300 win mag good enough for...

Boomer said:
We don't know the depth of your shooting or handloading experience, but if it is from the shallow end of the pool a .30/06 or a .308 might be better choices until you get your feet wet. Aside from the obvious recoil and blast issues, factory ammunition costs increases exponentially when you move from a .30/06 to a .300. Personally, if I chose to put up with .300 magnum recoil, I would opt for a larger caliber with heavier bullets. IMHO bore size trumps velocity, so if I need more than what I can get from a .30/06 I look at a medium or a big bore rifle. A medium bore can produces .30/06 trajectories, but will produce larger wound volumes, and penetrate deeper. This "advantage" is pretty much lost on North American game in hunting scenarios, but it "might" give you the edge if you are engaged in protection work. Under normal hunting conditions, if the '06 doesn't do it, the .300 won't either. Where the .300 shines is when shooting at extended ranges.

Just to reiterate though, while I often use a larger rifle, I don't feel unarmed when I'm packing a .30/06 rather than my .375 for bear work. The combination of bullet weight, velocity, and recoil makes the .30/06 the best choice for my wife to use for bear protection, as opposed to bear hunting.

I prefer bolt action to gas guns, but clearly the semi-auto has certain advantages. Not the least of which is less apparent recoil, and an action that will cycle reliably regardless of the state of mind of the shooter.

In the end you are going to buy what you want, but again I would council you against a .300 magnum. If you choose to ignore that advise, I would urge you then to consider handloading so that you can tailor your ammo to your comfort level which will enable you to pay more attention to practical marksmanship and less to the mystical qualities of the .300. When you can shoot 4" groups at 200 yards from field positions, you ready to hunt with your magnum.
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Bearslayer56, you are going to get a bit of a ribbing here as bear whacking threads are pretty common - and pretty entertaining at times.

The quote above is good sound advice, worth reading carefully.
 
westcoaster said:
Bearslayer56, you are going to get a bit of a ribbing here as bear whacking threads are pretty common - and pretty entertaining at times.

The quote above is good sound advice, worth reading carefully.
Click to expand...

Maybe that can be his new call sign: "Bearwhacker"!:p :D You can keep your original name, but the rest of us will just referred to you as 'that old whacker'...
Who use to kill grizz's on the internet with his pointy stick...;)
You didn't think this would stop. Did you?
 
shortaction said:
300 Win Mag in a Semi-auto should make a nice bear rig, or any other kind of big game rig for that matter. The semi really helps tame down the 300 Win Mag.

Go for it!
Click to expand...


Well since this topic is still going, here is my suggestion in 300 WM...

[youtube]aGydfPkJbNk[/youtube]

:)
 
Boomer said:
I prefer bolt action to gas guns, but clearly the semi-auto has certain advantages. Not the least of which is less apparent recoil, and an action that will cycle reliably regardless of the state of mind of the shooter.
Click to expand...

Boomer, I have gained a lot of information from your posts for a number of years now. That comment is, to my mind at least, clear insightt. Its not one I'v heard in the semi v bolt gun arguments before.

Of course, you need a semi action that is thoroughly tested and reliable to start with.
 
The .300 is a a nice little gun that combines the 30-06s versatility with the .270s trajectory, with more punch than either, in a package that has well established longrange target credentials.
The trouble is, that nice little gun is a lot more gun than many people can handle. That's their problem.
 
Sorry OP. You stepped in this one. You called yourself "Bearslayer", then proceeded to ask if a rifle were enough to bag a bear. Coupled with the "Newbie" tag on under your user name, you have left yourself open on a forum that eats its young if they are not humble.
The moniker you have chosen indicates that you are an accomplished bear hunter, and any such would know already which rifle/gun is capable of downing a bear.
You see, I would have already been using a .308 or a .30-06 long before I would have thought about a .300. Another indication of inexperience is that, like many others who are beginning, you are not asking the right questions.
Is a .300 win Mag capable of taking a grizz at 30 ft? YES. (but so is a 12 ga.)
Is it capable of doing the same at 200yds? YES.(but so can the .308 or 30-06)
Is it capable of doing it at 600yds? YES (but why would you want to?)
Will it make me shoot badly? Probably if you start with that.
I have been hunting for 33 years now. If you want to take away any advice from any of the old guys on this site, believe it when we say, start smaller. I still don't own a .300 and don't plan to. I have shot deer out to 600yds with my .30-06 and highly accurate handloading.
Please don't buy into the hype that the smallest rifle you can use on gophers is a .300 Win Mag. Anything else will only wound them. This is NOT true!!
I would never stop someone from buying a firearm. But the go big or go home philosophy does not work for new shooters.
Good luck.
 
Gotta love the ol'e .30-06 SPRG. Doesn't matter what any of the "super ultra" magnum guys say, As Rookie Wildcat just mentioned, he may never own a wimpy .300 mag..now considered the lower on the big mag list, because the "lesser" .30-06, .308, etc...will always get the job done anyway... with proper shooting skills of course..like any hunting situation.
I agree totally..I will never own bigger than .30-06, for the animals in which I plan on hunting over the course of my lifetime.

