# 300 win mag bullets for deer



## doubledroptine08

i shoot a 300 win mag for deer sometimes and this past year was the first time i used it and the bulet perfomed horibbly i was using factory 180 hot cor bullets. i do reload what bullet should i try i have considered nosler accubond, and hornady interlock. also what grain any comments will help

my other deer rifles are a 7mm08 and a 30-06


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## MAGNUS

How did it perform horribly??? Please explain.


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## People

My friend uses a 165gr Nosler balistic tip for deer. Just do not shoot it in the hind end. YOU WILL BE SORRY. If your hunting partners are like me they will also laugh at you. Now only if I can stop doing that my self.


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## nita

yeah please explain how it performed horribly because i have a 7mm rem mag that i have been comptemplating trading for a 300.


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## doubledroptine08

well i shot my buck at like 80 yards or so on the run and got him in the hind quarter and all the bullet did was punch a hole. almost no expanision is that normal or is that common. i shoot balistic tips in all my other guns and they performe awsomely. i also have used sierra and they worked well


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## huntin1

I would say that it is pretty unusual for a soft tip from a 300.

When I had my 300WM I shot 165 gr Ballistic Tips with excellent results. Barnes X bullets also do a good job but a little expensive, I'd try the BT's.

Oh, and quit shootin deer in the azz, that's where all the good meat is.   :lol: :lol: :lol:

:beer:

huntin1


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## doubledroptine08

ya i kno it seems that always happens to me my first buck i ever shot i got in the hind quarter. but i got him and thats all that matters. the buck i shot this year my buddy ended up finishing it off with an open sighted enfield.. ya the whole weekend i got crap about how the 300 couldnt get it but the 303 put it right down.

thanx for the bullet recomendation.


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## MAGNUS

doubledroptine08 said:


> well i shot my buck at like 80 yards or so on the run and got him in the hind quarter and all the bullet did was punch a hole.


It would seem that bullet selection is not your problem but that bullet placement is. Calibre and/or bullet type are not replacements for bullet placement. I hunt deer with a 223 and believe that 300 win mags and the like are not needed unless your deer is armour plated. I recommend you find a calibre you can use to hit the vitals accurately. Not saying you should use a 223 either i am 100% confident in my placements and accuracy and so i can harvest deer with a 223. You need to find what works for you as the 300 win mag dosen't seem to be.


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## doubledroptine08

ya true my shot was not great and i take full responsiblity for that. but i am an ok shot normally i had gotten flustered and i fully belive that i would not have gotten that deer if i had not been using my 300. cause i just didnt lead him enough it wasnt standing still he was running hard by the time i seen him. he was the second buck out the first was a 170 class buck and i had shot at him twice and missed cause i didnt add the lead nessary for the shot. and now examining it i just have to lead a little more i am a young hunter and i am learning. and after that i learned to lead a little more.. if i could go back now i would lead him and make a great shot but i cant do that. so live and learn....

the funny thing is that i am debating on using my ar15 for doe hunting next year. lol


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## alleyyooper

I like 150 gr. speer mag tips.

 Al


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## Big A

Give the Accubonds or Partitions a try. I've killed antelope, mule deer, elk, and whitetail using 7 mag and 300 win. If you put either of these bullets in the boiler room=dead with minimal meat damage. You need 1.5 x expansion for good wound channel. Big holes are no good.


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## doubledroptine08

ok i think right now im leaning towards the accubond. thanx for the recomendation


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## Big A

Good choice and their reasonably priced. If you get into some of the bigger(boned) game ie. elk the partitions and speer grand slams are very effective. If your reloading try either 4350 or 4831. Good luck


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## dlotto28

I shot a monster mule deer with 150 grain fusions last year with my .300 win mag. Did a really good job.


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## iwantabuggy

I have been using the Swift Scirrocco 180 gr in mine and I'd have to say that in every case, on any game I have tried it on, it has performed to perfection.


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## Wyomingpredator

If my 2 cents is worth anything, I'd go to barnes X I used to shoot accubond 165 until I shot my antelope and whitetail 2 years ago. It was the first time I used them in my 300 but on the antelope they did not expand at all both shots were in the chest. then on my deer I hit him high and hit the backbone and it took out over a foot of the backstraps, yes it hit the backbone so that does explain some but why didn't they expand on chest shots that hit the ribs. After shooting barnes I will never go back to accubonds again.


