.300 Win Mag. One rifle change bullets

[Chuckchapman1]

I can only afford one rifle. What I wanna know is can I harvest everything in the lower 48 with a base caliber of .300 and just change bullet weight, tip, powder for anything from elk to Antelope by changing bullet. 180-190 grain for elk and a 150 grain for deer and antelope. I realize .300 is rather over kill for antelope but want a bigger cal for future bigger game.

 

[noharleyyet]

Would not hesitate to use 180 for all.

 

[MThuntr]

Would not hesitate to use 180 for all.

^This...keep things simple so you don't have to worry about changes in point of impact, trajectory, etc

EDIT: I know you said you were thinking 300WM so in standard internet fashion I will also suggest that you'd be equally capable of hunting everything in North America (save Musk Ox) with a classic cartridge like the 7x57, 270, 30-06 or 308...also a HuntTalk favorite the 7mm-08

 

[406LIFE]

^This...keep things simple so you don't have to worry about changes in point of impact, trajectory, etc

This is my setup for everything.
"Fear the man with only one rifle...he knows how to use it."

 

[Flatrock]

Yea that'll be fine. Instead of switching bullets though for different animals, just pick a quality bullet that will work for elk and use that for everything. Sure, a 180 grain Accubond is overkill for an antelope but I'd rather just shoot 1 bullet. Otherwise your zero might change and your bullet drop could change slightly between different bullets/powders, etc. Plenty of other calibers would be fine too but I'd still go with just 1 bullet.

 

[DRS]

My late older brother, who taught me how to hunt, used 165 hornady bullets in his 300 win Model 70 for everything with great success.

 

[Carlin59]

I brought a .300WM as my "everything" western gun when i moved to CO 8 years ago. After bouncing around between 150s for deer/antelope and 180s for elk, I've settled on 165gn Hornady GMX for everything the last four years and have been super satisfied with their performance on everything. I would expect the other monometals like Barnes or the Etips to perform similarly. I think a 165 monometal is a great all around option that you can count on for everything from elk to antelope. Plenty tough enough for elk, and I like how they tend to not wreck as much meat on smaller critters like antelope the way a lead-based option tends to.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I brought a .300WM as my "everything" western gun when i moved to CO 8 years ago. After bouncing around between 150s for deer/antelope and 180s for elk, I've settled on 165gn Hornady GMX for everything the last four years and have been super satisfied with their performance on everything. I would expect the other monometals like Barnes or the Etips to perform similarly. I think a 165 monometal is a great all around option that you can count on for everything from elk to antelope. Plenty tough enough for elk, and I like how they tend to not wreck as much meat on smaller critters like antelope the way a lead-based option tends to.

This is very similar to what I have gone to.

 

[PsRpOiGrRiAtM]

One gun, one bullet to rule them all--I wouldn't mess with bullet weights for different species.

 

[OhHeyThereBen]

Sounds like a perfect cartridge to me! I personally have an '06 that's about the same thing. No issues with killing nearly any animal in the world.

 

[BucksnDucks]

That cartridge will absolutely get it done. I spent my first twenty years big game hunting with just one rifle in 30-06. Find the rifle you like with a good scope and shoot often. There is a simplicity and efficiency to having one rifle. The only reason not to pick the .300 is if you are sensitive to recoil.

 

[idnative1948]

That cartridge will absolutely get it done. I spent my first twenty years big game hunting with just one rifle in 30-06. Find the rifle you like with a good scope and shoot often. There is a simplicity and efficiency to having one rifle. The only reason not to pick the .300 is if you are sensitive to recoil.

As to recoil on mine.. Shooting at paper yes, but I have never noticed it much shooting at game luckily.

 

[jeremys4]

My browning a bolt 3 in .300wm I feel kicks less than my old mossberg.270 I swear. It has a 26” barrel and a really nice pad on the stock which I think makes up the difference. The browning probably weighs less too which would hurt my kick less argument.

