Loading big calibers for smaller game

[coop2564]

Barnes 130gr TTSX @ 3300 or so is lighter kicking and bad medicine for smaller deer game. I load this in my 300wsm.

 

[Scott2200]

My Dad who is now 78 years old has been using his 300 win mag only gun he owns for everything he hunts from whitetail to Elk and he has been using the 168 grain Berger VLD for everything.
He has taken at least 15 Wyoming Antelope with it and drops them in their tracks. Not a lot of meat loss either.

 

[Rob67gmc]

Been using a 300 win mag on deer for years. Occasionally on coyote and fox. Use 180 gr Partitions. Gun doesn't like anything lighter and never tried anything heavier. Had two guys ask why I was using a cannon for deer. One was using a.308, other was using a 30-06, both using 180's. I told them it was like catching a baseball from a little league pitcher and a major league pitcher. Same ball, just at different speeds.

 

[freefloater59]

A couple of times I had loaned my deer rifles to family for hunts and I was left with my elk rifle, 300 H&H mag, 26" bbl and 200 gr Partitions, ~2900 FPS, for whitetails. A 40 yd shot was in 'n out with almost no meat loss. A 300 yd shoulder shot was also in 'n out with almost no meat loss. I would not hesitate to take my current 300 win mag and 200 gr Accubonds for antelope, or any other 4-legged game. And for any range.

 

[lancetkenyon]

For sure does kill, but have you seen it really amplify meat loss that bad? The deer I've shot with a 215 going faster than a 150 3006 load have had less meat loss.

It seems either highly variable by situation with tons of external variables to boot, or just a toss up in general. Aside from maybe the extremes.

My father exclaimed just the other day about me using a 215 on whitetail but I still haven't seen it ruin meat worse than anything else tbh

I have. The difference in blood shot and internal ballistics with the same 6.5mm 130 OTM at 150 vs 981 yards was noticable on coyotes. Both dead, but definitely more carnage at 150 yards.

And insane differences in a .300RUM 230 Hyb @ 3113fps MV from 100 all the way out to 1367 yards on coyotes. Same bullet from the same rifle, just far different impact velocities.

460 yards

100 yards

 

[bultinkle]

Interesting, I shot a buck at 9 yards with a 215 and did not have any spectacular issues. Never have tbh

Worst bloodshot I've ever seen was a boring old 150 core lokt 3006

 

[Doodle]

I shoot 124 hammers at 3500 out of my 300wsm. Kills deer just fine and doesn't cause any more bloodshot than my buddies' 25-06.

 

[charles bonner]

Don't worry about shooting antelope in Nm. Unless you are buying private land tags. I was born in NM 77 years ago and have not got an Antelope tag in 30 years or more. Don't waste your time working up a load just find a good load for your.300. Load 20 rounds and if you only shoot game you will have a lifetime supply

 

[Hoss50]

All copper bullets.

 

[DREBS]

All copper bullets.

Copper isn't as destructive? I've heard copper a lot in here. Copper for elk yeh or nay?

 

[memtb]

Copper isn't as destructive? I've heard copper a lot in here. Copper for elk yeh or nay?

For my wife and I….. all elk, moose, bear, deer and antelope taken since 1995, have been taken with copper! memtb

 

[Hoss50]

They create pass thru shots often, but with smaller exit wounds because they don't explode or expand violently.

A berger, especially HVLD is going to expand violently and with the small size of an antelope is probably going to exit, and exit in an extreme fashion.

My buddy shot a small mule deer at 40 yards quartering away with a 6.5x55 and Berger Classic hunter and the exit wound was gnarly.

I shot a cow elk with 168gr Barnes TTSX at 60 yards with a 300 weatherby mag. Broadside shot was a pass thru. The exit was normal and she tipped over within 50 yards. Same bullet same animal same range for my buddy in a 308. Same results except his dropped on the spot.

I love Bergers, they have done me well, but copper is growing on me, and especially with a big guns and small animal you probably don't need the violent expansion of a Berger.

 

[jarnold37]

If a guy was moving from Alaska to New Mexico and had one rifle chambered in a 300 win mag and inherited some reloading stuff. Without offering a "get another rifle " solution and he wanted to load that gun to hunt antelope. And you were concerned about not ruining as much meat as possible

How would you do it ? Asking for a friend

Heavy bullets loaded as slow as possible ?
Light bullets loaded as slow as possible?

None of the above ? Find a fmj bullet?

Also where does extreme lower speed begin to hurt velocity as much as trying pushing a bullet faster than an accuracy mode hurt ? No limits imposed except for where twist becomes unstable ?

I realize it's not ideal to a diffent caliber, but sometimes we work with what we have

I am more concerned about the animal dying on its feet and dropping, and not running for 200+ yards. I shoot deer with a a 30-378 with 125 grn bullet at 4050fps. I normally shoot lung shot. At any distance out to 600+ yards it definitely does much damage but I never eat that area of meat. When a deer runs I to woods after a shot 30 min. before dark and you say I "think I hit it" is no fun for me.

 

[JustMe2]

I'm surprised by some of the answers based on the old school preconceptions out there that's I've thought were real such as a 300 win mag will ruin too much meat. Based on the answers I'm guessing this is not an absolute and more of a rule of thumb ?

So a 243 85 gr vs a 300 win mag 190 gr on an antelope at 200 yards .. we we're always told growing up that the 300 win mag was "overkill " and if it's for sake of recoil and what's needed for the job fine.. but I wa sand many others were always lead to believe a 300 win mag is "dumb" on an antelope or deer because you ruin too much meat.. wives tale? I'm willing to accept it I'm coming back into hunting from a 2009 understanding and I know a lot have been dispelled and a lot has changed from the old guard

Drebs, what ruins meat is hiting bone which causes many bullets to break apart going many different directions in the animal destroying a lot of meat. This is why all of these posts are telling you to shoot behind the shoulder and not ON the shoulder, or hip with the many suggested bullet weights. Aim up the back of the front leg in the crease and about 1/3 up from the brisket and pretty much any bullet (except varmint bullets) will not damage much meat. The ribs don't have much meat. That's really the only rule, use whatever bullet blows up your skirt and you will be just fine. If you mess up and hit a shoulder or hip, a mono bullet will usually cause the least meat loss because they don't disintegrate.