You killin me!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: pwillie

So will a 300 win mag, that has the best ballistics</end quote></div>

This is off the top of my head, so forgive me if the figure is wrong, but the .300 has about 500 ft/lbs LESS energy than the .338. I know it's less. I'm just not sure how much less powerful it is. Anyway... how is that <u>the best ballistics</u>?

 

I don't think that quite accurate. The 180 gr 300 WM has a better balistic co-efficient than any of the 338 win mags. 300 more fps and 50lbs more energy at 500 yards than the 338. Plus the trajectory is a whole lot beeter at that distance. 38" vs 46" at 500 yards. Now this is for a 180 gr vs a 225 gr bullet. Since I don't hand load I'm looking for a bullet w/ a good ballistic co-efficient. Accuracy is where it's at.

 

Jumbo: . My 300 comes out the barrel@ 3540 fps. I think you have not thought about the bullet weight. Speed kills.....!!!

 

You're talking about a cannon here, 300 or 338.

I've had a 300 Weatherby Mag (Mk 5) for quite a few years now. It's... powerful. With a 128 grain bullet, it clocks in at around 4200fps. Comes with a recoil pad, that should tell you something. Hold it tight against your shoulder, and it'll rock you pretty good. Hold it loose, and it knocks the bejeezus out of you.

It can be used for deer hunting, but it blows a pretty big hole in them, and you lose meat like that. The big magnum cartridges are more for elk or moose, big critters.

Last time I bought 20 rounds of 300 WBY Mag, it was $60. Yep, save my brass, too.

 

If you're not going to be loading your own ammo you should probably consider the price of ammo.

The last time I looked at .300 Remington Ultra Mag the lightest stuff was 30 dollars for a box of 20 and the heavier loads were over 60 dollars for 20 rounds.

If you want to shoot enough to be even marginally proficient with your rifle and load then be prepared to spend some serious money for ammo. The last time I helped a friend just sight in his rifle and evaluate different loads for it he probably spent 300 bucks on ammo just for that range session.

I'd also agree that 300-338 magnums of whatever flavor are probably overkill for deer under most circumstances. I've cleaned and butchered deer shot with them at -200 ranges they had massive, massive holes that ruined much of the meat.

I'd carefully consider what exactly I intended to shoot with the rifle and how much I was willing to spend on ammunition. If you can't afford to shoot it enough to maintain a decent level of proficiency then you might be ahead looking at something else.

Not to mention the fact that even for someone like myself who isn't averse to recoil, spending a great deal of time behind a big magnum rifle can get...tiresome.

Consider your intended usage and your ammo budget before you make the leap for a big magnum. It's all well and good to have so you can brag to your buddies that you have one but if you can't afford to shoot it or you simply dread shooting it then it turns into an expensive decoration for your gun cabinet.

 

Most any 30 cal. is a good whitetail round. I shoot a weatherby 300 with a boss (winchester model 70). The gun is good for 30 or 500 yds. Bullet placement determines how well the meat is treated. Neck shots, head shots does little to disturb your bounty.If I hunted only in the close confines of a swamp or an acorn hill, I would use a 30-06. But with the timber companys clear cutting,and the thinning of forest, I want a rifle that can be used for many different situations.Dead is dead, I have never witnessed overkill. I use weatherby ammo,and have used only 5 rnds per season to keep my rifle on target.Its costly,but I have never used 300 bucks to sight any gun in. The bullet weight of the 300 is 150 grain. Very fast and very level.Good glass makes up for many mistakes on range and windage. I prefer to shoot a 257 weatherby when I am hunting does. I make head shots at up to 300 yds with this round. Meat hunters dream.

 

with the 338 win mag cost is a factor to me. Cheapest I could find was $45 (most being $55 - $65) a box vs $25 for the 300 min mag. And the 300's are readily available. I went to Kmart the other day and they never have what you need. But next to the shot gun and 30-06 shells were Winchester's 300 win mag.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 19TankHead60

with the 338 win mag cost is a factor to me. Cheapest I could find was $45 (most being $55 - $65) a box vs $25 for the 300 min mag. And the 300's are readily available. I went to Kmart the other day and they never have what you need. But next to the shot gun and 30-06 shells were Winchester's 300 win mag.</end quote></div>
Tank my boy, the omens or speaking to you....300 magggggggggggggggg!!! You can almost find them anywhere...just like a 30-06 very popular

 

Ya, I know, I hear em. I must have had too many beers last Friday saying what I did. The 300 win mag should be a good start for my needs. I have no experience with ranges for riflescopes. I was looking at a 4.5-14x50 or a 3.5-10x40. Ranges could be 100 - 400 yards. Hard to say. Do I need something more/less powerful? I got my eye towards one of these http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...X:IT&item=370155304267 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...:IT&item=390020399883.