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## willforu1

I had the same problem with my 300 Win mag shooting 165 remington extended range on a 8 Pt buck at about 100 yards I often wonder if that is what happend (bullet passed without expanding). Never know I guess. I will use a .270 for Michigan deer now. I will be more careful when selecting loads/matching loads for game. But I will be much more careful with bullet placement!


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## doubledroptine08

ya me 2! took the 300 out and tryed sum 165gr shells wow i really liked the way they grouped so we handloaded some 165 gr gameking hollowpoints they look super devastating :sniper:


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## southdakbearfan

Personally, I would stay away from the accubonds on deer. If you don't hit bone, they don't open up, at least in my 300, 180 gr. Personal experience, 3 times through the ribs, didn't contact bone and didn't open up 100-150 yds. That was the last time I used my 300 on deer. Went back to my 257 ackley with 100 gr BT, and I know that same deer, shot with it would have fell dead in its tracks.

They are a very good elk bullet. Broke both shoulders high and the back at 300 yds on a 6x6, stuck on the skin on the off side, over 110 grs' left. Also have shot a cow at around 300 yds, lung shot, no bone contact, but the hide did open the bullet up on an elk.

I would stick with the BT or something of that nature with a bit of a softer jacket for deer, or a good compromise is the partition, always opens up, but always plows through. Also would think about dropping down to a 165 gr bullet for deer.

I tried the barnes tsx, but gun just didn't shoot them well, and I prefer bullets that will fragment to a point.


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## William lammers

I've been reading, and I will step out on a limb here , a little.. First off I agree with the gentleman who suggested that you work on shot placement. Secondly, have a try at a thinner jacketed bullet, such as Noslers' Ballistic Tips, in the 150 to 165 grain wt. range. They are designed slippery fast, and I have never had one not show expansion through the boiler room of a deer. As a matter of fact, I have had the same result with the Accubond, and Hornadys' Interbond. If you are convinced that it is bullet performance, you make the choice of bullet, though recent, and older testing, shows that almost all bullets open at the close to same rate, with exceptions of some of the solids. Good luck and good hunting


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## William lammers

Additionally...ever try a 308 Winchester? 7MM-08?, They will definitely do the job, produce much less recoil, and come in lighter, quick handling Rifles. Both are easily effective on game out to 300 yards for deer, and I'd keep the range at about 150-200 yds. for Elk, and again, shot placement...good luck and good hunting


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## longrangehunter

First off reading some of the stories I can see there are some individuals that really need to reconsider what being a hunter and sportsman is all about. Do us all a favor and do some research on the type of game you are going to hunt and then spend some time on the range. I am not saying it cannot be done but why in the world would you shoot at a running deer. Wait for the right opportunity so one shot is all you need. These so called hunters that are shooting 2,3 even 4 times at an animal is ridiculous as well as a so called hunter that goes out with AR 15's, sks or some other tactical rifle. The fact that you missed shooting at a deer with a hunting rifle so the next year you are upgrading to a tactical hi cap rifle. Come on guy be a sportsman about hunting. Like the individual said who hunts with a 223 caliber, it is all about placement. There is no need for deer fever and shoot the first thing that moves. Be selective and wait for a good shot to present itself.

Second, use the right type of bullet for the game you are hunting. you wouldn't at least I hope you wouldn't use a slug on a turkey so why use a bullet that makes an exit wound the size of your fist on a deer or elk. Sure you can use a 300 win mag on deer but use the 165 gr bullets not the l80gr or 200gr.


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## iwantabuggy

longrangehunter said:


> Sure you can use a 300 win mag on deer but use the 165 gr bullets not the l80gr or 200gr.


165, 180, or 200. They all make the same size hole...... .308 oke:

Bullet construction has more to do with performance (ie. size of the exit hole) than does the weight.


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## longrangehunter

true as to construction, try the Barnes 75 grain spitzer boat tail solid in .243 and a 165 grain in .300 no expansion what so ever. When it comes down to tearing apart the back of a deer or any animal for that matter you might as well become a bone collector and nothing more. I say again, study the game you are going to hunt because what a bullet does to a pronghorn won't do the same to a deer as well as where to shoot. Hunters from all over come to NM to hunt the Oryx and they shoot them behind the leg which is a gut shot. If they did some research you would know that you need to line up your shot with the front leg.
Bullet construction as well as powder and velocity on impact.

What do say about "hunters" who use AR15's or an SKS for hunting?


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## AdamFisk

longrangehunter said:


> What do say about "hunters" who use AR15's or an SKS for hunting?


