New 30 cal.?

[diriel]

Yes, those are the ones. A friend of mine has one. I did not mean to make lite of the recoil sir! But a full house hunting weight 300wm with a 208gr bullet can really pack some recoil. I would think at 12-14lbs you would be fine. Just make sure to get a stock that fits you well and be happy. Now as for 1400 yards on a moose, that may or may not be advisable with a 300wm. At that point you step up in cost, weight, and recoil significantly (for 1400 yards on a moose i mean).

In any event, there are lots of highly knowledgeable folks here to help out!
Have a good one,
Gary

 

[WildRose]

I wa thinking of no more than 14lbs complete. The 300 WM was my first thought and may still go with it, just interested in how it compared with the other 2 and if it would be suitable for the range and game mentioned. The shotguns I spoke of were top side security on submarines, they shot high brass were light wieght and no padding except a steel butt plate. Are these the guns you were thinking of? Believe me I think they would make all but the most masicist fear their recoil. Brad

Brad I went through many of the same gyrations and thought processes you are here.

When I weighed everything out I went with the .300 Rum. There's nothing on the continent it's not more than suitable for at 1,000-1,200yds and if I can't work myself into that range I should probably give up hunting altogether.

If I planned to go to AK to shoot a big bear or Moose at those ranges I'd work up a .220gr load especially for that purpose, and for everything else the 180-208's have more than enough power and ballistic capability to do the job.

Another plus if you just want to have fun shooting varmints at long range you can always load up some 168 vld's for some high speed long range fun.

 

[RangerBrad]

Gentelmen, Thank you very much for the info. The way I'm understanding it is that the 300 WM is certainly capable, the 300RUM is more than capable and the .338 can do more than I would probably ever come across. All very good weapons that boils down to what fits me best recoil wise and financially as far as reloading, correct? Thank's, Brad

 

[WildRose]

Gentelmen, Thank you very much for the info. The way I'm understanding it is that the 300 WM is certainly capable, the 300RUM is more than capable and the .338 can do more than I would probably ever come across. All very good weapons that boils down to what fits me best recoil wise and financially as far as reloading, correct? Thank's, Brad

Yep.

The difference in the RUM and the WM is just that the RUM will give you a little more flexibility.

I'm not one of those guys that trades guns. I take a long time figuring out what will best suit me and then plan to live with it for the rest of my life; kinda like getting married so to speak.

The chances of me ever needing the exta punch from one of the big .338's is next to nil and I don't need to shoot the biggest, baddest, mostest, or coolest thing out there in order to impress anyone else.

I thought long and hard about going with the WM myself but opted for a bit more flexibility.

You will always be able to find factory ammo and components for either and at a relatively reasonable price.

 

[RangerBrad]

This is all great information and very enlightining. Had a chance to talk to father-in-law this last weekend and he surprised me when he said he owned two of the .338's and that the .338 in the Alaskan wilderness model only weighed 8 lbs. I couldn't picture trying to shoot that caliber in an 8 lb rifle. No wonder it bruised his cheek and fingers, WOW. Brad

 

[laserflat]

Sorry wrong thread.

 

[4xforfun]

If you are considering a 300 win mag...maybe thinking a 300 rum might be a touch big, then why not the 300 wby...pretty close to a rum?

Just figured I'd throw a curve ball.

 

[Bravo 4]

RangerBrad,
You never know till you try, if your have one at your disposal why not give it a go. Shoot one of your in-law's rifles, preferably not the 8 pounder. I'm sure that dude would give you a good shove. A 14# .338 Lapua/RUM with a good brake shouldn't be bad at all. If you are ever in the central part of the state I will let you shoot mine, with 300 grainers. You definately know when it goes off, but it sure isn't scary.
Also, the way you shoot it can come into play. I do most of my shooting prone with a bipod. The last time I shot it from a bench was at another member of this site's range and I think it gave him a good chuckle. I'm not used to letting it free recoil and the way I grip it made it about jump out of my hand.
If what you want is power at distance, the .338 Lapua is gonna win that battle. But as stated, that performance comes with a price...to a point. The hardest kicking rifle I've ever owned was an extremely light 7x57mm, then a single shot 10 guage turkey gun, followed by a sporter weight .300 Win.