Magnum

Interesting points of view, one and all.
I always figured the hunters who toted the big mag cartridges had a bit
of fur fear.
Makes more sense to knock down a problematic grizz with lots more lead and powder
than something slightly less desireable.
Who wants to be lunch?
 
sunray said:
"...Blame it on pop culture..." Mostly the gun rag writers. The term comes from big wine bottles. Not just champagne. Where Bordeau Red wine is concerned, bigger is better. Isn't with rifle cartridges.
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Yes, well remember we have a whole new generation of gun owners who have been brought up on movies, and in particular video games which have given the word MAGNUM powers similar to those of a smoting lightning bolt sent from God.
 
Just a marketing gimmick, meant to make the magnum-less feel small. That said, I usually hunt with a 45-70 or 338 RUM - just personal preference.

Use what you're comfortable with - who really gives a ####?
 
Most all equip. is marketing gimmick, it's even spread to the 135year old 45/70 as magazines and companies have glommed onto it, they used to use it on Buffalo but now you need a tsx or or leverlution to kill a skinny white tail.
And Bruce,it is/was Roy Weatherby.......I think your just pullin' our chain.
 
Before the word magnum was popular, the British used "Express" as a marketing tool like .375 Belted Rimless Nitro-Express for the .375 H&H magnum. When it got changed to MAGNUM I dont' know, but it must have been a long time ago, maybe close to 100 years. I suppose that this is the first MAGNUM case, since most other MAGNUMS were based off of the belted H&H case.
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The .375 H&H case was based off the 400/375 H&H, which didn't impress anyone with a 235 grain bullet at 2400 fps. A bigger case and one heck of a lot of velocity later they had argueably the finest all round cartridge ever stuck in a rifle. Certainly one of longest lived.
 
A friend said he was watching a hunting show and they were explaining about the power of the magnum cartridges. He said the regular rifle was like hitting something with a hammer, and the magnum was like hitting it with a sledge hammer. If your comparing 308 to 3006 to 300WM for instance, I'd say that is just a tall tale. The numbers just don't bear that out, but it makes for a good story.
 
Dogleg said:
The .375 H&H case was based off the 400/375 H&H, which didn't impress anyone with a 235 grain bullet at 2400 fps. A bigger case and one heck of a lot of velocity later they had argueably the finest all round cartridge ever stuck in a rifle
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I don't think the MAGNUM moniker was ever attached to the 400/375 H&H Belted Rimless Nitro Express. Wow, what a mouthful!:p

I think that the MAGNUM term was probably first used to describe the .375 H&H. The .375 H&H was certainly the first BELTED MAGNUM, anyway.
 
Magnums cost more to feed for the most part. I have a 22mag which is a big step up in power over the 22lr. I have a 300win mag and a 308 if I were to hunt a wide open clear cut I'd take the 300mag for increased velocity at longer distances. I'm sure the 308 would work just as well but I prefer a scoped bolt action over a pump for anything over a 100yards. It comes down to where and how you hunt. In the very thick tangles I bear hunt I chose a double rifle in 45-70 for close up knockdown power. My magnum would work but I'd loose a lot of meat and have the hassel of a long barreled scoped rifle with way to much velocity for close range. Someone out in the yukon will want to reverse it they want the power and speed of a magnum for a 4-500 yard shot something I'm sure my 45-70 would not be as good at. Sure it'll work but instead of 20-30inshes high you'd be aiming 20-30 feet high. I believe its all marketing but I think most find a gun that suits there hunting style and if they buy a super magnum when they can only handle a 3030 someone is gunna get a deal when they buy that slightly used magnum off him. As long as new hunters are buying new guns who cares
 
Magnums have their place.....the added velocity means effective terminal performance at extended ranges. The *problem* is that guys were led to believe that there are advantages at regular ranges. All of a sudden the ultramags and wssssssm's were somehow "better" for hunting, even though the vast majority of hunters will never in their hunting careers posees the need, opportunity, or skill to take game at 500 yards+ and utilize the magnum's sole advantage. I do have a magnum....an ultramag actually, but it is a tool for a very specific purpose: 600-800 yard moose hunting over a couple very specific clear cuts.....but it'd be a frosty day in hell before I carried it on a bush hunt just so I could carry a "magnum". It's funny though...all the new guys show up to camp with their new WSSSM's and ultra's and parade them like it's a 14" ####, while the rest of us who actually put moose on the ground have our lowly "regular" cartridge rifles.


I've said it before, I'll say it again: At normal hunting ranges there is no benefit to a "magnum" over a "non magnum". At 200 yards if you hit bullwinkle with a .308, a 30/06, a 300 WSM, a 300 Ultramag, a 30-378 Weatherby or the next 300 supershort uberultramagofdeath, he is going to drop.

It's kind of like the guys that *have* to have a supercharged 1 ton crew cab, 6" body lift, 6" suspension lift, 37" mudders, 5000 lb winch, and full roll protection, but don't have the place, skill, or even the desire to ever leave the pavement and actualy utilize any of the advantages of having the above......and those guys get just as pissed off when you ask them "why" as well ;)

At the end of the day though....it's their money and they can buy what makes them happy. I don't give a s**t what you hunt with, what you drive, or who you screw; each to his own, :) If you want to carry an ubermagnum, more power to you...just understand what they are, what they do, and don't look down your nose at those who choose more practical tools ;)
 
I recall at one time I had a pocket book on guns which was filled with information and misinformation as was typical of the gun press of the late '60s and early '70s. But there was a pic of a fellow beside a large polar bear he had killed with a Remington 600 chambered for the .350 Magnum. Guess what the first "magnum" rifle I got was! What I learned from that was that magnum cartridges made short work of cheap factory wood stocks. While the laminated stock of the 600 proved suitable for those smart enough to choose it, my M-700 split from the pistol grip through the pressed checkering almost to the front sling swivel! Had I only chosen the non-magnum .35 Whelen I'm sure things would have worked out so much better.:rolleyes:
 
I don't think i can remember a magnum shooter pi**ing on non-magnum guys. It's allways the small gun guys trying to make a case why we don't need magnums. Funny.
 
Marketing playing on some men's ego's. Look at some of the logo-names planted on the size of PU trucks these days. Guys will pay thousands of dollars to drive a Ultra, powerstroke, super duty, hemi, magnum with the biggest numbers possible, just to putt around the city.
 
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