Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer/others - optimizing 300 Sav for elk

I agree with what Jayhawker posted. Moose are often going to die at their own pace, even after a good shot...or a good second shot, or a good third shot. Sometimes also doesn't really appear to matter all that much what they're shot with. When they decide they're going to die they will, and if they're not ready they wait a little while!

From what I hear, punching them hard quartering toward, and going through-and-through with a cast slug from a .45-110 Sharps will tend to anchor them really quick...............

An EvilTwin has been passing that bug around, and the damned thing is contagious.

I knocked over a couple deer with a .300 Savage, and found it was pretty much lights out with a good hit. One Texas doe had about a 3" exit hole through her offside shoulder, which is something you expectwith a magnum, not an old timer like the .300 Savage.

Data has never been published to my knowledge, but I'll cast another vote for Reloader 15, which worked very, very well in my M99 - excellent accuracy and velocities easily 100 fps more than 150 gr factory loads, with good pressures.

I never got to shoot a Turkey with one, but in areas where you can use rifles on wild turkey, during deer season, I kept some 150 FMJ loads on hand, as well as 150 gr soft points. They shot to the same point of aim and would damage less meat (theoretically).

I need to buy that rifle back from my buddy.

With hot handloads the 300 Savage will come close to the factory loaded .308 Win., that speaks well for it...

The only downside I can see with the 300 Savage is that its easier to just go with the .308 Win. and take advantage of that little extra stuff, easier to find brass, and you can buy a box of .308 anywhere on the planet.

The 300 Savage is an excellent elk round if used within its boundries as is the case with any cartridge. The bigger the cartridge the more perks you get in killing power, range, and trajectory, the downside is probably more meat destruction on close up shots. At least that has been my concept.

I can say the same thing for the 25-35 Win., which is an excellent elk round with factory ammo up to a little more than 100 yards with broadside shots. Use it this way and you will have a lot of one shot kills.

The 300 Savage will probably double the 25-35s distance and give you another 100 yards, The 30-06 will give you an additonal 100 or so yards over that and so on.

A good place to apply good old common since. Thats why we have bigger guns.

Made a huge mistake 8 years ago and sold a 99 in .300 Savage. Corrected (to some extent) with a 700 Classic three years ago.
what a sweet shooting rifle/cartridge combo. And RL15 does seem to be the way to go. One Finn AAgard's three must-have powders.