Poll

Should I Buy The Gun?

Yes, You Should Buy It! Good Price And a Good Caliber!
22 (44.9%)
No, You Shouldn't Buy It! 300 Mag is Too Much for Deer!
27 (55.1%)

Total Members Voted: 49

Voting closed: December 04, 2005, 04:26:53 PM

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Author Topic: 300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?  (Read 2381 times)

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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« on: December 04, 2005, 04:26:53 PM »
I recently found a used gun I like and wish to buy, for mostly white tail deer hunting. The gun is a Browning 300 mag, stainless a-bolt, new in box, with leupold mounts, leupold scope Vari X III 6.5x20x50mm, for 850 BUCKS! If you ask me I think thats a hell of a price, but I also may not know much. This will be my first rifle. So, should I go with this deal or not because of the caliber? I was concidering a 30-06, what is the difference in recoil, price, ect..? This is the exact gun I would wish for if I could pick.
Thanks,
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Offline Thebear_78

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2005, 04:52:51 PM »
The 300 win mag is a fine rifle and it will work for 90% of north american game.  It will do a fine job for deer.  There is no such thing as too dead.  I doubt that a deer will be able to tell the difference between  it and a 06.  Too keep meat damage to a minimum try using 180-200 gr bullets.  THe lightweight 150s can be very destructive.  Two of my hunting buddies use the 300 winnie for everything from blacktails to brown bears.
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Offline kenscot

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2005, 04:53:15 PM »
I do not believe this what you need for a first whitetail rifle. I think you would better off with a rifle chambered in 7mm-08 to 30-06 and either a 2x7 or 3x9 leupold vari X2
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Offline kenscot

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #3 on: December 04, 2005, 05:15:35 PM »
don't get me wrong that is a great price for the rig as described. But you were talking about your first rifle and that is alot of scope with less tolerance in critical eye relief plus alot for cartridge needed for most deer hunting applications
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #4 on: December 04, 2005, 05:22:59 PM »
I do agree that the 300 mag may be much for deer, but this sounds like a very good deal to me, and this would be the exact rifle I would ask for. Just a caliber difference. This saddens me. Ha. I feel that if I let this go, I will be letting go a great deal. The scope itself sells for 800 bucks, and the gun retails for over 900 bucks. This sucks.  :( , I dont know what to do. How come I have heard some people say that the recoil of their 300 mag is equal or less than their 30-06. If I could choose I would prefer the 30-06, this is the only disadvantage to used guns.
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Offline kenscot

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #5 on: December 04, 2005, 05:34:59 PM »
That is not the only diadvantage to a used rifle, how do you know how that rifle was treated by the previous owner and why is he selling it. That scope is really better suited to varmint shooting
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Offline Graybeard

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #6 on: December 04, 2005, 05:37:52 PM »
A .300 Mag is way more gun than needed for deer. You'd do better with a .308 or .30-06 if you want a .30 or better yet with a 7-08. There is no better deer rifle than the 7-08. And WAY too much scope for a deer rifle. A 2-7 or 3-9 makes much more sense.
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Offline Thebear_78

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #7 on: December 04, 2005, 05:45:21 PM »
I missed the part about this being your first rifle.  It is really a bit much to learn how to shoot with.  You are probably better off looking around for a 270 with a 3-9 to start with.  If you develope a flinch now it could haunt you for the rest of your hunting carreer.  Even a 3030 wouldn't be a bad starter gun for you.  If you start out with the 300 WM you will probalby not be able to handle the recoil.
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Offline mjbgalt

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2005, 05:51:27 PM »
i talked to him before...

he has shot before and didnt mind a .30-06 recoil...so he may be able to handle the .300 WM.

if you really want it to be a lifelong thing and it has to be special, none of us can tell you which to pick.

when you pick one up and go "ahhhhhh" thats the one. if you really want a .300 then buy it. however yes there are some cartridges that are better suited to what you're going to use it for.

you mentioned .308 and a few others. this isn;t the only gun that will come along....keep that in mind too. i have been burnt, and i am sure others here have to, by jumping into a purchase because it seemed too good to pass up.

