300 winchester Mag ? ? ?

[EKY.MTN.HUNTER]

I have hunted with a 270 the past 5 deer seasons and have killed a few deer with it. My cousin wants to hunt with me so I thought Id let him barrow it and I would use a 300 winchester mag ultra light. I know that is a big caliber and is often used for moose and elk. Does using a 300 mag for deer hunting present any problems? I really dont know a whole lot about rifles or how the different calibers shoot. What would be a few possible problems about hunting deer with the 300 mag? Thanx

[mwezell]

damaged meat, yours and the deer. The 300 win mag is a great cal with great range and knockdown. Just hang on tight!!!lol.

[novahunter1]

in some crowds of people this could be a debate instead of a question,lol.
I sometimes use a 300 mag and Love it.it has great tragetory,plenty of knock down power and depending on gun make,has mild recoil.I have seen alot of 3006,7mags and a couple other deer rifles have as much or more recoil than a 300 win mag/wsm,plus some of these weapons do more damage to the meat due to load.300win mag and wsm is faster than some and doesnt do as much damage.
now 300 win mag and wsm versus 270,The 300 will have more recoil but it will offer more distance with the power to match it.
My personal opinion and that sometimes doesn't mean much,lol.
novahunter1

[brandon2000]

I shoot a .300 wsm at deer and have used it for the last 3 seasons. I love it. The only problem is it does a lot of damage to the meat maily the shoulders where I shoot mine. I also shoot a 7mm mag and it too does a lot of damage. Not much tracking involved after the shot.

[C.L.Button]

The 300 will work great, just make sure you shoot them in the heart/lung area instead of the shoulder. :D

[squirrelsniper]

There's really only 3 concerns with using magnum rifles.

#1 - If you're not comfortable with the recoil, you'll flinch, which of course leads to very poor shooting.

#2 - Thinking that it's more powerful so shot placement isn't as critical. Whether it's a magnum or not, a gut shot is a gut shot... and a long tracking job.

#3 - Using lightweight bullets and taking shoulder shots at close range. This scenerio will lead to bullet fragmentation and a lot of damaged meat. If you intend to make close range shots into the shoulders, stick to heavier weight bullets and avoid polymer tipped bullets.

FWIW, a 300 mag won't do anything a 30-06 can't do, the 300 mag will just do the same thing out to a greater distance.

[fullstrut1]

I love the 300 WIN Mag!! I have been shooting one for years and I guess that shooting a gun you have confidence in means as much as anything. With 150 grain bullets it has never failed to perform for me on deer sized game and smaller, Yotes and g-hogs etc..

[Hoosier5]

A Friend of mine, who moved to Colorado, back in the 1970's, used a .300 Win. Mag. the first year out there. He got a nice Buck but the bullet did a lot of meat damage. My Friend traded the .300 Mag. for a .270 which he still owns today.

[hunter115]

I had a 300 and killed plenty of deer, whitetail and muley with it. I shot the 150 grainers in it but just got tired of getting the $hit kicked out of my shoulder.

[Buk Bust'r]

I have hunted with the .300 Win. Mag. and the .300 Rem. Ultra Mag and loved them both.....just hold on!

[keith meador]

I have hunted with the .300 Win. Mag. and the .300 Rem. Ultra Mag and loved them both.....just hold on!

i shoot the 300 ultra as well.....just dont aim at any part of the deer you want to eat.....on a side note, bullet design has more to do with meat damage that the caliber you are shooting. a barnes X bullet does not damage meat like a rapid expansion bullet will. i stay off the shoulder and aim for the lungs.

[EKY.MTN.HUNTER]

Does anyone shoot 180 grain bullets, or does everyone use the 150 grain for deer hunting? I have both.

[keith meador]

Does anyone shoot 180 grain bullets, or does everyone use the 150 grain for deer hunting? I have both.

i shoot the 150 grain scirroco, much less recoil than the 180, and they do a fine job on deer sized game.

[Buk Bust'r]

I shoot the Sierra 150 Game Kings in my .30/06 and the 165 Nosler Ballistic Tip in the .300 Ultra. Those particular bullets shot the best in their particular rifles. Before I handloaded, I've shot both 150's and 180's depending on where I was hunting and what the rifle shot well with.

[squirrelsniper]

I use 180s in my 300 Ultra. When I had a 300 Win I used 180s in it also. 150s are okay if you want a flatter trajectory, but most of them tend to be very explosive at short range.

[thunderdog]

I've been hunting with a 300 Win mag for about 12 years now. The first year I used 180 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. Shot a nice buck at about 40 yards, bullet came apart and ruined both shoulders. After that switched to 180 grain Nosler partitions. Less meat damage with a shoulder shot and have never had one go more than 40 or 50 yds after the shot. Stick with the premium grade bullets and you shouldn't have any trouble with deer at close range or as far away as you care to shoot.