Shopping for a new high powered rifle

I'm kind of suprised that one of the original long, flat, hard hittingest hunting rifles ever concieved by man hasn't been mentioned. (.300 Weatherby) It's been around for some time and can be loaded down to 150 all the way up too 220grn pills reliably. And plus, if you get a MarkV deluxe version, it will be one of the best looking rifles you will ever own. Ok, so I'm a little partial but it's just my .02.

Stick with the classics...

Especially if you want to reload.

If you own a Rem 7 Mag, Win 270 or 30-06, you have no need for another high power rifle. Any of these will serve you very, very well. There are more powerful rounds, but none of them will do the job materially better and none of them will compensate with more power for poorer shooting with a higher recoil round. These are contemporary ever popular classics for a reason.

Nothing wrong with the new RUM, WSM, etc. They are great rounds. But they exist to solve a problem for manufacturers, not shooters. They are designed to sell new rifles and new rounds to shooters old and new. And all the better, for this purpose, if they quickly fall out of favor. "Out of favor" creates a new market for another new round. And the cycle begins anew with another new fad.

A-Bolt, yes. 300RUM, not so much. It's not too hard to find good deals on older A-Bolts in 7Mag or 30-06, many of which have seen little action. I'd go for one of those.

crazyponie said:

I'm kind of suprised that one of the original long, flat, hard hittingest hunting rifles ever concieved by man hasn't been mentioned. (.300 Weatherby) It's been around for some time and can be loaded down to 150 all the way up too 220grn pills reliably. And plus, if you get a MarkV deluxe version, it will be one of the best looking rifles you will ever own. Ok, so I'm a little partial but it's just my .02.

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If you look at the books 300 WBY is great.

The big issue with 300 WBY is that very few manufacturers offer anything in this calibre. This leaves you buying an expensive Weatherby rifle or going custom.
The other issue is that ammunition is very expensive compared to Win Mag, and less common. So essentially you get ballistics that are maybe 10% better for probably twice the cost. Brass is two bucks to three bucks a piece if you reload. I do like the case design, but for the average guy 200 FPS across the board probably is not worth it for the price.

If A 30-06 won't reach out and kill it you are not on this continent. If you can't buy 30-06 ammo at the nearest spotting goods store you arent here either.

Beatledog7, Why would you not choose the 300 RUM? Bad experiences or what?

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I honestly have not shot one. It's hyper expensive for a non-reloader (you, Sgt) and doesn't offer a significant advantage over 30-06 or 7Mag (unless you're going to hunt in Alaska or Africa), but it reportedly kicks much harder than either. They both kick quite hard enough.

The bottom line is that an elk well hit with a 175gr 7mm bullet is just as dead as one hit by a 180gr .30cal bullet. I wouldn't recommend anything bigger than a 30-06 for anyone who's never dealt with high power recoil before, but I like the flatter shooting 7Mag over the 30-06.

If I were to go bigger than a 7Mag, I'd go on up to a .338 Win Mag.

I would be ordering a Vanguard S2 from Bud's, a Zeiss Conquest 3x9x42 from Cabela's, and a DNZ mount to put together an almost perfect rifle. The caliber? 270 Win of course.You would have around a $1000.00 for everything minus some 130gr ammo. Put it together, sight it in, and hunt what ever you want with confidence.

The 270 is a very good round it can be loader from 90gr up to 160 it is and all around gun. GOOD LUCK THANKS for serving are country.

The RUM would have some advantages as far as the different power levels of factory ammo.But if you're gonna reload,you can work that angle very easily with a lot of other rounds.I like the 300 Win Mag,use 180 gr Partitions for elk and 150 grainers for deer.It's not an unpleasant round to shoot and ammo for it is easily purchased most anywhere.The main thing to keep in mind is if you're gonna buy something,get what you really want,and then if it doesn't work out,trade it.I wish women were like that.

scheaman88

First, thanks for your service

Second, the Browning Abolt II is a very fine rifle

Third, forget about the 300 RUM.

