.300 Win Mag Loaded Down for Deer?

[carnaby]

I've just gotten into reloading for my .300 win mag, and from what I've read, the .300 win mag is a little over powered for deer, even out to 200 yards. Past that, I here it's pretty good. I figure this season I'll load it full power with 180gn Game Kings or Noslers for elk, but use a lighter loading for deer, something that brings it down to .30-06 range of performance.

My question is: what bullets, what load for deer? I'm shooting at the range right now with 165gn Sierra Game King's and accuracy is good. The starting load with my H4350 is 66gn and gives something like 2900 fps. I was planning on sticking with this for deer season, and then loading closer to the max for elk with 180gn bullets, to whatever charge weight shoots the best at the range.

 

[griz]

If the 165 grain Sierra at 2900 is accurate in your gun, you need look no more. Sounds like a great load to me.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

A load of 165 grains at 2900 fps is right about what I shoot out of my .308 and that's worked quite well for me.

 

[dakotasin]

yeah, 165's at 2900 is good medicine.

however, i load my 300 win mag to full honk for deer hunting. keeps my poa/poi identical - ballistics - for all seasons and reasons. everything from prairie dogs on up gets full potential loads.

 

['Card]

...the .300 win mag is a little over powered...

*puzzled*

What is this "over powered" of which you speak? This is a concept I can't quite grasp...

Seriously, though... unless the recoil is bugging you, why tone it down? The difference in terms of damaged venison is going to be largely insignificant. Pretty much anything bigger than a .270 is gonna leave an entrance wound, an exit wound, and a mess of scrambled innards in between them. I've shot deer with all kinds of stuff - a .300 Savage, a .30-30, a .44 Mag, a .270, a .30-06, my own .300 WinMag, and the holes all pretty much look the same on the recieving end. Unless you shoot one with a 12-gauge slug. Now that's ugly. But the point being that an extra inch or two in diameter on that exit hole won't make a lot of difference on the butcherin' table.

I used to hunt with a .300 WinMag BAR, but I don't carry it much anymore because my 7400 .30-06 does just as well without being as pretty or as expensive - and I treat my hunting guns pretty bad. But if you're going to tote that big puppy around the woods all day, when it comes time to drop the hammer, you might as well let her roar, man.

 

[Delmar]

If you're launching at premium velocity, use a premium bullet!

 

[hoghunting]

I will agree with the others. If you have a good load for the 180s, then just use that for deer also.

I have a 300wsm and had the same intentions of loading to 30/06 velocities for deer, but the gun would shoot 165 Interbonds @ 3123 fps into a 3/8" group @ 100 yds. I didn't see any reason to load it down. The bullet will go through a smaller animal faster.

 

[LeonCarr]

Load it with 180 Nosler Partitions, and shoot that load at everything in the lower 48.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[pete f]

If you want a bit cleaner load than 4350 at lower pressures, the speer manual lists a load for 165's at about 2800 using reloader 15, this will work very nicely for you. I will tell I have tried it and found it to be very accurate and a great intro load for youngsters to. I suggest you find a copy and look at their info.


There is a very big difference in meat damage goiing from a 3200 FPS load to a 2800FPS load. If you are hunting at less than 250 yards, the lost velocity will not matter. you will have to resight the weapon and keep track of the ballistics, but it will kill deer just fine.

 

[carnaby]

Thanks, pete f, that's the sort of info I'm looking for

Thanks to all the other commenters too. I'm sure one way or another if I can line a deer up this year, I can take him.

 

[Sunray]

You don't need a .300 mag for elk or anything else. If you're going to load it down, you might as well sell it and buy a .308 or .30-06. Both are far more versatile than any magnum.

 

[hoghunting]

pete is right in that there can be more meat damage at 3200 fps than 2800. That is why you need to use a premium bullet. Most of the excess damage comes from the bullet core separating from the bullet jacket. If you use a premium bullet, such as the bonded or one piece like Barnes, the bullet stays in one piece and meat damage is not as bad. I have shot hogs at ranges of 30 yds to 350 yds with the WSM and there was not much difference in meat damage.

