300 Win Mag Ok For Deer??

300 Mag for Deer

DarrylDB said:
I've shot deer with both a 300 win mag, and my 338 win mag, and both are overkill, but at the end of the day, Overkill is just an opinion.
both were rifles I was absolutely confident in, and my ability to hit a target.
My confidence in the rifle far outweighs its relative overkill factor. I dont hunt with underkill guns :)
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Oh,Oh Darryl said something I agree with. Although they must have been in pump/lever/autos :).I've shot more Deer with a 300 or 338 than all other rounds, guess what they work very well.
 
When I 'hunt' on my mama's grain farm I hunt with a 300 win mag pimped with bipod and hipower scope, because I can always find a nice rest and shoot far.

If I go in thick bush on crown land I just carry my SKS for deer. It's just a deer. :D
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
I traded off a perfectly good Eastern woods rifle (Remington gas auto in 30-06) for a bolt action .300 Win Mag after my first hunting season on the Prairies. Laser beam flat trajectory out to about as far as I'm comfortable shooting. That rifle with 150 or 165gr Partitions or Ballistic Tips bullets has done its job when I've done mine. Hold behind the front legs and one shot in the ribcage will suffice. I wouldn't call that overkill.

BarnesX bullets did not work when I hunted antelope. I should have used a bullet designed for more expansion.

If you want other proof, a hunting buddy got into the bottom of the Boone and Crockett Mule Deer buck with a very standard Savage "package" gun in .300 Win Mag.
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I keep posting this picture of a mountain reedbuck I shot at about 200 yards when I was in Africa, it's smaller that a Pronghorn. If I was at 6: O'clock facing it, he was looking at 7:30. At the last second the PH told me not to shoot in the shoulder as I would ruin he cape, so I moved back to in front of his back leg and basically shot his ass off. This animal weighed about 70 lbs and yes the Barnes TSX worked just fine.



SouthAfricaTrip2007053.jpg


BTW it's a knife wound to the back of th head, the PH always does that to smaller animals of they aren't dead right away, even though clearly this guy wasn't going anywhere.
 
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'Boo said:
It's like driving by a huge accident on the highway.

You try really hard not to look but in the end there is too much carnage to ignore.
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I seriously thought the OP was thinking it was too much gun for deer...

338 Lapua Mag I think must be the new minimum for deer :50cal:
 
It's all about shot placement. And really big bullets too. The bigger the better. I'm saving up for a 50BMG.
 
Short answer - "Yes"

Long answer - "Yes, it's fine"

Use good bullets and you don't have to worry about over expansion and bloodshot meat. 180 NPT are perfect from blacktails right up to African plains game (I know they're antelope, but damned sturdy antelopes!).
 
Just buy a $150 Enfield, and spend the 300 win mag money on Beer, and or drive your truck closer to the deer before you get out and do some of those "300+ yard shoots". :D

It's just Deer, not Rhinos. :rolleyes:
 
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