Army going to 300 Win Mag for LRH

[silvertip-co]

Was thinking about selling my 7mm rem mag and getting same gun in 300 win mag. I wonder how the Army going to 300 win mag will affect ammo supply in future for 300 win mag...i.e since Lake City will pump out more 300 win mag ammo wouldnt the surlpus supply available to us ol guys also increase inthe near future??? Or am I wrong headed??

Army, Corps seek longer-range sniper rifle - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2009infantrysmallarms/tuesdaysessioniii8524.pdf

 

[Kevin Thomas]

Silvertip,

Lake city won't be turning out any 300 Win Mag, so you shouldn't plan on GI 30-06 surplus-like availability. Specialty item that will create an extremely small demand, by military standards; 10-15 million rounds a year, at most. For this, they'll almost certainly go to a private contractor and purchase the ammo (actually, have it loaded to their specs) from someone like Federal or Black Hills ammo. Both are already providing certain specialized rounds for the military community right now, so it wouldn't be any great leap for them.

Almost seems like the Army forgot that the M24s were originally intended to be switch barrel guns, allowing for the 300 Win Mag whenever a unit commander specified. They've had issues with using the long actions in the 7.62x51, just seems like they would have landed on this "solution" sometime before now.

 

[nfhjr62]

Saw an Internet article on just this end of last year, have to look back and see if can find it if remember right had ordered one million rounds from ATK for testing and that the Marines Armorers were re-barreling their Rem sniper rifles too 300 mag.

 

[Bravo 4]

As much an asset and force multiplier as we are supposed to be the Army is unbelievably slow at getting us the equipment and training we need. I mean good grief the rest of the world seems to be advancing into the latest and greatest (.338 Lapua's, Schmidt and Bender scopes, etc) and we are still using basic weapons/optics from the 80's (internal magazine fed 7.62 Rem bolt guns with fixed 10x Leupolds). And good grief, we have a hard time getting the M118LR's to shoot...I mean a hell of a time getting ammo, you gotta beg, borrow and steal the stuff. I read in the Army Times last year that they were gonna turn a few thousand M24's into the .300 Win they should be to start with and spend $4000 per weapon doing such. WOW! That's ridiculous! A couple buddies of mine at the school house said they are supposed to start fielding the newer .300 in Afghanistan and we should get them when we head over, but I'll believe that when I see it. And for the $20,000+ for the Knights Armament M110... Not a bad system but about $15,000 overpriced!

Saw an Internet article on just this end of last year, have to look back and see if can find it if remember right had ordered one million rounds from
ATK for testing and that the Marines Armorers were re-barreling their Rem sniper
rifles too 300 mag.

As for the Marines, I don't see how they can rebarrel their short action M40's to make them work with the long action .300mag. It's possible but wouldn't be a repeater and would probably have to take the bolt out to unload an unfired round.

Sorry guys, this makes me want to throw a fit!!!

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Saw an Internet article on just this end of last year, have to look back and see if can find it if remember right had ordered one million rounds from ATK for testing and that the Marines Armorers were re-barreling their Rem sniper rifles too 300 mag.

All M40 rifles are built on short actions so thats a no go. The rem action the Army uses was first intended to be chambered in the 30-06 not the 308 thus the use of the long action. The 300win mag is only a stop gap program until the military selects its new sniper system in 338 Lapua.

 

[Bravo 4]

Let me rephrase the fit part, it's the Army sitting on their hands and not getting us what we need that angers me. If we want/need something we usually purchase it ourselves, and if I was allowed to do so with a rifle I wouldn't hesitate.


A .338 lap would be the ticket. I would have been perfectly fine with a .300 winny had Kirby not built me that .338. now I'm spoiled... Its all his fault!

 

[silvertip-co]

Great stuff above guys for me to thimk on. Thanks. Still I smell surpluss 300 Win Mag ammo in the next yr or three. Mebbe keep my 7mm Rem Mag for now and just hoard ammo for it. I wanna be a fully stocked homeowner when the next Mexican war breaks out.

Interesting about the M118 ammo since you can go on gunbroker or auctionarms or most good guns shows and buy the stuff by the 'can' as surplus. Weird.

I wasnt able to serve due to lifelong health reasons and am not a wannabe, but I do fully support our US troops. But not our US government under the current Nigerian OsamaObama.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

Let me rephrase the fit part, it's the Army sitting on their hands and not getting us what we need that angers me. If we want/need something we usually purchase it ourselves, and if I was allowed to do so with a rifle I wouldn't hesitate.


A .338 lap would be the ticket. I would have been perfectly fine with a .300 winny had Kirby not built me that .338. now I'm spoiled... Its all his fault!

Hay brother remember what Donalad said "you go to war with the Army you have, not the one you hope to have" I have been buying my own gear sence 1998 and I would not have it any other way. If you want to take your own rifle you need to jump over to the dark side my brother.

Dont hold your breath on the surplus 300 win mag

 

[nitrousmudbogger]

The army adopted the new remington 700 folding stock thing last fall in 338 lapua. 300 win is a thing of the past. This will be their new sniper rifle.

 

[ICANHITHIMMAN]

The army adopted the new remington 700 folding stock thing last fall in 338 lapua. 300 win is a thing of the past. This will be their new sniper rifle.

To the best of my knowledge no contract has been awarded and no rifle selected

 

[260shooter]

Army times today. Army's XM2010 sniper rifle gets full fielding.

 

[Bravo 4]

The army adopted the new remington 700 folding stock thing last fall in 338 lapua. 300 win is a thing of the past. This will be their new sniper rifle.

Neither the MK13 nor the M2010 are in .338. The only guys getting a .338 are the guys who are on a totally different budget the us "regular" soldiers.

Army times today. Army's XM2010 sniper rifle gets full fielding.

Good, now it'll only take them a couple few years to distribute them.
Kinda funny how Remington and Leupold seem to win all the contracts...

 

[260shooter]

The article says they are already in Trashcanastan.

 

[Kevin Thomas]

260shooter,

yes, they are in Afghanistan, but the other guys are right; they haven't been "adopted" and there's still a lot in play. The new SOCOM contract is still very much in play, and they recently went all the way back to square one in their testing. True, the 338 LM is one of the players, and probably the one in the forefront. However, as they said, the high-speed low-drag operators out there get things the average line snuffie won't ever get a whiff of.

They're correct about the actions, too. The Marine's M40 is a short action M700 built around a 7.62x51, period. It was purpose designed, and was, is and always shall be, a 7.62. The Army issued their M24s with the intent that they would be 7.62s or 300 Win Mags, and that's why they went with the full length M700s. They guns have had feeding issues due to the too long actions and too short rounds ever since they were first fielded, but the option of switching out the barrel to the bigger case was the justification that supposedly made it worthwhile. That said, in all this time I've seen very, very few M24s set up as 300s, and even then, only in Special Ops units. Typical example of why the term "Army intelligence" has become such a punchline. Not knocking the intel communitiy, but the general term is something of an oxymoron.

Hang tight here, and don't get in a rush. There'll be a lot more water under the bridge before we arrive at anything close to a standardized system . . . assuming we ever do.