Another (but different) which ammo is better thread

B

BigRugby

Inactive
Here's a picture of three different brands of the same round. All 180 grain .300 win mag. Some have more lead exposed in the bullet than others. So which one's the best? Or does it not really matter?

Not like a deer can survive anything coming from a .300 win mag, but will one be more effective or mushroom better than the others?
 

Attachments

  • Ammo.jpg
    Ammo.jpg
    34.6 KB · Views: 34
"Not like a deer can survive anything coming from a .300 win mag,"

I'll bite. A deer may not survive a poor hit from a 300 mag but a bad hit from a 300 mag won't kill it any quicker than a good hit from a .308/3006.
Using medium weight bullets in a 300 mag often results in wasted meat-if that makes any difference. Using heavier bullets may result in poor expansion and a lot of energy wasted on the landscape.
I used to hunt deer with 7mm and 300 mags but I can't stand the recoil anymore. I do just as well with flat shooting smaller calibers using bullets that are optimum for deer sized game.
 
All ammo manufacturers have websites and will tell you what the bullets are designed for. Also the intended range and the velocity of the impact at those ranges is most important. I shot a small framed buck several years ago when I was on the partition wagon. At 200 yards thru both shoulders the deer ran about 300 yards. Only reason it stopped there is it was pushing itself with it's back legs and came up to some roots that were sticking up too high to get over. I sure wished I had a smaller rifle for the second/finishing shot. I know that's not the norm but it does happen. I shoot softer bullets but usually a premium bonded bullets in my 300'sidexside now. I also shoot behind the shoulder now to save meat.
 
Too many variables to say. Knowing the brand of bullets will tell more than just looking at a photo of the bullets. Some brands are made for different purposes and is impossible to say with the limited info.

Bullets are either very "soft" meaning they expand quickly, or they are very "hard" meaning they expand slower. And there are many degrees in between. Each has it's place and each will fail if asked to do a job it isn't designed to do.

The shape also determines how fast they will be traveling at ranges beyond about 200 yards. A very aerodynamic bullet will be considerably faster at 300 yards or farther even if it starts at the same speed. Speed at impact has an effect on how the bullets perform.

A really soft bullet expands a lot. At close range and at 300 WM speeds they may expand so rapidly they don't penetrate enough and may fail. A 170 gr 30-30 will out penetrate many 180 gr 300 WM bullets at close range. But the softer bullets work well at longer ranges where the speed is much slower. Or when fired from 308 or 30-06 rifles.

Harder bullets are designed for larger game where deep penetration is required to reach vital organs even from less than perfect angles. They often expand less. They may not put game down as fast as quicker expanding bullets. While it may take a few seconds longer for an animal to fall down, they rarely completely fail.

Any of the bullets in the photo will likely work on deer at reasonable ranges. None seem to be very aerodynamic and would likely not be the best choice for extreme long range.
 
BigRugby said:
Here's a picture of three different brands of the same round. All 180 grain .300 win mag. Some have more lead exposed in the bullet than others. So which one's the best? Or does it not really matter?
Click to expand...

What makes you think there will be any difference that can be told from looking at the bullets in three different ammunition loads but essentially the same type of bullet? The only thing that will matter to you is to take all three types of ammunition to the range and shoot groups. The one that groups the best consistently in your rifle is the one you should buy to hunt with. Go shoot them and take a picture of your groups and then we can give you advice on which ammunition to use.
 
From left to right: Remington Core Lokt, Winchester Super X Power Point, and Federal Powershock. I wanted to see if more/less lead exposed and if a higher/lower copper jacket on the bullet was anything to consider in the better ammo debate. It was also to eliminate the opinions from keyboard wariors, "I read this online multiple times, therefore I need to hunt with the $43/box ammo and the $39/box ammo is just absolute junk!"

I originally bought the .300 win mag for elk and black bear hunting. Then liked it so much I'd rather shoot it than my old 30-06. A lot of people online said that they use them for deer and have had better results with the 180 grain vs the 150 grain ammo. Yes, I do understand that shot placement is far more important than what caliber or ammo you are using.

As for my groupings, they were all so similar that all three rounds would work fine out in the field where my gun wasn't in a stand. So many other factors would make a larger difference.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top