Caliber questions

[subjb]

I am planning on having a custom rifle built. Took a nice little blacktail at 740 yards in October with a friends .300 Jarrett. Now the long range bug has bitten me. I would like a 30 cal that I can shoot with factory ammo though. I haven't started handloading yet, but plan to. My problem is which .30 cal. I am considering 300 weatherby, 300 win, and 300 ultra mag. What are the pros and cons of each? I plan on having a brake son recoil isn't really an issue. I have a 300 weatherby ultralight, but its now all that fun to shoot. Plus it doesn't really balance all that well with that thin barrel, so I plan to sell that one. I've searched and read numerous posts, but I would like some opinions on the three calibers that I am considering. Thanks for any responses. This site is great. I have spent so much time reading what others have posted, I think I have have overloaded my little brain with too much info.

 

[dogdinger]

Those bugs in Cal do bite bad. You prob have a very virulent strain of the LRH disease. My suggestion would be to buy a Rem sendero in 300 RUM. It is prob the best, most hard hitting round of the ones you mentioned, and there are lots of factory load options. That just might keep the symptoms at bay until you can do a full bore custom built by Kirby Allen, or one of the other good smiths here. Good luck with your choice and welcome to LRH.com. AJ

 

[Broz]

I am going to put in a vote for the 300 Win Mag. Since you are going to shoot factory ammo for a while you will for sure appreciate the cost and selection of the available ammo. You can also select a factory ammo that utilizes good brass and save it for the day you start reloading. Since the 300 win is so popular you gan also choose some factory match ammo.

Bottom line is, they are all .308 cal and if you are going to go for 1000 yards or farther you will probably be shooting a 190 to 210 gr bullet. Since you will be dialing the scope for each shot distance, velocity is not an issue. 2900 FPS is all that is needed to get a 210 out to almost a mile and still be supersonic.

The 300 win brass and barrel will last you a great number of shots and also is a joy to shoot.

We just made the same decission and we are very happy with the win.

Jeff

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[subjb]

Thanks for the responses. I have looked at the sendero and read many posts praising it as a great off the shelf rifle. The price is appealing too. On the other hand, having a rifle built to my specs is very appealing regardless of the price. Hell, I never could leave my early broncos alone despite the fact that they performed great as it was.

I know a guy out here that has built several custom rifles for friends, all that shoot extremely well. 2 friends have made 1100-1200 yard kills. I took my 740 yard buck with one of those rifles. Sure was nice shooting that thing.

I've read alot about barrel length, but I guess I will bring it up again. What is the minimum functional length for the 3 calibers that I have mentioned? I don't want to short change the performance, but I want to maximize performance. I am looking at taking this rifle deep into the backcountry, mostly on foot so as much as I would like one of those 15 pound beasts I don't think my legs would like that. I go light to ultralight with most of my hunting gear. Thats why I originally purchased my weatherby ultralight, much to my nose and brows detriment.

I will probably start buying reloading equipment within a few months. Does any of the calibers that I listed suffer from a shortage off good brass?

Thanks again for the replys.

 

[Dskiper]

Hi subjb!How about just rebarreling your .300 weath. mag. with a custom barrel+muzz.brake? Use the current stock(open barrel channel).Barrel,brake,smithwork=800.00+. All the 300 mags factory ammo are 60.00+for premium bullets.I am currently doin the same thing!

 

[subjb]

Dskiper, I looked at rebarrelling my weatherby but found out that my stock won't accept a larger contour. I guess the ultralight weatherby's have their own specific stock. It also sounds like the Mark V action are a pain for gunsmiths to work on, so I was planning on a Rem 700 action or a custom.

Oh yeah that leads up to another question. For anyone that might be able to answer it. Are weatherby's inherently less accurate due to the freebore? Is that just the Mark V action or is it the caliber? I know the Vanguards get some pretty good accuracy with the weatherby calibers. I do like the .300 weatherby, just not my ultralight.

 

[britz]

Of the three cals listed, the WBY mag is the last one I'd recomend. Reading Jarret's own website and the reasons for making the jarret reminded me of one of the wby downfalls. Freebore. Ammo is expensive for the wby mags. I think Broz had a good point with the standard win mag. This is a very good round with lots of available brass from winchester AND lapua. It is an outstanding cartidge. If you insist on getting more power, than the RUM would be a good choice. Rem senderro's have good stocks, and are known to be pretty accurate. If you are looking to go for a custom and want to spend 1500 + on the rifle, than I'd suggest a custom action right away often if you have to purchase a rem 700 action and get it trued you will wind up spending as much as if you would have simply purcased a custom in a 700 configuration.

 

[Broz]

Oh yeah that leads up to another question. For anyone that might be able to answer it. Are weatherby's inherently less accurate due to the freebore? Is that just the Mark V action or is it the caliber? I know the Vanguards get some pretty good accuracy with the weatherby calibers. I do like the .300 weatherby, just not my ultralight.

I have owned tons of weatherby's, if your rifle is not shooting well you need to try a different bullet or clean the heck out of it with bore tech eliminator. I will add I have owned two ultra light weights and I am not a fan of them, especially in 300 wby. They can shoot good, but you need to wait 15 or 20 minutes between shots. That thin barrel with a magnum cartridge heats up fast. Most of mine would shoot good for the first shot then send one flier.

As for the accuracy of the Mark V action. It was my choice for my custom build in .338 Lapua and I am very pleased with its accuracy and took a WT doe at 1137 this year.

Jeff

 

[subjb]

Thanks for the replies fellas. I am about to put a down payment on a custom. The only problem, I am still having problems deciding the caliber.

The 300 Winch seems like a nice caliber. I've seen some remarkable accuracy with this one, but will it fulfill my need for power?

I like the 300 Weatherby. It fits right in the middle, but is it inherently less accurate? Can the freebore be eleminated with the non-Mark V action? I do like the ballistics, but what about the accuracy?

300 rum. Seems like a the one. But is there a good selection of brass out there? Is it too big for california blacktail. I think I know that answer, but I would like to hear some others opinions.

My blacktail this year was taken with a 300 Jarret, 180 ball tip. It took out the far shoulder on the exit. I hear that this round is comparable to the 300 rum.

Once again, thanks guys. Been to busy to respond to my own thread lately.