.300 wby mag for whitetail

[Usmcrip]

Just scored a weatherby vanguard deluxe in .300 wby mag for cheap,  question is now that I have it what do I do with it.  Has anybody here ever used this caliber on deer?  Living in western ny I normally use a 12 ga shotgun or a .243 win but I am interested in just how well this would work.   Positive or negative let me know your thoughts

[chiefs50]

Well, it is overkill for Whitetails, even big ones.  Having said that, my brother-in-law used to hunt with one.  He got his share of bucks but didn't kill em any deader than the rest of us did with our .300 Savages, .30-06s, or .308s.  Elk hunting???
 
 

[Empty Quiver]

It'll shoot right through and keep on going. Just like about every other 30 calibre centerfire rifle. But, it will do it in spectacular fashion.

[rickt300]

It will also be pretty rough on deer. Recoil isn't easy to manage from hang on style tree seats either. Save your money and go elk hunting with it.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  We have used .300's for deer hunting for over years...the recoil is greatly over emphasized...but besure an place a good scope far enough ahead the scope doesn't cut you...You can use heavy bullets for close range, or lighter bullets for long distance...with a shot though the ribs, no more meat is lost than with a 243...it is a bit much for whitetails, but you can't kill 'em too dead...you make a bum shot with it and it will destroy much meat...Personally, my .300's are like Amercian Express, on a serious hunt, I never leave home with out them..

[Darrell Davis]

There simply is no such thing as too dead!
 
If you handle the recoil without issue and much of that kind of a problem comes from being hurt while practicing or working up loads, then go for it.
 
BUT!!!!!!!!!!! use a quality bullet, one with integrity such as a Nosler Partition.
 
If you used something for example like a Speer boattail, well may as well wrap up what is left for burger.
 
I have used a 300 win for years, and there is no issue of excess if the proper bullets are used.
 
Is it more then you need?  By all means, but if that is your rifle and you shoot it well, GET GOOD BULLETS and go for it.
 
By the way, I like to shoot but am not much into pain.  Have wrecked myself with a rifle during load development and now, for anything bigger then a .243, use a sissy bag or sand bag between me and the butt and recoil is simply not an issue.  This is true if the rifle is my 300 or my 45/70 with 465gr bullets in the 1600 - 1700fps range.
 
Buying a rifle for whitetail, I'd sure not recommend a 300, but for an all around hunting rifle it is just fine, AGAIN WITH THE RIGHT BULLETS!
 
Keep em coming!
 
Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[Don Fischer]

Won't work, the bullet's will bounce off!

[Swampman]

Great deer cartridge, recoil isn't bad, I shot one just like yours a few months ago and thought it was great.  I'd shoot 180s out of it.  What's not to like?

[mannyrock]

 
   Well, I believe you have supremely too much gun for whitails, even the giants ones in upstate NY.
 
    I would very respectfully disagree with the person who said to use a Nosler Partition.  Nosler Partitions are specifically designed to be very tough, and achieve very deep penetration with controlled expansion.  Your number one problem with your rifle will be that the bullet will want to go straight through, in one side and out the other, without expansion, leaving you with a .30 inch hole, in and out.   Whitetail are not regarded as tough game, and you don't need a really tough bullet.   I think that you will need to search for a medium weight bullet, with the characteristics of the Remington Core-Lokt.
 
   As for recoil, the computation of free recoil energy for a cartridge is a pure math formula.  It isn't an opinion.  Its a fact.   So, when folks say that they don't mind the recoil of a .300 Mag,, its all about personal tolerance of the resulting rearward punch, and how well the rifle fits you.  If you weigh 220 pounds, I'll bet its not too bad.  If you weigh 145 pounds, then you may be counting your crowns after every shot. 
 
 
 

[Swampman]

The more you weigh the less recoil tolerant you'll be.  I've never seen it fail.  The problem with a cup and core bullet in the .300 Weatherby is that it will explode,  The tougher bullet won't.....I don't think it kicks any worse than a .30-06.  I enjoy shooting both.

[Scibaer]

the more you weight ( in pounds ) the less recoil tolerant you will be ( less able to take recoil ) ?
 bull crap. that is completely false and makes zero mathmatical or physical sence.
 infact just the oppsite is true. i can site physics if need be, but just about anyone with sence and experience knows that a heavier guy is going to be moved less , feel less and be bothered less by the recoil of the rifle ( in this case ) then a lighter guy or a guy of small mass.
lets get real here, mannyrock has it right, a .300 is going to have higher recoil numbers and it will take a guy of higher mass not to be effected by the recoil.. not the small guy with smaller mass.

