Mastering the Magnums

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 1/12/21 | P Massaro

[w1n1]

When it comes to this powerful cartridge, 'bullet choice is imperative for the best results.' - I had just obtained my first .300 Winchester Magnum – a cartridge I'd come to absolutely love, and one that I'd end up taking all over the world – and simply could not wait for the first day of deer season. I had the rifle zeroed perfectly, so any shot in the open woods of our hunting property was a dead hold, and it was grouping very well. When opening day finally arrived, the morning had been rather quiet – just a couple does here and there – so I returned to my truck for lunch, planning to try a different spot for the afternoon. As I approached the second stand, reeling from the effects of a huge lunch, a respectable six-point buck stood up in front of me, just as surprised to see me as I was him.

Getting the InterArms rifle to shoulder and tracking the buck as he ran, I was absolutely ready when that deer made the fatal mistake of stopping near the ridge top and looking back. When the trigger broke, the buck fell out of the scope, as dead as yesterday. I remember thinking, "This is a deer rifle!" No tracking, no wondering, just dead-right-there. Oh, that deer was dead alright, as was evidenced by the softball-sized hole on his side shoulder and the huge radius of bloodshot meat around it. Essentially both front shoulders were inedible, and the scowl from my father upon skinning the deer made me rethink my choice of rifle/cartridge/ bullet.

To the best of my recollection, it was a 150- or 165-grain Hornady factory load, but that was over two decades ago. Can I say the Hornady InterLock bullet failed? Absolutely not; the deer was killed immediately, and the bullet went exactly where I aimed it. The issue was the speed of impact, and the construction of the chosen bullet for the task. The InterLock is a (wonderful) cup-and-core design, and like so many cup-and-core bullets, will expand quite violently when the impact velocities are high, which was invariably the case with that particular deer. Simply put, I should have chosen a dierent bullet for the velocities generated by the big case.

LET'S FIRST LOOK at what makes a magnum cartridge. "Magnum" is the Latin word for "great," and in the cartridge world it denotes a cartridge that delivers a higher level of performance than standard, but that can be subjective. The .375 Holland & Holland Magnum is most certainly a magnum when compared to its predecessor – the Velopex – but has become the industry standard, taking away the .375 Winchester and .38-55. The .416 Rigby doesn't have the magnum name, probably because it was the first of its bore diameter, but shares identical ballistics with the .416 Remington Magnum. The .300 H&H Magnum betters the velocities of the classic .30-06, which predated it by 19 years, but pales in comparison to the .300 Weatherby Magnum, let alone the .30- 378 Weatherby Magnum.

And the .30 Nosler has no magnum in its name, but is absolutely a magnum cartridge, as it has a velocity on par with the .300 Weatherby Magnum. So, whether or not the cartridge has “magnum” in its name, you’ll need to look at the velocities to see if they may pose an issue. When you are shooting a magnum, those high velocities can put an awful lot of strain on the bullet, especially when the shots are close, say, inside of 100 yards, and that’s exactly what caused that horrific exit wound on my deer.
Had I chosen a heavier bullet with a better sectional density value, things would have been di­fferent, just as they would if I had chosen a premium bullet, or if the distance to that deer had been longer, giving the bullet a chance to slow down. At .308 Winchester velocities, the 150-grain .308-inch-diameter cup-and-core bullets are no issue, but increase that velocity from 2,820 feet per second to 3,250, and you’ve reached the point of undesirable terminal ballistics. Read the rest of mastering the magnums.

[trebb]

Good article - my Dad taught me the difference between a clean kill and destroying the target - some think like Tim the Tool Man though and it does lead to issues.

[Texas Fossil]

I take the simplistic approach to life. This is NOT IT.

We don’t have many Rhino’s running around the USA. We are a long way from Kodiak Bear where I live. There are no wild buffalo left on the plain.

I admit that at times I have felt I would like to own a .50BMG rifle. But that has nothing to do with hunting.

