My .300 Win Mag finally arrived!

[Badboymelvin]

Hey crew,

Well after weeks of negotiating, selling stuff, and waiting on post and permits, it's finally in my safe!

My latest (and almost certainly last) .300 Winchester Magnum.

It's a Weatherby Vanguard and up top it's fitted with a 4-16x44. It has a nice bit of timber on it too...

While l've been waiting for it's arrival, it's given me a chance to think about what l'm going to feed it... and after much deliberation, l've decided on the Winchester 150gr Copper Impact - provided of course that the rifle likes this ammo.
If it does, this should be a nice all-round, flat-shooting load for everything from Sambar to Fallow.

l'll keep you all posted on how it all goes - but l have to be honest and say l'm pretty excited. It's nice to have another .300 Win Mag in the stable again.

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for a hunt report... hopefully really soon

 

[SoVa]

Beautiful rifle

 

[Badboymelvin]

Now that my wife has assured me that l'm done buying guns... I guess these are the 3 cartridges that l'm left with to go forth and hunt the world...

425 Express - .300 Win Mag - .243 Win

 

[Badboymelvin]

Beautiful rifle

Thank you

 

[SoVa]

Now that my wife has assured me that l'm done buying guns... I guess these are the 3 cartridges that l'm left with to go forth and hunt the world...

View attachment 612834
425 Express - .300 Win Mag - .243 Win

Those should cover it all nicely

 

[cash_tx]

Beautiful rifle and a fine battery of calibers. Congratulations!

 

[Berettaco]

Nice rifle! You should be set with that trio

 

[Ruraldoc]

Very nice rifle. Capable of almost any thing except the largest African game.

During the major lock down period of the pandemic, a wealthy Arab took his Private jet to Zimbabwe.

While there, he killed some 40 cape buffalo, using every available tag on a large concession.

He killed many of them with his 300 win mag.

This story was told to me recently by a well known PH who guided the wealthy client.

So a 300 certainly is capable on anything smaller than buffalo, and in the right hands, can be made to work on buffalo.

Congratulations on your 300 win mag. I’ve killed 90 deer and 5 elk with mine so it will be perfect for your purposes.

 

[BeeMaa]

Beautiful rifle you have there and those three cartridges are fit to hunt the planet!

Post that hunt report when you have a chance.

 

[JD Noblin]

Now that my wife has assured me that l'm done buying guns... I guess these are the 3 cartridges that l'm left with to go forth and hunt the world...

View attachment 612834
425 Express - .300 Win Mag - .243 Win

Nice trifecta of cartridges! I think you're set to take on anything in this world.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Very nice rifle. Capable of almost any thing except the largest African game.

During the major lock down period of the pandemic, a wealthy Arab took his Private jet to Zimbabwe.

While there, he killed some 40 cape buffalo, using every available tag on a large concession.

He killed many of them with his 300 win mag.

This story was told to me recently by a well known PH who guided the wealthy client.

So a 300 certainly is capable on anything smaller than buffalo, and in the right hands, can be made to work on buffalo.

Congratulations on your 300 win mag. I’ve killed 90 deer and 5 elk with mine so it will be perfect for your purposes.

Zimbabwe doesn't have a minimum caliber restriction on dangerous game? I'm thinking this Arab game hog had the money to keep a helicopter on hand to do the tracking for wounded buffalo. I'd bet on it. 300 Win is a great cartridge but I wouldn't hunt buffalo with one. Lions, leopards, and crocs it should be fine ... if the law allows.

Thank gawd the OP did not succumb to Roy-itis and order a 300 Weatherby Magnum. Never been a fan of that cartridge.

 

[BeeMaa]

Thank gawd the OP did not succumb to Roy-itis and order a 300 Weatherby Magnum. Never been a fan of that cartridge.

I’m sure @Badboymelvin would be loosing sleep wondering if YOU approved of his cartridge choice.

 

[Zinz]

and after much deliberation, l've decided on the Winchester 150gr Copper Impact - provided of course that the rifle likes this ammo.

Curious about your choice of bullet, I figure I’d stir the pot

150gr is light for caliber, especially a speedier cartridge. I’m betting a 168gr would suit better, while still being plenty fast, it will have better sectional density and BC and probably catch the 150gr at long distance.

Just my $0.02… I’m a heavy for caliber disciple, though. 180gr is where I start with a .300 magnum. Your mileage may vary.

Very nice rifle, for sure; that is a nice piece of timber. Your 3 gun battery will absolutely cover the bases. I need to look into the .425 Express…

Ed Z

 

[Ruraldoc]

Zimbabwe doesn't have a minimum caliber restriction on dangerous game? I'm thinking this Arab game hog had the money to keep a helicopter on hand to do the tracking for wounded buffalo. I'd bet on it. 300 Win is a great cartridge but I wouldn't hunt buffalo with one. Lions, leopards, and crocs it should be fine ... if the law allows.

Thank gawd the OP did not succumb to Roy-itis and order a 300 Weatherby Magnum. Never been a fan of that cartridge.

No one was coming to hunt. Commercial aviation was closed. A weathy Arab with a private Jet booked every hunt on a large area.

