eldeguello

"They will not shoot any firearm better until they are properly instructed as to how to shoot. "

No-one can dispute this fact!

kodiakhuntmaster

I think you hit the nail on the head, Tom.

Doe Dumper

I dont have a thing against magnums. I even own a couple...but I see tons of what bigbulls is talking about. If I ever have to hear another "270 is a crippler" or the "270 bounces off deer" again though Im gonna puke! LOL

instinct

This is one of the best posts I have read on here. I love my 7mm rem mag. And yet if I mention that I shoot one people think that it is overkill and I should get a 30-06 nothing against the 06 but I just dont like them. I love my mag. I got it dialed in its light and reliable.

JagMagMan

When I said most people shoot a lighter caliber better, it goes without saying that they know how to shoot to begin with! I stand behind that statement 100%! Also, at normal deer hunting ranges +/- 300 yards, I have never seen a deer that would have been any deader with a magnum than one that was shot by a .243 or similar cartridge!
Agree with the above or not, I think all here would or shouldagree with this: magnums do not make up for poor shooting/shot placement!

HEAD0001

But here in lies the rub. Most hunters do not know how to shoot.

And if your assumption is right, and they do know how to shoot, then they certainly should be able to handle the magnum. Tom.

HEAD0001

I can not agree with that one. Let me see, a deer shot in the guts with a 85 grain 243 pill or a deer shot in the guts with the 300 magnum?? No doubt, I will take the one shot in the guts with the 300 magnum. He will be laying right there. Shot in the guts with a 243 or even lesser cartridge.......... Well who knows where he is.

I have seen too many poorly hit deer to believe that a light cartridge does as much damage as a magnum cartridge. It just is not true. The light cartridge will not do as much damage. It is really that simple. And as I said, even the best shooters make a mistake from time to time. So a magnum is a definite advantage. Especially to a person who knows how to shoot.

I am not advocating that a poor shot would hunt with a magnum to make up for the inability to shoot. But I am definitely saying the magnum will do considerably more damage. Tom.

driftrider

I think that you may be mischaracterizing people who don't think that magnums are the right or necessary tool for every job as "haters." I dislike the very term "hater," because it's so often used to label and shut down anyone who disagrees with another's point-of-view (think homosexual "marriage"). If you don't agree with it, you're labeled a "hater" which dismisses your viewpoint from any further discussion or consideration... but I digress.

I'm of the mindset that too many people choose a magnum for all the wrong reasons. They buy one for bragging rights, they buy one because bigger MUST be better, or they buy one to compensate for pi$$-poor marksmanship skills thinking that the mag will kill the deer lightning-strike dead no matter how they hit it. I also think that many have this mindset that the old standards just can't cleanly kill a deer anymore. An opinion that has been well nurtured by gun and ammo makers who want to set the next big trend, and the gun writer "experts" that fawn over every super-duper blast-o-matic that the gun makers send them for their glowing reviews. I've also heard a lot of guys justify the magnum by pointing to the possibility, however remote, that they might go out west one day. My view is that, unless you have the trip planned and the money to spend, don't buy a bigger than necessary cartridge based on what you might do years from now, but rather pick the right tool for the hunting you're going to do the most of right now. If the opportunity presents itself in the future to book a $5-10K hunt for mixed big game in Utah or Alaska, chances are you'll have the cash to get the bigger rifle such hunting may call for.

Now, as I've said before and I'll say again. Magnums have their place. If you have a genuine need for the extra power and velocity, and you're willing to put the effort into developing your ability to shoot one well, which is a tougher task more prone to bad habits than with a lighter cartridge, then more power to you. But for me, I have no need for such power. My .30-06 will do all I need it to on anything I can forsee myself hunting in the future. I was once bitten by the magnumbitis bug, and I've owned everything up to a 300WSM and 7mm STW. But as I've been getting older, and hopefully a little wiser, I realized that I had no need for that much firepower, nor did I enjoy spending time at the range with them. Since I've been moving back down the firepower spectrum, because I also want to enjoy shooting my rifles beyond the few shots I might take in the woods at game every year.

Mike

kodiakhuntmaster

Most of the areas I have to hunt these days are long, narrow farm fields and CRP fields. Picture a powerline but without the utility poles. Or I hunt public land. In either case, the magnum has flat out done everything I ever wanted in a gun. I get flat trajectory for long range shots, and the knock down power to drop deer on the spot. Rarely have I ever had one run more than a few feet. I could push my 30-06 to it's limits, or I can use my magnum and make the same shot look easy.

I bought the gun to use out west on elk, mulies, antelope, and hogs.It worked amazingly well for that. Now, I'll probably never have another opportunity to hunt out west again, but does that mean that I should stop using the same gun? I think not. My .300 can do everything my 30-06 can do and more. Why mess with a winning combonation?

wjyarkiell

yea if u dont want to mess with a winning combination, just shoot a 30-06. its been around alot longer than the 300 will be and the 30-06 will always be around no matter what. A cartridge as good as the 30-06 doesnt last for over a 100 years without being really good at killing big game.