Factory 300 WM advice

[ShootnMathews]

I'm looking for a factory 300 WM for hunting to 1000 yards. I'm a big fan of Savage. I have a 6.5-284 LRH and really like it. VERY accurate with no alterations. It will shoot 1 hole at 100 if the driver does his part. So I am looking at a similar model for my 300 WM. The major difference I see between the LRH and this rifle are barrel length and fluting. Do you 300 WM guys think this would be a good choice for 1000 yard hunting???

I mostly do not like the all black dress on the LRH. I'm not a fan of black. My 6.5-284 LRH will be getting a camo makeover soon.

Of the two, would I be better off getting the 300WM LRH and giving it a makeover?? 3" in barrel length may make a big difference I don't know. That's why I'm asking you guys who do know.

 

[scrmblr1982cj8]

I'm looking for a factory 300 WM for hunting to 1000 yards. I'm a big fan of Savage. I have a 6.5-284 LRH and really like it. VERY accurate with no alterations. It will shoot 1 hole at 100 if the driver does his part. So I am looking at a similar model for my 300 WM. The major difference I see between the LRH and this rifle are barrel length and fluting. Do you 300 WM guys think this would be a good choice for 1000 yard hunting???

I mostly do not like the all black dress on the LRH. I'm not a fan of black. My 6.5-284 LRH will be getting a camo makeover soon.

Of the two, would I be better off getting the 300WM LRH and giving it a makeover?? 3" in barrel length may make a big difference I don't know. That's why I'm asking you guys who do know.

I got a 300WM a few months ago, and other than a tight chamber, I love it! I have a service request in with Remington to have the chamber polished at one of the local gun stores. FYI - the guy at the gun store said tight chambers are somewhat common with the LR's he's seen.

About the only difference between the two is that you will find more aftermarket support for the LR than the Savage. I have a number of Savages that are silly accurate.

If you want to buy and leave as is, the Savage is a good choice. If you want to start adding things to the gun, I'd go with the LR.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Remington 700 5R Milspec

 

[Echo8]

I've owned the exact LRH you are considering (in both .300 win and .300 wsm), and it was a very nice rifle for what I needed it for (medium range hunting). It was VERY accurate, but that barrel is thin and heats-up quickly. The stock isn't great, but it does the trick.

I never personally took mine out to 1,000 yards, but I believe it will get you there. You just have to be patient and let that barrel cool down.

Also, if you do get it, oil the HELL out of that break. Mine would seize after every range trip and I would have to take pliers to loosen it up.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[Engineering101]

A big advantage of the Savage is the ability to swap out barrels yourself should the need arise some day in the future. I have multiple Savage actions, stocks and barrels and I mix and match as needed. I can turn my heavy long range 300 RUM with 26" varmit contour barrel into a light weight backpacker by swapping on the 22" toothpick (270 Win barrel) and swapping out the bolt head from magnum to standard. The whole operation takes about 20 minutes including pulling and reinstalling the scope. Great fun.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I've owned the exact LRH you are considering (in both .300 win and .300 wsm), and it was a very nice rifle for what I needed it for (medium range hunting). It was VERY accurate, but that barrel is thin and heats-up quickly. The stock isn't great, but it does the trick.

I never personally took mine out to 1,000 yards, but I believe it will get you there. You just have to be patient and let that barrel cool down.

Also, if you do get it, oil the HELL out of that break. Mine would seize after every range trip and I would have to take pliers to loosen it up.

Good luck with your choice!

If you have issues with the muzzle brake seizing, try using some Loctite C5-A on the threads. I also use it on AR upper receivers before installing the barrel nut.

 

[FEENIX]

I'm looking for a factory 300 WM for hunting to 1000 yards. I'm a big fan of Savage. I have a 6.5-284 LRH and really like it. VERY accurate with no alterations. It will shoot 1 hole at 100 if the driver does his part. So I am looking at a similar model for my 300 WM. The major difference I see between the LRH and this rifle are barrel length and fluting. Do you 300 WM guys think this would be a good choice for 1000 yard hunting???

I mostly do not like the all black dress on the LRH. I'm not a fan of black. My 6.5-284 LRH will be getting a camo makeover soon.

Of the two, would I be better off getting the 300WM LRH and giving it a makeover?? 3" in barrel length may make a big difference I don't know. That's why I'm asking you guys who do know.

Both will do with the right load and of course, if the nut behind the trigger do their job too.

There's a post in YouTube shooting a factory Bear Hunter in .300 WSM 23" barrel (including MB) accurately at 1760 yards.

 

[Barrelnut]

Understand the ugly duckling aspect of the Savage LRH. If Savage could just realise that most guys care more about how pretty it is one their arm than what's under the hood. They could easily dominate the market. LOL

Anyway....

I think you will lose too much velocity with the short barrel to be effective at 1k.

A 215 VLD at 2850 gets you to 1k with about 1850 FPS and 1646 Ft lbs.

You will lose about 150 FPS with the shorter Savage barrel. The Savage Bear Hunter barrel in reality is only 21". I am pretty sure Savage counts the length of the brake as part of the barrel length. So the actual barrel is only 21"

The loss of 150 FPS means you will lose about 100 yards in range. So it might be a 900 yard rifle at most. (Target range is much further of course.)

The shorter barrel saves you 16 oz. of weight between the LRH and the Bear Hunter.

That lighter rifle with shorter barrel would be quick handling in the woods though! And still get you to 900 yards on game! Plus it has an on/off brake when you are woods hunting or setup for long range. That's a good trade off in my opinion, unless you shoot game at 1k yearly.

I too like the looks and stainless steel on the bear hunter. You could get it as it is and if that shorter barrel is not giving the performance needed, put a pre-fit custom barrel on it. It would then be an awesome setup.

 

[ShootnMathews]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I know the "adjustable" brakes freeze. Some research told me that before I bought my 6.5-284 LRH. The best advice I got on that was work up your load with the brake in the position you are going to use it and then forget about it. Which is what I have done. I'm sure mine is froze. I turned it on and off a couple times when I first bought the gun and haven't touched it since.

I guess 900 yards is far enough. I mean honestly, how many animals will I have the opportunity to shoot past 900 yards anyways. The 16 oz lighter would help on the mountains. I think that's what I'll go with maybe. I'll have to do a little shopping around and see what kind of deal I can find.