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  Elmer Keith was a very small person physically, but he shot all kinds of large bore rifles...most of the recoil problem is in peoples" heads...experience is necessary to handle larger rifles, but experience is necessary in all shooting...most of the folks who put down the .300's never shot one to any extent, or killed much game with one...as for Nosler bullets shooting though animals...We  have shot all kinds of game with Nosler Part...from small javalina though moose...while they don't drop light or even big game as quickly as an explosive bullet like Serria or NTBT..they kill well..we shot two south Tx. whitetails with 200 grain part. and neither went more than 30 yards, and the blood trail on the second was like following a neon sign...the first fell before leaving the small field....300's certainly are  not needed for killing whitetails under most conditions...but I know folks who have been using them whitetails for more than 40 years...no lost deer, and very little trailing...if you are buying one to make up for your bum shooting you will still be a bum shot with the .300...the biggest crippler of game I ever knew shot either a 243 or 6mm...he was bum shot with those and would have also been a bum shot with a .300...

[Scibaer]

elmer was an experienced gunner,  he knew how to handle recoil, be it from handgun or rifle. that is different from 'feeling' recoil.
 its not in peoples heads, its physics, plain and simple. being recoil shy is a mental state, but the physics dont change.
 yes, a .300 is more rifle then anyone needs for whitetails, and yes having to much gun wont make up for bad shot placement.
 yes a .300 has been used for whitetails since its been around. and yes it has some pretty descent recoil.
 some guys will tolerate the kick better then others, based on experience but the recoil physics are still going to be there regardless of any ones psyche at the time.

[Swampman]

Fat boys move less and soak up recoil.  It hurts them.  Little guys move and don't get hurt.  I've never seen it fail.  The 300 Weatherby isn't much of a kicker anyway.  I weigh 168 and I don't even think about recoil myself.  To me a .375H&H is no worse or different than a .30-06.

[Empty Quiver]

A big ol' boy will absorb more of the energy and move less. That does not mean jack to big ol' boys shoulder though.
 
 Look around you'll find those who sight in safari rifles will want to stand up and not be at a bench for exactly this reason. Better to be physically rocked back than to man up and lean into recoil. Stock configuration will have an effect on how recoil is transmitted as will the recoil pad.
 
Not sure how those formula take into account recoil speed but that is an important factor as well. Fat lady walking into you may have the same energy as taking a jab from Evander Holifield, but we know which is preferable.
 
Pain is a persons reaction to stimulus. Those few brain dead individuals will necessarily not feel pain, or the sensation will be reduced by the lack of synapses.

[Scibaer]

"Fat boys move less and soak up recoil.  It hurts them.  Little guys move and don't get hurt.  I've never seen it fail".
pure nonsense  horse poop .
so the little guys dodges the recoil huh ? 
look up conservation of energy or  kinetic energy and mass sometime... na, never mind... you live in a special special world and you confirm daily your not to be taken seriously
 for the rest the world, mass x mass x weight is kinetic energy ( recoil for this purpose ) = to that of the base ( persons ) weight that is non moving = zero.
that means  bigger bang, bigger recoil , simples.

[Swampman]

This is easy as pie to understand......Since the little guy moves with the rifle and doesn't resist the recoil as much he doesn't get hurt.  Moving with the weapon and not trying to stop it is the way it's done.  Bracing yourself and hunching over into the gun will hurt you.  All this is a moot point with the .300 Weatherby.  It doesn't really kick.  Big fellows will always suffer more.  I've never seen it fail.

[Darrell Davis]

Well said Hunter!
 
As per a Nosler Partition NOT opening up/expanding,  well I have a pretty good sized pile of whitetails that will prove that thought completely wrong.  Just simply not true.
 
Relyability -- That is one of the things that has made the Nosler Partition so sucessful since the 50s.
 
They do open up, light animal or heavy and even at long range with the reduced velocity retained waaaay down range.
 
But, by design they do not blowup, be it close with high retained velocity or long range.
 
Yes, I have seen a few horror stories - VERY FEW - of someone claiming their Nosler Partition failed to open, punched right through and they lost the critter.
 
Sorry, didn't happen!  They may have had a poor shot, hunt long enough and it will likely happen to you for whatever reason. But there is yet to be anyone bring to the table proof of such failure.
 
Those days are history from 50 plus years ago, if it ever, in fact happened at all.
 
You could spend the rest of your life shooting off the shelf Nosler Partitions into whatever test media you might choose and won't see one fail to expand at anything like a reasonable range or velocity.
 
Keep em coming!
 
Crusty Deary Ol'Coot

[kevinsmith5]

This is easy as pie to understand......Since the little guy moves with the rifle and doesn't resist the recoil as much he doesn't get hurt.  Moving with the weapon and not trying to stop it is the way it's done.  Bracing yourself and hunching over into the gun will hurt you.  All this is a moot point with the .300 Weatherby.  It doesn't really kick.  Big fellows will always suffer more.  I've never seen it fail.

Shooting technique has nothing to do other the size of the shooter. I weigh 240 lbs (and no swampie, I'm not fat I'm a linebacker) and I shoot 45-70 loads out of a lightweight Handi-rifle that have significant recoil energy. They don't hurt me. But to claim a smaller man won't be moved by recoil more than a larger man ignores basic reality.
As for the .300 Weatherby on deer, hey dead is dead. And if that rifle won't make a Nosler partition expand I don't guess ANY 30 caliber rifle will....

