light .300 WSM or RUM rifle?

I doubt you'll get into a Remington Model Seven or 700 Mountain Ti for 800 bones. At least not with enough left over to scope it, so that leaves the RUM and RSAUM out of the running. The Browning X-Bolt Hunter weighs in under 7lbs dry The Micro-Hunter even less. The Browning A-Bolt Composite Stalker is about the same weight as the X-Bolt Hunter but has a 23" barrel and BOSS system. Any of those three should be found for enough under $800 to scope.

Also just to throw a wrench into the works, Savage lists the 6.5-284 Norma Mag in the Lightweight Hunter model. It comes in at a mouse fart over 6lbs. It also only has a 20" barrel though so watch your eyebrows.

Find you a Savage M110 in .300RUM.
They made them in 2003-2004. I stumbled across mine at a Pawn Shop. It had been brought back for the fact that either the rifles owner or some at the factory had installed the extractor backwards and it wouldn't extract.

With a Simmons Mag-44 3-10x scope it weighs just under 9lbs. This is as light as you want a .300RUM. Take my word for it.... Recoil is just a small bit under "thrilling".. About like a 12ga Rem 870 w/18"bbl shooting Brenneke slugs. Not a "killer", but it's drawn blood on both ends everytime I've shot game with it. (Weatherby Eye is the term).

Accuracy has been excellent. With bullets it "likes", it will approach MOA. Velocities from the 26"bbl have been ~50-100fps higher than the "books" suggest.

I plan on using it for a cow-elk hunt I've got scheduled for November. I'm going to use some 200gr Sierra GK's and 200gr Nosler Part's I aquired at 1990 prices about two years ago. (old, old prices on dusty boxes in long time LGS).

They're chrono'd at 3,100fps over 94.0gr of Retumbo. About 50fps faster than factory Remington 200gr Partiton loads.
My "other" load is either 107.0gr of WC-860 or 98.0gr of Retumbo for 3,300fps with a 180gr. Oddly enough, the 180gr Remington CorLokts are the most accurate at just under or at MOA.
Go figure !

I aquired the rifle for $250 in 2005. The scope I won in a pistol match. I used Weaver double-rings and bases (#402 front to move the front ring rearward ~1"). I also aquired 100 nup cases and 500 Rem. 180gr Corlokts. Also, I aquired some ammo when Walmart "clearanced" them out. The 200gr Partitons ran me $20 and the 180gr Partitions $12 out the door !!! The Lee dies were $24.00 at the time. Whole set up and components under $400.

I had to cut the stock 1.25" and add a Kick-exe grind-to-fit recoil pad, but it now "tamed" to the point that it isn't that bad to shoot. I also "cleaned up" the trigger and it's set to ~3.5lbs and very crisp. Not a hard job if you know triggers.

My "favorite" load for the rifle is a load with reduced velocity and recoil, if .300winMag level can be considerd "reduced".
It's the 180gr Corlokt over 83.0gr of IMR7828 for 3,000fps. It's also sub-moa accurate (3-shots, to save the barrel). This load is "almost civilized"....But preserves the "magnum" performace.

I have a Tikka T3 Lite in 300 WSM that I absolutely love. It weighs in around 6-6.5 lbs, I believe. It's a great shooter.

Savage Sierra

My go to gun is a Savage 10 Sierra in 300WSM. 6 1/4# with a 20" barrel it is a nonsense deer killing piece of machinery. Mine shoots 165 gr. Accubonds under 1" off of sandbags and recoil is no worst than a hot 30-06 load. You might find one online.

JDMorris said:

Not worried about recoil. Would 7mm wsm be a better round?

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Yes, if you like bullets with a higher ballistic coefficient.

easy choice- Tikka T-2 lite stainless
http://www.tikka.fi/t3models.php?litess
http://www.tikka.fi/pdf/specs/LiteStainless.pdf

Tikka may be the only real option and even it doesn't leave much room for a quality scope with an $800 budget. At least the Tikka comes with mounts which will help.

The 300 WSM's recoil is about 1/2 way in between 30-06 and 300 WM in rifles of equal weight, or will allow you to shoot a lighter rifle with recoil about equal to the 300 WM in a rifle about 1 lb heavier.

The 300 and 270 WSM rounds are well established and are going to be around for a long time. Especially the 300. The 7mm WSM was late getting into production and never caught on. I expect it to become a reload only option soon. I cannot recall the last time I was in a store that did not carry 300 WSM, ammo. I've yet to ever see a box of factory 7mm WSM ammo and 270 WSM is quite rare.

The 300 WSM will beat 30-06 by 300-400 fps and come within 50 fps of 300 WM. But for some reason the 270 WSM only beats 270 WIN by 50-100 fps. Not worth the effort for me. The 7mm WSM looks good on paper, coming pretty close to 7mm RM loads and easily beating 280 loads. If you prefer 7mm over .308 and reload the 7mm WSM is a viable option. I think it is certainly a better choice than the 270 WSM. Too bad it wasn't introduced at the same time as the other 2, it might be the best of the 3.

but a big nasty magnum in a rifle that'll kick like a mule seems really fun to me right now.

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It won't be very long till the fun wears off.
If you ever want to develop into an excellent rifle shooter!!

The used rifle racks at Cabalas are full of super light Magnums in powerful calibers others thought was a real bright idea at the time they bought them new!

Turned out, it wasn't much fun in real life!!

It will take hundreds, if not thousands of rounds to get over the subconscious filch such a beast will instill to your tender shoulder, shouting at your delicate head
to DUCK & COVER before this thing hurts us again!!

Only after you get over that with a softer kicking rifle will you be able to get real rifle accuracy again.

Trust me on this!!
I wouldn't lie to you or anyone else!!

rc

Well, if you want a real loudenboomermulenkiker look up a guy named Melvin Forbes.

ive got a little wood stocked abolt hunter in 300wsm. Its no heavier then my winchester featherweight and may weight a tad less. Its got a 22 inch thin profile barrel. It isnt nasty to shoot but you know you shot something a bit bigger then an 06. Probably comparable to my 300 win mag rifle. Its plenty light to carry all day and i doubt if even me whos pretty much recoil resistant would want it any lighter.

Tikka T3 Stainless in 300 WSM without a doubt.

Winchester makes a lightweight in 300 wsm.

I had a Savage 10 FCM in 300 wsm that kilked like mule,

I also had a Browning BLR 300 wsm that also kicked like a mule
I ended up selling them and getting a Remimgton 700 with a laminated stock and SS barrel 24 inch I still have
They were no fun to shoot

I've never bought into the need for a magnum rifle. With a .30-06 I can kill anything you can with a 300 WSM or RUM. I can also find ammo for a .30-06 just about anywhere ammo is sold.

Kimber classic 270 wsm. Very little kick. 7 lbs scoped. 150 gr. With great sd moving muy rapido.

I'll tend to agree with rcmodel's assessment ! To save a buck-
Check out the Zastava M70 commercial Mauser now available in the U.S.
We have gotten favorable reports from customers concerning quality and accuracy of these rifles, and they have an attrative retail price point, often being had for around the $500 mark, new!
These rifles are offered in both the Monte Carlo and Mannlicher style walnut stocks, they have adjustable triggers, which are pretty good, the ones I have shot have been 1" or better shooters at 100y, they also have a 'side safety' such as the type offered on the Remington M700 ect...
The receivers are drilled for scope mounts and the blue is really nice.
Check them out at Century International arms.

As always, you cannot go wrong with the Tikka rifles.