Too much gun

Millsworks

Active Member
Messages
481
I have an elk hunt planned this fall. When people ask me what rifle I plan to use, I tell them. A 300 Winchester Magnum.
Many say that's just too much gun.
I shoot that rifle well and use it often. As a reloader I believe I can match the load to the game and even use it on coyote and Eastern whitetail on occasion.

Not that it will change my choice, but I thought I would ask anyway.
What do you guys think?
What caliber do any of you prefer for most of your hunting?
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-12-17 AT 07:46PM (MST)[p]300 WIN MAG is not overkill on elk. Yes, you can kill elk with smaller guns, but I prefer overkill rather than a wounded animal. I think more about what happens if the bullet hits bone than if it hits the breadbasket.

I hunt deer, elk, and antelope with a 7mm REM MAG. It is a little much for antelope, but it works.

319415866img6329.jpg


Dillon
 
LAST EDITED ON Jun-12-17 AT 07:53PM (MST)[p]>LAST EDITED ON Jun-12-17
>AT 07:46?PM (MST)

>
>300 WIN MAG is not overkill
>on elk. Yes, you can
>kill elk with smaller guns,
>but I prefer overkill rather
>than a wounded animal. I
>think more about what happens
>if the bullet hits bone
>than if it hits the
>breadbasket.
>
>I hunt deer, elk, and antelope
>with a 7mm REM MAG.
>It is a little much
>for antelope, but it works.
>
>
>
319415866img6329.jpg

>
>Dillon


Nothing wrong with the 300 Winchester Mag. I do hate 7mm magnum. I am a huge fan of the WSM family. My personal favorite being the 270 WSM and the thirty-ought-six WSM. I also love a 270 Weatherby. These three rifles are huge in the hunting world there's not an animal in North America that any one of these rifles would have a problem taking down. The Indians uses Thai sticks two sharp rocks and bows with leather strings and get it done so any one of these calibers named above will do the job no problem I promise but again I'm not a huge fan of the 300 but I'm not going to sit here and say it's a bad rifle either.
 
I think the 300 magnum is the perfect elk rifle , that's based on results not theory. anyone who says it's too much gun hasn't taken many elk .


Any 300 magnum will do the same job but for several reasons the 300 win mag is my favorite.













Stay Thirsty My Friends
 
You have got to be kidding!! The 300 WM is the perfect gun for elk and is a great all around choice for any animal on the continent.
 
I have shot everything ive ever killed from speed goats to elk with my .338 win mag! People say its way to much gun. Many of those people shot a 30-06 lmfao!
37205hornkiller.jpg
 
I will be using my 300wsm and if I find a place to sit that I can cover alot of ground out comes the 338 edge.
Any rifle that one can shoot well is the key. Ce61
 
I think a 300 WinMag maybe the best all Anerican big game caliber. From couss deer thru Alaskan briwn bear. Its my pick fior all round best. But....... the best one for you is which ever one you have most confidence in because in the end its where your bullet goes in.

DC
 
I agree with many of the other responses. There are a lot of great calibers, but I think the 300 Win Mag is one of the best options out there! Definitely not too much gun.
 
Totally agree on the 300wm being a great all round gun. Tremendous diversity of .30 bullets for reloading and easy to find factory . I personally wouldn't feel comfortable with less than .30 cal for elk though I recognize smaller well placed bullets will do the trick. I'm actually having a 300 win mag built which will be my go to rifle ( Berline barrel, thumb hole , rem 700 action, cerakoted, vortex 5x25 ) can't wait????
 
Anyone who thinks a 300 win mag is too much gun for elk, has obviously never shot an elk. The 300 win mag is one of the great elk calibers.
 
When I use a rifle I am a 7mag. guy for years.

If you can shoot your rifle well, no matter the caliber, then I think you are going to be just fine.

Robb
 
I use a .338 Winchester Mag for pretty much everything. I have not used it on Antelope but Deer and Elk it is my go to gun.

