I need to end an old argument that has haunted me since I bought the gun. I was 10, I saved my money, and I took advice only from people I knew who were good quality hunters. My father is only a bird hunter but I wanted to venture off and try it all. My father was proud to buy a Rem 700 BDL SS DM-B, that I picked out, for me with my money . It's a .300 win mag and I reload 180gr. XLC XBT BARNES and they all touch at 100yds going 3180fps and I practice hitting paper plates from 50 out to an honest 600 yards with different shooting positions every summer.

Now, to get to the point and except for my father, my family and friends and usually most people I meet tell me its the wrong gun for whatever reason. All I wanted was a gun that I could hunt most everything out in the west, where I live.

Is this combo too much, too little, too right or too wrong for hunting?

I hope you arn't trying to yank any ones chain, but anyone who says this isn't a good gun for most anything in NA shouldn't be allowed near a weapon. Now some may think another cal. maybe a bit better OK, personally I have both and lean to the 338 WM, but that is a matter of opinion.

Wow! If your able to hit a paper plate from multiple positions at 50-600 yards, with 180 gr XLC's I don't think anyone would argue thats not perfect for a hunting rifle. From Antelope to deer, to elk, black bears, sheep, goats, moose and many brown bears have been taken with .300 Win Mag.

Enjoy!

IdahoVandal

I'm not trying to yank anyones chain or feed anyone BS. It's just getting rediculous for me with the stuff I've been told. And about the shooting paper plates, I get bored and use a lot of competition shooting reloading equipment and practices to shoot better. The way I look at is, we are out there to harvest efficiently and ethicly and I'm just going to put all I have into it by studying, experimenting and practicing.

I'm just looking for solid advice and input, thats why I joined this forum.

Your's is an extremely flat shooting gun with plenty of bullet for any game in NA with the exception of Big bear (and many of those big bear have been killed with less than a 300 winmag). I can't see why anyone would think it was the wrong gun for hunting the West. And above all it sounds like you can shoot the gun exceptionally well, which is one of the most important factors in choosing the proper gun.

The 300 WIN is a very accurate hard hiting round and it will kill anything in NA including the Biggest Bears with the right bullets. I would say you made a good choice. If you are that accurate with it I would not listen to what others say. That 180 Barnes will kill anything in NA. Now that I said my peace what exactly are people saying you should have bought instead of a 300 Win?

Are the negative comments you have been getting about the caliber or the manufacturer of the rifle?

First of all, its not like I hit those plates every time but I found that to be one of the best shooting exercises I've used for hunting.

The most I've heard is from the hard-core .270 fans, which I have nothing against. I wanted a .270 at first but as a kid my uncle had nightmare of and elk hunt with his .270 right before I bought my gun and thats one of the reasons I didn't buy the O'Connar special.

I've heard everything from it's a waste of money to shoot, to it's a weak gun for the recoil it has, nothing about the gun itself though. There are a lot of comments also that I know are BS and I'd rather leave them alone, like, "a 30-30 shoots just as well as the .300 wm". Let it be known that man who told me that was 90+ years old and his favorite hunting partner was named Jack and he lived in a bottle, if you know what I mean.

When I was a teenager, the most enthusiastic and experienced .300 Win. Mag. user in our home town was our varsity high school basketball coach who used a Model 70 .300 Win. for all of his deer and elk hunting, leaving the rest of his rifles in the rack.

A few years later, I bought a .300 Win. Mag. of my own, although there were those who advised against it. Some repeated the old bromide that the case neck was "too short", others assured me that it blew deer all to heck and gone, and was "too much gun" for anything smaller than elk. Some flat-out stated, of all things, that it wasn't enough gun for elk. Most agreed that it kicked way too hard for most shooters to shoot well, and even Jack O'Connor wrote that "there are few men who can shoot it well". The thing that never quite dawned on me was that a lot of the naysayers (including O'Connor) had never used the .300 Win. Mag. for much of any hunting -- all except my old coach who actually went out and used it and swore by it. And as is the case today, the opinions of the local gunstore clerks was just about worthless on the subject. Oh yeah, those guys furnished plenty of opinion, but almost no actual experience with the cartridge.

Starting in 1994, I started using the .300 Win. Mag. in a serious way, carrying it for sheep and grizzly in Alaska, moose and goats in B.C., mule deer, black bear, and elk here in Oregon, whitetails in Texas, Coues deer and mule deer in Mexico, pronghorn in New Mexico, black bear, etc., in Arizona, elk in Utah and Nevada, etc., etc., plus scores and scores of big game animals in Africa including lion, leopard, and Cape buffalo -- three members of Africa's so-called 'Big Five'. I've taken well over 100 big game animals taken with this cartridge over the last eleven seasons.

