Need some Rifle help

[Leef]

My son drew a highly coveted Mule Deer tag in New Mexico. I have been out of the rifle game for some time, so looking for advice. I have a 300 Weatherby Mag synthetic stock. It hasn’t been shot in years and I need to sight it in at around 300 yards. Thoughts on that particular gun for that range? Also, I could buy him a gun for this hunt. What would the perfect gun be? Thanks…

[RifleBowPistol]

The 300 Weatherby would be a great caliber for that purpose, no reason not to use it.

[S-3 Ranch]

.300 180gr nosler partitions +1.5 @ 100 yards
It’s basically point and shoot from 5- 350 yards

Buying a different gun for the west , 6.5mm - 35 whelen , with lots of stuff to chose from
260 , 6.5-284 , 270, 6.7 western, 28 nosler

[Artos]

Have him shoot the gun...if he's comfortable & it shoots well, hunt it.

I much prefer to have my guns about 1-1.5" high & then dope if a long shot is needed. Practice at the longer ranges to get an idea of hold over.

Put a GOOD scope on it...this is important.

[tdwinklr]

even better would be to KNOW the distance you're shooting or the rest is all for naught. Many people forget to practice judging distances first.

[hopedale]

If he can shoot the rifle with no issues, and you can find the ammo, by all means use it.

If you're going to check out a new rifle, I'm sold on the 308 for my next one. Mostly because if it were to get a new rifle, I want it to be lite, and every store that sells ammo I see 308 on the shelf.

[Kingfisher789]

I’m in the get a great scope and a range finder camp

[Diamond07]

I might be biased ��but this would be a great rifle. I specifically bought it for hunting out west.

https://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=843042

[Sackett]

How big is your son? Is there a muzzle break on the 300 Weatherby Mag? Has he shot magnum cartridges before? If not, I’d be Leary of him shooting it unless y’all spend some time at the range seeing how he reacts to its recoil. A coveted hunt is not the place to “think it should work”.

[Drycreek3189]

Mule deer aren’t bulletproof. Any rifle that works for whitetail deer will work for mule deer. It’s the bullet construction and the shooter that kill for the most part. That said, leave the 30-30s and the 22-250s at home.

[dustoffer]

I zeroed my .25-06 at +1" at 100 and then doped it out to 300. Printed off the table and taped it inside the ammo sleeve--easy to range the target, refer to the chart, and adjust if needed. However, since I don't shoot beyond 250 yds it was hold middle of mass and slam them.

[bboswell]

300 Roy is excessive for mule deer but if your son shoots it well it will work great.

Add a quality scope with adjustable turrets and shoot enough to learn THAT guns dope. Do not rely on trajectory or velocity posted on any Ammo box or manufacture website

[Bigfootwolff]

As others have said, if your son shoots your Weatherby well, with recoil being a non-issue for him, then he will be fine with that caliber. If the gun's recoil seems to be a bit much for him to accurately shoot out to 300 yards and beyond, I would seriously consider having him select a different rifle and caliber. There are plenty of great rifle rounds that have moderate recoil, flat trajectories, and plenty of energy to take a mule deer. In addition, ammunition cost, if he chooses to shoot factory ammunition, will be much cheaper than .300 Weatherby ammunition, especially if he wants to spend some time practicing at distance. In my mind the .25-06, the .270 Win, and .30-06 are great choices in long action cartridges. The 6.5 Creedmoor, 7mm-08, and .308 Win would be great short action choices. Obviously bullet selection is important as well. I know there are other calibers that will do the job, I just included some of the more popular cartridges with proven track records, and also those calibers where factory ammo is normally plentiful on store shelves.

Another factor to consider is rifle weight. If he chooses a light weight mountain rifle, he might want to lean toward one of the lighter recoiling rounds above. I am not sure what type of hunting style he will be afforded while in New Mexico. If it will be driving around and glassing deer and then exit the truck for a short stalk, then a standard or even heavier weight rifle might suffice. If he is going to be hiking several miles a day in rough/steep terrain, the lighter weight rifle will likely serve him well.

The key is going to be ensuring he puts in the amount of time at the range to develop confidence in his rifle/caliber choice, particularly at the distances he anticipates shooting. A heavy recoiling magnum caliber is not necessary (although it will absolutely get the job done), so better to have him not develop a flinching habit and still be able to consistently hit his exact aiming point at distance. If he chooses to get a new rifle, there are some great rifles being manufactured that will easily produce sub-MOA groups and still not break the bank. Backfire TV on YouTube has done some great rifle testing from cheaper sub $350 rifles up to higher end rifles. There is some great info contained in those videos. Standouts include the Ruger American in the budget class, up to the Tikka T3x, Weatherby Vanguard, and Bergara B-14 in the under $750 price range. Obviously there are plenty of other choices like the Remington 700, Ruger M77, Winchester Model 70, and Browning A/X Bolts.

I would also second what others have said about making sure he has a good quality scope and good rangefinder. Whatever direction he chooses to go, practice wil produce confidence, so when he is presented with a shot on the Mule deer buck of a lifetime and his heart is pounding, he will be able to make an accurate shot and come away with a clean ethical kill on a great buck.

[db@100]

I've taken a bunch of them with a .280 Rem. out to 400 yds.

[Fmjag64]

300 will work all day long. 243 will get the job done as well and my first choice would be 270 if i had options in front of me.