keep that open mind of yours and try a few more before you make a choice. and even if you decide you dont like it then so what...that's what trading and selling is for.

i counted, and in the past few years or so i have been through something like 22 guns!

i now have a nice collection i really like. that doesnt stop me from shopping around of course ;)

-Matt
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2005, 05:52:42 PM »
Ha, you beat me to it.
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2005, 05:58:03 PM »
But you know, if it is the deal he made it seem like, I could make money off of it.
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Offline mjbgalt

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #11 on: December 04, 2005, 06:00:20 PM »
yep you could. you could also buy it and have it rebarreled or rechambered i believe, to another cartridge.

the price does seem good. i just prefer to have my guns in cartridges that don't require me to grit my teeth while pulling the trigger at the range.

-Matt :)
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #12 on: December 04, 2005, 06:07:37 PM »
Haha, yeah, well... I dunno. Im going to call him tomorrow, and see if the deal is what I think it is. If it is, I'm going to jump on it. The only thing is, is that they live pretty far away, so if we go there we will most likely buy it. I dont see how I can go wrong.
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #13 on: December 04, 2005, 06:28:45 PM »
Well goodnight, i'll see what happens tomorrow. :D
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Offline victorcharlie

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #14 on: December 05, 2005, 01:31:24 AM »
If I may.......There are going to be a lot of "good deals" in your life......I you take them all you'll most likely stay broke all the time........A good deal's really only a good deal if you need it and can afford it.
 
That said, I assume your a young fellow, pardon me if I'm wrong.  Your looking for your first deer rifle.  When I got my first deer rifle I wanted to shoot it!  If you like to shoot a lot, that .300 may not be to much fun after you put a half dozen rounds down range, and if you don't reload is going to cost a little more money to shoot......
 
.300 mag on deer....hum......the only advantage a 300 mag has over a smaller 30 caliber is range.......it's going to fire the same bullets as any other 30 caliber, but faster, thus extending the point blank range, or the range that you don't have to sight higher to keep the bullet in the vitals.  Again, a .308 will shoot just as far, but it's not quite as flat shooting so there would be hold over at a range before the 300 would have to be held over to hit the target.   The energy will drop off faster all things equal because the velocity is less.........
 
For 99% of eastern whitetail hunting you will not need the extended range the .300 mag provides, and it won't kill any deader than a .308.   I know some of the guys are telling you the recoil isn't that much different than a 30.06......but I think the recoil will be substantial.......a hot loaded 30.06 with heavy bullets can thump your shoulder pretty hard especially if the fit of the rifle is wrong or you don't mount the gun correctly.........a less powerful rifle firing smaller bullets is much more forgiving if you don't mount it correctly or the fit isn't right......this doesn't matter much for one shot once or twice a year, but again, if your going to shoot the gun then it will matter........ If your interested in hunting crows, groundhog, or varmits in general then maybe you should look at a smaller caliber.
 
Bigger, faster, and more powerful isn't always a good thing.
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Offline jro45

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #15 on: December 05, 2005, 02:36:18 AM »
A 300 is really to powerful for deer. I shot one once at 180yds with my 300. The bullet was 180gr and it knocked the deer over, so it got back up went ten yds droped dead. The meat was all blood shot around where the bullet entered, couldn't eat that. The rest of the meat was good.  :D
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Offline Broken-arrow

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #16 on: December 05, 2005, 03:09:52 AM »
:eek: I agree with GB, That is way too much gun and way too much scope for white-tails.
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #17 on: December 05, 2005, 03:31:11 AM »
Well we ususally give half of our deer away anyways since it wont fit in our freezer.
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Offline Coyote Hunter

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #18 on: December 05, 2005, 03:59:56 AM »
Kotupod –

A .300 Win Mag is a very versatile cartridge with factory ammo and even more so for handloaders.  (I know you don’t handload yet, and may never do so.)  Would I use a .300 Win Mag on whitetail?  Heck yes!  Would it be my first choice?  Heck no!

