Should I really be talking myself out of a 300 win mag??!!

[johnnyk]

JJ,
I like the .300WinMag also. Currently shooting the 208gn ELD-M to .5 MOA @ 3090fps average. Using Alliant RL26 with BR2 primers.

During load development w/RL26 I tried all the major magnum primers and accuracy just wasn't what I was after. Took the advise of another LRH member off the Extreme Long Range thread. He was using standard primers with this powder also. Young kid (18-19), built his .300WinMag and is shooting out to 2000yds. I figured he must be doing something right! Switched to BR2's and there it is.

Other than a Rifle Basix trigger, muzzle break and recoil pad, it's a stock Savage 112 BVSS. Considering turning this in to a switch barrel platform and getting a 7mmRemMag, 1-8" twist, 28" to go along with the "3 hundred". If/when the original barrel goes south I will definately replace it with another .300WinMag.

Oh, by the way, it is 52 year old technology. Came out in '63 like me! Here's a pic of my iron. It's not custom but it shoots **** good. Took my Leupold 6.5-20X50 LR/T off and playing with this Millett LRS A-TACS 6-25X56 for now. Hopefully this one (3rd from Bushnell) holds up better. It's a .1 Mil - Mil Dot bar, so between it and the Nightforce NXS w/MOAR I'm getting some experience with both reticles, seeing the differences and having a blast. Nightforce rides on another Savage 112 in 6.5-284 Norma, so trajectories are pretty close.

Good luck with your new .300WinMag! Keep us informed and send some pics when your get her. JohnnyK

 

[FEENIX]

I too have been going round and round with this round... I decided on the 300 wm, now my only dilemma is which gun to get. I was looking at savage older remingtons and now just came across Tikka which I am starting to like more and more.

... and it will remain a dilemma until you commit and have rifle on hand.lightbulb

 

[JJMoody]

Johnnyk, great info and nice stick. I ve toyed with the Witt clamp on brake myself, just haven't done the research on... Well anything about them other than they're clamp on muzzle brakes. At the current moment, I believe there's a 300 win mag in my future. I could probably find all the info on loading, chamber dimensions throats etc by using the handy-dandy top right search button, but any good rules of thumb for the particulars? Pretty sure I'll shed a few tears if the 215 Bergers don't shoot, but I'd like to start there. The build is a ways out, but I'm the type to pore over these things in my head for a bit. Pics will surely be in order upon completion.

 

[RobStar]

I was in your shoes about three years ago getting a lightweight elk rifle built and selected the 300 Win Mag based on all of the basic reasoning that has been offered here already except it was built for hiking not LRH. In the two seasons I've owned it I've killed four elk at sub 300 yard distances. It is a wonderful round for my elk hunting.

The challenge I've been running into the last five months as I increase my frequency and quantity of shooting to improve my skills, I have found that despite my tolerance for the high recoil, it simply became too much in all honesty to enjoy and progress. I've found that by 30 rounds I'm partially dreading how many more I have left and by 40-45 rounds I'm pretty done. That is with a good brake and shoulder pad.

Consequently I've decided that in order to enjoy my practice sessions at the range more/longer and improve my LR skills I'm having a Proof 7mm Rem Mag built that is two pounds heavier than my current 6.9lb set up (including scope).

I realize this is a bit contradictory to all the other posts but I'm just putting it out there that my experience is I love to hunt with my 300 WM but it really was too much recoil for me personally when it came to practicing as much as I'd like and need to.

~Robert

 

[JJMoody]

I hear you on the recoil issue. I'm 6'4 250lbs and up to my mid 20s, I would laugh at folks who would balk at the recoil of any rifle. Now, the last time I took out my 340 wby I looked like a squirrel about to get hit by a car! It's light, but I just don't enjoy it any more. A nice, braked 12 lb win mag is gonna be the ticket. At least in my mind... For now

 

[WildRose]

I am progressing on my first dedicated LR hunting rig at the pace of a determined glacier, mostly running performance/cost/barrel life numbers ad nauseum. Mostly for elk and deer here in Idaho with some lead-based rock art thrown in for practice and fun. I've been going round and round with all the possibilities of a 300 NM, win mag, 30 Nosler WSM etc... Brass availability horsepower efficiency projectile choices -- on and on. I seem to keep ending back up at the 300 win mag for a cartridge choice. Maybe it's the belt, maybe it's not sexy enough "It's 40 year old technology"... Is there any REAL reason I shouldn't be looking at this round? I plan on using a BAT HRPIC action (they're local for me and make awesome stuff!!) and the rest is Still in the air. Should I really look any further than the win mag???

There is no more proven magnum catridge in the world.

My standing love affair is with the 7mm STW but I also own 3 300wm's and the 300 wm is never the "wrong answer".

A hundred years from now it will probably still be the most popular .30 cal magnum and second only to the 30-06 in overall .30 popularity.

 

[RobStar]

I hear you on the recoil issue. I'm 6'4 250lbs and up to my mid 20s, I would laugh at folks who would balk at the recoil of any rifle.....

Yep, you're almost 80 lbs heavier and 5" taller than I am. Doubling the gun weight or close to it will halve the recoil more or less.

You can't go wrong and best of all they resell well if needed.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

You never can go wrong with the old 300wm, never ! It has stood the test of time which is the ultimate recorder of success or failure. Sure, you can buy faster, flater shooting, eye popping barrel burners but when the chips fall as they do the 300wm will still be standing. Funny thing is very few shooters have ever been around a custom cut chambered win-mag which is another beast all together compared to a factory rifle..they can be extremely accurate and tight necked gaps can really extend case life.. I don't think you could find a long range banger who doesn't have a great deal of respect for this time tested ole' war-horse !

 

[johnnyk]

A nice, braked 12 lb win mag is gonna be the ticket. At least in my mind... For now

My rifle weighs between 12-13lbs and now that I put the Witt break on it, it is not painful to shoot. I, like another member mentioned, could only go about 15-20 rounds before recoil fatigue set it. When that happens it's pretty much over for me. I shoot my 6.5-284Norma (no break) and .300WinMag (break) on the same outings and they're not identical recoil wise, but they're not far apart. I shoot the .300 as much as I need to now.
There are nay-sayers about clamp on breaks and I almost drank the Kool Aid but after talking with Witt Machine Co. a few times I committed and do not regret it one bit.
With that said, double hearing protection is a must. My shooting partner always has a low growl/rumble when I break it out.

Good luck with your project. JohnnyK.