Do I really need a 300 WM?

[WildRose]

I mean honestly...this is my second gun. I am not going to be taking 600 yard shots at an elk LOL. I understand that this is a long range hunting forum and that seems to be why so many people are for the magnums, but lets be practical here...I probably wouldn't even be able to shoot the 300 win mag comfortably for some target shooting. I know I shot the 300 RUM, but WildRose is right...they were reduced loads. So it is hard for me to even get an idea of what the true recoil of a 300WM would even be, and based on everything I read on the internet and the videos I have watched - it is a great gun for hunting, but not something to be shot 20+ times at the range for target shooting, it just isn't comfortable to shoot (with the exception of having a muzzle brake, which seems like a pain in the butt due to how loud).

It seems like the 30-06 is the way to go, the .308 is another option. It would probably come down to which caliber they had at the store in the rifle I liked.

I understand most people on here are taking 1000 yard shots on elk, but I mean really...should I really be flinging bullets at 1000 yards on a live animal with a 300 Win Mag? I'm not sure that is the best plan for improving my own personal shooting skills.

I know a lot of people like these other calibers that are more specialty calibers, but I don't want something I can't find factory ammo for at the store. Period.

I am not saying I have thrown the 300WM out the door, but going from my .243 straight to a 300WM may be a big step that isn't very practical for my needs.

With your needs I'd still stick to the 06.

Everyone has their favorites, I don't even own one but for your needs it's just the right way to go. Later on if you want to rebarrel and move up to the 300wm all you'd need do is open the bolt face and put a nice custom barrel on it.

It's a little more HP than the 308, 250fps or so slower than the 300wm. It has considerably less recoil than the 300 with the same wight bullets and not enough increase in recoil over the 308 to matter.

Best of all there's nothing in N. America you can't kill with it with one well placed shot out to 600yds, and you can find factory ammo for it literally anywhere that sells ammo for rifles.

It may not be as "cool" as lots of calibers on the market today but again it's probably killed more medium and big game in the US beyond 100yds than any other caliber.

 

[Marble]

We have all seen this argument posted and spoken about in so many different forums, articles and blogs that a good search of the forum will yield the answers the OP needs. But none-the-less, I'll chime again and leave it at that.

I have hunted and killed Elk for 15 years, killing nearly 25, most of them bulls. I have also seen several get away, I've hit poorly on a stationary animal and a running one. I've lost one elk, and had to track others. But because I shoot a magnum cartridge with good penetration with a high velocity bullet, the bullet penetrates so far that the animal almost always is wounded beyond movement. I've seen others and helped others track animals that were wounded. Poor shot placement played a role in each wounded animal, but what was even more indicative of wounding an animal was using a less than adequate cartridge. The higher velocity, large bore, heavy bullets give more room for error. This is why people crave the bigger magnums. They shoot flatter and carry more energy for longer, thus transferring more energy to the animal. The static shock delivered to an animal is important. Do not underestimate the damage done to animals from bullets hitting at extreme velocities. The shock alone delivered to the vitals area is sometimes enough to stop the heart or lung movement.

Go to a trail head, Elk camp or outfitters lodge and talk to each hunter coming and going. The great majority will shoot larger bullets at higher velocities, mostly magnums.

Yes, you can kill Elk at long distance with several cartridges, including the ones mentioned here. You just won't find me doing it with anything that isn't thought of a cartridge used to hunt elk at long range.

 

[CC268]

Yea I know everyone is an advocate of the 300WM here...this is a long range hunting forum after all.

Yes a muzzle brake would make the 300 WM a breeze...but that is probably at least another $200 and it will be loud as hell. I have my ear buds hanging around my neck when I hunt, so it wouldn't be a huge issue.

If I decided to get a muzzle brake then the 300 WM would probably be my choice. No muzzle brake the the 30-06 would probably be better for me. I guess that is a decision that has to be made.

 

[WildRose]

We have all seen this argument posted and spoken about in so many different forums, articles and blogs that a good search of the forum will yield the answers the OP needs. But none-the-less, I'll chime again and leave it at that.

I have hunted and killed Elk for 15 years, killing nearly 25, most of them bulls. I have also seen several get away, I've hit poorly on a stationary animal and a running one. I've lost one elk, and had to track others. But because I shoot a magnum cartridge with good penetration with a high velocity bullet, the bullet penetrates so far that the animal almost always is wounded beyond movement. I've seen others and helped others track animals that were wounded. Poor shot placement played a role in each wounded animal, but what was even more indicative of wounding an animal was using a less than adequate cartridge. The higher velocity, large bore, heavy bullets give more room for error. This is why people crave the bigger magnums. They shoot flatter and carry more energy for longer, thus transferring more energy to the animal. The static shock delivered to an animal is important. Do not underestimate the damage done to animals from bullets hitting at extreme velocities. The shock alone delivered to the vitals area is sometimes enough to stop the heart or lung movement.

Go to a trail head, Elk camp or outfitters lodge and talk to each hunter coming and going. The great majority will shoot larger bullets at higher velocities, mostly magnums.

Yes, you can kill Elk at long distance with several cartridges, including the ones mentioned here. You just won't find me doing it with anything that isn't thought of a cartridge used to hunt elk at long range.

He's not shooting beyond 600yds so LR Elk isn't a factor.

