Thread: 300 PRC thoughts for a new guy

As a hunting round, it will be the same as a 300 Win Mag (which has killed millions of deer big and small, at short range and at long range). Exactly which 30cal magnum it is that sends the 180+ grain bullet in the deer's direction at mach 3 is immaterial. And whilst you can't make a deer too dead, you can certainly destroy more meat than strictly necessary in the process.

I have heard of 215gr Bergers and zipping through hinds shot behind the shoulder - but only because that particular bullet does need to hit something quite solid to start off the expansion reliably. You aren't going to have that kind of problem with something like the ELD-X (which will basically start to expand if it so much as clips a blade of grass).

Would 300prc be a suitable pick for a first hunting rifle? It's a big cartridge. And hunting rifles tend to be on the lighter side. Light rifles chambered in big cartridges become a handful to shoot. Rifles that are a handful to shoot need a fair bit of practice to master. But paradoxically, the ammo being so expensive and the rifle wanting to kick the shit out of you every time you look at it makes the idea of lots of practice highly unappealing. This leads to a lot of people who buy magnums as first rifles into developing flinches, not putting the time in to develop their skills to manage the recoil, and as a result screwing up shots when it counts. Unless you have the first-hand knowledge of why you wouldn't fall into that trap, I would consider buying something like a 7mm08 or a 6.5 Creedmoor.