300 Win Mag Close Range

[119bowhunter]

Thanks for all the thoughts guys, I know this wouldn't exactly be using this caliber the way it's intended to be, and I do have other rifles...but the trouble is if my wife is hunting at the same time I am then I'm not allowed to use her 7mm-08, and I had a bad experience last year with my 6.5 Grendel on a whitetail at close range (bullet came apart inside and left 3 tiny exit holes and 0 blood trail), I came very close to losing that deer as he was in very thick cover and I had to look for several hours basically crawling on my hands and knees through a rhododendron thicket. So I decided that this year I would use my .300 magnum, I used to hunt with 180 grain ballistic tips out of my 30.06 (which I no longer have) so I was thinking that using something in that weight range would be good but didn't know if there was a factory load available that was closer to 30.06 velocities. It sounds like I need to get into reloading, which I have never done before, but I do know a couple of guys that are into it that would probably help me.

I may look into the 180 accubonds and see if I can have them help me work up a slightly "less-magnum" load for it at this point.

 

[1_pointer]

I've seen those but can't figure out what they were developed for. Must be an old high SD/low velocity round? 30-40 Krag maybe?

I think they were developed for the 300 Blackout. I'd be leery of turning one loose out of a 300 Mag. YMMV

 

[Gunner46]

I can not possibly understand why you would consider a 300 Mag as a better alternative to the 6.5 Grendel you already have. One unacceptable bullet performance does not a bad Whitetail cartridge make!

I have over 40 whitetails in my freezers past, and used a dozen different rounds to do it. 30/30, 35 Rem, 12 Ga, 20 Ga, 308, 7/08, 7 RM......and at NO TIME did I 'need' a Mag anything, especially not at under the 100yds you mentioned.

Your 6.5 with a 120 Nosler BT is a freaking whitetail killing machine ! Use it. And if you don't want to....send to me. My freezer could use a couple/three deer this season.

 

[3855WIN]

I've used 180 NP in a 300 WBY at ten yards with good results.

What bullet did you use in the 6.5?

 

[119bowhunter]

I was using a 123 grain SST in my Grendel. I understand the Grendel is a pretty sweet round but I also feel like with it you need to hand load to maximize its potential. I thought about having some hand loads with a better bullet worked up for it as well but I am dependent on someone else to do that at this point as I have no reloading equipment and have 0 knowledge of doing that myself, so for the time being I'm basically limited to factory ammo. I also don't feel like I "need" the .300 mag, but I do have one and I'm certain that anything shot with it in the right place will leave a better blood trail than what I had with the Grendel last year. I also realize I might shoot 20 more deer with the Grendel and never again have that issue but the sleepless night with a sick feeling not knowing if I wounded an animal and left it to suffer was a hard pill for me to swallow.

 

[Don Fischer]

Question for those that use 150 gr bullet's in a 300 mag for close range. Assume for a moment that deer had the teeth and claws of an African Lion and the disposition of a Grizzly bear, would you still chose a 150gr bullet?

 

[deer_shooter]

I agree with Gunner in that your 6.5 Grendel with the right bullet is perfect. That said, I use my 300wm for whitetail quite often with full power loads using 165gr sierra gamekings. I've dropped deer anywhere from 50yds to 325yds with minimal damage.

 

[1_pointer]

Question for those that use 150 gr bullet's in a 300 mag for close range. Assume for a moment that deer had the teeth and claws of an African Lion and the disposition of a Grizzly bear, would you still chose a 150gr bullet?

Depending on the bullets construction, yes.

 

[belly-deep]

Question for those that use 150 gr bullet's in a 300 mag for close range. Assume for a moment that deer had the teeth and claws of an African Lion and the disposition of a Grizzly bear, would you still chose a 150gr bullet?

What is the point of your question? They don't, and to top it off, they are built much lighter. Prairie dogs have teeth and claws, and would probably try and eat me if they were big enough. I'll still use a 223.

 

[Don Fischer]

No point really. Just think there's bullet's a lot better suited to a 300 mag than 150gr bullet's. Ask the same question about something like a 308 and I get it. Doesn't ring a bell with me to use that large a case, drive a relatively light bullet that fast and use it for close range!