 

[WildRose]

Yea I know everyone is an advocate of the 300WM here...this is a long range hunting forum after all.

Yes a muzzle brake would make the 300 WM a breeze...but that is probably at least another $200 and it will be loud as hell. I have my ear buds hanging around my neck when I hunt, so it wouldn't be a huge issue.

If I decided to get a muzzle brake then the 300 WM would probably be my choice. No muzzle brake the the 30-06 would probably be better for me. I guess that is a decision that has to be made.

With a quality brake on it like the Snowy Mountain Rifles or Northwest Precision on it the 300wm is going to have lower felt recoil than the 30-06 with equal weight rifles and projectiles.

Put a brake on the 06 and it would have less felt recoil than your 243.

Both of those brakes I mentioned are very good at protecting the shooter as well for both blast and noise.

The 06 however will still have nearly endless barrel life compared to the 300wm.

 

[7magcreedmoor]

You asked for opinions. I am currently putting together a rifle in 280 Ackley, which lets me use high BC 7mm bullets (excellent wind drift characteristics) but since you want to shoot factory ammo, the parent case is the 280 Remington. Not as prolific as the venerable 30.06 or .308, but still can be found on store shelves if you look. The real advantage for you will be when you reach the level in your shooting where you want to handload and spice things up a bit: a gunsmith can ream your rifle chamber to Ackley for a reasonable cost, and you get performance just a bit less than 7mag, but with more comfortable recoil. Put a brake on it and it'll be a real pussycat.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Can you pack a 26" heavy barreled rifle? If so, give the new Remington 700 Long Range a strong look. It's offered in .30-06, 7mm RemMag, .25-06, and .300 WinMag.

For $799 retail, they look nice.

I'm thinking about selling my Accumark .257 Wby and buying 2 of the 700 LR rifles, one in .25-06 (to build another .25-06 AI), and another in 7mm RemMag for Mid-range whitetails.

 

[LeddSlinger]

So do you want a soft caressing target rifler? Or a hard hitting long range rifle that will anchor a bull elk with one shot before he drops off into a dog hair thick timber filled ravine with ververtical side hills?

There are many calibers that will "kill" elk at long range, but recovery can sometimes be less than a desirable situation.

If money is not an issue, buy a 6mm or 6.5mm of some sort for your target shooting, then get something bigger for long range elk and only shoot it as much as you have to.

I've been going that route for years now. I like having a rifle tailored for each specific task. I have a few large magnums for elk, a few medium power rifles for deer/antelope, and a bunch of ARs and varmint rifles for varmint huntin, plinking and target shooting. Then to take it a step further, my Plains hunting rifles wear high magnification scopes. But then I have rifles with lower power scopes for hunting areas with brush and thicker timber. Every time I go out, I chose a rifle that is best tailored to the game I intend to harvest and the area in which I will be hunting.

Thats how I do things anyhow. Not saying that's how everyone should do it. Just works for me.

 

[davkrat]

So do you want a soft caressing target rifler? Or a hard hitting long range rifle that will anchor a bull elk with one shot before he drops off into a dog hair thick timber filled ravine with ververtical side hills?

There are many calibers that will "kill" elk at long range, but recovery can sometimes be less than a desirable situation.

If money is not an issue, buy a 6mm or 6.5mm of some sort for your target shooting, then get something bigger for long range elk and only shoot it as much as you have to.

I've been going that route for years now. I like having a rifle tailored for each specific task. I have a few large magnums for elk, a few medium power rifles for deer/antelope, and a bunch of ARs and varmint rifles for varmint huntin, plinking and target shooting. Then to take it a step further, my Plains hunting rifles wear high magnification scopes. But then I have rifles with lower power scopes for hunting areas with brush and thicker timber. Every time I go out, I chose a rifle that is best tailored to the game I intend to harvest and the area in which I will be hunting.

Thats how I do things anyhow. Not saying that's how everyone should do it. Just works for me.

Ditto. I have my .308 that I regularly burn powder in to practice. It's not a complete ***** cat so I do have to manage a bit of recoil. Then I have my 7mm Rem Mag that I only shoot a few times. Won't shoot it every range session the .22 and .308 take the brunt. Maybe shoot 5 rounds through the magnum just to keep up to speed on the feel of the gun, scope and recoil. I'd say keep your .243 then get either a .300 or 7mm Mag. The .30-06 is more of a one-gun 'tweener that sort of does what either end of the spectrum does. If you are like me and really mean that you will not shoot at an elk beyond 600 yards then you don't need anything bigger than a 7mm or .300.

 

[FEENIX]

For your current intended purpose; need NO, want YES! gun)

 

[dragman]

Honestly what does NEED have to do with any of our gun purchases???
gun)

 

[hawk45]

Though I have smaller caliber rifles, I KNOW the 300 will do the job every time at any distance. Shot placement is still key, but a bigger round is going to be more forgiving.
Put a good brake on it and it's like shooting a .243. Just my .02

 

[FEENIX]

Honestly what does NEED have to do with any of our gun purchases???
gun)

Exactly! gun)

 

[LeddSlinger]

Honestly what does NEED have to do with any of our gun purchases???
gun)

Exactly! gun)

Well if you are as obsessed with firearms as some of us, then yes, often times it does become a "NEED"

But no, normal folks don't "need" the right tool for the job. Pipe wrenches work as hammers too right?