A Zimbabwe game official was present for the entire safari. It was all done legally and certainly did not involve helicopters.

After seeing how well the hunter could shoot and how effective his 300 was on eland, the PH and game officials allowed the hunter to cull some of these buffalo with his 300.

You should not interject your opinion into threads making unfounded accusations about people you don’t know. As far as the man being a game hog, the hunt was a culling operation that was necessary given that no buffalo had been taken by visiting sportsmen for some time due to airline and other travel restrictions.

Our hunter had his own plane and was able to secure the right to fly to Zimbabwe. If I was a billionaire, I would have loved to do the same.

But this hunt kept the families of the PHs and their staff going in terrible times. It also provided meat for locals who were deprived of the meat normally provided by visit sportsmen.

You really should restrain yourself from interjecting strong personal opinions when you have no knowledge of the facts.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

No one was coming to hunt. Commercial aviation was closed. A weathy Arab with a private Jet booked every hunt on a large area.

A Zimbabwe game official was present for the entire safari. It was all done legally and certainly did not involve helicopters.

After seeing how well the hunter could shoot and how effective his 300 was on eland, the PH and game officials allowed the hunter to cull some of these buffalo with his 300.

You should not interject your opinion into threads making unfounded accusations about people you don’t know. As far as the man being a game hog, the hunt was a culling operation that was necessary given that no buffalo had been taken by visiting sportsmen for some time due to airline and other travel restrictions.

Our hunter had his own plane and was able to secure the right to fly to Zimbabwe. If I was a billionaire, I would have loved to do the same.

But this hunt kept the families of the PHs and their staff going in terrible times. It also provided meat for locals who were deprived of the meat normally provided by visit sportsmen.

You really should restrain yourself from interjecting strong personal opinions when you have no knowledge of the facts.

Fair enough. So the Saudi prince flies to Africa in his own jet, having bought up all the buffalo tags available on the concession, and only brings one gun, a 300 Win, with him? The question remains unanswered: was there not a minimum cartridge requirement for dangerous game in Zimbabwe? I guess the rule was overlooked for a very special generous client. Okay, I get that. It is Africa.

I get it that this chap was a life ring in the storm of pandemic. I also jumped all kinds of hurdles to get to Africa during the pandemic: three major operations and driving several thousand miles back and forth across the border here to get my vaccinations, one operation (hernia three weeks before safari), and gun rebarreled. Seemed like I spent the entire spring and summer in quarantine. And I did it because I knew my lodge was taking a beating. I shot eleven animals including buffalo and sable. Two impala were culled for farm staff and the sable was significant discount (as thanks for bringing a rifle over for lodge owner). The rest I paid full value trophy fees. That was a very expensive year but glad to help out. The lodge owner's wife said they were supporting twenty families out of their savings. Needless to say, I had the place to myself. Which is the way I like it. Perhaps if I'd had the right bullets, I could have made my 30-06 work on the buffalo. It would definitely be cool to say I'd accomplished such a feat. Not sure my PH would ever have agreed to let me try, no matter how desperate they were for my business. Anyway, I'm not the kind of guy to put him in a spot like that. He's my friend.

 

[Ruraldoc]

No,I never said he only brought one rifle or that he killed all 40 buffalo with a 300.

He brought several rifles and killed most of the buffalo with typical dangerous game cartridges.

But he did take several without issue with his 300 winchester magnum. This fellow was an extremely good shot with great experience.He was also backed up by a PH with a 500 Nitro Express should things go wrong.

Ross Seyfried wrote that he had taken many buffalo with his 300 magnum so our wealthy Arab fellow was not the first hunter to use a 300 magnum for buffalo successfully.

Also I never said the gentleman was a Saudi prince, but he was a wealthy Arab.

I will say no more about the hunter or his rifle as you have hijacked this thread enough.

Having taken over 100 big game animals with 300 magnums, I just wanted to let the OP know that he was well equipped with his choice of firearm for his stated purposes.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

No,I never said he only brought one rifle or that he killed all 40 buffalo with a 300.

He brought several rifles and killed most of the buffalo with typical dangerous game cartridges.

But he did take several without issue with his 300 winchester magnum. This fellow was an extremely good shot with great experience.He was also backed up by a PH with a 500 Nitro Express should things go wrong.

Ross Seyfried wrote that he had taken many buffalo with his 300 magnum so our wealthy Arab fellow was not the first hunter to use a 300 magnum for buffalo successfully.

Also I never said the gentleman was a Saudi prince, but he was a wealthy Arab.

I will say no more about the hunter or his rifle as you have hijacked this thread enough.

Having taken over 100 big game animals with 300 magnums, I just wanted to let the OP know that he was well equipped with his choice of firearm for his stated purposes.

Sorry, I guess I didn't read your post carefully enough. The inference seemed to be he shot them all with 300 Win. The bit about Saudi prince was tongue in cheek. Your clarification makes more sense.

