Big Game Hunting Podcast - Hunting Africa, North America, & More! · John McAdams

368: 300 H&H: The Original .30 Caliber Magnum With JvB

·55 min·5 clips

Joseph borrowed a vintage .300 H&H and shot a 1.5-inch group at 500 yards before taking down a big bull elk.

John McAdams hosts this episode with returning guest Joseph von Benedikt, an expert on classic cartridges who also hosts the Backcountry Hunting Podcast. They explore the history and use of the .300 H&H Magnum, the original .30 caliber magnum celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025. Von Benedikt shares his personal affinity for this vintage cartridge, recounting his experiences hunting with it and its design philosophy. The discussion begins with a listener's question about selecting rifles for an African hunt featuring Cape buffalo and giraffe, where von Benedikt analyzes choices like a .416 Taylor and a .450-400 double rifle. He details the .300 H&H's introduction in 1925 as a companion to the .375 H&H, designed for reliable feeding and extraction with cordite powder. Von Benedikt describes borrowing a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in .300 H&H to take a large bull elk in Utah, achieving remarkable accuracy with handloads. He explains the cartridge's tapered case, which holds more capacity than the .300 Win Mag but requires a longer action. One memorable insight involves von Benedikt testing 220-grain Hornady round-nose bullets in Africa, where one bullet failed to exit a small bushbuck, highlighting the importance of bullet construction. He recounts a story from his mentor about three doctors using .300 H&H rifles on a grizzly bear that charged them, with all shots failing to stop it until their guide dropped the bear with a single shot from a .45-90 lever action. The cartridge gained fame in the U.S. after shooter Ben Comfort used it to win the 1,000-yard Wimbledon Cup at Camp Perry around 1935. Von Benedikt notes that modern factory ammunition, like Federal's 180-grain Trophy Bonded Tip, shoots exceptionally well in his rifle, and he recommends powders like H1000 for handloading. He mentions that while rifles like the Ruger No. 1 have been chambered in .300 H&H, the quintessential platform remains a pre-64 Winchester Model 70 or a custom build on a controlled-feed action. The episode maintains an educational and conversational tone, blending technical ballistics discussion with personal hunting anecdotes and historical context. This episode will appeal to hunters and shooters interested in firearm history, classic cartridge performance, and practical reloading advice. Listeners seeking discussions exclusively about the latest modern rifle technologies or ultra-long-range shooting might find the focus on a century-old cartridge less engaging.

As heard by us

A century-old magnum is handled as a practical hunting tool, not just a piece of history.

The episode reads as a compact defense of the 300 H&H Magnum, pairing cartridge history with practical hunting judgment. John McAdams and Joseph Vaughn-Benedict compare the original 30 caliber Magnum with newer options, while also explaining the cartridge's design, its 100th…

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Want a classic magnum’s real-world hunting story?

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