Need .300 win mag advice

wpolo02

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Jan 17, 2015
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I run a hunting ranch in South Texas. One of our big trophies people can shoot are scimitar horned oryx. It has taken me 2 years, but I've finally convinced my boss and all of my guides the smallest rifle we should be using is my Weatherby .300 Win Mag. Obviously smaller cartridges can, and have been used successfully to put one down. Unfortunately, most of our "hunters" are not great shots. Most of them only hunt 1-3 times a year.

The problem I'm having is with penetration. For us, the best option is to shoot the animal right in the shoulder, breaking both, and leaving an exit wound. We shoot these with the intention of getting them mounted. That leaves neck shots out. I'm having trouble finding a cartridge capable of going through both shoulders and leaving an exit wound.

The best I have found, so far, are the Barnes Vor-tx in a 180 grain. They will break both shoulders. So far, none have left an exit wound. All have been stopped by the skin on the other side. I need some advice on what bullets I should look into.

Before you start making suggestions, please read this part carefully. We obviously could go to a much larger caliber. The problem is people who only shoot a rife a couple times a year are afraid of my .300. If I go larger, shot placement will go down, and it's already bad enough. I will not put a muzzle break on my rifle. I hate those things. I don't even like being within 20 feet of some one shooting a .223 with one. I won't be reloading these myself. I don't have the knowledge, equipment, or time to hand load. For us, the best shot is in the middle of the shoulder, breaking both. The brush here is extremely thick and every plant has thorns. I want to break both shoulders minimizing how far the animal will run. On top of that, a shoulder is a nice large target for an inexperienced hunter. With an exit wound there is more blood left on the ground, making my job as a tracker easier. Neck shots will obviously bleed out pretty quickly. However, we want to minimize damage to the hide on the neck for taxidermy reasons.

The largest Vor-tx I've been able to find is the 180 grain. Are there 200 or 220 grain bullets with as much or more penetration than the 180 Vor-tx? Is there a 180 grain option that will do this? Or, are the Vor-tx 180's the way to go?
 
Welcome. Don't take this as a flame, but this doesn't seem to be an issue with equipment, but with the shooters. If they can't hit their target, they are shooting from too far away.

I'd suggest putting in a target range and having guys qualify before heading out with the equipment they plan to use. Then you and they know their limits so you can stalk to a distance they are able to make an ethical kill.

Just my .02
 
Keep range short, and the Nosler 200 grain partition might make it. The 220 would be better. Europtic has a Sako brand 220 Hammerhead in loaded ammo.

Bullet construction, mass, and sectional density will all need to be present to achieve what you suggest. Still might come up short.

In handloads a 220 grain .308 Partition works well. I don't think its in a factory load.
 
Here are some factory loads you may wish to consider:


Federal Premium Vital-Shok Ammo 300 Winchester Mag 200 Grain Speer


Black Hills offers the Barnes TSX (as opposed to the TTSX), which may open more slowly and penetrate deeper:

Black Hills Gold Ammo 300 Winchester Mag 180 Grain Barnes Triple-Shock

This load is slow enough that penetration may be enhanced. It may also have lighter recoil, which could be a help in your situation:

Nosler Trophy Grade Ammo 300 Winchester Mag 200 Grain Partition Box of

Here is another load that is heavy and slow, so it should penetrate well:

Doubletap Ammo 300 Winchester Mag 240 Grain Woodleigh Weldcore
 
You could use a rapid expanding bullet that dumps all of the energy right inside the vitals and you could just drop them on the spot without them running.
 
[FONT=&quot]I'm not sure, but maybe you can purchase Rhino Bullets fab - ammo in the US. I'm talking about Rhino's 300WM in the 200gr. edition. The bullet used is very similar to Federal's Trophy Bonded Bearclaw. Great terminal performance and penetration guaranteed.[/FONT]
 
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