# 300 Win Mag?



## billybass23 (Sep 11, 2007)

I got a new rifle last winter, a 300 mag and am looking to get it ready for an elk hunt this fall. I brought a couple of boxes of 180 grain winchester ammo and am getting ready to sight it in, then get some good practice in. My question was if I wanted it to hit dead on at 300 yards, how high should I have it sighted in at 100? The range I shoot at only goes 100 yards. I've heard it's in the ballpark of 3" high at 100 should put it dead on at 300. Just wondering about this, and anything else those of you who own and hunt with 300 mags might have to say that would be useful. Thanks


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## Loke (Sep 7, 2007)

2 1/2 to 3 inches high should put you pretty close at 300 yards. But the only way to know for sure is to shoot at 300 yards. A couple of boxes is a good start, but I've found that it takes a lot more shooting than that to get to know your rifle. What kind of scope do you have? Most cheap scopes will fail within the first hundred or so shots. If I lasts longer than that, it will probably be a good one. You will want to shoot quite a bit to make sure that screws stay tight. Otherwise you might lose your zero on the hunt. Not the best place for that. There are plenty of places to shoot long distances out in the west desert. Get a good bench, a range finder, and go have some fun.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Lee Kay Center open's up their 300 yard range's a couple time's a week. Not sure which day's though. A good scope will save you a long walk...


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## billybass23 (Sep 11, 2007)

the scope is a leupold and should be a good one. I'll get out and see if I can find somewhere to shoot at 300 yards. But for now I'll focus on getting it hitting where I want at 100. Thanks for the advice


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## apollosmith (Jun 29, 2008)

If you tell us exactly what round you're shooting, I can give you more details. Things vary a bit by the bullet type and muzzle velocity. If you're shooting the 180 grain Super-X Power-Point you'll have to shoot exactly 5 inches high at 100 yards to hit bulls eye at 300 yards. 300 yards is a pretty long zero and is not very advisable because it puts you 6.2" high at 150 yards - and that's pushing the edge of the kill zone. This means you'll have to hold under for a clean kill at that range - and you don't want to have to think about that in the field.

With this round, I'd recommend a zero of around 250 yards. This puts you 3.56" high at 100 yards, 4" high at 150 yards and 4.4" low at 300 yards. This means you can just point and shoot at any big game out to 300 yards and you'll be in the kill zone. Beyond that it drops like a rock (19" low at 400 yards) and you'll need to holdover.

Which Leupold reticle do you have? If you have a duplex, B&C, or Mildot reticle, you can adjust your zero so that different yardages align with reticle lines on the scope.


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## Frisco Pete (Sep 22, 2007)

+1 to the above. The .300 WM is a flat shooting round and a 250 yd zero takes care of most hunting situations without you shooting too high at normal ranges, as was pointed out.
You can buy a ballistics program for your computer and figure things out for yourself as well.


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## apollosmith (Jun 29, 2008)

Frisco Pete said:


> You can buy a ballistics program for your computer and figure things out for yourself as well.


PointBlank is a good and FREE ballistics program. A new version is scheduled for release soon.


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## El Matador (Dec 21, 2007)

I prefer to sight my guns in 1.5 to 2 inches high at 100, and then learn the trajectory for shots past 250 yards. I just feel that 3 or 4 inches off at any range is too much for me. My thinking is that I'll be using a rangefinder on anything past 200 or 250 anyway, and its not much trouble to carry a drop chart or at least memorize your drop for 300, 350, 400. Without a rangefinder, and a 250 yd zero, just be sure you know what 300 yards looks like. If its really 350 and you guess 300 you're gonna miss or get a bad hit. 

The best way to practice is to go out in the desert and shoot stuff. Either shoot small rocks or set up targets at random distances. Practice as though you are hunting, with the rest and equipment you use while hunting. I think most people would agree that if you can't hit a gallon jug 100% of the time at any particular range, that would be too far of a shot to attempt while hunting. If you don't have a rangefinder this is also a good way to improve your range estimation skills.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

El Matador said:


> If you don't have a rangefinder this is also a good way to improve your range* estimation* skills.


Everything I shoot is at 400 yards...plus or minus an inch....

2.6" billybass23


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## billybass23 (Sep 11, 2007)

Apollo, I am shooting the supper x powerpoint winchester bullets. I went out to the range today and spent alot of time just getting on paper, but an now about a half inch high at 100. once my shoulder recovers I'll head back and try to get 3.5" high at 100, and there is a target I can shoot at 200, so I'll look to be 4" high at that distance. Thanks for the advice. And I don't think my scope has dots or anything to set.


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## El Matador (Dec 21, 2007)

With that load, you can go to Winchester's website and find that it has muzzle velocity: 2960 fps and ballistic coefficient: .438 Now go to this Ballistic Calculator and you can input those numbers. It lets you choose where you want to zero so you can play around with the trajectory. For your load, zero at 300 yards, you would be 3.7 inches high at 100 yards and 4.6 inches high at 150-175. Most people would agree that is too much for a deer rifle, but of course its all up to you :mrgreen:


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