No real message there, just had a thought..


my $0.02
 
GameStalker30-06 said:
Gotta love the ol'e .30-06 SPRG. Doesn't matter what any of the "super ultra" magnum guys say, As Rookie Wildcat just mentioned, he may never own a wimpy .300 mag..now considered the lower on the big mag list, because the "lesser" .30-06, .308, etc...will always get the job done anyway... with proper shooting skills of course..like any hunting situation.
I agree totally..I will never own bigger than .30-06, for the animals in which I plan on hunting over the course of my lifetime.

No real message there, just had a thought..


my $0.02
Click to expand...

X2

The magnums out there are usually just wasting a bunch of energy, blowing through the animal and killing the poor defensless tree behind the animal.

I shoot a 270win with 150 gr bullets and there is not a animal in N.A that i would feel undergunned hunting with that combination.
 
Boomer said:
We don't know the depth of your shooting or handloading experience, but if it is from the shallow end of the pool a .30/06 or a .308 might be better choices until you get your feet wet. Aside from the obvious recoil and blast issues, factory ammunition costs increases exponentially when you move from a .30/06 to a .300. Personally, if I chose to put up with .300 magnum recoil, I would opt for a larger caliber with heavier bullets. IMHO bore size trumps velocity, so if I need more than what I can get from a .30/06 I look at a medium or a big bore rifle. A medium bore can produces .30/06 trajectories, but will produce larger wound volumes, and penetrate deeper. This "advantage" is pretty much lost on North American game in hunting scenarios, but it "might" give you the edge if you are engaged in protection work. Under normal hunting conditions, if the '06 doesn't do it, the .300 won't either. Where the .300 shines is when shooting at extended ranges.


Just to reiterate though, while I often use a larger rifle, I don't feel unarmed when I'm packing a .30/06 rather than my .375 for bear work. The combination of bullet weight, velocity, and recoil makes the .30/06 the best choice for my wife to use for bear protection, as opposed to bear hunting.

I prefer bolt action to gas guns, but clearly the semi-auto has certain advantages. Not the least of which is less apparent recoil, and an action that will cycle reliably regardless of the state of mind of the shooter.

In the end you are going to buy what you want, but again I would council you against a .300 magnum. If you choose to ignore that advise, I would urge you then to consider handloading so that you can tailor your ammo to your comfort level which will enable you to pay more attention to practical marksmanship and less to the mystical qualities of the .300. When you can shoot 4" groups at 200 yards from field positions, you ready to hunt with your magnum.
Click to expand...

Boomer's a smart man. Read this post a few times over a few days and remember it bearslayer. He's helped me out before with handloading and some other tips and i'm a better hunter/shooter because of it. This is very sound advice.

rookie wildcat said:
Sorry OP. You stepped in this one. You called yourself "Bearslayer", then proceeded to ask if a rifle were enough to bag a bear. Coupled with the "Newbie" tag on under your user name, you have left yourself open on a forum that eats its young if they are not humble.
The moniker you have chosen indicates that you are an accomplished bear hunter, and any such would know already which rifle/gun is capable of downing a bear.
You see, I would have already been using a .308 or a .30-06 long before I would have thought about a .300. Another indication of inexperience is that, like many others who are beginning, you are not asking the right questions.
Is a .300 win Mag capable of taking a grizz at 30 ft? YES. (but so is a 12 ga.)
Is it capable of doing the same at 200yds? YES.(but so can the .308 or 30-06)
Is it capable of doing it at 600yds? YES (but why would you want to?)
Will it make me shoot badly? Probably if you start with that.
I have been hunting for 33 years now. If you want to take away any advice from any of the old guys on this site, believe it when we say, start smaller. I still don't own a .300 and don't plan to. I have shot deer out to 600yds with my .30-06 and highly accurate handloading.
Please don't buy into the hype that the smallest rifle you can use on gophers is a .300 Win Mag. Anything else will only wound them. This is NOT true!!
I would never stop someone from buying a firearm. But the go big or go home philosophy does not work for new shooters.
 Good luck.
Click to expand...

Yeah Mr. Wildcat might be ribbin' on you a bit but this is also very good advice. Especially the parts i highlighted.

GameStalker30-06 said:
Gotta love the ol'e .30-06 SPRG. Doesn't matter what any of the "super ultra" magnum guys say, As Rookie Wildcat just mentioned, he may never own a wimpy .300 mag..now considered the lower on the big mag list, because the "lesser" .30-06, .308, etc...will always get the job done anyway... with proper shooting skills of course..like any hunting situation.
I agree totally..I will never own bigger than .30-06, for the animals in which I plan on hunting over the course of my lifetime.

No real message there, just had a thought..


my $0.02
Click to expand...

Mr. GameStalker also makes a very good point. For most situations when hunting in Canada, a 30-06 will do the job very well. As was mentioned in previous posts, if you plan on shooting distance (i'm talkin 500 yards at least) then a 300 mag might not be a bad choice. For most shots under that 500 yard mark, it's overkill. I'm talking about pretty much all N.A. game too. Whatever you choose you'll end up being ok with it as long as you PRACTICE!!!! Thats the main thing man. Good luck in whatever you decide to buy/use.

Dorian
 
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