Steer New hunters away from magnums?

[cooey43]

Shot placement and accuracy must come first. If you can do that with a large magnum or a standard Fudd gun depends on the individual, but I'll bet starting with something more manageable and shooting it lots is the best way to go. I started with a .303, like many of us did, and it took a while to be comfortable with.

I ran a "Hunter's Rifle" Match @ my club a few years ago. This was your hunting rifle within 2 classes.
1 was iron sights & the other was with a scope. In the scope class there was a stage were the shooter
fired 5 times @ 100 yds. standing. The target was a 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper. Only 1 person hit
that paper 5 X. Yes it was me. The average score there was 2 hits.
YES ,,,,,,,, the average hunter is not a good marksman. Because most hunters today only go out in that
1 week of deer season, with no necessity for food , just a good time.

 

[billbmcleod]

I was weaned on a .303 British sporter Seasoned on a 30.06. And now retired on a 7mm-08. The last two were 700 Remington's, BDL and CDL.

 

[New Camper]

I was implying new hunters, who let's be real most don't shoot a full box of ammo in any given year.

Then cost may or may not be a primary concern leaving just performance factor. When I was a new shooter I happened to be young and for Christmas around the age of eleven I was gifted a single shot Cooey 12ga. I still have it but terrible option for a skinny eleven year old boy. It took me decades to defeat the flinch developed shooting that mule. The point is, the answer to the question might be relative to the circumstance. 99% of the time I'm going to go with no. It's far better to become a good shot with a mildly recoiling rifle than missing half the time because of developed flinch. Someone who is a decent shot can take any big game on this continent confidently with a ~270, 280, 30-06 class rifle. When someone grows in the sport they might enjoy the added performance of a magnum for the specialized task of the large, dangerous bears. But for buddy who just wants whitetail or black bear I'd be pointing him/her to a 243win, 250savage, 257roberts, 6.5x55, 270win, 7mm-08... up to 30-06 depending on their stature and physical ability.

I reckon ye ain't been on this world long.

LOL. "grandads rifle..." Young fellers would know (if they researched cartridge history) their "modern" short magic gun is just a rip off of great great grand dad Charles Newtons invention oh somewhere around the FIRST WORLD WAR... after wildcatters had fun with it, Ackley subjected it to his blown out improvement process...

Grand dad's cartridge - even reportedly being in a wheelchair, is still thrashing the juveniles and outlived many others. Some of great great grand dad's other cartridges: 22LR, 9mm Luger, 357mag, 50BMG. Vexatious litigation dismissed.

 

[Bushbasher]

I think the more someone shoots the more they get used to the recoil
My wife shoots my 300 win mag bar prone no prob and she’s shot it a fair bit

 

[russm86]

It has been my experience in life that the more experienced someone gets, the less likely they are to shoot “magnum” calibers.

Ditto. The first rifle I bought with my own money at 19 was a 7mm rem mag. I've been hunting 20+ years now and no longer own a magnum of any kind. The recoil has never really bothered me, just found it unnecessary. Going up or down in calibre or bullet weight can bring non-magnums into the same ballpark as other magnum cartridges, without the extra powder and recoil. Newer bullets and components have greatly helped with this. Now that I have a torn rotator cuff and am awaiting surgery, I'm kind of glad I don't have to put with a magnum.

 

[Milt Dale]

For many years my first and only rifle was a BSA 30 06 that my Dad passed down to me, many years ago I recall walking from my vehicle to a shooting range, someone was shooting a 300WM it was a covered bench area that He was shooting from, every time He shot I jumped I think the noise was made worse by the roof, I decided that day that I never wanted a magnum. Some years later I had the opportunity to shoot a few magnums, I was never bothered by recoil but I still dislike excessive noise, I have never liked or used a muzzzle brake but I like magnums, not trying to turn this into a bear defence thread but when I hunt in Grizzly country I want a magnum. I think the new hunter magnum question can only be answered by the hunter himself and I hope that a new hunter or shooter has a chance to shoot a few rifles before buying one. A friend of mine bought a T3 in 338WM and He owned it for over a year before He came for a visit so I could shoot it first so He could be comfortable with it. I would personally never let anyone shoot my new rifle before I did, but I understand the fear and apprehension that some have for bigger rifles.

 

[S.Selous]

My old supervisor was talked in to a 300win mag for his first deer rifle. Guess who hasn’t went on any hunting trips lol.

 

[Weatherby Fan]

The reality is if a new shooter buys a 300 Win Mag/WSM/Wby Mag etc chances are they are not going to enjoy shooting it at the range and won’t spend much time at the range for obvious reasons, and when they are new to shooting you want them to learn good habits and to enjoy the experience.
So I never recommend anything of that nature to a new shooter, 243/6CM/6.5CM/7mm-08 is what I recommend, and 6.5 CM is probably the most sensible of the bunch.

 

[The Kurgan]

For any new shooter, I always recommend 243 or 7mm-08. Yes, there's also the manbunn. The 7mm is the best all-rounder in my opinion.