From: bc@col.hp.com (Bryan Call)
Newsgroups: rec.hunting
Subject: Re: .300 Win Mag loads & Recoil
Date: 6 Nov 92 14:51:12 GMT
Article-I.D.: doug.1992Nov6.085112.12575
Originator: hunting@osnome.che.wisc.edu

In article <1992Nov5.085417.6672@doug.cae.wisc.edu> you write:
> 
> I am new to the newsgroup, but I have been a hunter in Georgia for
> over 15 years ( quail, dove, rabbit, squirrel, fox & deer ).
> 
> I am going to be taking a trip to a private ranch in Montana next
> year to hunt Mule deer, and Antelope, but from reading the messages on
> this newsgroup I have become interested in Elk hunting. This brings me

If you get out West, definitely try to go Elk hunting.  They are the 
something else, both to hunt and to eat.

> to a two-part question. I currently hunt with a .35 Remington (200gr load)
> for whitetail deer in the thick pine forests of southern georgia. I
> know that this is an inadequate load to use out west ( to say the least ).

I retired my 30-30 and my 7.62mm Russian when I moved to Colorado from 
Florida, fourteen years ago.

> I have at my disposal a .300 Win Mag to use of my fathers. What is the best 
> load with this caliber for Mule deer, Antelope & Elk. ( I cannot afford
> to buy a new gun for this trip so I will have to use what is at hand ).

I have used a .300 Win Mag for the past 12 years.  I use it for all of 
my big game hunting from Antelope to Elk as well as the limited Bear 
hunting I have done (never shot no Bear though).  I originally bought a 
range of loads to try on the different game.  You can get factory loads 
for the .300 in 150grain, 180 grain, and 200 grain.  There might be others
available from other suppliers but I use Remmington Core Lock or Federal
Premium.  Those two brands give me nearly identical impact points for my
patterns.  Other brands I have tried have different impact points at 100 
yards, sometimes many inches different.  For the past several years I have
exclusively utilized the 180 grain for all spicies.  The reason is primarily
one of consistency.  Usually the shooting distances we get at game here in 
the West is relatively long range.  Using one load for all game allows me  
to commit the ballistics data to memory and only worry about accurately 
estimating the range to get off a fairly quick yet effective shot.  If you
sight in a 180 grain Remmington factory load for 200 yards, it will be only
6 inches down at 300 yards.  I sight in for 250 and can essentially hold 
dead on out to 300 yards.  The 180 grain bullet will handle Elk just fine 
and does not tear up the smaller game as some folks would lead you to 
believe.
> 
> My next question is about recoil. I have always been curious about the
> different leveks of recoil of calibers that I have never fired. If one uses
> a .30-06 or .270 as a base-line of 100, what is the level of felt recoil
> of a .7mm, .300 Win Mag, .338 Win Mag & the .375 H&H ? What about the 
> corresponding Weatherby loads (.300, .340 & .378 ) ?
> 
Recoil depends upon a number of factors other than the round designation.
For a given gun you can change the recoil characteristics by changing the 
power charge or type.  More power, more velocity, more recoil.  Some of 
the powers burn slower than others and tend to spread the kick over a 
longer period of time, giving a slower more gradual feel to the recoil.
Another major factor in the recoil is the weight of the rifle.  Light 
weight rifles will tend to kick more than heavier ones with the same 
round.  The most irritating gun I ever fired was a friends .243 feather
weight that he got for his wife to hunt with.  The light weight and fast
burning power used in the load gave a very sharp but short duration kick
which I found very objectionable.

In general, the kick of any of the mags will be far greater than the 
.30-06.  The .300 is greater than the 7mm.  The .338 is even more.  The 
Weatherby loads are a little hotter than the standards and will kick
a little more.  The .375 and .378 can really hurt you if you get careless
with your hold.  They are more gun than I care to use and definately more
than I need.   

Shoot the gun before you decide to buy (I know you are borrowing) and 
definitely before you hunt.  I do not feel recoil when hunting.  I think
this is typical.  However, recoil on the bench can be a problem for some.
It causes some people to flinch, making it difficult for them to accurately
sight in their rifle.  Although the anticipated recoil does not make me 
flinch, a long session on the bench with either my 7mm or .300 will give 
me a sore shoulder.  To prevent this I usually slip a foam pad under my
shirt covering the sholder area during bench sessions.  You can also 
purchase a shooting pad for a reasonable price, but I guess I'm just too
cheap to buy one when the foam is free and works just fine.  One of my
hunting buddies has a bad shoulder and a recently cracked collar bone.
He bought one of the pads and used it during hunting to prevent more
damage to his sholder.  It appeared to work just fine.

> Thanks for your time and consideration. I am sure that someone out there
> has experience with all of these loads.
> 
> Good Hunting.
> 
> 
> -- 
> BUTLER,GARY MICHAEL
> Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
> uucp:     ...!{decvax,hplabs,ncar,purdue,rutgers}!gatech!prism!gt5060b
> Internet: gt5060b@prism.gatech.edu
> 
> 
=============================================================================
Bryan Call (719)590-5772  |All opinions expressed here are mine & mine alone.
Hewlett-Packard Co.       |  But then, I've never let that stop me before.     
Colorado Springs Div      |--------------------------------------------------
P.O. BOX 617              |    Many of my most memorable hunting experiences
Colorado Springs, Co 80901| have come on trips where I never fired a shot.
bc@col.hp.com             | 
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Newsgroups: rec.hunting