Looking at this rifle

[mtsooner]

Ok, after my original thread, in which I asked about the 300 RUM, I decided to do a little more research, and since this will be my "only" rifle for a while, hopefully you all can help me make a wise decision.

Based on recommendations for my hunting here in Colorado for elk/bear/deer/pronghorn, I have decided on a 300WSM. It seems to be perfect for LR elk/bear, good for LR deer, and a little overkill, but usable for LR pronghorn. Now settling on the exact gun. So, here's what I'm thinking:

I'd like a great "out of the box" shooter, but also a rifle, as I get the extra money to upgrade parts (i.e., barrel, stock, etc.), that I can turn into my fully custom LR shooter over time. I'm going to stay under $1000 for the initial rifle purchase, as well.

The best "bang for the buck" I can seem to come up with for now is the Savage 11 Long Range Hunter in 300WSM. I think it seems to offer a great out of the box LR newbie place to start.

So, what would your opinions be on my choice, and would you have any other guns in that price range you'd recommend? Also, what would be the potential range of shot I could take with that gun, as it sits, from the factory, once I learn the rifle and what I'm doing with it, before any modifications?

Thanks guys for your help in getting me started here!

 

[chad allred]

I love the .300 wsm...I have been using it for years.
I shoot a stainless Tikka lightweight hunter and
couldn't be happier.I paid $650.00 for the rifle btw
I topped it with an EGW 20moa base,nightforce lightweight
rings and a Leupold Mk4 4.5-14x50.also had KDF do a muzzle
break for me.
that Savage looks great also...

 

[SBruce]

Weatherby Sub MOA possibly?

Savage is pretty popular, and getting more so all the time.

Just going off of the old "energy rule of thumb" with a 180 bullet of .5 BC at around 3000'/sec.
Elk out to about 700 yds.
Deer out to about 1000 yds.
Antelope out to about 1200 yds. Kirby Allen (FiftyDriver) recommended a 300 RUM or bigger if I intended on shooting Elk beyond 800 yds.

Plenty of power in my opinion, accuracy will be the determining factor. In order to cleanly take an antelope at 1200, we should be hitting a 10" circle at 1200. That's pretty good shootin for a factory rig. But I read somewhere that the new 1000 yd benchrest world record was set with a 300 WSM not long ago. So the cartridge should be capable of excellent accuracy.

 

[liltank]

I am a huge Savage fan, and that is due to its versatility. I have one that has been a .308, 300WSM, and back to .308 again. I can do this with my own tools and barrel it in my basement in about 15min. I can also make trigger adjustments on my own as well as few other things. The Savage is my go to rifle when I want a project or semi custom rifle. You can go with the Mod 11 LRH, but you may want to take a look at the Savage Mod 12 VLP. That is the model I own. It is pillar bedded and a laminate stock which is quite sturdy.

The other options would be Howa/Vangaurd in that order, and then Remington.

Tank

 

[retiredcpo]

I have a savage 16 in 300 WSM and simply love it.
Its a great shooter I restocked it with a B&C stock had a brake installed
topped it with vx3 with the b&c reticle and cds turret
I load 63 gr of 4350 pushing 180 gr accubonds My vel is 2862 with a sd of 9fps
the only thing i dont like about the short mag is you can only put two in the mag.
As much as I love that gun I also love my sendero and your savage price point is not far off
The sendero is a great way to go either 300 win mag or 7mm rem mag
retired cpo

 

[TRB&B]

The last elk I shot in 2009 Oct. was put down with the 7mm WSM using 160gr. Barnes MRX bullets. This worked really well for me as the gun was light a Model 70 Winchester and the 160gr. Barnes pushed by IMR 4831. The Elk was bedded down and ever got up. He was hit through both lungs, I did shoot him again just to be sure as they are hard to kill. The 2nd bullet was 160gr. Nosler Partition I really didn't need to to shoot him again but I didn't want to take any chances. In 2008 I used the same gun and 140gr Partition to take a Uath 5x6, this elk took 4 bullets through high lung area and still ran around 100yds. They sure can suck the lead up. I was deer hunting that morning and bump into this bull in the process.
I also killed a 6x6 with the 338 Winchester in the Ruger #1 in 2006 using Hornady 225gr bullets, the bull was around 200yds and I blew the 225gr through the high lung area and he stood there at least 45 sec. before going down.
My opion is placement and again placement, my choice of guns and loads is any of the 7mm short or long and I love the 160gr loads.
As for the 300 RUM I had then sold it was a great shooting gun but a little on the heavy side to be packing very far. I had worked up a great load for it a 210gr Berger VLD and also a 180gr Barnes TTSX. Both grouped great, but in my opion you have a lot more meat to process using the Barnes bullets
Good Luck

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

In my opnion this is the best bang for the buck you get a soild stock and action in a platform you can build anything on for under 1k. In a round that may just be the most versitile out there,

Remington 700 Police (P) 300 Ultra Mag

 

[flyin lizard]

Hello Mt, I have a Sav. mod.11 in 300wsm. As it came from the box it was a sub-moa shooter. I did do some customizing. The barrel that came from the factory was a pencil thin type so it would heat up after 3 shots fired 2 mins. apart, so I replaced it with a Douglas in varmint contour from sharp shooter supply, also a new recoil lug. Then put in a rifle basics trigger, Sav -1 I believe, and then dropped everything into a Bell & Carlson dura max stock. Topped it off with a Vortex Viper 6.5 x 20 x44 scope. I do not have a brake on it. If I do my part the gun is a half moa shooter. So far I have taken it out to 600 yds on steel and paper. This year will be the year that I really get use to it and have some fun.. I would not hesitate to buy another Savage. The great thing about a savage is you can do the work yourself over time, thus spreading out the cash out lay.

Good luck and have fun building your gun..

 

[Buano]

Weatherby Sub MOA possibly?

Savage is pretty popular, and getting more so all the time.

Just going off of the old "energy rule of thumb" with a 180 bullet of .5 BC at around 3000'/sec.
Elk out to about 700 yds.
Deer out to about 1000 yds.
Antelope out to about 1200 yds. Kirby Allen (FiftyDriver) recommended a 300 RUM or bigger if I intended on shooting Elk beyond 800 yds.

Plenty of power in my opinion, accuracy will be the determining factor. In order to cleanly take an antelope at 1200, we should be hitting a 10" circle at 1200. That's pretty good shootin for a factory rig. But I read somewhere that the new 1000 yd benchrest world record was set with a 300 WSM not long ago. So the cartridge should be capable of excellent accuracy.

I second everything said here. The new Savage rifles are about as good as out-of-the-box accuracy gets. These are the easiest rifles to swap barrels on, and quite a few aftermarket parts are available if you want to keep tweeking the gun. With your budget, it's the best choice & .300 wsm is a great caliber, probably the best there is for what you want to do. I think you have made a wise choice.