So at this point, for the life of me I can't firgure out what all of the "too big", "too small", "not right", "not enough", 'short-neck' mumbo-jumbo has sprung from, except out of the bowels of ignorance, supposition, foolish bar-stool philosophy classes, and no small amount of inexperience. The truth is, the .300 Win. Mag. is nearly ideal for all herbivorous game from the smallest deer to moose; all African plainsgame from dik dik to eland; all bears this side of coastal brown bears; and all cats short of African lion -- some 98% of the world's big game, at least, and it's even more versatile as a big game cartridge than the iconic old .30-06. That last statement will rile, wait and see!

"Too big", "too small"??????????

Nonsense...........

AD

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum61:
......Now, to get to the point and except for my father, my family and friends and usually most people I meet tell me its the wrong gun for whatever reason......

This tells me they do not have any direct experience with the .300 Win. It is as close to the perfect all around cartridge as you can get. Especially if you hand load. I have used the .300 H&H which is a kissing cousin (balisticly) to the Winnie. I have taken deer, 1 elk, and antelope with it. You will love yours. From what you say you have got a good handle on things by the way you practise. You are definitely starting off on the right foot. Go for what you know is right and leave the nay sayers in their ignorance. I am curious about one thing. How are you handling the recoil? If you can hit a paper plate at 600 yards my bet is you are handling it fine.

It's a fantastic all-around cartridge with a huge selection of bullets to choose from. Arguably one of the most versatile rounds there is.

Whoever told you those things was probably trying to get you to sell it to them to "take it off your hands".

Magnum

I think you will find, when you go to Africa [and you really should] that, at least in South Africa, the 300WinMag seems to be the most commonly used cartridge by hunters and PH's.

This isn't scientific research but observation only, but if it's good enough for all around Plains Game hunting in South Africa its good for everything here too!

My "everything" rifle is a .338 WinMag using 250gr Barnes X. These are both really in the same class. So hunt on and ignore all those who do not understand.

Les

Magnum,

I'm not as big a fan as Allen of the 300 Win Mag. but I have used it quite a bit here in the US and particularly in Alaska for a great deal of game and not found it lacking. In Africa I've been very impressed with its versatility. Except for the really big bears, cape buffalo and elephant I think your in good shape with the 300 Win. Mag. for anything else.

Regards,

Mark

Mag61,
Welcome to the 300 WM club-stick with what you have.
I've had my .300 WM since 1989. I shoot 180 X's exclusively and enjoy outstanding accuracy as well as terminal performance. Mine has accounted for 5 Roosey bulls, a mulie, several blacktails and a bunch of feral hogs and whitetails. All one shot kills with the exception of one elk that required a follow up second shot (my fault).

As far as people giving me grief, I just laugh at them. 3 people that used to give me grief bought 300 WM's after seeing what mine did one season on large feral hogs.
Sako

quote:

Originally posted by Magnum61:
I need to end an old argument that has haunted me since I bought the gun. ... most people I meet tell me its the wrong gun for whatever reason.

Hey Magnum61, That sounds like you are at a point in life where you pretty much respect other peoples opinions. And the conflict is apparently because another group of people (who's opinions you also respect) have told you something in conflict with the first group. And now you are in a "mental bind" because of the conflicting input.

Got some bad news for you - that is the way it is with firearms. Lots of "opinions" that can conflict significantly. And to make it worse, when someone gives you one of those opinions, he may be absolutely correct for the conditions "he" hunts under, or he may be so full of beans that you will have difficulty keeping from laughing in his face.

But, the rest of this should be good news.

quote:

...a Rem 700 BDL SS DM-B, that I picked out, for me with my money . It's a .300 win mag and I reload 180gr. XLC XBT BARNES and they all touch at 100yds going 3180fps ...All I wanted was a gun that I could hunt most everything out in the west, where I live. ...I practice hitting paper plates from 50 out to an honest 600 yards with different shooting positions every summer.

Well, let's see here, first off you selected an absolutely excellent rifle(no opinion, just fact ), then you selected an absolutely outstanding caliber( again, no opinion just fact), you are using a 180gr 30cal bullet which has a reputation for being a fine Premium bullet(fact) that penetrates well(fact) and typically makes a 2"-3" Exit(fact), they are at a velocity where they will shoot relatively flat(fact), you handload for optimum accuracy(apparent fact) and you practice from field positions out to 600yds(apparent fact).

quote:

Is this combo too much, too little, too right or too wrong for hunting?

So, it appears that you are very well armed for where you are hunting.
---

As a suggestion, the next time you run into one of the folks who derides your rifle and/or cartridge, there are a couple of things you can do:

1. Ask them to describe the conditions they hunt under and see if it is the same as yours.

2. Ask if they have "ever" shot a 300WinMag.

And last but not least,

3. Ask them to go with you to shoot at 300-600yds and show you what they have that shoots better. If the situation allows, suggest that the person who shoots the "worst" buys supper for both of you.