I say it is their choice, and they should have that choice. I wouldn't particularly enjoy hunting with them style of weapons, but that doesn't mean it's "wrong". Lately I'm just so sick of everybody judging everybody. It's getting very sickening. If I didn't agree with something a few years ago, I'd get bent out of shape like you are and throw a fuss. Well not anymore. I've realized it's much more enjoyable if you only worry about yourself, and not so much about everybody else, assuming they are within the law of course.

I think it is peole like you who will do more harm to the sport than PETA or HSUS ever will. Look how you used the term "hunters" in your fist sentence. What do you think PETA would say if they saw what you typed? Everybody has a different view of what hunting is. If you start pissing off everybody who hunts in a way you don't agree with, when the time comes to really take a stand, who's going to stand with you????

What do you say about that? :wink:


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## Plainsman

> What do say about "hunters" who use AR15's or an SKS for hunting?


My favorite rifle is my 300 mag. My favorite action is bolt action with single shot falling block a close second. That said I also have an AR that I enjoy a lot. I use Barnes X bullets in it for deer. If I remember right it was Jim Zumbo who made a statement something like that about AR's a few years ago and it nearly cost him his career as an outdoor writer.

I bowhunt, use handguns for deer, shoot a muzzle loader for deer, and my favorite deer hunting with a highpower is long range like your name. It's all fun. Odd, but I like very close like archery, then when it comes to rifle I like them way out there. Unless of course I am using a lever action or single shot in one of the old classic calibers.


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## iwantabuggy

longrangehunter said:


> What do say about "hunters" who use AR15's or an SKS for hunting?


I have tried deer hunting with an SKS and I wouldn't do it again, but that doesn't mean that I disagree with someone else doing it. If it is working for them, then fine. If not, they soon figure it out and try something different. As for AR's, you should read what many of the gun writers are writing about AR's for hunting. Many believe it is the way of the future and that the AR platform will dominate hunting within a few years.


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## longrangehunter

It is their choice but come on that choice can be influenced. Thats the mentality that took the right from the kids who wanted to pray in school if they so choose to or to say the Pledge of Allegiance or under God off our money. Yeah you can worry about yourself but thats how we got where we are today. What about that shooting in Wisconsin, 5 hunters were shot dead with about 20 rounds from an sks because the guy who chose to go hunting with it felt he could do whatever he wanted because he had fire power.

It is the BS I see on tv hunting shows "born to kill" that is going to get us in trouble. Flying around in a helicopter with a semi auto 12 ga and shooting multiple rounds at 1-2 year old coyotes because they could harm fawns. The guys that AR15's for coyotes and shoot multiple times at a coyote. With more guys taking to the woods with AR15's, SKS, of course PETA is going to enjoy that.

I only use single shot, bolt action, lever action and a bow for harvesting game. You can tell me all day that you only need one shot to take down a deer but go hunting with a tactical rifle and hi cap mag, what do you need the extra rounds for.


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## doubledroptine08

i have come to the descion that 165gr ballistic tips are porbably gonna be what im going to use. they are what im looking for.

secondly, longrange hunter, were i hunt we walk trying to kick deer up, thats why we take shots at running/moving deer. if im gonna sit and wait for a deer i will prolly just grab my bow. so its all how you choose to hunt.


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## barebackjack

iwantabuggy said:


> Many believe it is the way of the future and that the AR platform will dominate hunting within a few years.


Although they have gained a LOT of popularity, I dont believe this one bit.

Like anything "new". Give a bunch of freebies to the "gun writers" and they usually take it hook line and sinker. Got to take what the "gun writers" say with a grain of salt.

Not to mention, many guys are buying them as they may be told they cant have one in the not so distant future. I know thats the only reason I "want" one.


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## longrangehunter

Not here to say how to hunt but if you do walk around and push deer till they run and get a shot off great, but could you not have some of your friends walk and push deer to you where you can take a shot? If your taking a shot at a running deer with a 223 I just hope you know how to lead it so your not just putting some lead into it for another hunter to find later. If your going to use a 223, put in the range time and if you use a 223 don't hand out the answer of "yes, a 223 works great for deer" without giving the advice of shot placement and putting in the range time.


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## doubledroptine08

i wish i could say that i could have freinds push deer to me. but im one of the young guys in my group so i am the designated walker. 
and shot placement is key i know that, plus that incident was a year and a half ago,i have learned my lead now and feel confident with my shooting. occasinally i will get lucky and be able to **** and wait while other people walk that has killed a few deer for me but normally i am the walker.


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## longrangehunter

that sucks, i would say ask for a trade off or get some new hunting buddies or pick and choose when to and how much noise to make when kicking up deer.

