The Very Best .30 caliber Hunting Cartridge

[Shawnee]

....is unquestionably the .300 H&H Magnum.

In this country there is a sect that clings to our military calibers, namely the .308 and the 30-ought-weenie, but mindless worship at the throne of Military Intelligence often does not equate to being right.

The .300 H&H Magnum leaves both the American military .30 calibers in the dust but, just as importantly, it does something else that neither of the U.S. .30 caliber service calibers do.

While the .308 and 30-ought-dimwit will certainly shoot all the varied bullet weights available in .30 caliber out the barrel - the .300 H&H Magnum sets itself apart from the riff-raff by shooting all those bullet weights very well. And that also puts it ahead of the much-vaunted, bucket-of-powder .300 Win. Mag. too. It's no accident that the .300 H&H Magnum has won at the Wimbledon 1000-yd. matches and many other international level competitions too.

Now of course someone will mention the .308 Norma Magnum or its' more modern equivilant, the .30/.338. Indeed those are both good rounds but their desireability stems from the facts that they; a.) handle the heavier (200gr. and 220gr.) bullets better than anything, and b.) they work through a standard-length action. They are less adept with the lighter .30 caliber bullets than is the .300 H&H Magnum.

To put it in simpler terms, the .300 H&H Magnum can be likened to the wonderful .22lr while the 30-ought-antique is just a .22 short and the .308 is merely a CB cap.

What a pity American manufacturers (or their namesakes, rather) do not offer good rifles in the .300 H&H Magnum. I wonder if they look at the American service caliber worshipers and figure they are so geared to Mess-Hall "Cuisine" they wouldn't recognize a much better cartridge if you served it to them on a silver platter anyway.

 

[Auburn1992]

Well, you have fun paying $60/box while the 300 win mag can do even better ballistics wise for nearly half the cost. And looking at ballistics on Federal's website, I see that the velocity is 100 fps faster with the 300 Win Mag and it has 200 ft/lbs more.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Shawnee, I think sometimes that you are overly diplomatic. Occasionally, one just has to say what is on one's mind without overconcern for the reader's feelings. And, using a more in-your-face writing voice can really help push readers out of their comfort zone and get them thinking.

Just some food for thought...

 

[RNB65]

OK.

 

[Bearhands]

and thankfully... the throngs of "mindless worshipping" hunters who have taken game with the "30-ought-dimwit" never discovered or needed the 300 H&H, or maybe it wouldn't be all but obsolete in America.Then they could all be British caliber worshippers and eat their "Mess-Hall Cuisine" off of silver platters! LOL

 

[moooose102]

being in love with the 300 H&H magum, i can understand your point of veiw! it can be handloaded to much better preformance than what is listed for factory loads. my father's winchester mod. 70 was chambered for this. it was my first taste of shooting something powerfull. i will always have a soft warm place in my heart for that cartridge and gun. i do own a 300 win mag. at the time, there were no 300 h&h's available, and my wife bought this for our aniversary present. (nice gift!!!) anyway. now, with the retail prices, if you have to purchase new ammunition, you had better be rich. if you can reload, it costs no more to shoot this than it does any other magnum (untill you have to replace the brass). it is a wonderful cartridge, and only a select few will ever really appreciate what it really is. mostly because theie heads are stuck in a balistics table, and the american "bigger is better" attitude. if i got the chance to trade my gun for my fathers 300 h&h, i would do it in a heartbeat. i would have a lot of backpeddaling to do with the mrs., but it would be worth it.

 

[JWarren]

I needed to get a better understanding of this before I posted.

While getting another cup of coffee, I went and opened my deep freeze.

When posed with the question, the deer sausage that dad got with his "30-ought-weenie" and the venison round steaks that I got with my .308 both felt that they would not be more dead had they been shot with the .300 H&H Magnum.

The backstrap taken with a .45-70 during primative weapon season just rocked back and forth in a fetal position and said nothing....



-- John

 

[NCsmitty]

I had a 300 H&H back some 40 years ago in a 1917 US Enfield. It would feed ammo slicker than snot with its shallow sloped casing but ammo for it was expensive even back then. I think I traded it for a 30-06 in an Enfield. I was happier with the ammo being dirt cheap. The 308 Norma mag and 300 Winchester Mag cases are just more efficient. Man, I wish I had those Enfields back though.

NCsmitty

 

[rbernie]

Technically, I agree that the 300H&H Mag is the most VERSATILE 30-cal hunting round. But there are a number of technical reasons why it's suboptimal for most hunting purposes (not the least of which is its OAL) and one very practical reason - for most North American hunting, we can humanely drop game using shorter cartidges that are more economical.

Some folks want to drive a Hummvee to work. Some folks use a Civic. Both vehicles will get my fanny to work. One uses less gas. The other has a broader performance envelope. Which is right?

 

[Jim Watson]

I don't know of anything I do with a .30-06 that a .300 H&H would do noticeably better. If I want more gun than an '06, I want a LOT more gun.

 

[db_tanker]

JWarren,

I am glad that you were able to find understanding...


while I am glad that Shawnee has respect and such for a great cartridge such as the old Holland and Holland...I can't really see where this is a pertinent thread here in Rifle Country...in fact, it would almost seem like he is tempting some to wage an internet argument...God forbid.

 

[22-rimfire]

As primarily a whitetail hunter, I tend to skip over the magnum smaller 30-calibers (300 H&H, 7mm, 300 win mag, etc.) in favor of less recoil and almost as much effect on game with the 270, 30-06, 308 type cartridges. But if I lived in the west and hunted elk or tried to make 300 yd+ shots at mule deer, I'd have one in a flash.

