Why the 30 Caliber Magnums?

[sgt_zim]

Damn sgt_zim...

That is a fairly deep analysis of ol' Chuckhawks there!

Perspective.

Well, in my mind, it just stands to reason. Most deer hunters live east of the Mississippi River, so all else being roughly equal, that's who most of his readers are going to be.

 

[Dr Ray]

I am a recent convert to this group of cartridges. Mostly due to the high praise they received from my PH and some friends a moose camp. But, no sooner have I sipped the Kool-aide then I read this disparagement of 300 magnums

http://www.chuckhawks.com/optimum_30_rifle_cartridge.htm

Ugh, way to harsh my mellow! But seriously, why do guys who like this class of cartridge like it? Is it worth the effort?

30 calibers are really good. I like the 180 grain in my 300 Winchester magnum and it shoots very very good groups. I suggest you use the 180 rather than the 150 grain bullets though.
180s have a better sectional density and a better ballistic coefficient and, in my opinion, are better on bigger animals.

 

[sgt_zim]

30 calibers are really good. I like the 180 grain in my 300 Winchester magnum and it shoots very very good groups. I suggest you use the 180 rather than the 150 grain bullets though.
180s have a better sectional density and a better ballistic coefficient and, in my opinion, are better on bigger animals.

Should try something in the 190-210 gr class. Not quite as flat, but still with an MPBR in the 300 yard range, and a bit more thump than 180s, better BCs, better SDs.

 

[Pheroze]

Should try something in the 190-210 gr class. Not quite as flat, but still with an MPBR in the 300 yard range, and a bit more thump than 180s, better BCs, better SDs.

I picked up a box of 200 gr Woodleigh to see how they shoot. I like the stats on those bullets. They will fly about 150-200 fps slower I think. But, as you point out, they have a very good trajectory.

 

[sgt_zim]

I picked up a box of 200 gr Woodleigh to see how they shoot. I like the stats on those bullets. They will fly about 150-200 fps slower I think. But, as you point out, they have a very good trajectory.

Given the minor difference in MPBR between say 2750 and 2950, the extra penetration possible with 200 gr is worth that trade, at least to me.

We all have our own set of values, neither good nor bad, they're just our values.

My highest value is accuracy, and I'll take it however I can get it. For example, my favorite rifle is my 6.5x55 SE. On paper, there's a significant difference with the same bullet in the upper end of velocity between it and a .264 Win Mag. A Hornady ELD-X 143 gr at 3000 fps has an MPBR of about 340 yards. My humble little 6.5x55 has an MPBR of about 300 yards at 2600 fps. If I could get .5 MOA with the 264 WM, I'd go with it. But I do get .5 MOA with my 6.5x55 SE at about 2600. I wouldn't trade that for an extra 40 yards of MPBR if the precision were to go to 1 MOA. But that's me. For an extra 150 yards MPBR, I might accept the loss of precision, but for an extra 40 yards and more powder...not worth it to me. YMMV.

 

[Dr Ray]

Reading all the threads. Nothing Wrong w an 06. Nothing wrong w the 30 magnums either. But the 30's are a baby step if any at all. To me , a real step up would be one of the 33's..They'll out everything the 30's will do. The 06 /30 mag argument is kinda like a 270/7 mag argument. much ado over miniscule results in the real world.Get a 7 mag and you get longer,heavier,more muzzle blast etc @28% more powder for 4% more performance. equates to aboute 4 or 5 inches flatter at 400. If you can make the shot w the mag,you can make the shot w the 270. JMHO

I agree but usually use my 270 and occasionally my 300 w m.
I’m addicted to my 270 but I really like my 338 win mag. too.

 

[Tom Leoni]

I guess this is why so many PH's (see the poll in the appendix of Boddington's 1990's original Safari Rifles) advocate the .300 H&H: can shoot flatter than the .30-06 if desired, can use bullets as heavy as 220gr or even more without sacrificing case-space, but doesn't have the pyrotechnics of a .300 Wby or the short neck of a .300 Win Mag. I never shoot beyond 300 yards, so it's a moot point for me personally.

In 25 years of collecting hunting rifles (and hunting with them), I have never thought I needed more velocity than the pre-war magnums. But if the faster ballistics turn you on and you are confident with them, by all means go for it and hats off to you! Bottom line: you can't go wrong with a .30-06, any of the established .300 Mags or even some of the hotter new contenders, as long as your shooting doesn't suffer. No point getting a flat-shooting ballistic wonder if you flinch or become scared of pulling the trigger.