For starters, your average AR-15 kicks with 3 pounds of force, the 300 RUM lvl 3 kicks with 30 pounds of force. Most people who shoot their first full-powered rifle can handle 15 to 20 pounds of kick, starting at 25 to 30 is TROUBLE.

The different power levels of ammunition don't offset this much. 300 RUM managed recoil is the same as standard 30-06 as far as kick, it just does it at twice the cost to your pocketbook.

Also realize that whenever you put in a different chambering, even with a good old 30-06 switching between a 150 grain standard power round for deer to a 180 grain standard power round for elk, you need to re-sight the rifle. The change is even greater if you are going from a 150 grain 300 RUM managed recoil to a 180 grain 300 RUM lvl 3. It's not like you can just pull the powerhouse round out of your shirt pocket and upgrade your rifle to a grizzly gun, you'll have to re-zero.

The fact that maybe a year or two after the 300 RUM came out, remington started offering the three different levels of 300 RUM ammo should tell you that most of the guys who bought the gun thought 'holy $%&# this thing kicks HARD!'

Even if you reload, the massive case size of the 300 RUM presents some issues with making tame loads. Traditionally to make a tame load a handloader would take an existing load and reduce the powder charge slightly. However too much free space in a cartridge can cause it to blow up. (although some guys fill the extra space with malt-o-meal) So you end up using a whole lot of big granual powder to take up the space in the big case...which means even when reloading you are spending more than you would if you had a 30-06 or some other more reasonable cartridge.

Get yourself a nice 270 winchester, 30-06, or 7mm-08. All of those can take an elk handily at pretty good range. If you think you need a bit more reach (you don't, but you might think you do ) then the 7mm Remmag, the 270 WSM is a better choice than the 300 RUM.

When I was in my early 20s my friend and I had fun shooting our AKs and SKSs and such and then we both decided to get 'deer/elk rifles' (most of our previous hunting was done in shotgun only areas). I got a 7mm Remmag and he got a 300 RUM. I was a fool. He was a total fool. We'd have both been better off with 270 winchesters, 30-06s, 7mm-08s or all sorts of other better choices for deer/elk rifles.

Oh, theres guys whose first gun is a 375 H&H and who get on fine with a beast like that, but that is the exception not the norm.

Get something reasonable first. Then, when you get to a point where a 300 RUM with lvl 3 'full power' loads would be advisable, get yourself a nice 338 winmag or 375 H&H because if something needs a 300 RUM full power load, then it's wise to go with something wider than .30

Lots of guys go to Africa with a 270 and a 375H&H, the lighter being used for the vast majority of hunting and the heavy comes out for lion, big Eland, etc. (Of course guys going to Africa for the 'big 5' add an even heavier gun for buff, Rhino, Hippo, and Elephant.)

Sgt Schea, I think you've made a wise decison opting for the 300 Win Mag, given your original starting point. You could always have the barrel of the rifle threaded, and order a muzzle break from any reputable gunsmith, if you want to cut even more of the recoil. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have that done right off the bat.

I've heard mixes reviews of the A-Bolt, but most were positive. However, if you're wanting to pick up "something nice," I think you would do well to take a step up to the nicer Winchester Model 70 Super Grade. If you think hunting in humid climates is a real possibility, you should give the Winchester M70 Extreme Weather some serious consideration.

I've owned the Extreme Weather (though mine was chambered in .270 Win), and it's a remarkable rifle. I wish I didn't have to sell mine, and I'm eager to replace it.

I have no knowledge of your rifle question but wanted to sincerely thank you for your service to our great country.

scheaman88 said:

Random Discharge great input i love to hear from people who have well thought out opinions. I however do not have a high powered rifle at this time never owned one and i am looking for one to buy. i like the 300 Rum for the simple reason that i can order three different charges for this weapon to shoot at levels equal to 30-06, 300 win mag. and 300 rum. Now with that in mind i have been looking at other calibers such as the ones you have mentioned and have been comparing them with the conditions i plan to use them in in my mind while comparing.

Crazyponie, Im kinda with glockjeremy on this one great shooting in the books from what i have looked at just a little pricey for reloading.