My general feeling is that I would jump to 338 mag or 375 H&H if I have a desire for a larger 30-caliber preformance such as for dangerous game or even elk.

 

[cerberus65]

30-ought-weenie ... 30-ought-dimwit

Name calling is not very high road. Plus you're almost guaranteed to alienate any potential converts long before they make it through your reasonings. I, for example, despise a certain software company in Redmond, WA but I always refer to them by their proper name because I noticed folks used to get hung up on my name calling and didn't pay attention to my very well thought out reasons for disliking them and refusing to give them any money. The .30-06 is a trade-off like every other cartridge. If there really were one perfect cartridge for every application then I'm certain that all the smart people out there would have gravitated to it already.

 

[ozwyn]

seems like the disrespected .30 calibers of the original poster have done their jobs just fine for over a century.

why spend more than you have to if you have a proven, well aged cartridge that fundamentally WORKS for the job at hand?

Perfection is too expensive when "good enough to consistently, reliably and effectively save lives and put food on the table" is less than half the price.

If anything the economics of the round make perfection imperfect to the extreme.

 

[Art Eatman]

Well, see, what you guys don't understand is that the H&H kills stuff DEADER than the other cartridges.

See, what took me years to figure out was why, after I'd cut and wrapped Bambi and put him in the freezer, he kept jumping out. HE WASN'T DEAD ENOUGH!!!

Oh, the shame! To have used a little weenie-cartridge like the '06! Mea culpa, mea culpa.

So, go thou and sin no more.



Art

 

[Geno]

This thread, the OP at least, is a great example of affirmation bias. First, one has to establish the criteria for what constitutes the "best".

In a recent survey of 1,500 dead deer, I found not one single deer willing to go on-the-record claiming that the .30-06 Sprg. did not kill them. They had ultimately to admit that the .30-06 did "best" them. I next atempted to survey 1,500 dead deer felled to the lowly .30-30 Win. While these deer were more humbled to have been harvested by such a light-powered cartridge, they had to fess-up, that yes, the .30-30 "bested" them.

In sum, the data seem to support a conclusion that the cartridge that harvested each of these dead deer must have been the "best" on that day and time.

Doc2005

 

[K3]

Name calling is not very high road. Plus you're almost guaranteed to alienate any potential converts long before they make it through your reasonings. I, for example, despise a certain software company in Redmond, WA but I always refer to them by their proper name because I noticed folks used to get hung up on my name calling and didn't pay attention to my very well thought out reasons for disliking them and refusing to give them any money. The .30-06 is a trade-off like every other cartridge. If there really were one perfect cartridge for every application then I'm certain that all the smart people out there would have gravitated to it already.

I doubt he's looking for converts. He has a favorite cartridge, and he's having some fun. Lighten up and don't be so sensitive.

Your .30-ought-wimpy is still OK for squirrel season.

I bet my .300win-bucket-mag might even work on today's armor plated Texas Whitetails. As long as my shots are no more than 50 yards.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

sheesh.....

Shoot your eargensflittenloudenboomer,I'll shoot my antiques and enjoy the fruits thereof. We both will be happy. I can't believe I actually wasted this much time on this.

 

[RNB65]

This thread, the OP at least, is a great example of affirmation bias.

I believe the correct term is trolling.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

Well, see, what you guys don't understand is that the H&H kills stuff DEADER than the other cartridges.

Of course!
:From The Princess Bride:

Inigo Montoya: He's dead. He can't talk.
Miracle Max: Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. Mostly dead is slightly alive. With all dead, well, with all dead there's usually only one thing you can do.
Inigo Montoya: What's that?
Miracle Max: Go through his clothes and look for loose change.

There, I have an internet cite. It must be true.

 

[Art Eatman]

Aw, well. Every now and then a fella's gotta go fishin' for suckers.

 

[cerberus65]

Hmm. Didn't think I was being sensitive but oh well...

As requested, lightening up...

OP, that sect you refer to is actually the biggest mega-church you've ever seen! Our sound system gets turned up to 11 every Sunday just to guarantee everyone in the back can hear.

And we hereby excommunicate you. Please drop off any firearms and ammo that you possess in .308 or .30-06 with the nearest member as you leave the building. Oh, and don't let the door hit you in the ...

Well you get the idea.

Hope that's not too lightened up! Just having fun...

 

[Shawnee]

LOLOLOL !

Thought I would wake you lads up with something to add some zest to your morning latte.

Personally, I actually think the "best" .30 caliber hunting cartridge is the 30/30 - but I know you thirty-ought-silly guys will pooh-pooh that too. Had to pick the lovely H&H to shunt all the goofy velocity/energy/range/bullet choice barbs that you would have fired at the thutty-thutty.

Anyone with bowhunting and/or handgun hunting experience can appreciate the emminent suitability of the 30/30 for American hunting - regardless of species. But, as someone above already mentioned - if we all thought alike we'd all be after the same sweetheart and that's no fun.

Alas, as long as the '06-maidens continue to recommend the vastly over-rated 'Ought-silly for everything from potting squirrels to curing baldness , I will probably continue to sling an ornery dart at it once in a while.

 

[berettashotgun]

Funny, my favorite 30 caliber weapon is the Mini-30 and the round it fires 'seems' to work excellent on S.E. Ok deer.
It sure is hard to beat the -06

 

[Art Eatman]

Hey, Jeff Cooper's daughter summed up the old ought-six pretty well, and I never argue with a lady...

"There aren't many things that a man can't fix,
With seven-hundred dollars and a .30-'06."

, Art