 

[fourfive8]

Why the 30 cal mags? Very simply- more poop in. 30 cal. The same could be said about the 30-06. Why the 30-06 when you have a 30-30 or 30-40 or even a 30 carbine. Or why a 375 HH when you have a 38-55. Or why one of the big 40(+) cals like a 416 Mag or Rigby when you have a 40-60? Why a 500 NE or 505 Gibbs when you've got a 50-70. And so on...

 

[Jay Kelley]

This reminds me of a friendly argument a while back. One of my hunting buddies likes the .308 and I am a devotee of the .30-06. I opined in a superior manner, "The .30-06 is 200 yards better round than the .308." (I don't know if that is true, but I think I read it somewhere.)
His reply, "You can't even shoot to the limit of the .308!" (Truth)

If you like the .300 and can stand the recoil to shoot it well, then by all means use it. If not, use what you like and can shoot well. Just remember, no round is perfect and don't go beyond the limitations of the caliber or the shooter.

 

[sgt_zim]

This reminds me of a friendly argument a while back. One of my hunting buddies likes the .308 and I am a devotee of the .30-06. I opined in a superior manner, "The .30-06 is 200 yards better round than the .308." (I don't know if that is true, but I think I read it somewhere.)
His reply, "You can't even shoot to the limit of the .308!" (Truth)

If you like the .300 and can stand the recoil to shoot it well, then by all means use it. If not, use what you like and can shoot well. Just remember, no round is perfect and don't go beyond the limitations of the caliber or the shooter.

Exactly this.

Magnums are pointless for most hunters (in the US) because A) they don't practice at 300+ yards and B) even if they practice, they won't have very many opportunities (if any) to hunt game where a shot might need to reach that far. If you've got the money to go to Africa or the western US or South America or New Zealand, you have the money to buy a magnum and practice with expensive ammo, and will have a need to be able to reach out. None of those things describes the majority of deer and feral hog hunters in the United States, which is the target audience of the article in the OP.

 

[MS Hitman]

I guess one can say I have drunk deep from the .30 magnum drinking horn. First was a .300 Win in a Sendero. I have taken deer at a measured 452 yards. Most were 300 yards or less. I have two loads, on being a 165 grain Ballistic Tip and the other a 200 grain Sierra Game King. The former hits like the Hammer of Thor, the latter arrives like the proverbial beer truck. She wears a 4.5-14x40 Leupold from Premier Reticle.

Now I have a .300 H&H and have taken one doe with her, but am planning to go west in a few years after elk and mulies. She is the rifle I plan to use after I upgrade her glass.

 

[sambarhunter]

My daily go to rifle is a 7mm RM but that hasn't stopped me from having five 30`s which are

three 300 WM`s
one .300 H+H
one.308 Norma mag.

There seems (and always will ) to be so much silly fuss about this and that calibre and on paper all of the three cal`s above are better than my 7mm BUT none kill deer THAT much better and if one was to pick THE one it would be the Norma.

 

[Odinsraven]

318wr my weapon of choice have 2 a double.and a turn bolt soon to be added a stainless plastic suppressed monstrosity ....Just thought a 2018 version of my 1918 would be kinda cool

Only thing close is my 8mm rem mag with 250gr

.300H&H is the gentleman's .30

It is slow kicking and milder than a .300Winmag. It has a proven feed from the 375 parent case. It has a very long neck to shoot up to 240gr bullets and has factory loading much hotter and heavier than a 30-06.

Lastly, only pretty rifles were chambered in 300H&H so you have zero chances of owning a fugly girl.

In short, a 300H&H is as close to an.318WR or 338/06 as you're going to get, and it kicks less.

 

[Britt Beck]

The 300 wm is a great round. If I only had one caliber for North America it would be my choice.

 

[gatekeeper]

I personally don't think there is anything a 7mm Rem Mag can't do that a 300 can, except belt you more recoil. I find the 7mm mag much more mannerly and pleasant to shoot, while still delivering more than enough for any non dangerous game. I've had both and shot both, and I just pick the 7mm RM over any of the 300s. I know plenty would pick the 300s, and site the extra energy (which is marginal), and to each his own. I find that is I need more than a 7mm RM, I need A LOT more, and a 300 isn't it

 

[gatekeeper]

PS. John Nosler also took the same position, favoring the 7mms over the 300s. John Sundra as well. W.D.M. Bell did quite well with a 7mm, albeit a 7x57. And like I said, the 300s are great tools that get the job done, no doubt about it, but so does a good bullet placed just as properly from a 7mmRM. I've asked myself the 'why the 30cal magnums', and couldn't find a good enough answer.

 

[Savage Hunter]

I’ve never noticed the recoil of my 300 wsm even when shooting 30 rounds.

But then again my 375 doesn’t kick hard either.