That range time is great, what got me fired up about all that was the guy that took two shots at the first buck he saw running which he missed both and then took another shot at a second buck he saw running where he hit it in the hindquarters.


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## doubledroptine08

that would have been me. those deer came out of now were, and i read ur post from a different forum to and i do know for a fact that i missed. 
and the reason i dont get different hunting buddys is one is my dad, the other is a close feeind who has permission on some amazing land. the other person is my age and so we both walk. and occasionally i will get to sit.


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## longrangehunter

true, didn't know that was you but that is what got me fired up on the whole business of the guys going out with AR15's and hunting deer with that. The guy who was new made it worse when he said ammo was too expensive so he wants to use the 223 to hunt deer.
Error is so small for a 223 but every time someone asks if it can be used to shoot deer all that is said is yes. Not one word on how they should hit the range a lot before they think about using it for deer. the they guy who uses a 45-70 on deer and didn't see a prob when he shot the deer in the head.


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## doubledroptine08

hey ya no problem, and i have an ar-15 and have thought about it but i probably never would use it, i have many many better guns to use for deer, but i do know people that use ar15s were i hunt, i have used my M1 garand once but never got to shoot cause i couldnt see the deer.

by chance were do u deer hunt? just wondering


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## longrangehunter

funny you should say that cuz the guy i am arguing the most with about ar15's has an m1 garand but he wouldn't say if he used it for hunting. I have an m1a springfield but would never take it hunting. I use a single shot 243 for deer and a falling block 300wm for elk, oryx, ibex big game. 
I am in New mexico, this place is like africa as far as all the game down here.


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## doubledroptine08

o ok i feel more comfertable with the m1 since its 3006, than a 223. but you know everyone has what they like and you know what can i say, im not a huge 243 fan but i know they work. its all personal preferance.

how does the tags work for the exotics, is it a lottery or what cause that sounds cool to try and hunt that.


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## longrangehunter

it is personal preferance but i wouldn't try anything smaller for deer i know that. 3006 is a good round i just have something against people going into the woods with tactical rifles and hi cap mags. there is no need for it but those are the same guys that tell me all they need is one round but carry a 30 round mag. 
all big game is a draw in NM but for ibex and oryx you will need some money. for in state it is about $150 and for out of state it is about $1600 or so for a tag. If you look them up they are great trophies one of the only places to get either of them. the ibex came from iran in the 1970's and does well in the florida mountain range we have here and put some goats to shame. The oryx was around the 1980's but with out the lion it does not have any enemies besides car's and hunters to keep its numbers down. the ibex get up to 250-300lbs and the oryx about 500lbs or so.


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## KurtR

can only have 5 rounds in your gun to hunt in sd so the high cap mag argument is not in play. And you know the AR's come in many differnt calibers just not .223. I think dead is dead does not matter if it comes from your single shot .243 or th ar .243 it is just another form of weapon. It is just though as a tacticool gun because it has been used in military operations. i think that most states have laws on how many bullets that you can have in your magazine and using what happened in wisconsin is a horrible example because that guy would break the law reguardless of what weapon he would of had. i dont have to shoot at running deer but there are times when people do, i dont look down on them if it is legal and they do everything they can ethically do to kill the deer then that is good enough for me.


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## Plainsman

> what do you need the extra rounds for.


I thought the same thing just a couple of years ago. An AR15 was near the bottom, no not even on the list for guns I wanted. Then Obama got the nomination for pres and I thought maybe some day I would want one so I better get it now.

Doubles are tough with coyotes. Often I have had four, five, even six come in and when I shoot the first one they take off, or freeze. When they freeze they hear me bolt my rifle and take off. The first time I thought I would try my AR just for kicks I nailed a double. A few weeks later another double. Now I wish I had purchased a 243 AR, or even a 308.

I thought only poor shots used AR's just a short while ago. Now I have been shooting most of my prairie dogs with one. I have to admit shooting it changed my mind. However, mine does put ten rounds under 1/2 inch. That was the biggest surprise for me.


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## duckp

Amen Plainsman.Just got my first AR for hunting a few months ago.Great fun.TREMENDOUS accuracy.Accuracy out to 300 right there with any of the 6 custom bolts i have.Ordered another custom-this one an AR in 243WSSM.
Gotta love no it alls that want to tell others what to shoot,when to shoot,etc.
As to the original question,I've shot quite a few deer with the 300 Win mag using 150 gr Rem core-lokts.Hard to find,often ridiculed,but a heck of a bullet for deer.


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