There was a little old man I used to work with who hunted at Least 5 days a week during hunting season. He shot( maybe missed) & lost the biggest buck of his life and he had killed more big bucks that any one Im personally aquanted with. Makes him sick till this day. He instantly went and bought a 300 win mag and now shoots 220gr bullets. That was his reason. Would more practice shooting helped? Probably. But he was convinced he didn't miss. He went to the extreme in order to eliminate any chance of that happening to him again. It was all the reason he needed. To each his own.
Magnum obsession seems real
- Thread starter Holycity73
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The most horsepower I have available to me at the present time is a 6.5-284. I don't like recoil and I'm not shooting far enough at anything big enough to warrant getting a magnum. That said, I do find them interesting and like hearing the stories about what guys can achieve with them. I think I shot a 7mm STW once and more recently a 300 WSM. Fun, but not my cup of tea.
I completely understand. I don't advocate anyone shooting something that's got them dreading shooting it. I'm fairly recoil tollerant but I even have my limits of comfortable shooting. 245 Berger's @ 2930 fps is near my limits. My hats off to those guys shooting 338 cals With 300 gr bullets around 2800fps in a medium weight rifle. I just can't imagine that being comfortable. Three shots with 230 gr bullets @ 3050 fps and I have a headache the rest of the day, shoulder will be fine though.
Ask 10 people and you will get 5 that say you need it.....3 that say you don't.....and 2 tell about how great their 6.5 cm is...... I say get one. I have several that I have no use for other than holding my safe down....and planning on more.
the only magnums I have left is a 30-338win. for western hunting and a 375 ruger for Alaska and Africa other rifles may be of magnum stature but do not carry the monikerI've hunted in a few states. Never used a magnum other than a .257Wby and that was only on paper.
I mainly hunt with a 6.5 Creedmoor and rarely exceed 350y on game. Most shots here in SC are under 150.
Now, it seems like every time a cartridge discussion comes up, 7mm or greater mags are the go to.
I know that some folks on here feel that velocity and mass will always trump a well placed shot and we are called Long Range Hunting, but at what point is a magnum necessary?
I guess what I'm asking is at what point did you decide a magnum was the best all around cartridge for you?
In the nature of full disclosure, I also currently own a 6.5PRC, had a 6.5x284, 257WBY and a 300WM(never fired). The PRC's performance(a hunter) reminds me most of my 6.5x284, which was an F Classer.
I'm also considering having a new WSM built. So there's that.
I've took game with 13 different cartridges from 22 caliber through 30 cal & one 35 cal. All I can say after taking game with all of those cartridges is: I have a good idea of what I like best & what the limitations of each cartridge is. Shoulder shots with impact being centered on the thickest mass of that bone is a wild card. Been there and saw the worst of that situation.
I started my elk hunting with a 243.My dad was worried and told me to head shoot them.When your a young gun,thats not so easy.Of course I missed and got tired of that,then I shot and had to chase one down.Then went to the 7RM.Much better,but I lived in big elk country,were it was easy to shoot from finger to other or across the smaller canyons.Out side the wall tents there was the common 06,7mm.308 Norma,300,340wby,and a 375. I had a pistol coach in high school that was gun nut,had every Weatherby made. I tried them,even the 378,but settled on the 340 wby when I hit 20.Unbraked,I put 400 rounds threw it first year.My son started with it when he was about 15,his now.That rifle been good to use.First season I shot nice spring bear,then a 6x6 at 500+,Leupold 3-9,and good 5x5 whitey. I shoot a braked 7-2oz 338NM,***** cat compared to the unbraked 340wby,which I braked after ten years.Sometimes they kiss ya
Nomosendero
Well-Known Member
Nope, it doesn't take away the need for a well placed shot, so therefore magnums power is not a substitute and cannot "trump" placement, plenty of animals are lost because of poorly placed shots at Big Game.
I use standard rounds the most but bigger rounds at times when I want the same terminal performance further away & of course if hunting something really big up close, hence my comment.
Lapuatom
Well-Known Member
bigngreen
Well-Known Member
The first time I got into real magnums was after watching bull elk take rounds like they ate lead, then got away from them when I changed to bullet that were lethal and actually opened and shredded vitals, got back into them again when the bullets needed for the shot range and conditions demanded more HP, I love them all.