[bigswede]

Plain and simple a 300 Weatherby is on the light side for whitetails.  Not quite enough bullet there.  They are usually only shot by people who can't handle anything bigger.  I prefer my 338-06AI, 350 rem mag, 358 Norma is a great whitetail round, or even 375 Ruger.  I may even need to add a 416 to the mix one of these days, it might be able to kill an old whitey tail.

[Swampman]

But to claim a smaller man won't be moved by recoil more than a larger man ignores basic reality.

Did you read what I said?  I said because he moves (unlike a fatty) it doesn't hurt.  Big guys always suffer and complain more about how bad these little rifles kick.

[pastorp]

Actually IME the shape of the stock is the most important factor in handeling recoil. If your riflestock fits you then it will be more comfortable.
It's not just the caliber but the fit of the stock and the weight of the rifle more so than the weight of the shooter. 

Just my opinion,

[nomosendero]

Anyone that says a Nos. Partition won't expand with a 300Mag has never used one on Deer & Nosler themselves are not aware of that. I have loaded some up for my 300WM & alot for an '06 & they expanded at this lower velocity & have. Actually the front part of the bullet is designed to expand & they will even at moderate vel, though not as wide as some & in extreme cases to shear & the rear part continue to penetrate.
 
No, a 300 Wea. is not needed at all for Deer, but if you shoot it well it will do great & used wisely the meat destruction is not a biggie. I took a couple in the 2010 AR season with my 300 Sendero with the newer 180 Balistic Tip, the meat damage was minimal but then again it is a much tougher bullet now than in the past, a whole differnt game than when I used the 180BT in the early 90's, those were quite soft.
 
On the recoil discussion, Swampman is part right & the other side is part right. It is true that a light person is more likely to roll with the recoil & the heavier person offers more resistance to the recoil forces. An example of how the added resistance increases recoil is to shoot a rifle from a seated bench, especially leaning forward & then shoot the rifle from a standing table, where your body moves more with the recoil. However, it is not quite that simple. The bigger guy, especially if muscular instead of blubber will likely have more meat in his shoulder. This will translate to less pain when hit in the shoulder with equal force to a skinny or lesser developed shoulder which is rocked to the bone & the nerves feel it more. I go 260+ (not blubber) & I can generally handle a fist to the shoulder better than the guy with little meat on their shoulders, just the way it works. But a third component is your mind & discipline/mental toughness.
Some people can blot it out better than others. I have seen little guys & gals that handle recoil very well, some can't at all & I have seen big wimps & big guys who could absorb it. I would say the most likely overall to excell in this dept. is a well conditioned big guy, but it is subjective.

[kevinsmith5]

But to claim a smaller man won't be moved by recoil more than a larger man ignores basic reality.

Did you read what I said?  I said because he moves (unlike a fatty) it doesn't hurt.  Big guys always suffer and complain more about how bad these little rifles kick.

I read what you said, you didn't read what I SAID. I don't get bothered by recoil because I MOVE with the recoil and I'm 240 lbs. Your bizarre insistence that larger men (that you keep calling "fatties") ALWAYS complain about recoil is therefore proven WRONG.
Furthermore, to imply (as you certainly did in your first post) that smaller men don't experience recoil as much as larger men is downright silly.

[mechanic]

My boss hunts this rifle for everything.  A doe he shot a couple years ago when we hunted together had a 4" exit wound through the rib cage.  It will definately kill them dead.  On the same hunt I killed two with a 243.   Different strokes for different folks. 
 
Ben

[Swampman]

All I know is the .300 Weatherby is a great flat shooting cartridge with very moderst recoil.  Fat boys may feel otherwise.  They do make up over 80% of our population.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive killed quite a few deer with the 300 wby. Its obviously plenty for the job. Ive killed a ton of deer with partitions and have yet to see one fail in any way. The 300wby gets it done and ive found through the years that something like a 300wby even at a 100 yards with a bullet placed behind the shoulder does less meat damage then a 243 placed on the shoulder. Ive shot deer with about all the mag calibers and in all cases bullet placement is what determains meat damage. No reason too why a guy cant load one down to 06 velocitys if that conserns them.

[nomosendero]

All I know is the .300 Weatherby is a great flat shooting cartridge with very moderst recoil.  Fat boys may feel otherwise.  They do make up over 80% of our population.

After you subtract that 80% and the men who aren't fat, that sure doesn't leave many Women. I'm glad I have a good one & pity folks still in the hunt!  

[Darrell Davis]

Lloyd Smale,
 
You pretty much tell it like it is!! in Spades.
 
CDOC

[Swampman]

I like Lloyd.  I too would choose a lung/heart shot with this caliber.  The hydrostatic shock will pole axe them......DRT.