 

[shaffe48]

When i had a .300, I found I needed a second lighter rifle just to get extra rounds in at the range. If you live where you shoot out your backyard, it's no big deal to go out and shoot 5 rounds to a time. But when you drive an hour to the nearest 2-400 yd range that don't work so easy.

For many people a .300 might not work as literally your only rifle.

 

[CForest]

Like others have mentioned I'd stick with one bullet. I have a 300 and went through a lot of different ammo with the same mentality you have. Have reached a point where I will not switch back and forth.... I have gone on the heavier side and never looked back.

 

[MLaird]

I started thinking the same way last year. I made the change to one rifle, one bullet for all. I chose a 7mm rem mag, shooting 140gr barnes ttsx.

 

[88man]

Hard to beat a 180 grn nosler accubond in 300WinMag. Killed antelope, whitetails/muledeer/elk with that setup. However, if you don't reload real hard to beat a 7mm mag with 150 or 160 grn bullets.

 

[AssawomanGunsmith]

If i could only have one rifle it would be my 300 win mag. Right now Im shooting hornady 200gr ELD-x, it is a lot of bullet for our whitetails but I don't believe there is a thing as having too much gun if you can handle the recoil.

 

[2rocky]

'twas my thinking as well as a kid in HS when I bought my rifle. I still remember the Petersen's Hunting article I showed my father on the caliber. The local gunsmith had a Ruger M77, put a 2-7 Redfield on it and I've packed it ever since.
Thinking back, it has accounted for...

1 red fox
4 -Blacktail
2 - Mule deer
1 -Whitetail
2 - Antelope
8 - Elk

I'd say it's pretty versatile

 

[Don Fischer]

I'm a one bullet guy for all except my 6.5x55. I bounce back and forth between 129gr bullet's and 140gr! I have believed for years that caliber is not so important as bullet. Use a bullet that that will hold together and destroy vital parts and the animal will die, simple as that! Use a bullet that will penetrate the neck and break the spine and the animal is going right down, easy! Shoot an animal with a 22 LR where the bullet will reach the brain and the Animal is dead. Caliber make's little difference, use what you have right and you will kill animals. Someone mentioned his brother using a 165gr bullet in a 300 mag and killed everything. No surprise, the guy knew how to use it. The advantage to the magnum's is mostly the ability to handle heavier bullet's better. A 30-06 will handle a bullet just fine but a 300 mag will handle it better! The same bullet at a better velocity won't kill any better but will penetrate better and shoot flatter.

How you set up the rifle you have seem's to be the major point. If you find the heaviest bullet for your cartridge it will shoot fairly fast and flat, it will penetrate. No need for a premium bullet. On the other hand a monolithic bullet retains most all it's weight, give it a penetration advantage over a heavier bullet that doesn't retain as much weight or reach the same velocity. In each bullet, the secrete to success is getting a bullet inside that penetrate's deep enough to destroy vital organs. Get a rifle in a cartridge that recoil doesn't bother you, chose a bullet that pretty much does all you want and learn to use it.

If you are getting reduced recoil loads, you have a rifle/cartridge with recoil you can't handle. Reduced loads will lower velocity, that's how they reduce recoil!Drop down to a cartridge you don't need reduced recoil loads for. I think it's silly to brag about your 300 mag if your using reduced loads ad in fact falling below a 30-06 or even a 308. Then what's the point of the 300 mag? The 30-06 is probably the best all around cartridge but claiming that is pretty much splitting hairs these days. Not a lot you can kill these days with a 300 mag you ca't kill equally dead with say a 6.5 Creedmoor! Just depends on how you use what you have!

Lot of people claim they eed a rifle that will reach out to 500yds. I believe that the vast majority of those people don't have the talent to shoot that far! But sure does sound good does't it? I hate reading about the guy that had to take the 800yd shot or the 500yd shot the last minute's of the season. There is never a shot you have to take unless you are under attack!

Never had a one rifle to do it all but have had a number that would have had I wanted. Have had several magnums, never own another one though. I could handle the recoil in them but only by shooting them very often! I could handle everything else with far less range time and do the same job and any range I was likely to shoot!