I've hunted with the .300 Win Mag for the last 5 years, and I've taken everything from antelope to elk with it and from my experience a lot depends on what you hit and the range you hit it at. Like others have said, if the bullet plows through a lot of bone it'll cause much more damage. Also the type of bullet you use matters. If you don't want the bullet to expand much, just use something like the 180 grain "power point" bullets. That's also what I use on hogs. If you want deep penetration and controlled expansion, I use the 180 grain Accubonds. That's what I used for elk and antelope. On elk, you get the most out of the bullet and it expands and puts it down quickly. Out of the two elk I shot with that load, one went 20 yards and fell over, the other dropped on the spot. On smaller animals, the bullet punches through without expanding all the way, which is why I used it on antelope. For deer, I used the 180 grain Ballistic Silvertip ammo. It expands more quickly and almost always dropped deer on the spot for me. That load will ruin a lot of meat though. When I used the Ballistic Silvertips on hogs they didn't exit, even at 50 yards on a 70# hog.

I used to only hunt on public land and dropping the animal on the spot was pretty important. Now, I use the same set up because my gun season is so short. I get all my meat animals with a bow or muzzleloader so by the time I get around to rifle hunting my freezer is pretty much full and I'm looking for abuck and ruining a little meat is better than the buck running onto my neighbor's property and getting shot by them.

If you're looking for a "meat" gun, you may want to go with a lighter caliber. Or just stick with a180 grainpower point or Accubond bullet. The .300 win mag really shines at longer ranges if your looking for a bean field gun though.