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Hunting & Fishing 300WM overkill???

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7.62_Reaper

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Minuteman
Mar 5, 2012
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is a 300WM using a 180gr bullet too much gun for whitetail deer? I have a 308win that I use now but the ranges that I will be shooting from this year in a new spot will be around 650 yards +/-, I know the 308win is capable for that kinda shot but my 308win isn't really built for that range so I wanted something with a little more power to it.

what do you guys think? thanks for the info
 
300 win in my opinion is not overkill. Mine has collected to kills did not have to track. Both kills where 650 and 730 yards shooting cross canyon. This year I'm tryin a 6.5 creedmoor but 300 will do the job just fine. My load is a 190 Berger and it does a great job on whitetail.
 
Are you worried about losing to much meat ? The answer is NO . Just make a good shot . If your worried about losing to much meat then take a neck shot if you can make one, head shot works pretty good to. I have used my 45-70 and had plenty of vittils.
 
I have killed plenty of whitetails with my 300wm. High shoulder or neck shot does the trick nicely. I shoot Berger vlds tho and they an be nasty when they connect with bone. Here is a neck shot from 3 years ago with my 300wm 155grain Berger
2dtroy9.jpg
 
I'm a 300wm believer. get it, you will be glad you did. Much more power for anchoring game at extended ranges. Yes a 308 will do it but a 300wm gives more room for error in wind calls and ranging miscalculatiuons. If you are gonna do 650-700yds hunting with a 308 you better be on your game. Deer move around a lot so check otu the difference between your hold for 700yds and 725yds with a 308 and the same with a 300wm you will see what I mean by degree of error
 
Overkill - no
Necessay - depending on the situation. Extended range is where the 300 WM excels. Retains ample energy at fairly great distance to more than get the job done.

Meat damage can be substantial depending on where the shot is but if you gun is accurate and you can put the bullet where you want it, that is lessened considerably. It is nice not having to track an animal.

If it's what you have, or want, and you're comfortable with your ability, then by all means use it. I prefer the lighter kicking .308 but I hunt in East TN where my furthest shot to date is 190 yards (quite the long shot for around here).

Charlie
 
I shoot 208 amax and 210vld. They have never over killed anything. Just killed the snoot out of everything at most any range. Do not be afraid! Go big and don't look back
 
I like mine. I shoot a 220gr SMK and it has killed lots of deer back when we had extra to be killed up here. A friend of mine uses a 185gr bullet in his WM and he is happy. Granted he did say his oldest boy does not like to shoot it because of kick.
 
Skinney and bkincaid hit the bull in the ass; there is no such thing as over kill.
At the distances you cite I see every advantage to the 300WM for long range terminal ballistics and wind corrections.
One shot and down is far and away better than tracking or losing a game animal.
 
I agree that .300 WM is NOT overkill, in fact it is my preferred deer hunting caliber in the midwest. I plan on taking a .300 winnie with me on my Wyo mulie hunt due to the above stated trajectory and energy it carries at extended ranges. Plus, if there is any significant wind where you hunt, .300 WM bucks wind pretty well and is great when used cross-canyon where gusting winds are the norm.
 
.300 WM will definitely get the job done. Of course I set up for the ethical shorter range shot. Set up to hunt at more realistic ranges but be prepared to take the longer range shots. The rage with all these long to ultra long range hunting videos tends to make people force these situations instead of setting up for the normal range shot.
 
My older brother has been taking deer with a 300 wm since the late '70s. As said by others, shot placement is everything.
 
If there were such a thing as over kill I believe this is it, got him in the throat at 650 yards with the Barrett model 99 with a 750 grain AMAX. (Of course that was my point of aim, just ask me :) )

barrettfirstkillII.jpg
 
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If you handload for the 300 win then you could always work up a "softer, kindler, gentler," load that would be closer to the equivalent to maybe a 30.06. When I was growing up my dad hand loaded for himself and all four of his/us boys. After we grew up enough to handle a full size rifle he quickly grew tired of constantly keeping reloading components for .243, .308, 30.06, and .300 win mag. So he standardized us all on shooting the .300 just like him. Then he had reduced recoil loads for the younger brothers, his pet deer and elk load, etc. It was just another way to simplify and spend more time in the woods and less time in the garage at the reloading bench.
 
IMO, it is overkill.... I use a 308 with 130 grain TTSX and its overkill

My friend plows em with an 80 grain ttsx out of a 243
 
I use a 210g Berger VLD out of my 300winmag on white tail deer. Works great. No tracking involved. Is it overkill? I dont think so. Do you need it? Definitely not. Some of my buddies are using 110g 6mm PPC single shot rifles on white tails. And it works too.
 
It's pretty hard to make something "extra dead". However, that being said, there's no replacement for a good shot and I've been regularly impressed with the capability of my little 6.5 Creedmoor to anchor animals with the various hunting and match bullets that I've used on them. My 6.5C with 140 Amax is almost identical (slight wind advantage) over the 190 SMK loads most get from the 300WM. The 190 brings more punch to the table, but even at 750yd the 65 is still putting down more than a 55gr 223 at the muzzle and those have been shown to kill deer easily too.

There's no excuse for a taking a bad shot and while I'm kinda itching to shoot a deer with my 300WM this year, the trophy whitetail is still a small animal compared to an elk and I've seen several elk that went down in their tracks from the 140 Amax past 500yd.
 
Shot placement is key, bullet construction is next. Most of the hunters I have guided have made a poor shot with the 300 mags. I use a .223 to 800 with a failure rate approaching zero. IMO, your 300 is fine, just get the bullet in the right place, which most do not do so well with the 300.
 
Shot placement is everything: A .308 168gr or 175gr match bullet is fine on deer at 650 yards ... Assuming good shot placement. A 300WM hits noticeably harder at the same distance ... Assuming good shot placement.
 
All of the posts on here have been helpful... I have hunted big whitetails throughout the northeast with the .308 as well as the 7mm RemMag, but recently bought an AR-30 in .300 WinMagand was wondering about trying it this year.

The info provided in this forum has given insight.

Thanks,
 
Landwikum,
Shot several hundred deer in culling operations and only recall losing two. Keep laughing.
 
A very small %. Longest was 814. I would guess about a dozen between 750 and 814. Lost not at these ranges. When culling, we do not want wounded deer around so the surest shot possible is taken. ie inside 500, less if wind is blowing. One thing I have noticed is that the longer range kills are often " better" than the close ones. Less disturbance, less running off. The deer just stand for a few seconds then drop.
 
I have used a 300 for 3 years now on whitetail and mule deer. I love the caliber and I shoot it well, but I did have an issue this year. I ended up shooting from an awkward position and lost an injured animal. Now I know this can happen with any rifle, but with the recoil of a magnum I feel my odds are greater of making a less than perfect shot.

This year I will be using my new 6.5x47 with 130-140gr VLDs. I am confident that I will be able to make more precise shots from any position with this rifle.

It all comes down to you knowing and practicing with your rifle as you will/may end up using it in the field. If you can't make a shot from a certain position...move.
 
It seems the single reason that most people opt for a 308 or 30-06 instead of the 300 is recoil. Buy an efficient compensator, install it, and shoot it like a .223. I recommend the JP Compensator, large profile for the 300. $$$ in the bank! I have taken a few deer, a couple of coyotes and lots of paper with that combo. Love the 300WM!
 
There is no such thing as overkill, only enough kill. Win mag is a great long range whitetail caliber
 
650 yards and whitetail deer is not a big deal.
I would suggest getting a quality smithed .308 with a first class scope, brush up on your ballistics, study bullet performance and stick with the .308. There are custom black powder guns taking dear way beyond 650 yards! Spend the time on the bench, tape drop charts to your stock and enjoy yourself. Time spent with a good .308 trumps throwing a faster piece of lead at a deer. Shot placement is everything.
Your scope should be a notch above what most 150 yard .308 shooters are using as learning ballistics over the longer range requires more clicking. If it is used by the tactical world, it is probably right for your use. Enjoy.
 
+1 for shot placement. Heart/lungs/shoulder/liver/spine all reside in a small area. Depending on the range you pick the spot you're most comfortable with. A trick I was taught is imaging a little red ball in the center of the vitals area (will usually result in a heart/lung shot with room for error) and hit that. Good hunting.
 
I think a 300 WM is absolutely overkill for whitetail. That being said every fall I carry my 300WSM into the woods with hand loads of 150 gr Sierra GameKings over IMR 4350 because the gun hammers with it and I am absolutely confident something is going to expire when the trigger breaks.

Overkill on my friend!

Mike
 
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