On the upside the combo you found is a good rifle and an excellent scope.  The scope is a varmint scope and is less than ideal for deer – especially if hunting in the woods where closer shots are the norm, but it will certainly work.  One advantage is that you won’t need a spotting scope when doing work at the bench!  I usually set my scopes at 4.5x to 5.5x when hunting and when I had a 6.5-20x the minimum setting didn’t bother me at all – took a lot of coyotes with it, many of them with their afterburners lit.

The down side is that recoil and ammo costs may limit your shooting or your shooting pleasure.  Also, the scope is a bit bigger than I like when moving through heavy brush and timber.  But recoil can be managed with a PAST shoulder pad and a good recoil pad on the rifle (don’t know what it comes with), and proper selection of ammo.  Remington makes a 150g “Managed Recoil” load that should generate less recoil than a standard .30-06 load.  Shooting costs can also be managed, although they will never be as low as with a .308 or .30-06 with factory ammo.

In short, the combo is nice but hardly ideal for a deer rifle unless you will be shooting across open fields.  But your NEXT rifle might well be a varminter and you could always move the scope to it, replacing it on the Browning with a 3-9x.  That would give you an excellent varminter rig AND an excellent rifle for anything in North America.

Take a hard look at shooting costs before making up our mind.  When I was in the Air Force and gas was 25 cents a gallon, my 1967 Pontiac GTO convertible spent most of its time soaking up the Texas sun in the barracks parking lot because I couldn’t afford gas. I loved it on the road, though, and if it was to do over I’d still buy it.  When I got my first centerfire rifle, a 7mm Mag for elk and deer, I had to start handloading so I could afford to shoot.  Handloading is something you might want to consider down the road.

The rifle and scope should both last you a lifetime, even if they get separated.  Can’t tell you what to do, but if it wasn’t too much of a stretch financially I would probably go for it.  There is something to be said for quality.  I was at a gun show yesterday and saw a lot of rifles and scopes that were more expensive than the combo you are looking at, many in “better” combinations of cartridge and scope.  But given the choice between any of them and the combo you found, I’d take the Browning/Leupold Vari-X III.
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Offline conrad101st

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300 Mag
« Reply #19 on: December 05, 2005, 06:41:02 AM »
I've shot a dozen deer with 300 mag and it doesn't damage the meat anymore than any other highpower round.  I always shoot lungs and I don't eat those anyway.  I refuse to take axis shots along the tail or front.  I hate cleaning guts and paunches that have been exploded with high velocity rounds.
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Offline corbanzo

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #20 on: December 05, 2005, 09:27:07 AM »
That is a good rifle at a good price, and I would recommend it.  You can also look the remington 710 package, or weatherby vanguarge package, or the... somebody else like mossberg makes one too, can't remember.  Butyou can get these in a variety of calibers and they a pretty good gun for the price.  You can find them for $375-500 depending on what you are getting.  The one problem is that the scope, which i think almost all are a bushnell, is kind of cheap, and gets knocked out of true after quite a few shots...  but it is still a good first deer gun.
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Offline kenjs1

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well kinda
« Reply #21 on: December 05, 2005, 09:51:20 AM »
Kotupod,  that is a great deal on both rifle and scope if all is in good shape.  As far as the caliber, I hate recoil BUT ...I helped sight in a 300 mag and shot several rounds and was surprised at how manageable it was.   Here comes another BUT.....that was a Savage that had a heavier contour barrel and a little more overall weight and that is the difference.  I have a Browning Stainless Stalker in the lowly 260 and for a round that is supposed to kick with marshmellow shoes that rifle let you know it was going off.  Others commented on it too. A very sharp recoil with some muzzle jump.   I filled the stock with packing peanuts on advice ( yes as crazy as it sounds ) and changed to a Limbsaver recoil pad.  It still jumps but is perfectly pleasant.  I fear that the same rifle shooting bullets weighing 50% more at faster speeds would be asking for it.  we would all hate for you to get a bad case of scope eye the first time you shoot it.   If your A-bolt is wood I don't think there would be a difference as the two weigh the same.  Too bad as I love the rifle.  It is easy to adjust the trigger and has some great features.
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Offline Redhawk1

