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Magnum haters?

Old 11-29-2008, 03:29 AM
  #1  
Nontypical Buck
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Default Magnum haters?

Looking back, I got my first dozen deer with a Marlin 30-30. Then I moved up to the 30-06, and later a shotgun. Sometimes I used a .270, and I've taken deer and hogs with all these guns and various muzzleloaders and bows and never had a problem. I never saw myself as a "magnum guy". But one day shortly after enlisting in the service I found out my first duty station would be in South Dakota, so I pondered the idea of getting a new rifle specifically for elk hunting. I thought about a .280 but after talking to some people who hunted elk every year I bought a Browning A-Bolt in .300 win mag. Upon returning to my home at that time (Alabama) I was almost scared to shoot it. I was sure that everything I had heard about it was true and that it would knock me around and almost certainly cause hearing loss even with ear plugs and I would probably flinch at the sound of loud noises for years afterward... But it wasn't true at all.

I'm not a large guy, I stand 5'8" tall and about 135 pounds. Yet, the .300 seemed no different in recoil then my Model 70 in 30-06. The noise was also of no concern with ear plugs in either. And an even bigger shock to me was that even though the rifle was much longer than any other rifle I've shot before, the stock seemed to fit me perfect and was as comfortable to shoot as my old 30-30. So it's no surprize that the accuracy I obtained with it was better than with any other rifle I've owned. Right then and there Ipicked that Browning as my main rifle for everything bigger than a coyote and have since taken 14 big game animals with it ranging from hogs and antelope to elk and couldn't be happier.

The reason for telling this short story is because I know there are others out there like me. And my question is, why do people automatically think that because someone's main deer rifle is a magnum, that means they can't shoot worth a darn? That they use the extra power and flat trajectory as a substitute for talent? Why do people think that others shoot a magnum because they can't kill deer with anything less? I originally bought my magnum with the thought of elk in mind, but stayed with it because of the accuracy.

Why is it that people say that if you shoot a deer with a .300 win mag you're going to blow a deer in half or something to that effect? I've never experienced that, and the meat damage is not much different than shooting a 30-06.

In short, my .300 doesn't cause much more meat damage than a '06, is just as sweet to shoot, and is more accurate at longer ranges, why is this a bad thing?

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Old 11-29-2008, 03:38 AM
  #2  
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

Good post wiggy,First deer I ever shot was with an old .30 carbine.Got a .243 and thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.Over the years I shot just about everything and anything with my most favorites being the .264 win.mag ,25-06,and my go to the 7 rem mag.I can shoot my old model 70 in 7mm rem. mag. as good or not better than anything I have ever had my hands on.I am sure most here will agree it's not so much the caliber but the gun in the way it fits and feels.But I am going to get me some other kind of 7 that shoots a 140 grain with about 9,817 grains of powder behind it.[8D]
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Old 11-29-2008, 06:28 AM
  #3  
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

Good post. I own a lot of different rifles. I trade them and sell them from time to time. The only one that is never for sale or trade is my Remington 300 ultra mag. It is my go to gun.
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Old 11-29-2008, 06:50 AM
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

For years I was always a non magnum, sub .30 cal guy. I shot a bunch of deer and other game animals with the 243 and 270. Then one day I got a deal on a Ruger 77 300 win mag I just couldn't pass up. I had that rifle for a few years and shot bear and some deer with it. It shot pretty good and was a well made rifle, but I just despised the 3 position safety. (just me)
I traded it in on a 325 WSM that I use for anything bigger than deer. I also have a 45-70 Guide Gun which is my go to bear rifle.
I am not a magnum hater and feel they do have their place. But I still like my 270 and 7-08s for deer sized game.
However my next magnum is going to be a big one. I am leaning toward the browning stainless stalker in 375 H&H.
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Old 11-29-2008, 12:59 PM
  #5  
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

For the man that's willing to put in the time required to get absolutely deadly with a rifle,it don't matter what cartridge it takes,it's skill of shooter behind rifle. For the guy that only has 1 rifle for a do-everything gun-magnums make sense if he plans to shoot bigger game as well as deer. For deer,a magnum is simply not neccecary. If you're deadly accurate with your rifle-who gives a flip wether it's chambered for magnum or not-certainly not me,nor should others pass judgement on you. The thing I have against SOME hunters toting magnums-NOT the actual rifles themselves,is when they attempt to subsitute firepower for marginal shooting/hits on game. They grip rifle in deathgrip,wince,and yank trigger,then wonder where in tarnation the bullet went. Even worse,they claim deer are bulletproof and run off from "regular" bullets simply bouncing off. We've all seen these people in camp or on range but thankfully they are few. Those are the people that give magnums a bad name.
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Old 11-29-2008, 01:48 PM
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

