300 mag but which one? Help!

[yamikidR1]

Hi everyone I am looking into buy a new rifle " not really for any special purpose just to have one"! It will be used for bear hunting and when I hunt the fields for deer so I want to be able to shoot a good distance accurately. The weapon I been looking at is a 300 Remington ultra mag, I hear it really packs a punch both ways. From what I can tell it seems to shoot the flattest, with the best ballistics, I am not worried about the kick.

I am looking for you help, this is just what I have looked at so far but I am open to anything. I would kinda like to stay in the 300 cal. So anybody out there knows what’s best let me know 300 win, 300 wby???

Thanks and looking forward to your advice!

 

[ALASKACAJUN]

Well I have owned all of the .300's and prefer the .300 Wthby, but it's my personal preference... As far as I can tell the .300 Ultra is a little more than the Wthby as far as ballistics go.... I guess it all depends on you and what you want, all of the .300's are good for what you specified....

- Clint

 

[dakotasin]

not a bad choice in the group.

from purely ballistics, 300 rum or 30-378 is the way to go.
300 win mag is still an awesome chambering. i'm no fan of the weatherby round because of the radiused shoulder, and i think the rum is a better cartridge.

if it were my decision, i'd buy based on the platform (rifle looks, fit, etc) knowing full well that any 30-cal mag is just fine.

 

[bearmgc]

I'm a fan of the .300RUM, and have a Remington LH classic in this caliber. I have a Kickez recoil pad and a muzzle brake on it to tame it down to 30-06 recoil. Its a great "reach out" elk and bear gun. Factory ammo will cost ya plenty for the .300RUM. The .300Win may be a better choice for deer, can still get way out there. There may be better variety of factory ammo, and cheaper, for your purpose, if you don't reload.

 

[yamikidR1]

Thanks for the help!

Isn't the 30-378 expensive to feed?

 

[roo_ster]

yamikidR1:

I don't own a .300 mag, but I can read. ALL Weatherby cartridges are expensive, it is just a matter of HOW expensive.

http://www.midwayusa.com/ lists the cheapest Weatherby-manu ammo at $36/20 for 7mmWby mag. The most expensive is $113/20 for some .460Wby mag. .30-378Wby mag goes for from $86-$92/20.

I 'spect it would be more at a retail gun shop.

 

[adaman04]

The Savage Weather Warrior is a sweet rifle. I'm not sure if you can get it in RUM but you can get in in .300 WM. They're sweet rifles.

http://www.savagearms.com/116fss.htm

 

[Boe]

I was happy with my 300 ultra(now my father's). It hits hard and shoots flat. The ammo isnt cheap, but thats a 300 for you. The weatherby ammo still costs more. If you reload, its irrelevent. The ballistics on the ultra are the most impressive, compared to its other 300 counterparts. I would start by choosing your favorite rifle chassis, as the differences between the 300's is marginal, and being comfortable with the weapon is very important.

 

[bearmgc]

I was comparing the cost of .300Win Mag ammo to .300RUM and the varieties offered. At Midway-USA, you can get Federal Fusions 150-180gr in Win Mag for $20.00 box, and other for less than $30. box. The cheapest ammo for .300RUM is $31.00 for the Rem 180gr Sirrocos.

 

[slzy]

none of my business,but i would get a 30-06,or go up to a 340

 

[zedheadmc]

I've got a Savage model 112BVSS in 300Win. Mag. It's heavy but a lot of fun to shoot. I believe that the model 12BVSS comes in 300WSM.

 

[BlisteringSilence]

The Savage Weather Warrior is a sweet rifle. I'm not sure if you can get it in RUM but you can get in in .300 WM. They're sweet rifles.

http://www.savagearms.com/116fss.htm

Kind of off topic, but can you comment on this new "Accu-trigger" system that Savage has been hyping? I have a Reminton 700 chambered in .300 win mag, and have been looking at replacing it for field work. Savage's trigger system looks interesting.

 

[UnSafe]

Another $0.02 opinion.

The .300 Magnum class of rifles, with maybe the .300 Savage at the tamest end, going on out to the .300 RUM, .30-378, the wildcats like .30 Tejas and others, all kick a bit to get the rounds out fast.

It's OK from a bench, where you're prepared and don't have to hold up the rifle, but many manly men flinch when shooting unsupported from the shoulder. The harder kicking Magnums make it (Flinch) more likely.

A slightly slower round, say 308 or 30.06, can easily get the job done at any reasonable hunting distance on deer, elk or black bear. In some ways, even better- Anyone ever seen the meat damage from a close in shoulder shot with a 300 Win Mag? Been there, done that and fed the bloodshot mess to the dogs.

If you're looking for a cartridge with greater killing capacity, check out the .33's or even larger diameter. They can do anything that a .30 magnum can do to an animal, and with less chamber pressure to boot.

Now, before I'm written off as an armchair expert, let me say that my chair has no arms... And I have a .300 Win Mag rifle (Browning A Bolt), as well as larger and smaller bore rifles. I load fast and slower (Relatively) rounds for it, and it's my most used hunting rifle. But as I get older, I'm less interested in the biggest/ baddest loadings and am leaning toward the .25 Cal. for deer sized game. Wanting to build a light rifle in .257 Roberts for Oklahoma deer.

If you're set on a 30 Magnum, I'd suggest a basic matte black finished Remington Sendero in 300 Win Mag. Durable and a bit heavy, but that's not a bad thing for a .300 Mag. Remington triggers are easy to work on and, after load work, if it's not as accurate as you'd like, setting the barrel back, re-cutting the chamber and re-crowning the barrel is pretty reasonably priced. There's more load data on the .300 Win Mag than just about any other .30 Mag.

Get good glass, otherwise you'll be wasting you're time on everything else.

Good luck with your purchase!

 

[MachIVshooter]

Thanks for the help!

Isn't the 30-378 expensive to feed?

You'll spend 2 to 3 times as much feeding the .30-378 wthby. as you will the .300 RUM. That said, neither is a particularly good choice for anything short of big game (read; elk and up). With bullets under 180 grains, they do not offer that much over the .300 WM (except recoil). However, with bullets in the 200 and 220 grain arena these super-magnums really shine. The .300 RUM will give you varmint cartridge trajectories with big game bullets. It will kill any animal on this continent from farther away than you can hit it.

 

[Ankeny]

If you're set on a 30 Magnum, I'd suggest a basic matte black finished Remington Sendero in 300 Win Mag.

That is some of the best advice I have read on a shooting forum.