Built up a 300 HAMR this summer for close range deer brush walks, and the same for hogs when I get down south. Wilson combat 16" barrel, hunting load is a 130 Speer hot cor (Wilson factory). Got to give it a go on a nice sized muley doe this weekend and figured I'd post thoughts. Hoping my experience will be able to help someone else, or at least be interesting. Far from a long range rig, but I know some guys in here trudge around right cover every now and again 
Adult muley doe at 85 yards, near broadside with slight quartering toward.
Standard entrance hole, clean and barely nicked a rib. Through both lungs, above the heart, out through the center of a rib on the backside. Doe was hit - no immediate response - then hunched, backpedaled 5 yards, and collapsed. Expired soon after, fairly uneventful 10 seconds.
Clean holes and minor amounts of bone fragment through chest cavity, very little "mush". Reminiscent of many deer hit and tracked with Remington core lokt growing up. Very unlike the concussion seen from Nosler ballistic tips, Berger's and a Max's at range, etc. no bloodshot meat or sever sub dermal bleeding. I did get it cleaned and hung quite quickly though, which may minimize some running of blood inside.
Summary - good kill, would not hesitate to use this load again for deer or pigs and similar. Wouldn't be afraid at all to blow out a shoulder on adult deer if I wasn't meat hunting. Intentionally avoided bone and meat to get all I could off this deer. I think before deer hunting again I would try and do some work with a similarly sized sst, ballistic tip, etc and see how these velocities would work to create a little more shock. Was unable to recover the bullet as it was a through and through, but I'd have no hesitation firing at adult deer in any ethical angle. I'd say it fits the bill as a slightly beefed up 30-30 with some great bullet options in the 125-135 range.
Overall a success and a gun I'm looking forward to using for many years for close encounters of deer and pigs. Fun to hunt with, MOA accuracy without much work, lightweight with near zero recoil, cheap to shoot.
Adult muley doe at 85 yards, near broadside with slight quartering toward.
Standard entrance hole, clean and barely nicked a rib. Through both lungs, above the heart, out through the center of a rib on the backside. Doe was hit - no immediate response - then hunched, backpedaled 5 yards, and collapsed. Expired soon after, fairly uneventful 10 seconds.
Clean holes and minor amounts of bone fragment through chest cavity, very little "mush". Reminiscent of many deer hit and tracked with Remington core lokt growing up. Very unlike the concussion seen from Nosler ballistic tips, Berger's and a Max's at range, etc. no bloodshot meat or sever sub dermal bleeding. I did get it cleaned and hung quite quickly though, which may minimize some running of blood inside.
Summary - good kill, would not hesitate to use this load again for deer or pigs and similar. Wouldn't be afraid at all to blow out a shoulder on adult deer if I wasn't meat hunting. Intentionally avoided bone and meat to get all I could off this deer. I think before deer hunting again I would try and do some work with a similarly sized sst, ballistic tip, etc and see how these velocities would work to create a little more shock. Was unable to recover the bullet as it was a through and through, but I'd have no hesitation firing at adult deer in any ethical angle. I'd say it fits the bill as a slightly beefed up 30-30 with some great bullet options in the 125-135 range.
Overall a success and a gun I'm looking forward to using for many years for close encounters of deer and pigs. Fun to hunt with, MOA accuracy without much work, lightweight with near zero recoil, cheap to shoot.