I have not found a bullet yet in any animal I have killed with it, it simply goes through them and out the other side.

I prefer more gun than less, I hate to have a wounded animal and you don't get many with a .338

just my two cents
 
I HAVE FOUND SOME GUYS ARE AFRAID OF THE 300'S & THE .338, SAME GUYS THAT DONT LIKE TO SHOOT MUCH.

THE 300 IS WHAT I SHOOT, GREAT ALL ROUND CHOICE........................YD.
 
I am a very experienced shooter.
I do feel a person does need to be experienced enough to effectively operate the big mags.

I'm sure the little .223 will kill most game just fine with good shot placement. But, I'm not gonna be hunting with rocks, sticks, or gumballs any time soon.

I like being confident in my equipment.
Just wanted to hear what some of you use out there.

Me and my 300 are inseparable and a team to take notice of.
 
The people who complain about the .300 WM do not shoot much, and are afraid of a little recoil.

A quality .30 caliber bullet is hard to beat on big game...especially elk sized game.

As many have mentioned, the key is your shooting confidence. The only issue with a .300 WM for elk is if you have trouble shooting it.
 
Do You Want them Limping Off?

Or Do You Want This?

Ain't No Gun Too Big!

64989damage1.jpg









[Font][Font color = "blue"]Ah yes we have insider trading and computer dating but I never goin for that!
Ain't no machine pickin out my Queen cause it may not have all the facts!
I've got my own taste and my own ways I'd rather not talk about
and my private life is my private life and they ain't gonna find out!


90087hankjr.jpg
 
>.270 W/ 150gr Partitions works for
>me. That said, 300
>WSM is not too much.
>


Not shooting a short mag.
300 Winchester Magnum.
A 300wsm is close, but not quite as capable. Lots more powder capacity in a full length case.
 
I agree with most. I've shot a 300 Win Mag for almost 25 years and to me, it's the best all-purpose round available. I've shot a lot of critters with it and it penetrates well and also is a good wind cutter. No way it's too much gun for elk, either.

Best of luck in your hunt. We'll watch for pics.
 
>When people ask
>me what rifle I plan
>to use, I tell them.
>A 300 Winchester Magnum.
>Many say that's just too much
>gun.



You gotta get new people to talk to..............
 
As a huge .338 fan, my very second choice would be the .300 win mag with a quality 180-190 grain bullet.

Like others have said above, I've shot deer and antelope with my .338. Was that too much gun? Deer/antelope didn't seem to mind.
 
If you shoot it well and often, it's an awesome elk rifle. Personally, I shoot a .375 H&H for whitetails, not because it's needed, but because I shoot that rifle very well. I have never believed in loading down (If I wanted to shoot lighter, slower bullets, I'd have bought a lighter, slower gun). I shoot full-house 270 grain soft points. Never had a problem with meat damage. The worst meat damage I ever had was the one and only buck I ever shot with a .223. I have other rifles, in everything from .270 to .30-06 to 7mm Rem Mag, that would make good elk rifles, but I purely love my .375, and it's what I'll be carrying this fall for elk and deer (the M1 is just too damn heavy). I might cave in and carry the 7mm if I end up in open country where there's a good chance of needing to shoot out to 400 yards or so. The .375 could do the range easily, but the 1.5-5 scope would be a problem and I really don't want to put another scope on it. The 3-9 on the 7mm works better with old eyes at long ranges.
 
You can never have "too much gun" on an elk that is full of adrenaline! As others have mentioned the .300 is the perfect round for all North American big game. Especially if you hand load, with the variety of bullets available.

I used to use a .300 win mag in a Browning A-bolt exclusively for everything from antelope to elk. Years ago I won a .300 Rem SAUM (almost identical to .300WSM), it has since become my favorite gun on all big game. Nearly identical to the win mag but shorter/lighter and more accurate with my hand loads.

