Bullets for Deer

hunter.d

hunter.d

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l've shot many Deer with shotguns,{Controlled Hunts}. But this fall will be my first Deer hunt with a rifle {St Joe's lsland}. l will be using my 300 Weatherby. l've been told l should use a bullet with less grains so the bullet will stay inside, damaging bones ect. l think more grains, 180, and a proper placed shot will not only drop a Deer but will save more meat.
Any ideas. :oops:



Thank You
hunter.d
 
Any bullet travelling at high velocity WILL ruin alot of meat :!:

A 180 from a 300 Weatherby will still cause alot blood shot damage unless it was hit at range.

SC.....................
 
We have tried a number of loads - the 200 grain tbbc STILL damages a bit of meat when it hits the fleshy bits - but doesn't bloodshoot bad if it's a good heartlung. I wouldnt' try to go lighter and faster, i'd go bigger and heavier.

BTW - that load killed a good sized moose at just over 500 yards and was found on the outside hide. The only way a lighter bullet is going to 'stay inside the animal' at any sane range is if it disintigrates.

It's a weatherby, man :) go big or go home!
 
assuming this is a serious thread, unlike some that have been started in this new forum............. :roll:

I do not think that there is a factory load in .300 Wby that is light enough for deer. I have never loaded for this cartridge, but let's go out on a limb a bit...

Do you REALLY have to use a .300 Wby? Is there nothing you can shoot that is smaller/less powerful???? If not,

OK let's go to a 150 grain bullet, something that is not known to explode on impact. If Barnes makes an X bullet in this weight (I know they make a 165 grain version) that would be a good starting point. Now let's load the cartridge to absolute MINIMUM specs. Sight in the rifle with what are in essence .300 Wby squib loads, and you are ready for your hunt. I think.

But I REALLY think .300 Wby is overkill for Ontario white-tails...........

Doug
 
I'm with these guys, you'll likely be shoting at less than 100 yards, unless you're shooting at someones farm. At that range the 300 is going to be destructive. With light bullets, you will lose a pile of meat. I'd stick with bullets above 150 grains, and go with a tough bullet, so it hangs together. The Nosler Partition would be a Minimum. And it may do a fair bit of damage.

huntinstuff x3......x3? :mrgreen:
 
Shooting a heavy Nosler Partition bullet at a deer with a 300Weatherby Magnum is of no advantage at close range... more than likely just poke a hole in the deer and dump the energy into the ground or a tree on the other side. :|
 
Well, he could use a 130 grain ballistic tip, and try to find parts of the deer. :shock:
My reasoning on the Partition was that the wieght would slow the velocity some, and the bullet would only mushroom with the front half doing less damage.
The Speer Grand Slam would be another option.

hunter.d Do you reload?
If so, why not work up a tamer load for the Weatherby? Load down to 30-06 levels for example.
 
Nosler Ballistic tips come in 125gr 150gr 165gr and 180gr for .308 cals... ballistic tips are actually a controlled expansion bullet not a rapid expansion bullet.
There is a common misconception that all ballistic tips blow up and do Massive Damage... this is simply not true.
The varmint ballistic tips are rapid expansion type bullets... the hunting ballistic tips are controlled expansion and work quite well on game.

If so, why not work up a tamer load for the Weatherby? Load down to 30-06 levels for example.
Click to expand...
This would actually be a great idea with 150 grain ballistic tips for deer :idea:
 
BIGREDD said:
Shooting a heavy Nosler Partition bullet at a deer with a 300Weatherby Magnum is of no advantage at close range... more than likely just poke a hole in the deer and dump the energy into the ground or a tree on the other side. :|
Click to expand...

maybe..dump the guts on the ground on the other side :shock:
you should be able to tell if the gun is TO big if the guts squirt out it ass on bullet impact :shock:

IF this is a serious thread :?:
I would suggest a 180-200 RN bullet loaded down to 2600fps
Or maybe....you could sneak b...a...c...k away from the deer a couple hundert yds before you shoot :wink:
 
BIGREDD said:
Nosler Ballistic tips come in 125gr 150gr 165gr and 180gr for .308 cals... ballistic tips are actually a controlled expansion bullet not a rapid expansion bullet.
There is a common misconception that all ballistic tips blow up and do Massive Damage... this is simply not true.
The varmint ballistic tips are rapid expansion type bullets... the hunting ballistic tips are controlled expansion and work quite well on game.

If so, why not work up a tamer load for the Weatherby? Load down to 30-06 levels for example.
Click to expand...
This would actually be a great idea with 150 grain ballistic tips for deer :idea:
Click to expand...

Ok, I didn't check the wieghts available. Yes, I know that Nosler has refined the Ballistic tip since the early bombs they made. But, shoot a 125 grain ballistic tip bullet out of a Weatherby into a deer at close range, and it's gonna blow.
I have no experience with the Weatherby, but I have shot 200 grain Ballistic tips in the 338WM (3000fps). I hit a fox with one, and it disintigrated. Nothing left but pieces of hide. Distance maybe 20 yards.
 
I shot a lot of coyotes with 130gr BT's from a .270 at 3000+ fps and never had any radical separation or blow ups... some pretty good size exit holes when used at close range though :wink:
I think any 200 grain bullet from a .338WM would blow up a Fox to pieces at 20 yards... I doubt the Fox would have enough Mass to even deform the bullet never mind cause it to explode :idea: 8)
 
The fox was running towards me at the time, so the bullet may have travelled it's full length. By the way, you'd starve to death using that same combination on grouse. :roll: At least if you hit a tad low. :shock:
I think, back to the topic, that down loading the rifle is the best solution, regardless of what he shoots.
 
BIGREDD said:
Nosler Ballistic tips come in 125gr 150gr 165gr and 180gr for .308 cals... ballistic tips are actually a controlled expansion bullet not a rapid expansion bullet.
There is a common misconception that all ballistic tips blow up and do Massive Damage... this is simply not true.
The varmint ballistic tips are rapid expansion type bullets... the hunting ballistic tips are controlled expansion and work quite well
Click to expand...

Bigredd, I've used Federal Supreme Ballistic Silvertips in my 308 for a couple seasons. After seeing the performance of the Barnes X, I would go that route rather than a ballistic tip. I hit a little buck last year, just behind and below the front shoulder. The carcass was bloodshot, both sides, from shoulder to brisket. The shot would have been about 80 yards.

Maybe the barnes X will be the same, but I'm going to give them a shot this year.

YMMV
 
I am not reccomending a Ballistic tip as a first choice in factory rounds for deer... I think that they would be OK if you loaded them down in velocity with reloads.
The X bullet may be just the ticket but as with Partitions on light animals like deer they may not perform as well as an expander. :?
 
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