.300 Win Mag (vs.) 30:06 for DEER

Today I am missing my .300 Win Mag, mostly out of the guns I should have never let go syndrome. I had a Ruger Model 77 Mark II .300 Winchester mag that had a muzzle brake, a trigger job and a nice scope on board. I took it to Saskatchewan several years back on a whitetail hunt. I saw a LOT of deer and several very nice bucks, however came home empty handed. I fell into that FEAR of shooting the first buck you see syndrome. The guide drilled it into our heads, not to do so. That same buck I saw at first light the first day of the hunt, I would have shot at home in a heartbeat. I followed that same pattern for a week. I had some nice bucks come past me inside the 200 yard mark and passed them all up. I did see a buck that I would have taken irregardless, because I just KNEW it was a good one (guessing over 160 class), however my range finder at the time told me he was on the far side of 400 yards. I was shooting 180 grain hand loads my brother cooked up for me and the gun shot very well.

As Dirty Harry Callahan used to say, "A man has got to know his limitations", and I simply had not practiced on the far side of 400 yards. No one's fault but my own and I simply was not comfortable shooting at an unwounded animal at that distance. My outside limit at that time and probably still today was 300 yards, give or take a few. I do not do a lot of long range rifle shooting, partly because the longest range I have frequent access to is 200 yards at my local club. I am quite confident out to 200 yards with any sort of decent makeshift rest. In my younger days, I owned a Sako .222 with a B&L Balvar 8 scope on board and with my own hand loads, I frequently killed woodchucks over 200 yards. Even in those days however, I got more satisfaction out of sneaking up on them and closing the distance before shooting.

Anyway, back to the missing .300 Mag. I can't afford another rifle right now anyway, as I am retired now. I do have a Savage 30:06, and a Ruger .270 that will fill the bill on any whitetail out to 300 yards or more if I use the right ammo and do my part. I decided that I do NOT miss the blast, the extra weight to lug around the deer woods and the extra expense of factory ammo. If I get another opportunity to go on a moose hunt etc. my Ruger Model 77 .338 Federal will fill the bill nicely again out to 300 yards. It is pleasant to shoot and with the 210 grain Nosler partitions which it likes to eat, I am content with that rifle.

From my perspective, I don't think the .300 Win Mag offers any real advantage (ON WHITETAILS) inside my self imposed limit of 300 yards. Where I hunt whitetails in NY, I normally carry a Savage Weather Warrior with 150 grain bullets in .308 Win. Sometimes I carry my 45-70 with Lever Evolution ammo or even my .35 Remington Marlin Model 336 also with Lever Evolution ammo. By respecting other land owner's boundaries I seldom have shots offered beyond 200 yards anyway.

To wrap this up, here are some numbers off one of Chuck Hawk's trajectory/ballistic tables showing both the 30:06 and the .300 mag with different bullet weights.

LINK to Chuck Hawks Trajectory Tables

EXCERPT:

To save space, the following abbreviations are used in the table below: Wb = Weight of bullet (in grains); MV = Muzzle Velocity (in feet per second); BC = Ballistic Coefficient; MRT = Mid-Range Trajectory; yards = yds.; inches = "; MPBR = Maximum Point Blank Range; BT = Ballistic Tip; FP = Flat Point, HP = Hollow Point; RN = Round Nose; Sp = Spitzer; SP = Spire Point; SSp = Semi-Spitzer.

The Maximum Point Blank Range (MPBR), which is shown in the last column of the table below, is the distance at which the bullet falls 3 inches below the line of sight. Thus between the muzzle and the distance given as the MPBR, the bullet never strays more than 3 inches above or below the line of sight (1.5 inches for varmint loads).

.30-06 (150 BT at 2910)	.435	+2.6"	+2.0"	3"@145	287
.30-06 (165 Sp at 2800)	.410	+2.7"	+1.7"	3"@135	273
.30-06 (180 Sp at 2700)	.483	+2.7"	+1.5"	3"@125	269

300 Win. Mag. (150 BT at 3300)	.435	+2.4"	+2.6"	3"@150	321
.300 Win. Mag. (165 Sp at 3120)	.410	+2.5"	+2.3"	3"@145	303
.300 Win. Mag. (180 Sp at 3070)	.483	+2.5"	+2.3"	3"@150	303

While hunting whitetails on my Saskatchewan trip the most popular bullet weight for those hunter with .300 mags was the 180 grain loads. Around home most hunters would use either 150 grainers of 165 grain fodder in the 30:06.

Using 150 grain bullets in both calibers, the MPBR hols a 52 yard advantage for the .300 Win Mag. Using the 150 grain load in the 30:06 (vs.) the most commonly used load in the .300 Mag which is the 180 grainer, the advantage drops from 52 yards to only 16 yards.

I am NOT trying to talk anyone out of their pet .300 Mag. I really liked mine and looking back, not sure why I let it go. I am simply trying to tell myself that most of what I need a rifle to do for hunting deer, can easily be done with the 30-06, or even the .270. The ammo is cheaper, and especially with the muzzle brake I had on the Ruger, the blast is considerably less. The .30-06 has a 22 inch bbl (vs) the 26 inch of the Ruger and the gun is a lot easier to tote in the deer woods and mixed woods and farm field cover where I hunt.

Dan

All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth-that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?"

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