I agree entirely, 300 Win is an excellent cartridge and even more versatile than 30-06 ... which is saying a lot. Over the years I have taken four muley bucks with my brother's 300 Win (problems popped up with my own rifle). It worked fine, though none were particularly difficult shots. It seems when guys finally prepare to fulfill their dream and hunt Africa, they seem compelled to purchase a rifle in some exotic "classic" caliber. Not necessary. 300 Win is just right.

 

[Badboymelvin]

Zimbabwe doesn't have a minimum caliber restriction on dangerous game? I'm thinking this Arab game hog had the money to keep a helicopter on hand to do the tracking for wounded buffalo. I'd bet on it. 300 Win is a great cartridge but I wouldn't hunt buffalo with one. Lions, leopards, and crocs it should be fine ... if the law allows.

Thank gawd the OP did not succumb to Roy-itis and order a 300 Weatherby Magnum. Never been a fan of that cartridge.

Ontario Hunter,

l LOVE the .300 Wby!

l had a .300Wby in a Weatherby Vanguard, and l used it successfully on Fallow and Sambar deer.
On deer it was a bang-flop machine!

I loaded the 180gr Woodleigh PP in it and found a really accurate load at 3100fps... which really could be achieved with the .300 Win Mag.

I think that the .300Wby really is a cartridge that you need a 26" barrel for. My Vanguard only had a 24"...

As much as l love the .300Wby - and l think it's the coolest .30 Mag, l wouldn't get another one.
Ammo is just too expensive and for the hunting that l do, the .300 Win Mag is so close to the Wby, that it doesn't really matter...

To be perfectly honest if my new Weatherby .300 Win Mag was in .300Wby, l probably wouldn't have bought it.
There's just something about going into any old gun-shop and being able to purchase ammo...

But having said all that l loved my .300Wby, so much so that when l sold it - l then purchased it back a few years later off the guy l sold it to!

My .300 Weatherby Magnum

 

[Badboymelvin]

Curious about your choice of bullet, I figure I’d stir the pot

150gr is light for caliber, especially a speedier cartridge. I’m betting a 168gr would suit better, while still being plenty fast, it will have better sectional density and BC and probably catch the 150gr at long distance.

Just my $0.02… I’m a heavy for caliber disciple, though. 180gr is where I start with a .300 magnum. Your mileage may vary.

Very nice rifle, for sure; that is a nice piece of timber. Your 3 gun battery will absolutely cover the bases. I need to look into the .425 Express…

Ed Z

Zinz,

Now you're really going to be stirred up!
I couldn't end up getting any 150gr Copper Impact, so l ended up sighting in my rifle with the PPU 150gr for my deer hunting.

I originally sighted in with the PPU 168gr projectile - and it shot awesome, but then l found out the projectile PPU use is the Sierra Matchking HP.
I do not trust this projectile for hunting...

So l asked around what people were using in their .300 Win Mag's? It had to be something l could get locally - and as Sambar are on the cards, l was thinking of 180gr...

But heaps of the boys are using the PPU 150gr on deer - even Sambar stags, with complete success.
PPU seem to load their cartridges with really hard projectiles... forget the 180gr l was told, go the 150...
So that's what l chose.

To give you an example on PPU ammunition, when l was looking for factory ammo for Fallow in my .243 l was strongly considering using the 90gr PPU softpoint... but when l asked around it was a resounding NO!
The 90gr PPU works well on pigs l was told - but is too hard on Fallow and zips through.

The PPU ammo down my way is pretty popular as it is cheap, plentiful and seems to shoots well.
A lot of people use it so there's a fair bit of knowledge about it and how it performs in the field.
The 168gr stuff in my .300WM clocked in at box velocity, over 3000fps and the 150gr load reached 3167fps which l was really happy with - especially when you consider it's probably the cheapest .300WM ammo available.
Both also shot accurately in my rifle too.

Just with the ammo l choose for my .243 - l didn't just randomly choose it. It was what was recommended to me by people that have used it.
But l'm an honest guy, and if it doesn't work l'll let everyone know.
But knowing the guys who recommended it - and how many deer they shoot, l'm pretty confident.

I have a guided combined Fallow/ Sambar hunt in weeks so stay tuned to see how it all goes!

Russ

 

[Badboymelvin]

Sorry, I guess I didn't read your post carefully enough. The inference seemed to be he shot them all with 300 Win. The bit about Saudi prince was tongue in cheek. Your clarification makes more sense.

I agree entirely, 300 Win is an excellent cartridge and even more versatile than 30-06 ... which is saying a lot. Over the years I have taken four muley bucks with my brother's 300 Win (problems popped up with my own rifle). It worked fine, though none were particularly difficult shots. It seems when guys finally prepare to fulfill their dream and hunt Africa, they seem compelled to purchase a rifle in some exotic "classic" caliber. Not necessary. 300 Win is just right.

Ontario Hunter,

Actually you've got me thinking now... I WOULD buy another .300Wby!

IF money was no object, I would get a custom built, synthetic stocked .300Wby - either in Weatherby or Winchester platform, with a 26" barrel and a 4-16 Leupold scope... and l would live very happily ever after

What a long range beast that would be...

But money is an object!
So my .300 Win Mag will have to do... but l still think l'm going to live happily ever after...

Russ