Quest for a Mile- 300 Win Mag

[yobuck]

yobuck,

I'd be curious to hear what bullet you would choose for the light/fast recommendation you offered. And how much retained velocity/drift it would have at a mile.

Well your attempting to put the focus on me, which dosent address the topic. I offered an opinion which many don't agree with and thats fine with me.
I wish the OP well on his desire and hope he has a perfect day as for conditions, which again in (my opinion), he will need.

 

[MontanaMarine]

I'm talking about getting to a mile with a 300 Win Mag. If there is a better way than using a heavy high-BC bullet, I'm interested.

Some of the solid copper options do reduce weight without sacrificing BC, thereby giving more potential MV.

I don't have a barrel suitable for those Warner 198gr though, and honestly the price kind of keeps me from going there.

 

[257 Blackjack]

For sure there is, and its also possible to have both,
as opinions quite often come from experience.
And when you come right down to it, isn't that as it should be?
Again, if any of the head nodders want to prove how wrong I am, bring your gun and have at it.

I was at one of the most esteemed shooters' in the world range a few weeks ago and my buddy was putting rounds all over an IPSC at 2000 yds with a 6XC. Yes, he missed about as much as he made impacts but we had great wind callers, great optics for spotting, and had as high quality of reloads as possible.

Pick up the 338 Imp or 375 and hits were more consistent but you really don't want to shoot those rifles 100-200 times a day.

Back to the point at hand - I ran a WEZ hit simulator for an IPSC target at 1760 yds shooting the 215 Hybrid going 2950 fps which is a bit more efficient yielding more MV than the 230's I use to shoot out my 300 Win Mag to 1800 yds. This was with 1 mph +/- wind certainty and an ES of 12. Increasing the total wind window to vary 5 MPH the hit % falls down to 1 in five shots.

Of course if you take five guys to the range some will shoot worse than this and some will shoot better. Some guys can't call wind within 5 mph, but I know multiple trophy winners, top 10 national level guys, who call it in 0.5 mph increments, shot to shot.

Do able? Very much so.
Fun as hell? Absolutely.

 

[Bang4theBuck]

My Mind is made up. I am going for it. I will likely test two different bullets (215 and 230gr) simultaneously, to see which ones react better to being pushed hard (2950+) and finish development on whichever produce better results. I am going to go with a 28" 10 twist Criterion barrel, with a long throat match chamber. Once I have been through all of this trouble, I will definitely be taking video of the whole thing, to share. By the time I get the barrel, mate it to the action, and get loads developed, it will likely be a couple of months with all of the other things I have going on. I may post interim updates as I get closer. Thanks again for the encouragement. This is going to be fun.

 

[1ASSASSIN]

As long as you can read the wind and mirage, you shouldn't have that big of a problem hitting your target a 1-mile with a 300 Win. Mag..

I say that, because I do the same thing with a custom 300 Weatherby Magnum. Shooting a 2 foot square piece of steel is not that big of a deal under "the right conditions". The right conditions to me, is a cool day with temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees, no wind, no mirage and good cloud cover. Granted, I don't get a lot of "perfect" days like that, but when I do, I am definitely sending some lead down range! Nothing less than a thousand yards, and all the way out to the 1-mile marker!

 

[RobertB]

300WM at a mile is doable. Thats the round I cut my teeth on with ELR type shooting. A 210SMK out of a 22" Win M70 with H4831SC. We would play with it at a mile and it was consistent enough to get hits. If choosing a 300WM these days I would look into the 30" barrels and try to shoot H1000/Retumbo with some high BC bullets. If you start out right it's an awesome cartridge that I think is under rated with the new bullets we have now

 

[Creedmoor shooter]

If I can shoot 1450 yards with my 6.5 creed, surely you can shoot a mile with a 300 win mag

 

[Phillygunner]

Hitting consistently at a mile is not merely a function of barrel length and velocity. I shoot a 26" 300 wm to a mile without any real problems. I shoot 215 berger hybrids at 2900 fps out of the 26 medium palma chanlynn barrel. I have used both H1000 and Retumbo. I would also say it might matter a bit where you are shooting. I live at 5000 feet and frequently shoot between 7k ft and 9400 ft altitude. If you're at sea level, you will have slightly different results. Your 300 wm will do it. Just make consistently good wind calls.

 

[Bravo 4]

I would also say it might matter a bit where you are shooting. I live at 5000 feet and frequently shoot between 7k ft and 9400 ft altitude. If you're at sea level, you will have slightly different results. Your 300 wm will do it. Just make consistently good wind calls.

Not a hit on you Philly, but gonna put a lot more emphasis on your statement. That degree of altitude change makes all the difference in the world. You litterally need about 650 fps added to that bullet at sea level to compare to velocity/energy at those higher altitudes when shooting a mile. Even with that added velocity (at sea level) you will still loose out in wind deflection. Comparing a cartridge's capability/performance at sea level and 7-8-9,000 feet is apples and oranges at ELR ranges.

 

[Remmy700]

As many have said brother GO FOR IT! 300 Win mag gets down, with the right components. Assuming you have the ability to shoot that far your main concern is going to be finding a good not only super consistent (ES, SD) load but super accurate. At that distance chasing ES around can reek havoc on your confidence and just be down right frustrating. As many have said hitting 1 mile is not really that hard, with the right bullet/rifle/powder combo. But there is a difference in hitting a mile and being consistent at a mile. With some good components not only reloading components but also reloading equipment and a whole lot of patience you will do just fine brother. Please keep us up to date with your progress!! Take care brother.