 

[carnaby]

How about a run down of "premium bullets." Apparently Nosler Partitions and Barnes X something or other. How about GameKings? No? What else?

 

[Art Eatman]

The only bullet whose performance startled me was the Sierra 150-grain SPBT at 3,000 ft/sec MV. It blew up in a mule deer's neck at 30 yards. The Sierra folks told me I was driving it too fast for close-up proper performance; use the 150-grain SP flat base. Otherwise, the BT has worked well on a fair number of deer. Lotsa DRT.

That said, I've had no problems with any Sierra bullet, nor with the 150-grain Hornady or the Remington Bronze Point. They all kill deer, either up close or out at 350 and 450 yards.

IMO, premium bullets are Good Things, but for me they're not necessary things.

, Art

 

[Matt G]

As a .300 Win Mag handloader out of a Sendero's 26" barrel, I found that I was getting over 3100 fps with Sierra's excellent 180g GameKing bullet over RL 22 or RL 19. (Consistent groups of 3/4 MOA with these hot loads.)

I shot a few whitetail deer with it at 100 yards or less, and found that it did not "blow up" or do bad things. It held up very well, and killed from different angles. The 165g GameKing, Sierra tells me, will be too fragile at close range. Apparently significant strength is added with that mere 15 grains of weight.

There's nothing wrong with .30-'06 ballistics, to be sure. But you have a Magnum-- why not take advantage of it? Load one flat-shooting, heavy-bullet load that will take everything from woodchucks to moose, with a single trajectory to memorize.

 

[redneck2]

Guess I'd swim against the tide here and agree more with the original post. I have a friend that shot a whitetail with a 7mag at about 75 yards IIRC. Hit it quartering away. Bullet hit the rear leg bone, blew apart and pretty much field dressed the deer in an extremely messy fashion. Pretty much all the meat was blood shot and ruined. He almost puked when he tried to dress it out.

Apparently significant strength is added with that mere 15 grains of weight.

I suspect it's more that they expect the heavier bullet to be used on bigger game and make the jacket stronger to compensate

I'd look for something that has controlled expansion (Barnes, Trophy Bonded, etc) and drive it at reasonable speeds. I know gun writers tell you that you need a magnum at 4,000 fps to kill anything bigger than a chipmunk, but I'd re-think that. If the 2,900 load gives good accuracy and the bullet will hold together, have at it.

I have a Ruger M77 .300 WM in my safe, but if I we're going after whitetails, I'd pick up the .25-06 instead. I know we get magnum crazy, but something in the range of the .257 Roberts or .25-06 seems pretty much perfect. YMMV

 

[carnaby]

I'd use a different caliber if I had one, but I have only one hunting rifle, have a loading setup for it, and if I change or add anything to that my wife will be justified in killing me (until I graduate and get a real job). So I'm stuck with the .300 win mag, for good or bad, and now I need to make the best of it.

From the advice I've gotten here, I'll either load it down to .30-06 range and use my 165 gn GameKings, or go to a 180 gn super duper bullet and load it full potatoes. That load would work equally well for elk, it appears.

I'm tempted to go with the 180gn game kings on account of the reasonable price, and then I can shoot 'em like mad at the range.

 

[Johnny Guest]

I think you're on the right track, sir.

One all-around load with the 180 gr Sierra Game King - - Around 2900 fps is good - -Maybe 2950. Not max, but it will promote long barrel life if you shoot a lot. Granted, you could do ALMOST as well with a .30-06, but the extra 150 fps will extend your maximum point blank rnge significantly and simplify your drop tbles if you feel compelled to take shots beyond, say, 275 yards.

