Recommendations

[Frankie_2_Times]

Let me start off by saying I'm new to the long range game, but definitely interested in learning more. I've been reading through a bunch of the posts and want to start looking for my first long range shooter. What I'm looking for in a hunting rifle, not necessarily a featherweight, but something that isn't a chore to tote around in the field. I haven't set a price limited yet because I'm usually willing to pay mor for better quality. Right nowI'm thinking somewhere in the $2000 range for the rifle, not including optics. I've got a moose and grizzly hunt in Alaska that I would want to use this rifle. Thought a .300 WSM would be a good candidate. I'm also a leftie, so that sometimes makes things more challenging in terms of find equipment. My limited understanding of what it takes to put together a custom rifle and my time table makes starting a "project" rifle a difficult task. Looking for recommendations for an off the shelf shooter.

 

[wapiti13]

F2T, The 300 WSM is a great cartridge, but you might find a 300 Win Mag easier off the shelf. Unfortunately, not many left hand actions in the market place. No rifle off the shelf will probably be great without some tuning. Remingtons have the most options to "tweak" with. Look for a Model 700 lefty and go from there. Just be sure to get a bolt face with the caliber compatibility you can build on. Good luck. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[jrdoty]

A 300 wsm for grizzly? I don't think that would be the best caliber choice. If you are going to buy a new rifle for this trip I would go with a chambering in .338 if not .375. For $2000 you could get a custom rifle, but if you want to buy a factory rifle you should look at a Sako, they are garaunteed to shoot 1" at 100 yards. That should be plenty of accuracy for moose and grizzly.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

Rem 700 LSS in left hand. Available in 300RUM, 340RUM and many other cartridges. They are available for less than $700. This would leave you plenty of money for customizing if you felt that it was desirable.

For a moose and grizzly rifle I would think that you would be looking at 338 mags and up. Lesser cartridges can work under ideal circumstances but I wouldn't "choose" them for these game animals.

Check out this link for a look at the available left hand rifles. Left Hand Rifles

 

[Meister]

remington safari LH

Sounds like the ticket

 

[1doug]

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Rem 700 LSS in left hand. Available in 300RUM, 340RUM and many other cartridges. They are available for less than $700. This would leave you plenty of money for customizing if you felt that it was desirable.


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[Frankie_2_Times]

Thanks for the sugggestions. I agree that a .300 WSM probably wouldn't be my first choice for grizzly, but here was my rational. Most all of my hunting if for whitetails in Michigan. After my grizzly hunt I don't really see the immediate need for a "large" caliber magnum. My next hunting trip would most likely be sheep hunting. So my thought is to pick a caliber that was better suited for these types of hunting. And I could tinker around with long range shooting. Besides, my moose/grizzly trip to AK is guided, so I'll have backup. Any suggestions on custom rifles that might fit my bill. I've read some good things about the HS Precision rifles.

With the announcement that Winchester was stopping production of the Model 70, I thought about picking up this rifle. If for no other reason than it may be worth something someday. Any thoughts on the Winchester model 70? Or would I be better off buying a stock Remmington and plan on updates later?

 

[jrdoty]

Do you reload? the reason I ask is I don't think that the 300 WSM has any factory offerings with 200+ grain bullet. I would look for something like a 338 RUM, Than you could at least use some big 250 grain Partitions or A-frames. You could also use these loads on deer and won't lose any meat because the tough hunting bullets shouldn't fragment. If your worried about recoil get a muzzle break.

 

[grit]

I've always enjoyed my model 70's (2). They've been sub moa out of box. Adjustable triggers, nice feel, 100% reliable.

I shoot one of them long range. I bought a Boyds thumbhole stock ($80), bedded the action, and worked up a load. My load will shoot .3 at 100 (3 shots). I shoot this rifle to 1K. Very happy with it!

I don't believe the Winchester name will die.

If I was going to shoot grizz with a 300, I'd use big x bullets.