 

[dana bodnar]

My Mind is made up. I am going for it. I will likely test two different bullets (215 and 230gr) simultaneously, to see which ones react better to being pushed hard (2950+) and finish development on whichever produce better results. I am going to go with a 28" 10 twist Criterion barrel, with a long throat match chamber. Once I have been through all of this trouble, I will definitely be taking video of the whole thing, to share. By the time I get the barrel, mate it to the action, and get loads developed, it will likely be a couple of months with all of the other things I have going on. I may post interim updates as I get closer. Thanks again for the encouragement. This is going to be fun.

I think your on the right track try using Retumbo with the 215-Berger also I have had alot of problems when you push a heavy bullet that fast with a 300 win-mag that the softer brass such as Nosler will strain it to much and the primer pockets will enlarge so I switched to Hornaday brass and that solved the problem, Good Luck.

 

[Core781]

I have a switch barrel rifle that I would like to get a barrel for to shoot a mile. Once I have achieved that lifelong goal, I would like to be able to use the barrel in a long range hunting situation. There are reasons that are numerous that limit me to a 300 win mag, so changing caliber is not an option, and no it was not my first choice for this task. It looks like I would have to push a Hornady ELDM 225 or equivalent at around 2900 to safely get to a mile without getting too far into the transonic range. I am looking for some input on how realistic that goal is (225 going 2900) I am prepared to go 28 inches on the barrel if I have to. Advice on barrel length, twist, profile and powder that others are using for that distance would be a great help. Thanks in advance.

I'm not educated in long range shooting so I'm a bit of a noob for the mile territory. With that said I used to carry a rifle on duty that was good to about 1000m.

Always been entertained by the stories of safari hunters and how they ethically harvest wild game with "undermatched" cartridges. I'm a spatial scientist now, so the science behind it all really excites me.

Having a long barrel is a good starting point: 28" is great. I can't offer advice on rifling, but I know some here can. I have heard poly-rifling reduces inconsistencies but I don't understand the science behind it yet so I digress. A lot of folks shooting .22 competitively are using 28" to shoot for groups and bulls. The more energy you capitalize on the better, however, if the energy you wish to harvest can be derived from say a 22" barrel, you may be better off with six fewer inches.

Someone mentioned light bullets and faster velocities. This is heading in the right direction, but having longer bullets is critical in your end goal. So I would say the longest bullet you can load with a velocity that will get you to your goal is what you want to aim for. You'll also need a solid bullet or something that can handle high speeds and the friction that goes with it. They claim the ELD-X can but I have not used them yet? I'm interested in long solid projectiles at the moment, I haver my research cut out for me.

Love the .300 great cartridge. Pretty popular for harvesting the biggest deer in my region.

Good luck!

 

[edward hogan]

Getting an actual 1300fps at 5000+ feet is pretty Iffy in real world conditions; from a standard .300win case. Never owned a Savage rifle, but have been switchbarreling Sako m995, Rem 700 (not since 2009), and Win 70 since 2003.

In 2003, discovered the .338/300 win. The better .338 bc and weight was great improvement. What there wasn't in 2003 was the .375 Ruger... Not doing it all over again, but were I; the .375 Ruger case necked to .338 would be the ticket to ride.

The .300win chamber can be reamed to accept the Ruger case. If you want to stay with .30cal can go for it. The .338 just has THE Bullet Selection with several .80 bc (maybe better since last time I looked) bullets and plenty over .70bc.

If recoil is an issue, necking the .300win down to 7mm or 6.5mm will solve that. The .264win or a necked-up .257wby could be another solution, or maybe there're some high bc .25cal match bullets out there these days? Savage rifles are reputedly easy to switchbarrel, and iirc, bolt bodies are available for real versatility. David Tubb's Mile shooting video with the 6.5/284 established the real versatility of the Sierra 142gr matchking which has been upgraded/improved by Sierra since.

The Ruger-Hornady brass is excellent. Being able to ream a belted mag chamber to straight .533 and go with the higher capacity Ruger case is a great potential. Then again, if not recoil sensitive, there are some great .375 bullets out there made for the Chey-Tac that never really caught on. Still a .375 Ruger has a lot to offer. For the money, improving your .300win to .300/375 Ruger with a throat job for your favorite bullet should be The Ticket. Great topic. Good luck!

 

[257 Blackjack]

...

If recoil is an issue, necking the .300win down to 7mm or 6.5mm will solve that. The .264win or a necked-up .257wby could be another solution, or maybe there're some high bc .25cal match bullets out there these days? Savage rifles are reputedly easy to switchbarrel, and iirc, bolt bodies are available for real versatility. David Tubb's Mile shooting video with the 6.5/284 established the real versatility of the Sierra 142gr matchking which has been upgraded/improved by Sierra since.

Good luck!...

It's funny you should bring up the 25 Caliber Bullets.

They exist now. So do the barrels. I will have 130 blanks coming in next Tuesday through the end of the week.

Sorry to distract from the OP. I'll be shooting these a mile before long lol. 0.330 G7 BC running 3200 fps from a 25x284 which was our BC testing rifle.

Just look at these pics but don't get too distracted - this is a 300 Win post lol!

131 ACE Bullet seated in 25-06 - 0.330 G7 at 2940 fps - 0.333 G7 at 3140 fps.