Downloading a .300 win mag.

Rifleman1911

Rifleman1911

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I harvested a white tail buck yesterday with my .300 win mag and the exit of the bullet just smashed the sholder when it exited.

I knew that the caliber is a lot of over kill for deer hunting, but I cannot justify buying a second hunting rifle in .270 or .308.

I was wondering if it would be safe to download the powder charge for my .300 in the FPS range of the .308 or the .30/06.

Now I cant think of any factors that would not make this possable but I have never downgraded the powder charge without worrying about the bullet getting stuck in the barrell.

The bullet would not change and I still could resight it for the regular charges when I would move to moose or shooting deer at longer ranges and still could use the same rifle.

I just can't justify buying a second hunting rifle, If a I did I might as well sell my .300 win mag, as I whould not use it enough to justify haveing it.


Rifleman.
 
Try a starting or mid level load with 180gr bullets. Around 2700-2800 fps will be just fine.
 
Don't shoot deer in the shoulder if you can help it. I don't think it will matter much if you download it. I'd rather have a fast humane kill than worry about a bit of lost shoulder meat.

I have shot a few deer in the shoulder with different calibers from 243 to 338. They all ruin lots of meat.
 
Ya I was cursing the shot placement when I was cleaning the bloodshot around the front end. I do worry about a clean kill and this was one of those, the bullet passed through the top of the heart and he did get far but I might try a heavier bullet as suggested.
 
Ken Waters pet loads.....180gr/59gr IMR 4320/2700fps[30-06 power]180gr/56gr IMR 4320/2600fps[.308 power] 180gr/53grIMR4320/2479fps[.300sav power]180gr/47grIMR3031/2380fps[30-40 krag power]use at own risk..........Harold........ or shoot e'm in the lungs 3' back of the shoulder?never tore any deer too pieces with my .338 there's next to nothing on the front end anyways
 
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Rifleman1911 said:
Now I cant think of any factors that would not make this possable but I have never downgraded the powder charge without worrying about the bullet getting stuck in the barrell.
Click to expand...

Uhm, is blowing your head off a factor?

"Downloading" as you call it is a little more complex then what I think you were suggesting. Trying to slow the projectile down by just putting in less powder can lead to what is known as "flash-over" and is way more dangerous then "over-loading" a cartridge. Never, ever go below the minimum loads given in your reloading manual.
 
Ditto on not shooting deer in the front shoulder.

Even with a 25'06, 270win, or a 30/30, you'll get a degree of lost meat if you shoot deer in the front shoulder.

Shoot em in the boiler room, or let em walk.
 
Well Before I got into hand loading I purchased this rifle and I was told ( ya I know I Know)
that I could make it shoot like a .308 or a 30/06, and I kinda doubted it. But I never tried as I was worried about having too much pressure in the barrel, but I was not sure so I never tried. I found a Factory ammo that the rifle likes and groups really well with so I bought 6 boxes of the stuff to get the same lot # for about 32.00$ a box.


In august I went and sighted in the rifle and had to tweak the scope and ended up using almost all of the remaining ammo I had left from 6-7 years ago.

Last Friday I went and bought 1 box of the same stuff, Federal Premium, Vital Shok 165 Nosler Partition for $62 and change.:(

I guess for that price it should kill stuff well.

I have just been handloading for my milsurps and using this stuff for my hunting rifle.

Mabye I should just sell it and buy the same thing in SS .308 or .30/06

The more I think about it the more I realize that it was a stupid question.

Rifleman
 
You should be able to download your 300 win mag. Just be sure you are using load data from the bullet manufacturer whose bullet's you're using and don't assume that you can just throw in less powder. Some calibers don't take nicely to being significantly downloaded, but you should be able to replicate 30-06 loads no problem - it's only a 300fps shift, not huge, and most manuals usually have loads covering 400-500 fps for the same bullets.
 
Rifleman1911 said:
I have just been handloading for my milsurps and using this stuff for my hunting rifle.

Mabye I should just sell it and buy the same thing in SS .308 or .30/06

The more I think about it the more I realize that it was a stupid question.

Rifleman
Click to expand...

My intent wasn't for you to sell your gun, it was to point out that even if it was a 308 or 3006 that you would still lose a lot of meat. If you shoot the shoulders you have to expect it. I had a doe in my cross hairs tonight 3 times and each time I was conscious of putting it behind the shoulders. In the end I never dropped the hammer as she had 2 youngins with her and they were the landowners wifes favourite deer, so I waited for the less favoured buck who never showed.

For the price of one box of 300 ammo you could have dies and bullets from the EE. I would focus on getting a good load (not reduced) and then threading said load behind the shoulder or accept some meat loss (its not the end of the world)
 
Pudelpointer said:
Uhm, is blowing your head off a factor?

"Downloading" as you call it is a little more complex then what I think you were suggesting. Trying to slow the projectile down by just putting in less powder can lead to what is known as "flash-over" and is way more dangerous then "over-loading" a cartridge. Never, ever go below the minimum loads given in your reloading manual.
Click to expand...

All reloading manuals give a safe starting load. I just checked my Nosler #4 and there are numerous loads for 180gr bullets in the 2750-2850fps range. That puts you right into .30-06 or slightly above hot .308 performance. If he likes the rifle then keep it and use these types of loads.

On the other hand I've shot deer with really stout 220gr Partition loads and gues what? Behind the shoulde = very little meat lost. The light bullets (non TSX or bonded) at high velocity will fragment more and cause more damage.
 
I'm another on the side of proper shot placement vs trying to make your .300 Winny into something that it is not.
I've seen the entire front halves of deer wasted by hitting both front shoulders with 150 and 180 grain bullets out of .308 Win. rifles.
Even the 30-30 can mess up both front shoulders as soon as you hit bone.

Hit them in the ribs even a little too far back and you have a very dead deer.
 
firemachine69 said:
I looked up my Hornady book, I'd be tempted to try a 150 grain'er with 51 grains of Varget. Right at 2800fps.
Click to expand...

I'd be interested in seeing the actual difference on whitetail deer tissue given same or close to same shot placement.
A 150 grain Hornady at 2800 fps or a 180 grain Hornady at 2900 to 3000 fps.

Actually I already have (many times) and there is none.
Zero.
Zip.
Nada.
 
On Hodgdon's website, they explain what they call "youth" loads. Essentially, for any caliber/bullet weight/style for which Hodgdon lists a starting and maximum charge of H4895, you can reduce the charge of H4895 to no less than 60% of the maximum charge listed. For those who cannot figure what 60% of x grains is, they also list specific reduced charges of H4895 for light bullets for several different calibers. I note there are several bullet weights for which Hodgdon lists H4895 in .300 Win, so that might be one option.

Of course, reduced velocities also requires more care in selecting a bullet, to ensure adequate terminal ballistics. Some premium bullets may not get it done at too low an impact velocity, although today's premium bullets have a fairly wide terminal velocity range. The idividual bullet manufacturer's web sites are the best sources for information in this regard. Read past the hype, and most credible manufacturers provide the best technical assessments of their product available. Very little will be based on one flubbed shot, or "My buddy heard of a guy...".
 
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