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #22 on: December 05, 2005, 10:32:37 AM »
To me the 300 Win Mag is a very versatile round. If you can handle the recoil which in my opinion is not bad. Then by all means get it. The price is right. As far as the scope being to much, It might be a little on the high side but will work. You may also find someone to trade a lower power Leupold scope for such as a 3.5X10. JMHO.  :D
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Offline lilabner

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #23 on: December 05, 2005, 10:40:11 AM »
This is the wrong time of year to say there ain't no Santa Claus, but here I go. When I see a nearly new rifle for sale, I wonder why. If somebody gave big bucks for the rifle, why are they selling it so soon? My suspicions are that the rifle failed in some way to meet expectations - usually accuracy. The owner has decided to forego the stock bedding, muzzle recrown etc. that people do trying to make rifles shoot. He wants to get out without throwing good money after bad. I'm not saying that this is true in every case. I've bought used rifles that shot so well I couldn't believe the owners got rid of them. Also, some guys get in financial trouble and have to unload. It's just something to think about.  For that asking price, I'd want to shoot a few groups to see what I was getting into. I'd have the money in hand so the buyer knew I was serious about the purchase. If he turned me down, I'd just forget the rifle.
Good luck to you, and Merry Christmas!!
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Offline beemanbeme

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #24 on: December 05, 2005, 01:01:50 PM »
I voted for the .300 before I read your post about it being your first rifle.  Actually, a .300 will kill a deer a lot deader than he needs to be so now I'll change my opinion.  If this is your first deer rifle, you can't go wrong with a 7-08.  and a good (read mid-priced) 2x7 or, at most, a 3x9x40 scope.
 
A Rem model 7 in 7-08 with a 1.5x5 scope makes one KEWL looking rig.
And it is as effective as it is purdy.
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #25 on: December 05, 2005, 01:31:54 PM »
The rifle is new in box, so I assume it hasn't been shot and if it hasn't been shot I don't see how it can be a problem with how it shoots.
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Offline Ramrod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #26 on: December 05, 2005, 01:33:19 PM »
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The gun is a Browning 300 mag, stainless a-bolt, new in box, with leupold mounts, leupold scope Vari X III 6.5x20x50mm

What! :shock:
I think you would have to look real hard to find a worse choice for a young hunter's first deer gun. Ask the guys recomending it what they bought their kids for a first rifle.
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Offline mjbgalt

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #27 on: December 05, 2005, 01:51:05 PM »
Ramrod, he is not a first time shooter. just that this will be the first rifle he buy on his own, for himself. he told me he shot a .30-06 without troubles.

looks like its about 50/50 now. i think at this point its up to you. lol

see if the shop has any others youre interested in. also check out our classifieds too...GB has a few guns for sale i know.

-Matt
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Offline Zachary

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #28 on: December 05, 2005, 02:04:23 PM »
I bought my own first rifle when I was about 18 or 19 years old.  It was also a Browning A-Bolt I (the original A-Bolt) Stainless Stalker with a Nikon 3x-9x-40mm scope.  The catridge was 7mm Rem Mag.

I picked the 7mm Rem mag because it had great "numbers" - meaning velocity, energy, and trajectory.  Yea, I was young and foolish and placed a great emphasis on these numbers.

Do you want to know what happend?  I MADE A BIG MISTAKE!  That dang rifle kicked me like a mule and I developed a flinch that, to this day, is still with me.  Yes, I have learned to control my flinching to a greater degree, but it's that dang 7mm Rem Mag's fault.

Then I decided to buy the same gun in a .270 Winchester.  Much better choice, but the bug was already with me - flinching.

DON'T DO THE SAME MISTAKE THAT I DID!

Zachary
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Offline Kotupod

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300 Mag For White Tail Deer Hunting?
« Reply #29 on: December 05, 2005, 04:30:02 PM »
Well, good news/bad news guys. My mom doesn't want to drive that far for the gun, so she is going to buy me a new Tikka T3 Lite stainless in 30-06 308, or 270. Or anything around the same price. Any recommendations greater than the Tikka? If so, fell free to recommend!
Thanks,
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