300 Win Mag for deer

[eagle rider]

I have a Savage 114 that is cutting the same holes at 100 yes using 165 gr Sierra GK's.  I know its on the heavy side,.... but it shoots nice and I'm thinking it will be perfect for opened fields.  

[Mr VJP]

Nothing wrong with it.  But if a deer is closer than 50 yards, you might want to take a neck shot to avoid losing a lot of meat.

 

 

[sits in trees]

Too much.

[Lawdwaz]

Nothing wrong with it. But if a deer is closer than 50 yards, you might want to take a neck shot to avoid losing a lot of meat.

Not much meat in the lungs and a higher percentage target.

[Pygmy]

Have a ball... If you like the rifle and shoot it well, go for it.

 

One of my hunting partners,whom I affectionately call Fungus Face, uses a M70 .300 Win Mag for everything from woodchucks to moose.  I load  his ammo, using 180 grain Speer Grand Slams.

 

Works for him..

[Mr VJP]

Not much meat in the lungs and a higher percentage target.

 

You lose all of the shoulder with that shot at close range.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Mr VJP

[eagle rider]

considering my in-close gun is a 444 Marlin lever action,..... I'm okay with some hamburger on the lower 1/3 of the rib cage.  

 

I have pretty much used the 30-06 (I have two bolt actions and a 7400) or the 243 in a Savage 14.  I really liked the quality and accuracy of the Savage so when I had a change to get another in 300 Win Mag, I jumped on it.

 

My 165 gr Spitzer tip Game Kings are coming out of the muzzle at 3110 fps. and like I said they are cutting the same hole at 100 yds.   

 

The rifle is comfortable to shoulder (esp cause the rifle has a Limb Saver pad on it     ), and the glass is great (Bushnell Legend).  My only beef with the rifle is that it's a matte finish bluing. I wish it was a  higher luster.  Lastly the Savage Accu-Trigger is just amazing. If you have not shot one you really have to.  

Edited June 28, 2014 by eagle rider

[thphm]

It all depends on the bullet used.165 grain was my choice of bullet for my 30-06,good clean kills and not much meat destroyed.

[ants]

If it shoots good and you like it…use it. A lot of guys hunt deer with mag. calibers especially in open areas, like you mentioned.

[Mr VJP]

The .444 will not damage meat as much as a .300 WM because it's a slow moving bullet.  Hit a deer in the shoulder with a 165 gr .30 caliber bullet moving at 3000 fps and you are going to see a huge section of blood shot meat.  Hydrostatic shock is very high in a deer's muscle tissue when it is hit by a high velocity bullet.

 

Even if you hit only the ribs and not the shoulder, you may still see a lot of blood shot meat on the whole shoulder.

 

At 50 yards, with a 3x9 power scope set on 3x, the neck is still a big target.  

 

Your option of course, but this is my experience with high velocity rounds, even the .243 high velocity rounds, when used at close range.

 

BTW, the matte finish metal is far better for a hunting rifle as glare from shiny metal will spook deer fast.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 28, 2014 by Mr VJP

[ATbuckhunter]

Nothing wrong with a 300. I would go for the neck on close shots like VJP said but its not necessary. I don't think the damage will be all that bad if you shoot the ribs. 

[Cabin Fever]

I've killed many deer with the .300 Mag. Just don't tuck your shot too tight behind the shoulder and it'll be fine. It's gonna damage some meat, but there's usually no tracking involved either!   

[Lawdwaz]

When it's all said and done there might be two hamburger to a shoulder. Probably more is lost on a neck shot anyway.

The spine is a much smaller target than a couple lungs and toss in a heart too.

[eagle rider]

444 is a massive wound channel. It's a nothing more than a 44 cal pistol bullet with a huge fuel supply behind it. The bullet performs like any pistol bullet does. It definitely tears up meat.

Meat damage is all about bullet construction. Bullets that are tougher and expand slower at velocity retaining more weight. They do less damage than those designed to shed a lot of energy quickly. A Barnes or GMX Hornady will make less hamburger than a Ballistic Tip or an SST bullet will.

The bullet that shoots well in my 300 Mag will do some damage (Game Kings). They're tough for what they are but designed to shed weight.

