+ years of hunting and killing elk the 2 cartridges I have used that killed elk the fastest were on the 2 opposite ends of the power spectrum of those I have personally used. The 2 that flatten elk the best in my experience were the 270 Winchester and the 375H&H. The longest distance I have ever seen an elk go after I shot one with a 270 was about 15-20yards (actually shot with a short mag, but that pretty close to the same thing) and the 2nd farthest one was about 8-10 feet.

The elk I have had go the farthest after I shot them were shot (oddly) with 7MM Mags and 300 mags. I freely admit I was trying bullets I read about in the gun magazines and some broke up and had their wound channels deviate in odd directions, so I DO NOT blame any of the cartridges (300 Win Mag, 300 Weatherby mag, and 7MM Rem Mag ) but I killed an elk 5 seasons ago with a 270 Short Mag that walked about 15 yards with two 160 grain Noslers, (the 2nd shot dropped it instantly) and other than that one, all other 270 killed elk seemed to drop instantly or within about 1-2 seconds.

In the 270s I have used on elk most were loaded with 150 grain Remington semi-round nose bullets or 150 grain Nosler Partitions. One kill I made years ago was with the 170 grain RN Speer bullet, and I killed 4 with the 160 grain Nosler, but all the rest were with the Remington and the 150 grain Nosler. In my 7MMs and most of my 300s I have tried so many other bullets that maybe I should have stayed away from, so the fault is mine, and I admit it. But the facts from my 1/2century of killing elk are that the 270s I used were as close to "death rays" as any other rifle I ever shot. If a worse bullet were to have been used I may have had some long runs from 270-shot elk too, But I used bullets that worked well. So far I have had ZERO complaints with the 270 as an elk rifle. In fact those I have killed with 270s hit the ground faster than those I killed with several other calibers, all of which should be better according to the ballistic charts. None but the 375 were better, and most were not as good.

Agree, you don't need magnums for Southern WT's. Magnums are nice for bigger stuff and at extended range.

But, they do kill WT's with authority, given good bullet placement and bullet construction chosen to complement velocity.

DF

Sometimes a shot animal will go into shock. That's when the blood pressure takes a fast dive. The brain rapidly shuts down and they sort of get paralyzed on their feet and just stand there. You can pump several more bullets into it and it'll just stand there like it wasn't hit. Then it will just collapse. That can happen with almost any caliber of gun. It's where you hit it more than what you hit it with. Hitting a major artery, like the aorta, will do it.

For most Deer hunting I carry a 308. For most Elk hunting I carry a 300 win mag. I used to shoot both with a 30-06. The 300fps extra impact velocity of the 300 is very helpful on Elk. I have shot deer with the 300. I just prefer to pack the 2lb lighter 308.

My .30-06 does 3100fps with Hornady Superperformance 150's. Or so it sys on the box. AND shoots 1" groups at 300 yards if I can hold it steady enough. Trust me, Those SST's will open up realiably out to 500 yards- maybe more - but that's my limit.

Magnum ammo costs more, and belted magnums need headspacing off the shoulder for best accuracy.

I'm thinking I might turn that thing into a WM...... . I don't have one, but I surely did like that 308 NM I started with up here.

My .300WM shoots flatter than my .30-06 and .308 rifles and has more energy and velocity downrange. But the best reason for taking it is I shoot it well and have a lot of confidence in it.

That is interesting my 308NM also went to my Grandson in Texas, now trying to get a 358NM up and running. Cheers NC

I've guided on around 60 successful elk hunts +/- with a variety of calibers and weapons. If you shoot less than 600 yards, it doesn't matter what rifle you shoot provided you hit them right and choose your shot. The magnums will give more room in margin of error than the others, but the vast majority of hunters are afraid of them (flinch). so is it better to flinch with something that gives you an advantage with a bad hit, or thread the ribs with a small caliber and destroy the heart? I've killed elk at 558 yards with a 243 by hitting them right. killed several with a 30-30, 308, 7mm rem and 30-06, even 1 with a 25-06 and the cow with the 243 mentioned above. I know of one that was killed with a 256 win mag even. The biggest rodeos I have dealt with were all from guys shooting magnums they had no business operating. Had a good friend guide a guy for me once and the dude used a 375 H&H to shoot a cow elk, no problem usually. 4 hits later they finally recover it and the guy remarks, man these elk are hard to kill, I better get a bigger rifle. I owned a 300 wm for a bit, it was expensive to feed and didn't do anything that a multitude of other calibers can do just as well so I sold it. The biggest deciding factor is who's running it. One of the first questions I ask a client is what kind of gun they are using, their response is a huge indicator of how the hunt will go. ymmv

Colorado –

You hit on a major point and the one that matters most – how well prepared the shooter to use the firearm they are carrying?

Most hunters don’t practice much. When they consider the ammo to be expensive they tend to practice less. They practice less if they don[t like the recoil. They practice less the further they have to drive to the range. In fact, anything that makes practice less easy results in less practice.

Dave, my hunting buddy for 21 years now, is a pretty good shot but he makes it to the range once or twice a year. I generally don’t worry much about him hitting what he shoots at but his last shot at elk was a clean miss right at 400 yards. I used his rifle and load a few seconds later to take the same elk at 411 yards, 4 steps and down. One SIL shoots a .30-06 and a .300WM and also makes it to the range only once or twice a year. Experience shows my lack of confidence in his ability is justified. Another SIL shoots a couple 6.5CM and a .300WSM and I have very little concern about his ability as he practices fairly often and I’ve seen what he can do at out to 600. Just about everyone that hunts will screw up a shot sooner or later. Those that don’t practice will generally do it more often.

Daughter #1 used my .257 Roberts to take her antelope this year. I forget the exact range but it was in the 300’s. I had the scope cranked down to 6x for a wider FOV and forgot to tell her. She didn’t check and missed high. She adjusted for the second shot (stupid antelope) and dropped it instantly. It was while I was carrying the rifle back to the truck that I noticed the 6x setting. Wouldn’t have mattered what she was shooting, a similar mistake would cause a miss or at least a hit other than as intended.

While I shoot my .243 out to 600 yards, I’d rather use any of my bolt rifles chambered for larger calibers at that range if the target was elk. Last trip to the range I was knocking the steel at 500 and 600 with my .280 Rem/140g TTSX and 140g AB, .300WM/175 LRX and .338WM/225AB. When it comes to knocking elk I have the highest confidence level in the .338WM’s ability to put them down fast, due to the bullet choice, even though we’ve had 50% straight-down, DRT results with the tipped X bullets. The .280 Rem and .300WM are easier to shoot well. Still haven’t decided which two to take elk hunting next week but the .300WM is almost a given.

Have owned 300 WM and a 300 H&H....both good for the elk and moose hunting I have done in the past. An '06 or my .270 Win would
probably just have been as good. But the boomers are fun and wonderful to reload for. Don't have them anymore...down to .270, .243 and
6.5mm Creedmor now in my retirement days.