I'm a big fan of the .300 Win Mag. Very accurate and easy to reload cartridge. I do believe that the .300s recoil is too much for most folks, especially the type that buy it because they shot a deer, elk, whatever with their .270/06 and it got away. That being said, as long as you practice with it and are not afraid of it, the .300 Win Mag is an excellent round. I think the .300's rep of being "overkill" on deer sized game is a simple case of picking the wrong bullets. Most guys I know who use the .300 for deer and are unhappy, load it with standard 150s/165s for deer and proceed to blow the animals offside off. The simple solution is to load a well constructed bullet that doesn't go to confetti at .300 velocities and go hunting. Your combo with the 180 XLC sounds about ideal for the vast majority of hunting I can imagine.

-Lou

Hey, I really appreciate all of the input and keep it coming if there is some still out there.

To reply on the subject of whether I'm handling the recoil or not. I don't really notice it that much. I've shot the gun since I was a kid amd I've got a coffee can full of spent primers to prove it but on another note, I was a "large child" so maybe that was my advantage.

That's an excellent choice of rifle, one that I think is vastly underrated and should serve you well for a very long time. As was stated, the 300 WM is arguably the most versatile mid bore around and you can use it just about anywhere in the world with good results. It has accuracy, manageable recoil and plenty of power and ammo can be found just about everywhere. The only other thing I can suggest is maybe have a look at the Triple Shocks. Enjoy your rifle, there's not many situations it won't be suitable.

Magnum61: I think you've recived some great insights here that will leave you "well armed" to counter the arguments of the anti-belt naysayers and otehr arm chair hunters. It just doesn't get any better than the 300 Win Mag.I prefer the Weatherby, but only as a matter of personal preference, having fallen victim to the Weatherby Mystique as a youngster. WHile it does gain you a bit in MV, it's really pretty inconsequential and the availability of ammo --and cost the Winnie enjoys over the Weatherby more than offsets the extra 150fps or so gained in velocity. I've hunted all kinds of game with both calibers and they are pefectly suited for 95% of the world's game. You made a wise choice. jorge

Nothing wrong with the 300 Win Mag. I have had two 300 Win Mags and a 300 Weatherby Mag. I don't use them anymore but they will get the job done.

Even though it has been a while, I just wanted to thank everyone for their help and opinions.

Thanks again,

Magnum

I think your choice of rifle caliber is right on the money. Same for your choice in bullets. I have been shooting a 300 Win Mag with 180gr. bullets fr 14 years now ( since I was 20), My newer rifle (Sako m75 SS 300WM) has been shooting very tight groups using the Winchester Partition Golds and Failfafes, and now using and reloading the Accubonds (All in 180 gr.)
I live in Alberta and have taken many large moose, elk, whitetails, mulies and bears with this rifle, with most in 1 shot. I personally feel that this caliber is the ultimate - one rifle (if you don't buy more) for hunting all species out in the west (USA and Canada).
Not too many people spend the time at the range to get to know their rifles like you did. I too have spent lots of time at the range shooting this rifle to get to know its characteristics. This paid off this past season by taking on the last day a 8x7 Whitetail @ 554 metres, 1 perfect double lung shot. I was on 1 knee holding for at least 5 minutes for the doe to move so I would have a broadside shot.

Anyhow, the 300 Win.Mag. with your choice of bullets should and will be enough gun for what you want to hunt. I'm reoading now the 180 and 200gr. Accubonds, and the same for the Barnes TSX.

Good luck in your future hunting success.!!

I have used a .300 Win. Mag as my primary rifle for the better part of 18 years. I too shoot Barnes bullets, but in 165 gr. I have guided for 11 years in Alberta, B.C., and the Yukon, and there is no question that the .300 Win. Mag. is the most popular round brought up any where I have guided, and from Antelope to Alaskan-Yukon Moose,Grizzly and everything in between. I would have no qualms at all, of using my .300 for ANYTHING on this continent including the Coastal Brown Bears!!

I hunt out west for deer, pigs, antelope and Elk and over the years I've used a bunch of different cartridges such as 243, 25.06, 308, 7Mag, 30.06 and 300 WSM and with each one, at one time or another someone has told me I was using the wrong cartridge. I just agree to disagree.

I bought a 300 Win MagRem 700 BDL SS and love it. I also bought some Barnes 150gr Triple shocks I haven’t had a chance to shoot any of them but I will when it gets cooler. I shot 2 deer with the 300 last fall on a dead run at over 100yrds with 150gr ballistic tips.

My friend shoots a Ruger in 300 Win Mag and none of his deer have went over 30ft most have dropped dead in their tracks. He wants to get a Remington 300 like mine.

If it works for you why change it?
Tell the folks that brag to show you how good of a shot they are. Most of the folks that talk about being able to shoot a Deer in the Heart at 300yrds on a dead run are full of

Too much gun I think not.