We have a model 71 Winchester .348, it is a bear gun and it is not kind to the shoulder for those who shoot it at maximum load.

The language of the article is specialized. It went over my head and I’ve been reloading since I was a kid.

[eastexsteve]

Essentially both front shoulders were inedible, and the scowl from my father upon skinning the deer made me rethink my choice of rifle/cartridge/ bullet.

So, why doesn't the author just set up a fence trap that makes the deer jump into a chipper-shredder. It's a much more effective way to instantly turn it into hamburger meat. One rifle I own is chambered for .243 Winchester, and I've killed every deer I ever shot with it dead in it's tracks out to 400+ yards.

Hunting deer or hogs with a magnum caliber is like stirring a cup of coffee with a blender.

[lurk]

135 grains at 3000 fps can do the job. Magnums are for bullies.

[WinMod70]

My late father had Model 71 an it was a beast to shoot. He sold it to a buddy that was a collector, I wish he had not.

I’m thinking ammo and brass has been hard to get for quite some time.

As an aside, I just say some .338 Win Mag ammo at a sporting goods store; $106 + tax per box. At over $5.00 per trigger squeeze, quite the damper on fun.

[Manly Warrior]

Like he says, wrong bullet for the task.

My 300H&H runs 200 partition comfortably at 2890fps.

Punches through deer/ beat antelope and moose with aplomb. DRT KILLS.

Now, my M99 308 with 125s blew deer shoulders apart, I was 12. Now I know better.

My 416 Rigby with 350 mag tips works wonders too. No wasted meat with big/heavy well designed bullets. The 400s don’t expand....on less than 1500lb steers.

My 223 ARs with 62 or 70 monometal bullets drop deer right there too.

The right combination for the target is a sliding scale if caliber, velocity range and built construction.

Oh, the 450 BM AR pistol to 150 yards is a deer slammer. 300 HTP Mags at 1700fps.

[BipolarBob]

oops, wrong thread. I thought it was about drinking champagne.

[moovova]

"oops, wrong thread."

[CommerceComet]

We don’t have many Rhino’s running around the USA. We are a long way from Kodiak Bear where I live. There are no wild buffalo left on the plain.

I think this is the niche that Norma had in mind when it designed the .358 Norma Magnum. Something more than capable for anything that populates North America and Scandinavia because we share a lot of fauna and not something designed for African large game and then adapted to North America. Never really caught on, in large part, because Winchester, the gun manufacturer Norma hoped to partner with, saw the same niche and developed the .338 Win Magnum around the same time. In my opinion, the .358 Norma is a better round but far less practical.

I've always wanted a .308 Norma Magnum and a .358 Norma Magnum since I first heard about them as a kid. Someday, even though I have no need for either.

[1Old Pro]

We have a model 71 Winchester .348, it is a bear gun and it is not kind to the shoulder for those who shoot it at maximum load.

Mine was used by my FIL's dad and I have the Moose Head to prove it. I've heard if guides North of the border/Alaska could a carry one gun it would be the 71. Probably because it would be protective against large predatory animals :) Problem is, you need to load your own as .348win is near impossible to find.

[Texas Fossil]

Yes. I do load it. Last time I bought brass was a number of years ago, Bought pack of 50 and some Hornady XTF bullets for it. Winchester normally makes the brass for it, one time a year. Very short production run.

I saw another brand listed on Midway’s site a few days ago and un-primed brass was priced at about $2.75 each. (20pk for $55)

I’ve never tried to cast bullets for it. It can be done if you use copper gas checks, but so far I’ve been able to buy bullets for it. It is a fine rifle.

I shoot 30-30 too. Cast lead bullets works great in that. I do use gas checks there too.

Reloading supplies are really scarce now. Particularly primers.

[Texas Fossil]

Yes. I understand the want for quality tools and weapons. It is seldom because you need it. But you take pleasure knowing you have them. Especially weapons.