Coyote_Hunter
Well-Known Member
I hunt antelope, mulies and elk. The antelope are always in open country but I've never considered a magnum necessary. That said, when a 7mm RM was all I had, I used it. Since then I've used a .257 Roberts most of the time, a .243 Win, 6.5-06AI, a couple of .280 Rem, .30-06 and a .375 Winchester. All worked well.
For mulies we mostly hunt open sage during a concurrent elk season, using whatever rifle I've chosen to hunt elk with. Shot opportunities have ranged from a few feet in the woods to miles but my furthest shot has been 487 yards at a 6x5 bull elk with a .338WM. For mulies and elk I've carried a .44 Mag revolver and rifles in .257 Roberts, .280 Rem, 7mm RM, ,30-30, .30-06, .300WM, .338WM, .375 Win, .44 Mag and .45-70. Only the 7mm RM, .30-06, .300WM and .45-70 have actually been used to take shots, although I've turned down opportunities with some of the others.
When it came to help selecting a rifle for Daughter #1, a .308 Win was the first choice. She also hunts antelope, mulies and elk. Later I bought her a .270 Win and load it with 150g ABLR @ 2910fps. That load delivers over 2100fps and 1500fpe past 700 yards = more than enough for elk, especially since she doesn't practice past 600 and isn't comfortable shooting game past 400.
I don't know anyone who believes velocity and mass will always trump a well placed shot, but I know many who believe they can help a well constructed bullet reach the vitals. I once watched a kid shoot a cow elk broadside at about 120 yards with a .243. I saw dust fly so I know placement was good, but after a slight hesitation the cow continued on as if nothing had happened and the cow was lost. Another time I saw a kid shoot a big bull from behind with a .243. I talked to the Dad as the kid chased the bull through open land below us. As is typical, the kid was losing the tail chase. Didn't stay to see the end. Those two incidents and a couple others have convinced me that minimalist isn't the way to go, especially for elk and inexperienced newbies.
For myself, my favorite elk rifles are my 7mm RM, .300WM and .338WM. Recoil isn't a problem and they shoot flatter with less wind drift and provide more velocity and energy at longer distances than my non-magnum alternatives in the same calibers. That said, bullet construction plays a huge role in terminal performance. I'd rather shoot an elk with a good bullet from a non-magnum than with a poor bullet from a magnum. (By "good" I mean a bullet that provides reliable but controlled expansion with high weight retention for deep penetration. Think Barnes TTSX/ LRX, Nosler AB/ABLR/Partition. Swift A-Frame/Scirocco II, Federal Edge/Terminal Ascent, etc.) I've driven TTSX lengthwise through a couple mulies and no one in my hunting party has ever recovered one. While the magnums are my favorites for elk, bullet choice ranks even higher in my world.
Backcountry sports
Well-Known Member
7mm is the way to go been using one 10 years ever since the area I now hunt 300 to 500 across canyons
A magnum guarantees you will have enough gun. With experience you may learn less power will work in your situation. For my experience, I found a .25-06 is a better deer rifle than a 7MM Rem mag because of much less meat damage, and less recoil while still reaching out as far as I have shots. But I won't hunt elk with less than a .300 Weatherby and took my last two with a .338/.378 Weatherby.
I've hunted in a few states. Never used a magnum other than a .257Wby and that was only on paper.
I mainly hunt with a 6.5 Creedmoor and rarely exceed 350y on game. Most shots here in SC are under 150.
Now, it seems like every time a cartridge discussion comes up, 7mm or greater mags are the go to.
I know that some folks on here feel that velocity and mass will always trump a well placed shot and we are called Long Range Hunting, but at what point is a magnum necessary?
I guess what I'm asking is at what point did you decide a magnum was the best all around cartridge for you?
In the nature of full disclosure, I also currently own a 6.5PRC, had a 6.5x284, 257WBY and a 300WM(never fired
I'm also considering having a new WSM built. So there's that.
Read the book "Use Enough Gun, by Ruark" and you will see where the line thinking comes from. It is true that bullet performance has improved considerably since this tome was written but that fact has only blurred the line of when to use a magnum not eliminated the need for a magnum. I am using the term "Magnum" here as a performance reference and not what is stamped on the end of the box of cartridges.