With both guns I have never lost a hit animal in 40+ years of hunting. I have also never had to blood trail an animal - they have all dropped within a few yards of where they were hit.

Shot placement is way more critical than caliber.
 
I have hunted elk, but don't consider myself an experienced elk hunter. With that said, I took an outfitted elk hunt a few years ago. Had a choice between the 300 WM and 7mm Rem Mag. Outfitter said he highly recommended the 300 over the 7 and preferred clients shoot 300's and up. I trusted his opinion as he has seen many elk shot.
 
Hey BUGKEnmIN, what do you have against the 7mm? Used one for years on whitetail, muleys, and speed goats. Just curious.
 
Guess I should box up my 30-378 and quit using it.
NOT I like them to die right where they are standing.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]
 
Just worked up some loads today with the ELD-X 178gr. and it amazes me how quick you can get a good shooting load in the 300 win. mag. with most any bullet.
With 77gr. of Reloader 22 it is almost not fair to the wildlife out there.

Almost anyway.
 
If you shoot it well then use it. Pretty simple. I'd rather someone use a 7mm-08 that can shoot it then a 300 and hit the target once in awhile.

In general I shoot a lot. I hate recoil. Always have and always will. I'm also old enough to give two craps less if people think that makes me less of a "man". I used my 7Mag on my last rifle hunt but the elk was no deader than the one I shot with a .270. And neither went more than 10 feet.

Use what's legal and what YOU shoot the best.
 
Gator,

No issues with that caliber. But he asked about 2 guns he owned; 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.

The guy that takes the time to shoot often and dial in a load will benefit from the 300 ultra mag, 30/378, .338 Lapua.

Most guys won't take the time to "dial in" any gun they own IMHO.
 
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300 win mag kills em good. I like my 300, it's hard to use any other rifle I own for deer and elk. For antelope I like my 243.
 
Iv used 30-30, 257 Roberts, 300 weatherby, 338-378 weatherby,a stick and string and a huge chunk of lead propelled by a rusty old smoke pole to kill elk. None were over or under kill use what makes you happy!
 
>
97190dadsphonefall2011544.jpg

>
>
>300 win mag kills em good.
>I like my 300, it's
>hard to use any other
>rifle I own for deer
>and elk. For antelope I
>like my 243.


That's More Like What I Like to see!









[Font][Font color = "blue"]Ah yes we have insider trading and computer dating but I never goin for that!
Ain't no machine pickin out my Queen cause it may not have all the facts!
I've got my own taste and my own ways I'd rather not talk about
and my private life is my private life and they ain't gonna find out!


90087hankjr.jpg
 
A 300 win mag is a fantastic elk round. Certainly not overkill. I've shot antelope to elk with mine and I've never blown up the animal like in those pics. 300 win gives you enough mass and powder to effectively make a clean shot on an elk and not destroy excessive amounts of meat. I understand that a lot of elk have been killed with a 270 or smaller caliber in the past but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable hunting elk with anything less than a 7mm mag or 30-06. IMO the 300 win mag is King.
 
18 years ago I started out with a 30-06. I've killed 13 elk with it and lucky enough for me I've never had one get away that I shot. I've missed plenty though. It has been a great gun and I still continue to use it. Having said that, I just upgraded to the X-Bolt Western Hunter 7MM Rem Mag. I wanted to be a little more confident in the longer distances. I've read that they are great guns, hoping it turns out to be that way. Anyone have the same gun. I'm getting ready to start shooting, just put the scope on today.
 
300 Win is a good caliber.

I know people that swear by a 6.5 x 284 and people that swear by a 338 edge.

All that matters is that you shoot it well.

I will be carrying a 6.5 creedmore this year, because the gun and scope weight 6 lbs 10 ozs and it isn't terribly loud. I have used a .30-06 and .338 win mag in the past.

Again, it is all about how good you are with the gun.
 

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