The 180 GK is a wonderful bullet - - Plenty strong enough to hold together and go deep in elk or moose, while still getting some modest expnsion on deer. It will not blow up like the lighter bullets will sometimes do. AND, it is truly a match grade bullet with great game-taking characteristics. Several years ago, the 1000 yard accuracy record was set using this exact bullet, before development of the heavier MatchKing .30 caliber bullets. And, an added bonus is the very modest price for such stellar performance.

There is much to be said for alredy having your load developed and your rifle properly zeroed. You can be ready to go, given the opportunity to hunt deer, pronghorn, hogs, elk, or ALMOST anything else in North America. Okay - - it's 'way heavy for varmint shooting, and really too light for the Great Bears, but these are the extremes of hunting.

Best of luck to you
Johnny

 

[JShirley]

.308 or .30-06. Both are far more versatile than any magnum.

Honestly, that makes no sense at all. One can load the Mag down to those power levels, but cannot (safely and sensibly) load the .308 and '06 up to .300 WM levels. One can do everything the first two can, and more.

Now, if you wanted to talk about price or availability, you'd be on target, but versatility? Not so much.

John

 

[bowfin]

Since I want any bullet I am shooting at a deer or antelope to exit, it doesn't matter to me if it is a .300 Winchester going a little faster, or a .308 Winchester going a little slower. I will say that when I use a magnum caliber, I usually opt for a heavier bullet rather than a faster velocity. In other words, I would take a 180 grain bullet at 2900 and change rather than a 150 grain at over 3,200 fps. Same with a 7mm Magnum, I like 154-175 grain bullets in that cartridge. Of course, I don't hunt with your rifle or in your neck of the woods for your big game, so I can't say my preferences should be universally accepted.

/* I have a friend that shot a whitetail with a 7mag at about 75 yards IIRC. Hit it quartering away. Bullet hit the rear leg bone, blew apart and pretty much field dressed the deer in an extremely messy fashion. Pretty much all the meat was blood shot and ruined. He almost puked when he tried to dress it out.*/

I have skinned and butchered and unfair share of deer, and from what I have seen, I'm thinking a .270, .30-06, or even a .243 would have had the same effect. There's no good bullet or cartridge to shoot through meat, it's is best to shoot around it, as in a bullet right behind the shoulders and through the ribs, or one in the neck.

 

[Nathanael_Greene]

Remington makes a Manged Recoil load for the .300 Win Mag.

It has a 150-grain pointed soft point bullet.

I used the .30-06 Managed Recoil to great effect on deer, and I imagine that it'll be all I use for any Texas (small) whitetails I shoot.

 

[carnaby]

I've got a box of Remington Managed Recoil for the rifle. I take it with me when I bring new shooters to the range since the .300 win mag is my only centerfire rifle right now. After they get tired of plinking with the .22 I let them strap on the magnum. Inevitably they want to try the full power stuff. That doesn't last past one or two shots

I was thinking of trying the managed recoil stuff for deer, but I thought maybe I'd be better off loading my own. I was hoping maybe somebody had a light load for the .300 win mag using my 165 gn Sierra Game King bullets, but so far no luck

The Hodgdon website lists some youth loads, but they are pretty far down there, with only a 130 gn bullet etc.

I have tried the 165 gn bullets with 62 gn of H4350 with good results. The recoil is much lighter than the full 68-70gn loads, but I don't have a chrono, so I have no idea how fast they're zipping along. If anyone has data for a load such as this, I'd be keen to see it.

Furthermore: I found a website that talked about loading magnums down even to varmint levels. One thing they mentioned was to not load IMR4350 down more than 10% (didn't say 10% from max or 10% from starting load). So how dows IMR4350 compare to H4350? Does the same 10% rule apply? Loading down 10% from 70gn of H4350 is 63gn, and I've had good results down to 60gn. Am I getting into trouble here?

 

[bambi308]

300 win mag

PMC make a 300 win mag with 150 gn sierra game kings. Theey are fine for deer i use them in scotland on red deer. No meat damage, no wounds , no survivors