I am not a magnum hater, but for most purposes, a standard round will do everything most people need a rifle to do. For example, I am convinced that you'd do just as well shooting elk with a 180 or 200-grainer in .30/'06 as with a .300 Win. Mag. I used a .270 for three years in Alaska, and never felt undergunned. But yes, I avoided provokingKodiak bears with it!!

"Why is it that people say that if you shoot a deer with a .300 win mag you're going to blow a deer in half or something to that effect? I've never experienced that, and the meat damage is not much different than shooting a 30-06."

This is a dead givaway that the '06 is good enough. See, the damage to the critter is about the same. And it is this DAMAGE that kills 'em, after all..........



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Old 11-29-2008, 07:46 PM
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

I'm not a magnum hater either, it's just that many people buy them only to impress their buddies. Many I see bring them to my small range can't shoot them worth a damn, but can do quiet well with a 243 or 308 class gun.
Then comes the price of ammo and reloading components, at over $20 per lb for powder it takes about twice as much to load a single 300 ultra as it does for a round of 308 win. Here in Alabama the 300 ultra has no real advantage either.
In an area where larger game and 400 yd shots are common the large magnums have a realistic place but only if the rifle shooter can handle them well. A lung shot deer will die much quicker than a gut shot one will even if it's a fifty BMG round that hits the gut.
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Old 11-29-2008, 07:50 PM
  #8  
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

I am by no means a magnum hater as I have a couple myself andI love to shoot and hunt with them.

However I see the same scenario all the time. Someone comes into the store andwants a new deer rifle or is buying a son their first deer rifle. Keep in mind that I am in Florida and a 160 pound deer is pretty danggood size. I suggest a .243, .308, 7mm-08, .270 or something similarand I get to hear the stories of how the________ cartridge (usully the .243 or .270)is crap and does nothing but wound deerand they want something with more "knock down power". They have seen too many deer not found because of the _____. So they end up buying a magnum of some kind, usually a 7mm or .300, and off to the woods they go. I think about how they can't shoot a .243 or .270 accurately but theybuy a .300in an attempt to make up for their lack of shooting ability whether they know it or not.
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Old 11-30-2008, 09:58 AM
  #9  
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

I am not a magnum hater either! But once I was cured of "Magnumitis," I realized that for deer sized game, a .243 or 25-06 kills 'em just as dead, just as fastas a Super-Duper- Whopper-Stopper-Magnum!
It has nothing to do with meat damage, as Eldeguello said a well placed magnum shot won't ruin any more meat than a standard caliber.
With the cost of ammo, recoil, and given that MOST people shoot better with lighter calibers, there really is such a thing as "overkill!"
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Old 11-30-2008, 10:20 AM
  #10  
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Default RE: Magnum haters?

I have watched literally thousands of shooter's over the years at the bench. And I can say that I have noticed one trait in all the shooters at the bench. And it is a simple trait. They either know how to shoot or they DO NOT. This ability has nothing to do with what type of firearm, or cartridge they are shooting. The biggest problem I see with people who advocate a 243 over a 30-06 or a magnum is that they automatically assume a shooter will shoot a 243 better than the larger cartridge, and that is just WRONG. They will not shoot any firearm better until they are properly instructed as to how to shoot.

Now if a person is properly instructed on how to shoot then recoil can become an issue if they are sensitive to the recoil. Now if that is the case then there are a lot of ways to tame down the recoil of any firearm. Or you can choose to shoot a lighter cartridge.

But to say that a 243 is every bit as effective in "Killing Power" as a 300 magnum is just wrong. The old argument about "Dead is Dead" is wrong. If a person hunts and shoots a lot, then there will be times when the extra firepower may help. And if you "Know How To Shoot" then the magnum is no real issue, and can be helpful for the occasional bad shot.

And please do not tell me that nobody has taken or made a bad shot. Anybody who has spent times in the woods and shot deer has made mistakes, I do not care how careful you are, it happens even to the best shooters. And that is where the "Magnum" comes in. The "Magnum" can make up, and has made up for some "Shooters" mistakes. Tom.
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