300 Win Mag Too Much for Whitetails?

[Campo]

I recently ditched the .270 Rem 710 for a Savage 111 300 Win Mag. I liked the action on the Savage better, and wanted a caliber that I can use anywhere in North America. However, upon hunting with some friends over the weekend, they were amazed at the caliber I selected, stating that it was a little much for Whitetails. I am shooting a 150gr CoreLokt, which seems to give me a good pattern. Got myself a recoil pad, cause my shoulder is a little wussy.
What do yall think, too much or as long as you use the right shell it is ok?

[moosehunter21]

No the .300 is that I use on whitetails. And I use 180's. At what point is anything too dead?

[stubblejumper]

I find it amusing that many of those same people that call the 300winmag overkill use the 30-06 to hunt deer.Both cartridgesshoot the same bullet and at 200 yards the 300win mag provides roughly the same velocity as the 30-06 at50 yards.Therefore the only difference is that the 300winmag provides the same power 150 yards farther than the 30-06.

[Angus74]

I agree, dead is dead, no matter what you shoot it with. I have hunted with a .300 win mag for about 8 years now, 165 grain ballistic tips,and I love it. I had only shot bucks with pretty good sized bodies until this evening. I took a small doe with it this evening, and hit her a little high, it ruined some meat, but it would have ruined some with any cartridge, but maybe not this much. I dont think it is overkill at all, but if your shot isnt where you want it, you may ruin more meat then you wanted, Most of all you ahve to make sure you can shoot it comfortably, so you dont have a flinching problem. If you can shoot it, go for it, and enjoy it.

[James B]

I have used both the Weatherby and Winchester version of the 300 Mag for deer. Its way more gun than I would use again. However they will do the job and are a fair gun for all around big game. My favorite deer guns run from the 250 Savage to the 308 Win. with the 6.5 being near the top of my list. The 270 is probably as good as deer rifles get.

[buckwild eb]

i use a 7mm mag wtih 150 grain winchester ballistic tips.....all of my friends say it is too much fun but i strongly disagree...is it not our job to quickly and humanely dispatch deer? every deer i have shot with this cartridge has dropped instantly.

[zekeskar]

No

[FroMan]

There ain't no such thing as overkill.

300 mag is a good load for any big game. Dad can shoot his out to 600 yards on a 9 in steel plate. It can do damage to a deer, but there isn't much usable meat in the boiler room part of it anyways.

[Steve F.in MD]

It's way more than you NEED, but if you shoot it well it will do the job on Whitetails and just about anything else you might want to hunt. Shoot it for a couple of seasons and decide for yourself if it's the right caliber for you. I would hate to count the number of guns I have owned over the past 45 years. When I get bored with one I sell it and get another. That's what makes it fun for me. Good luck with it.

[DoctorDeath]

Personally I subscribe to the old saying " its better to have it and not need it as it is to need it and not have it" ... I prefer to not have to track them so it would seem to me Bigger is Better ;&gt)

dd