Is 300WSM "Too Much" for deer?

[ladiver]

I am looking at buying a new hunting rifle and want to get a good all around gun for deer, elk and anything else I choose. Is the 300wsm a good option, or is it too much for the mule deer? Is there a bullet that would work well that is lead free and good between 150 and 300 yards?

Thanks,

 

[josecasillas]

Re: Is 300WSM "Too Much" for deer?

Great round! Not too much either. I shoot 300 winmag. U get lots of knockdown power and can shoot way far. It all depends on what u want. Lots of people say it is too big for our local deer. But I know lots of people that shoot those calibers or even bigger here. I say go for it!

 

[Josh Pearson]

I was in the same predicament as you last season. I think 300WSM is probably overkill for socal deer hunting but I wanted something that could take elk as well so I went ahead and bought a rifle chambered in 300WSM. Haven't killed anything with it yet but it shoots 165gr federal trophy copper real well. I'm sure NBK will chime in he knows that cartridge well.

 

[longbowhunter2]

yes I think it's over kill. but then again you have use what you got

Ghost

 

[Snake Charmer]

A bit more than you need but you will do fine plus you're good to go if you decide to do an elk or just about anything else in North America

 

[uplandfam]

can you really have too much? i mean if one reloads one can get just about any bulley type from light to heavy as well as load light or heavy for power or not. My dad has brought down may mule deer with a 45-70 he used barnes and hornaday lead free and they expand every time with no exit and the deer is dead on the spot. no running so if you can find a good load for the bullet that you need for the game you are shooting and go get em.

 

[ladiver]

Well, in 10 days, i will have a new 300wsm in the safe!!!!

Thanks for the feedback. This season, I will use off the shelf ammo. Next year, I may give a try to hand loads.

 

[Bonejour]

Re: Is 300WSM "Too Much" for deer?

Well, in 10 days, i will have a new 300wsm in the safe!!!!

Well there you go. I guess .300wsm will be just fine for deer!
These larger rounds leave a big wound and tract, so shot placement will be a little more important to avoid wasting meat.

 

[Shmee22]

Re: Is 300WSM "Too Much" for deer?

Well depends on if your trophy or meat hunting. If the shot is not placed right then you can say goodbye to that section of the deer as far as meat goes, but for large elk it's perfect. Congrats on the new rifle!


Sent from my iPhone

 

[NBK]

The 300 WSM is an all around great cartridge. It has surpassed the 300 Winchester Magnum in popularity (according the ammo manufacturers) and has many advantages over it's cousin the 300 WM.

It is built off of the belt-less .404 Jeffery's case which is the first advantage. It has a 35º shoulder which improves the cartridge's efficiency. This is the primary reason why it can equal the 300 WM velocities with 10% less powder. In theory it has about 2 ft pounds less free recoil than the 300 WM in a average weight rifle (all things being equal). Regardless, 24-26 ft pounds of recoil is noticeable to most and uncomfortable for some. The woes of magnum cartridges pushing medium to large bullets.

The cartridge is a short action so there are two advantages. A shorter powder column has been proven to produce better accuracy (example: benchrest cases) and the short actions used on the rifles are stiffer and don't flex - another accuracy gain

The cartridge is best suited for 165-168 grain bullets (although its shoots all of the standard 30 caliber bullets quite well). You can enjoy about a 70-100 FPS increase over the 300 WM when using the bullet weights above.

Game has been harassed by 30 caliber magnums for years and are certainly overpowered for all big game in the lower 48. With that said, in the right hands, the 300 WSM is capable of taking all North American big game at extended ranges and has become one of my favorite cartridges. It looks different, it is a short action cartridge, it is very efficient, reloads well, shoots flat and strikes game as if hit by a freight train.

Yup, it is overpowered for mule deer but "shock and awe" is what America is all about! Heck, Lungpopper hunts everything that walks with a .338 WM!

You made a great choice! I will always own one and can't begin to explain how well it works on game. Keep us posted on your results. -

And besides, if it doesn't work out you can always trade it in on a .260 Rem! ;D


For a good comparison the 300WSM is the 4th cartridge from the right and the 300WM is the 5th from the right...

 

[Lungpopper]

Better to over kill em than under kill em. ;D

 

[NBK]

Forgot to add that meat destruction is more of a by-product from poor shot placement and low integrity bullets than anything else. One of my favorites, the 7mm Rem Mag blows a lot more meat than the 300 WSM.

Just saying...

So tell us about what rifle you bought and how you will be setting up your rig.

