"magnumitis"

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I have several magnum rifles, but also a large selection of non-magnums. The magnums do serve a purpose if you can capitalize on their potential.
Many owners/shooters of magnums cannot do this, and probably would be better served with a 6.5, 270, 280 or 30-06.

The magnums have contributed to hundreds of shooters who have developed a flinch that is difficult to get rid of. One must learn to handle
them if you are going to use them.

OTOH, they may allow a much easier trajectory to deal with for longer shots [within reason, of course] The 257 Weatherby was mentioned earlier.
An excellent example of a chambering that is easy to shoot and easy to hit with way out there, and has enough thump to work well. Dave.
 
240 Weatherby
257 Weatherby
264 Win
270 Weatherby
7 Weatherby
7 Rem
270 WSM
7 WSM

A short and by no means complete list of Magnums that kick about the same or less than a 30-06. If a handloader spends a few pennies more on powder he'll likely make it back on the bullets. If it isn't the recoil, and it isn't the cost what is the major problem?
 
It's hard for the recoil shy to believe, but there are people that don't care about recoil at all. It's mostly in your head anyway; or nobody would be able to get used to it. Nothing else changed, just the shooter's perception. One day he just realizes that it wasn't a big deal. He never grew a callus on his shoulder.
 
Dogleg said:
It's hard for the recoil shy to believe, but there are people that don't care about recoil at all. It's mostly in your head anyway; or nobody would be able to get used to it. Nothing else changed, just the shooter's perception. One day he just realizes that it wasn't a big deal. He never grew a callus on his shoulder.
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X2...

Nothing cures the "perception" of recoil fear better than shooting some truly BIG bore rifles with heavy loads... a bit of that and the formerly fearsome and ferocious 7mm/.30/.338 magnums are suddenly tamed.

"Magnum" is just a word, applied arbitrarily because a cartridge is a "fatty" or wears a belt.
 
12ga buck shot and turkey loads kick alot more than most rifles in my experience. Could be weight and stock design as well but i know guys who shoot 2oz 3.5" turkey loads out of a xxfull choked synthetic mossberg 535 and are terrified by my 4570 and 458wm
 
The only downside I find to the magnum (ish) cartridges is shortened barrel life. If you never get there, they are all tied
at infinity.


Shooting out barrels starts out feeling like a badge of honour, then it becomes routine, before eventually becoming annoying.
 
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Dogleg said:
Magnum, Latin for big or great. The male version is magnus, the feminine magna. It doesn't have anything to do with wine bottles except the winos adopted the same term.
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The Latin lesson is appreciated. In English (or French), "magnum" is invariably spelled with a capital letter, and is primarily a marketing term rather than a ballistic term.
 
I think the biggest factor in "Magnumitis" is the clerks at the gun shops telling every new hunter they need the biggest caliber possible. When I bought my first hunting rifle I remember the clerk telling me a .308 was no good for deer and I would need a .375 or larger, for moose he recommended a .416 but at ranges no more than 300 yards. With advice like that its no wonder new shooters develop a flinch. A few shots at the range to get sighted in and they would never pull the trigger again until an animal was in their cross hairs. I consider a good hunter to be someone who takes the time to practice his/her skills in order to make clean ethical shot. This includes lots of time on the range, something new shooters with large cartridges rarely do from what I have seen. Smaller cartridges allow for more time on the range learning your rifles capabilities. Even the cost of the ammo becomes a factor when putting rounds down range.

Sure there are plenty of people out there who understand the ballistics of magnum cartridges and can handle them fine, but realistically how many times do you truly, absolutely need a magnum? Around here most shots at big game are taken under 300 yards. The smaller cartridges are perfectly capable of ethical kills at those ranges. If you were able to compile a list of all the big game kills in North America I'm betting the puny .270, 30/06, 30/30, .303 and .308 are at the top of the list
 
I hunt with an Remington Ultra Mag even though it probably isn't necessary for the majority of hunting that I do. A family member of mine shot a very large bull moose from just over 350 yards this year with a .30-06 and 180 grain bullets. One shot dropped it like a rock. Would a magnum of some sort have killed it deader? Probably not. I have frequently joked that a person should buy a .30-06 and then never try anything else because it will only become a slippery slope once you start poking around with other guns and calibers. You will end up spending tens of thousands of dollars then searching for the holy grail of guns only to in the end find out you had the said holy grail in your gun cabinet all along.
 
Magnumitous is why I didnt get a 458 win mag and instead got a 458 lott. I wont even shoot 458 wm ammo in my lott even tho I could, no magnum for me. Even tho it doesnt have magnum in its name it still kills everything I shoot it with.
 
The Lott is a great perception adjuster, since it kicks about like 4 30-06s. Once you've established that it won't kill you, or bruise you or knock you flat, or make the well go dry an extra 20 or 30 grains of powder in a 30 caliber doesn't seem like a big deal any more. :)
 
Guys that badmouth or brag about cartridges or cartridge classes and their killing prowess or lack thereof have generally shot precious little with a whole lot of nothing.
 
Dogleg said:
Magnum, Latin for big or great. The male version is magnus, the feminine magna. It doesn't have anything to do with wine bottles except the winos adopted the same term.
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it can big, tall or great, magnum on the singular form is neutral, magnus for male and magna female but in plural nominativ form magna is neutral.

and my latin class are way behind me .....
 
track said:
Chuck, plain old hunting skills is all what is required to hunt. Since the end of WW 2 sport hunting accelerated, and many, if not all, used old fashion hunting skills. Today, old fashion hunting skills are things of the past and replaced with gadgets that require no skill. I'll pay heed/homage to an old time trapper before today's wiz-bang tech hunter, or want-a-be hunter.
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so i imagine you use only wool loden, leather boots and no camo ... no synthetic stock and plain old cup and core bullet and no scope just open sights ...
 
medvedqc said:
so i imagine you use only wool loden, leather boots and no camo ... no synthetic stock and plain old cup and core bullet and no scope just open sights ...
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Oh, if you only knew. Come follow me in the bush on a big ole whitetail buck track, utilizing old fashion hunting skills. Your tongue will be hanging out so far that you'll be licking your boots.;) Your getting close with the attire, bullets and boots.
https://imgur.com/a/NEA6vks
 
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