Lastly, luster on barrel and scaring game,.... Come on now. I have yet to see a deer spook from stainless barrels, high luster blue or matte barrels. There's just too much shadowing in northeastern woods to get light reflecting like that. Even in the fields on bright days. It doesn't happen.

For deer it's all about smell. So if you can drop them where they stand further out.... No worries. Back to my point here, rapid shedding energy in the boiler room, no problem. Some meat is wasted yes but in most cases, you'll find them dead in the same spot they stood.

I hit a deer squarely in the neck a few years back. He was an older spike, a mutt. He stayed a spike for 4.5 years when I finally decided it was enough. I was using a 35 Rem in tight cover. Also a lever action Marlin with a Leverevolution round.

The deer ran through camp roads and across two pasturers for 3/4's of a mile. That is a bullet designed to retain weight. There wasn't enough meat in the neck to get it to transfer its energy fast enough. So not much of an exit wound. I finally found the deer three hours later. Still alive but dying. I put another one into its chest. That one worked just fine.

So I leaned from that to be humane its all about the right bullet and high percentage shots. I started using cup and core heads then like the Game Kings and Nosler Ballistic tips. Even at modest velocities they die where they are shot every time! The most I ever saw one move was one leap then they pile up. They're just not survivable wounds.

I still use the Leverevolution bullets in the lever guns when I'm in tighter cover or on a drive. But here's the thing, I only shoot into the chest with them. Since I've had the 444 I have never out one into a chest or through a shoulder that took a second step. In fact the Leverevolutions going through whitetail shoulders in the 444 is a guaranteed knockout punch.

Okay, this was supposed to be about the 300 Win Mag lol. Anyway, the general consensus is use it as planned, so I think I will.

[Mr VJP]

Let us all know what happens with the first deer you shoot with it within 50 yards.  

[HuntOrBeHunted]

Might just blow the deer in half lmao... No biggie !!!

[ants]

Smack em through the ribs….It will work just fine. I have lost meat to a lot of non magnum calibers including 12 Ga. slugs. 

Edited June 29, 2014 by ants

[Five Seasons]

it's legal and if you absolutely want to, then go for it. My .02 is that it's too much and not worth the kick and loss of meat. Also, sometimes the bigger kick can lead to a flinch and a poor shot.

 

Post some pics in the fall

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Many years with my 300 Wby Mag with no problems. Dont like chasing them after the shot and sure is nice in those wide open alfalfa hay fields during the rut when the boys think they are safe running those does out to the middle.

 Yes if you hit shoulder you will put your fist through the hole but i have done that with an 870 also. Let them get broadside and take your deer home. Kinda like life easier as we grow older! 

[Five Seasons]

Let them get broadside and take your deer home. Kinda like life easier as we grow older! 

 

just for giggles, as I've never shot a 300, wouldn't an older guy be geared more towards a 270 if likes life easier?

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Double posted that one!

 

 

Edited June 29, 2014 by Four Season Whitetails

[Four Season Whitetail's]

just for giggles, as I've never shot a 300, wouldn't an older guy be geared more towards a 270 if likes life easier?

Myself i went up from 280 to 300. The 280 still made me chase a few after good shots but for me it was a down sizing of the gun case. I went with something i could use anywhere on anything the rest of my hunting days. She has no kick with muzzle work but will wake up the kids when you touch her off!

[eagle rider]

definitely a distinct sound when the trigger is pulled.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I have loaded Game Kings in my 308 and 06. They have functioned flawlessly and are constructed well enough to take that quartering to shoulder shot yet still expand well in the chest when no bone is hit. I think it would work well for you in the 300.

[ncountry]

I love my 300 on deer. As long as you keep the shot behind the shoulder in the lungs, blood shot meat isn't an issue. I shoot 150 gr bullets and they never exit the other side(100%) energy transfer. Advantages to a nice pass through are easier tracking jobs, disadvantages are you have to track. No wasted energy traveling through the woods or into the ground.. Having shot many whitetail with this set-up , it is rare that the deer takes one step. And if you have poor follow through on a moving target and occasionally hit one in the guts they are still dead in less than 50 yds. Personally having screwed up a few shots , I have never not been able to see my deer die within a few yards of where I shot it. This has held true for me at yardages ranging from 10-280. This is why I switched from my old favorite 308. That gun performed flawlessly until I pushed its range close to 300 yds.