C.O. Shooter
Well-Known Member
Let's keep this in focus for the OP.
Quest for a Mile- 300 Win Mag
- Thread starter Bang4theBuck
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yobuck
Well-Known Member
No I fully understood his intent.
I just have a different view of what reality is for some reason.
Beardeddeer91
Well-Known Member
The 300 WM is certainly capable of ringing steel at mile, albeit to do it with any sort of consistency it takes a lot of knowledge/skill on the shooters part (as it would with any cartridge) and a well thought out 300 WM rig/load. It is far from the first cartridge choice, but if the goal is to attempt to make a mile shot on steel and have a gun that is later ideal for long range hunting out to, lets say 1000 yards, then the I think the 300 WM is adequate (and a great choice out to 1000). Again, for a 300 WM to make a shot at a mile with any sort of consistency it is going to take some work and the right gun. There is some good advice on this thread already on how to make that happen.
I would give the flat line bullets a serious look for steel at a mile. Their 198gr .308 bullet has an advertised g7 b.c. of 0.430. It seems that it should get you there. High bc and only 198 grs you should be able to get them going pretty fast. The problem is they are long and need to be seated way out, so a factory chamber may not give you the room to seat them where they should be.
yobuck
Well-Known Member
Well I stated in my first post, that it is an excellent cartridge to a point. Certainly it would be a good 1000 yd choice and even further for that matter.
But a mile is actually a whole lot further than it sounds when the words roll from one lips, and especially when it comes to hitting things.
Shooter ability plays a lesser roll than the gun ability to a degree at least. I have no doubt the OP can shoot at least good enough to put a smile on his face at that distance. But he will have one arm tied behind his back before he starts by using that gun. Staying up all night checking BC numbers on different bullet choices wont turn a 1200 yd gun into a 1750 yd gun. Whats needed is a much bigger fuel tank and not just a different bullet choice.
My kids used to entertain themselves shooting at rocks on the hillside opposite our camp with 22 mags. They got to the point they were hitting them at 600 yds. PROVIDED, there was no wind at all blowing. Otherwise it was a total waste of ammo.
Now, would the same weight bullet in a bigger case have made a difference?
There would be very few (good) one mile guns.
If he has a perfect day and I hope he does, he will for sure gain some knowledge and experience, and that in itself aint bad.
Not wanting to get in the middle of anything but wanted to throw another persons outlook on this:
Windless-calm days don't teach anybody much of anything except how much their bullets drop at that given time.
Several years back the only personal range I had access to was 600 yards. It got pretty boring with the 7 Mag, then the .308 and so I got the .22 out like yobuck's kids. You want to test yourself, 600 yards with that dude will put you to the test. Doable, maybe you can equate that to the .300 Winnie at a mile.
Windless-calm days don't teach anybody much of anything except how much their bullets drop at that given time.
Several years back the only personal range I had access to was 600 yards. It got pretty boring with the 7 Mag, then the .308 and so I got the .22 out like yobuck's kids. You want to test yourself, 600 yards with that dude will put you to the test. Doable, maybe you can equate that to the .300 Winnie at a mile.
Beardeddeer91
Well-Known Member
I, and I would think everyone thus far, would agree that a 300 WM is far from an ideal 1 mile cartridge (as I stated in my post). As you pointed out it takes a substantial cartridge/rifle/shooter to have any semblance of an "ideal" mile cartridge. I also completely agree that there is a big difference ballisticly between a bullet traveling 1000-1200 yards and 1760 yards and that a larger powder charge would make the same bullet much more capable at 1 mile (just going to a 300 RUM would be a significant increase).
However, the OP said he was going with a 300 WM and simply was asking
1. If he could get to 1 mile with a 300 WM, as it was a goal of his to hit at that distance, and he would later be using that barrel at a more 300 WM appropriate distance (not that he was building ELR/"mile" rifle). He seemed to recognize that it wasn't an ideal round. AND
2. What it would take to get there with a 300 WM.
IMO the OP can certainly build a 300 WM capable of ringing steel at 1 mile in a fairly consistent manner. Ideal wind/weather conditions would certainly help with this task (as Bravo 4 points out shooting in ideal conditions at a mile will limit the amount a shooter will learn during that experience). As far as the second aspect of the OPs question, there have been several good responses on that within this thread (and people on this forum much more capable of answering that question than myself).
yobuck
Well-Known Member
Exactly, for sure there will be similarities.
And yes it can get boring hitting things that are well within the capability of both gun and shooter.
But whats wrong with that?
As for ideal conditions not teaching anything, I don't agree. First off it builds the confidence necessary in knowing you can do it. Poor conditions wont teach anything other than you wasted your time.
So again, im hoping for great conditions on the day the OP shoots.
As for reading the wind over open maybe even mountainous terrain at those distances?
Are you kidding me?
Whats the mid range trajectory of that cartridge at that distance, and whats your little hand held device tell you about conditions up there?
Experts have been handing out advice and writing books for eons and yet new experts and expensive devices are still showing up. Why is that?
Go to a 1000yd benchrest match and use a stop watch to time the amount of time it takes them to get 10 shots off when their target comes up, at least the best most experienced ones. Why is that also?
AND, they also have wind flags.
No wonder those guys shoot so well, they cheat. lol
Go shoot and hold for the wind, when you have to hold more than about 5 ft, quit and go home or go someplace closer. Unless of coarse you have a mil mil ffp scope. lol
Agreed!
HELLYEAH!
MontanaMarine
Well-Known Member
I've shot beside Broz at a mile, him with his 300 WinMag/215 Berger at about 3000 fps. Me using 30-06/208 Amax at around 2700 fps.
I was struggling and getting a few hits. Broz was making consistent repeatable hits. We were shooting at rocks about 1 moa in size.
We were at about 4300 ft elevation. The 300 WinMag/215 Berger was delivering the mail.
I was struggling and getting a few hits. Broz was making consistent repeatable hits. We were shooting at rocks about 1 moa in size.
We were at about 4300 ft elevation. The 300 WinMag/215 Berger was delivering the mail.
MontanaMarine
Well-Known Member
That 215 Berger at 3000 fps would be reaching a mile retaining over 1300 fps in our atmo.
yobuck
Well-Known Member
Well admittedly that tends to affect opinions on distance.
No doubt the clearer thinner western air has a more positive affect on ballistics and distance shooting.
Average shooters ability wont vary much from coast to coast, but reality is we can only shoot well, as far as the gun and current conditions will allow us.