 

[ladiver]

What lead me to the new rifle? (It is all my wife's fault ) ;-)

I knew I was going to start hunting this year, so I asked lots of questions of those I know and research on the web. I pretty much decided 30-06 would be my best option and I had limited rifles to the Rem700 (if I could find an older one), Browning X-Bolt or Tikka T-3. I could not find any quality used Rem700's, so that was out. The X-Bolt seemed nice, until I handled the Tikka. MY decision was made. Tikka T-3 Lite with synthetic stock in 30-06. Bass Pro has them on sale with a free case right now, so off we go. I handled the Tikka in both wood and synthetic stocks. The salesman mentioned that the checkering on the wood might be a little less slick. My hands sweat quite a bit normally, so that may be an issue. I agreed that wood might be better. Ready to check out at the gun counter when the wife arrives..."Why not that one? It is pretty."

She was pointing to a Sako 85 Bavarian in 300wsm. I handled it, said I had not even considered that level of gun and I had done no research. Thankfully we were there at closing and could not process the paperwork on any new gun that late. So, I came home and did more research and asked more questions. Everything pointed to the Sako being an excellent rifle and the 300wsm being an overall excellent round. So Saturday afternoon, off to Bass Pro again. We looked at the Sako again (she still thinks it is pretty) and we agree, buy once and buy right. Salesman asks how we are going to pay and I pull out my Amex. He said no and handed me a credit app. Then said I could save over $300 if I put it on their card. OK, fine I agree and filled out the app. Now the wife thinks she is awesome because she saved me almost $300! I have not reminded her that it is still $1300 more than I was planning on spending. I need to keep reminding myself not to bring her along when I buy guns. She always seems to convince me to get bigger and better. I guess that is a good problem to have.

I am now looking at different options for a scope. I had planned on getting a $600 rifle so I could "justify" a $600-$1000 scope. Now I am not sure what scope to get. I have always said optics are probably more important than the rifle and spending more on the glass than the gun is a good thing. If I follow my own advice, my $1500 hunting rifle quickly becomes a $5000 beast.

As soon as I figure it out and get everything, I will take pics and post.

Thanks everyone.

 

[josecasillas]

Re: Is 300WSM "Too Much" for deer?

The 300 WSM is an all around great cartridge. It has surpassed the 300 Winchester Magnum in popularity (according the ammo manufacturers) and has many advantages over it's cousin the 300 WM.

It is built off of the belt-less .404 Jeffery's case which is the first advantage. It has a 35º shoulder which improves the cartridge's efficiency. This is the primary reason why it can equal the 300 WM velocities with 10% less powder. In theory it has about 2 ft pounds less free recoil than the 300 WM in a average weight rifle (all things being equal). Regardless, 24-26 ft pounds of recoil is noticeable to most and uncomfortable for some. The woes of magnum cartridges pushing medium to large bullets.

The cartridge is a short action so there are two advantages. A shorter powder column has been proven to produce better accuracy (example: benchrest cases) and the short actions used on the rifles are stiffer and don't flex - another accuracy gain

The cartridge is best suited for 165-168 grain bullets (although its shoots all of the standard 30 caliber bullets quite well). You can enjoy about a 70-100 FPS increase over the 300 WM when using the bullet weights above.

Game has been harassed by 30 caliber magnums for years and are certainly overpowered for all big game in the lower 48. With that said, in the right hands, the 300 WSM is capable of taking all North American big game at extended ranges and has become one of my favorite cartridges. It looks different, it is very efficient, reloads well, shoots flat and strikes game as if hit by a freight train.

Yup, it is overpowered for mule deer but "shock and awe" is what America is all about! Heck, Lungpopper hunts everything that walks with a .338 WM!

You made a great choice! I will always own one and can't begin to explain how well it works on game. Keep us posted on your results. -

And besides, if it doesn't work out you can always trade it in on a .260 Rem! ;D


For a good comparison the 300WSM is the 4th cartridge from the right and the 300WM is the 5th from the right...

I was waiting for ur post John. U always know what to say. Like LP said, better over kill then under kill8)

 

[NBK]

That's a great story Ladiver...and your wife sure knows how to pick out a great rifle. The Sako 85 is arguably the finest production rifle in the world. And that is not an understatement.

I would look very hard at the new Leupold VX-6. For the money, they are the sharpest and toughest scope made. We have some Zeiss and Swarovski's in the shop and when you compare them side by side to the new Leupold, your jaw will drop. The new VX-6 is no less than amazing.

Nice stuff man. Can't wait to see the picture of your rig and even better, the game it smashes!

 

[Bonejour]

Re: Is 300WSM "Too Much" for deer?

Awesome story ladiver. John, I'll be bringing my wife by the shop this week... NOT!
Lol

 

[Sdbirds]

I was in the same predicament as you last season. I think 300WSM is probably overkill for socal deer hunting but I wanted something that could take elk as well so I went ahead and bought a rifle chambered in 300WSM. Haven't killed anything with it yet but it shoots 165gr federal trophy copper real well. I'm sure NBK will chime in he knows that cartridge well.

Ya you get to use it this year. O wait I forgot your gay I mean coyote only what ever you let me down