Beatledog7, Why would you not choose the 300 RUM? Bad experiences or what?

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Hi,

The reality of the matter is that versatile rifles seldom get used for their versatility. Their versatility come in the fact that they can accept a wide range of ammo but in reality the hand loader will find one load that is sweet. You will in all likelihood find one load and standardize on it, as stated each load will print in a different position and will have have differing holdover points. When placing the cross hairs on the deer you don't want to be wondering which holdover point etc. you simply do not have the time.

Personally I cannot understand the fascination of taking an animal at over 500 yards nor do I understand the fascination with the Magnums, each to his own however, it is not wrong but not for me. I am more fascinated with animal anatomy and shot placement as this leads to an ethical kill.

When you start hunting there is a big learning curve and you will probably ease yourself in with the smaller deer and then work up the scale. There has been advice given on a .270 or 30-06 or 7mm Rem Mag. I think each one of these is infinitely more appropriate that the .300 RUM as a first rifle. Any shot out of these will do what you require when at appropriate hunting ranges. No increase in caliber can ever compensate for a poor shot.

Then there is the cost. Even though you are planning on reloading the Magnums suck lots of powder and this costs. Especially when starting out as you will be on the range lots, developing loads, sighting in rifles and in general trying to shoot under 1 MOA at 100 yards. This will take some time.

Personally I shoot with a 30-06 with hand loaded 180 gr. Accubond bullets, the load which has been tweaked for my rifle. They shoot at about 0.6 MOA. I can shoot from Springbok to Eland with this but I don't.

For the lighter antelope I have a 6.5X55mm Swede. Oh, that's the other thing not yet mentioned, once the bug bites you will find yourself buying other rifles. So what you may tend to do is to buy a caliber for the game being shot rather than one caliber for all game.Good luck with your decision, have seen too many buy too much gun and have a miserable shooting experience. The 30-06 is deemed to be on the limit of the average shooters recoil threshold. I am 260 lbs and 6'2" and developed a flinch which took some time to remedy.

Perhaps you should also consider the possibility of companion calibers. With a 30-06 you could have a .243 / .260 Rem / 6.5X55mm on the lighter side and a .375 05 9.3mm on the heavier side.

With the .270 you almost make the the .260 and the 6.5X55mm redundant but you now don't have a nice heavy bullet for bone penetration when the animal is quartering towards you. So the larger animals will have to present an open shoulder with the .270 for you to get a heart shot / double lung shot.

My ramblings are based on my personal decision making process and the result. I ended with the 30-06 with the purpose as stated of shooting everything from Springbok to Eland. The reality is that rather than loading a 150 gr. bullet for the 30-06 I opted for another caliber with a 140 gr. bullet. A large Eland bull would need to present a very good angle or I would pass up on the shot. That is where the .375 comes in (my next caliber) which will complete my hunting trilogy so to speak.

Good luck and oh ...... return home safely from you tour of duty.

Sgt Shea, I began my own search for a rifle almost exactly a year ago. My roughly four-month search (daily effort throughout the four months), which included all eight of the rifles in your other thread, and some rifles you haven't listed, left me considering three rifles: the Winchester M70 Extreme Weather, Tikka T3 Stainless Hunter, and Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker. I ultimately settled on the M70, and I can confidently say my next rifle will also be a Winchester.

As far as the 7mm Rem Mag goes, I can't say much. Never fired one, and I don't personally know anybody who owns one. I agree with those who said a magnum caliber is unnecessary for a great majority of hunting, but if you're totally set on a magnum, I think 300 WM is a very respectable selection.

Hope this helps a bit. Please keep us updated on what you end up buying down the road, whether in this thread or a new one.

5R

Could always get a Remington 700 5R in 300 WM. 190g Berger VLD with 4000-MR is still doing 1600 fps at 1000 yds. QL says that is 1075 fp of energy. What is the energy requirement at the distance you will be shooting?

BTW, the above load had stiff recoil. I sent gun to Score High in NM and had a brake put on. Now the recoil is much less. Gun is very accurate.