Steer New hunters away from magnums?

vpsalin

vpsalin

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
19   0   0
Should we be steering New hunters away from magnums: 270wsm, 7mmRM, 300 MAGs...? I'm thinking that magnums are nothing to fear even for new shooters with good recoil pads. Long-term they might appreciate the magnums' extra potential. Do such calibers really get in the way of a new shooter's progression? I used to think so but not anymore. Magnums don't kick as bad as begginers imagine in my book...you can also load them light 130gr .270, 140gr .284, 150gr .308
 
Yes and no. My son is 13 and weighs 120 pounds, shoots a .243 well but won't try any of the "bigger" guns in the rack. My brother-in-law bought his first rifle after working through all of mine and settled on a 7mm Rem Mag, but he's 6'5" and about 270 pounds and it took half a box of .338 WM to make him sore.

Think about why 6.5 Creedmoor is popular, good downrange ballistics even if it's not cooking out of the barrel. Lower recoil as a result. If that means less flinching and better shots on game, good to go.

Different strokes for different folks. Good recoil pads, good stocks, seems like muzzle brakes on everything nowadays, and some consistency around basic form and most people should be able to handle some pretty serious firepower with just a little practice.
 
I still wouldn't recommend a magnum to a new shooter. Recoil might not seem an issue to someone who's fired thousands of rounds, but to the inexperienced, even a .30/06 can kick. Plus muzzle blast, ammo cost... a new shooter/hunter is unlikely to be a handloader. A mild mannered cartridge from 6.5-whatever to .30/06 would be easiest to master.
 
There are all sorts of reasons why a new hunter should probably not choose a magnum. But lots of new hunters do just that and it works out for them eventually. The real problem is that many new hunters have buddies that hunt who convince them they need a 300 magnum with 180 grain bullets to kill a deer. :)
 
My 1st hunting rifle was an old Parker-Hale 7mm Rem Mag that I used because a friend lent it to me and I ended up getting my 1st deer with it. My hunting buddy generously let me keep it and it became my only hunting rifle for many years. Obviously, you don't need a magnum to deer hunt but I got use to the recoil and quickly learned to wait for good broadside shots so I wasn't destroying meat unnecessarily. I have taken 19 animals with that rifle and have carried it God knows how many km's through the bush and mountains and I still have it in the safe. I'm thinking I may even dig it out this year and see if I can get one more with the old Parker-Hale!
I don't think starting out hunting with a magnum is the best idea but that doesn't make it a bad idea either, it really depends on the person using it and how comfortable they are with it. If someone is recoil sensitive at all they should avoid the magnums no question.
 
Last edited:
A new hunter should equip themselves with a rifle that is comfortable for them to blast 20 shots off at a range session, and not develop a flinch. They'll have fun, build confidence, and develop their ability to put the shot where it needs to go.

If they can do that with a magnum, then no problem.
 
Don't really need big magnum calibers, for hunting or the range.
308 winchester will easily kill any game in North America, with the exception of bison, or extreme long range. 300 PRC trumps 300 winmag in all categories if you need to shoot a bison or anything else out to 1000 meters.

Same thing applies to the range, if you're just shooting for fun, 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5 PRC will cover pretty much any range 99% of people would ever consider shooting.

Simply put, advancements in bullet design, construction, powders and casings are making older, more traditional calibers obsolete. Say what you will about "man buns" and "avacado toast" but there is a reason most new shooters and hunters I talk to aren't using grandad's 30-06.
 
Hugh Mann said:
Don't really need big magnum calibers, for hunting or the range.
308 winchester will easily kill any game in North America, with the exception of bison, or extreme long range. 300 PRC trumps 300 winmag in all categories if you need to shoot a bison or anything else out to 1000 meters.

Same thing applies to the range, if you're just shooting for fun, 6.5 creedmoor or 6.5 PRC will cover pretty much any range 99% of people would ever consider shooting.

Simply put, advancements in bullet design, construction, powders and casings are making older, more traditional calibers obsolete. Say what you will about "man buns" and "avacado toast" but there is a reason most new shooters and hunters I talk to aren't using grandad's 30-06.
Click to expand...

I reckon ye ain't been on this world long. f:P:
 
Love the Picard face-palm. But to reply to your statement, longer than some, but not as long as most, couple years shy of three decades.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking magnums, there's a reason they've been so popular for so long, but to each their own and all that. :D
 
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve taken shooters up and the first thing they say is “ ya my dad/uncle/ etc gave me a 12g with slugs or 300 winmag the 1st time I shot and everyone laughed when it blew me over “ STOP doing this . It’s not funny and it takes a lot to remove the flinch . Everything is killed with a stick and a string (Archery) magnums have there place but it’s rarely in the hands of a noob .
 
My 8lb 338 lapua kicks less than my 7lb 308, so if a new shooter develops a flinch, they would have with pretty much anything i gave them.
 
It can be done, have a friend that picked up a M70 in 300wsm on his second season of hunting. He’s relatively new to shooting and he’s handled the recoil fine. On the other hand I have another good friend, been shooting and hunting for a lot longer and he’s gone from 7mm Rem mag and 300WM back to .308 & 6.5cm he handles recoil just fine but likely doesn’t feel the need for a magnum for his main hunting rifle anymore I guess.

For me I’d rather have things that allow me to shoot a lot, allowing me to really work on the fundamentals of marksmanship so while I like recoil I like to be able to shoot longer at a given range trip. .308 & .303 do that for me without punishing levels of recoil, being comfortable with my rifle allows me to be a better hunter and shot. At some point I’d like a magnum caliber, 7mm rem mag most likely but I haven’t gone down that path yet.
 
the magnum name doesn't really mean that much. my 7 mag is easy to shoot, my kimber 7 08 has a little snap to it. almost 1.5 lbs difference between the two rifles. a rem 7 mag has about the same recoil in equal weight rifles as a 30 06. weight matters sometimes more than the name.
 
97IFBk6.jpg
 
I don’t own a magnum and never had an issue to put a moose down pretty much every year!!
 
Magnum is just a marketing term.

I would pay more attention to recoil energy. Around 20 Ft lbs most new shooters find the recoil obnoxious.
 
I have been shooting & hunting since 1960, mostly in Ont. I gave the Hunter Ed. Course for 20 yrs. During that 20 yrs.
( and the rest of my life) I preached ,,,,,,, "Bullet Placement" as the most important thing. I also did not encourage
Magnum Cal. because too many students/ people are turned off from heavy recoil which results in practicing LESS.
My rule is ,,,,, "If you can not practice with a cal. frequently, then do not buy it for hunting". Also many people said
that a Mag. Cal. may kill even if the shot placement is not good & that is why they bought it.
Mag. Cal. are for those that can handle the practice time & NEED the extra range because of where they hunt.
Remember #1 = shot placement !!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom