I have the oppotunity to buy a Winchester Model 70 300 Win Mag with a Burris scope on it. I have hunted with a 30-06 and 7mm Rem Mag and I hunt mainly for deer and hog. Is a 300 Win Mag too much gun for this type of hunting? I am looking for some insight. He wants $475 for the set-up. Please let me know what you all think.
Jason
Just my opinion..and you know what they saw about opinions..
It all depends on where you are hunting. If you are hunting out west, or hunting 300# deer in the midwest, or sitting on a food plot shooting across zip codes, then magnum calibers are great. If you are hunting in Florida where your shots are +/- 100 yards or less, then it is a waste of a gun.
I have been fortunate to kill a lot of deer and hogs with a lot of different calibers. The absolute worst was a 7mm. I bought it after I went out West elk hunting, and thought I was gonna go back again. I used it in Fl for a few years and was unimpressed. EVERY single animal I shot ran off. I was lucky to find them, but I did. And if you punch a bullet thru the ribs behind the shoulders, you can bet on throwing both shoulders away. I shot several different bullets in several different weights. That gun will never see the outside of my gun safe unless I sell it or go out west again
I just think magnum calibers are too fast, too much FP of energy for these Fl deer. A deer is not hard to kill. A well placed/quality bullet will put a deer on its arse. matter of fact, my favorite caliber is my .243. 85gr Barnes TSX and I have had ZERO animals take a step with it
Just my .02 cents worth
Well said,that's why I sold my ruger 7mm mag. Great for long range shots at large game.
In my opinion, there is very little you can do with the 300 WinMag that the 7mm Mag will not do just as good, if not better. Think about this: 7MM bullets of the same weight have a higher ballistic coefficient than 30 caliber bullets (remember, same weight). At close distance, you will not be able to tell the difference when you hit either deer or hogs with either caliber. At long range, the 7 mag has the advantage UNLESS you are willing to increase the weight of your 30 caliber projectile. If you go with a heavier 30 cal bullet, you will be paying dearly in terms of recoil. All things being equal, your 7 mag should shoot flatter and be less affected by the wind (therefore more accurate) by virtue of its highest B.C. If you want to validate my statement, look up an online Ballistics Calculator (realguns.com has a nice one) and punch in the numbers. Foor Florida hunting either caliber is fine.
George.
