.300 Win Mag-any exp?

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Acheron

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I'm thinking about getting into long range shooting and I was wondering what rifle/cartridge combo to use. I also want the rifle to double as a hunting rifle (for Elk, deer, and such) so I was thinking about a Remington 700 or Savage 111F in .300 Winchester Magnum.

I'd appreciate anyone with practical experience with .300 Win Mag to help me with a decision. Which rifle is best? Is there a better option for a long-range/hunting cartidge?
 
Perhaps its a bad barrel but my brother burned a barrel out of his 700 with roughly 700 rounds(5-6 years). Seems like it was a short life to me so he rebarreled to 350 rem mag has well over 1k through it now and still going strong
 
The 300 Win Mag might be a great rifle for you but my only experience with it has been in a Kleingunther and only at ranges out to 200 yds. It was fantastic but I don't think you're wanting to stay at 200yds.
On the other hand, I have burned some long-range powder with the 7 Mag. and will heartily agree with "trstafford". It is a High-5 round if there ever was one. :cool:
 
I have seen heavy 164 gr 7mm mag used on elk with authority droped them on the spot at 400 yards. 7mm is generaly flatter shooting at higher volicety I use a 147 gr for large michigan deer I have never had a shot on an elk but mule deer of the plains go down fast too. &mm is an under rated cartridge. Nothing wrong with 30 mag rounds either IMO folks try to push em too fast and wipe a barrel out too earl in life.
 
Are you newer to shooting? if so stay away from .300 win mag, too expensive to shoot and too much recoil., especially in a lighter weight hunting rifle. Think .308 if you are not yet used to shooting high powered rifle in the .30 cal class of cartridges.


Do you primarily want to hunt or target shoot.( when you say long range, how long, 1000yds?)

.300 Win Mag is a good round for what you want to use it for. Sufficient for any North American game.( would be my personal go-to round for most things if i didn't live in MA, maybe a little over kill for deer) I know a few people who have taken elk with it,it's certainly a good round for elk. It also will easily reach out to 1000yds and beyond. It has been popular with 1000yd shooters over the years. If you want to use the rifle for any truly long range shooting you will need at least 3/4 MOA accuracy, which is achievable in most modern rifles with match grade ammo.(probably have to hand load to afford shooting match grade stuff though) I load 180gr match kings with 71.6grs of IMR4831, seems to work good in my gun. Shot a .36" 3 shot group not to long ago. I'm getting 2850-2900fps with that load. I've only shot out to 600yds, it certainly does fine with that. I also shoot it a lot and am more than comfortable with the recoil.

Something like a Remington 700 Sendero SF-II would suit your needs very well, heavy enough to shoot from the bench,most are super accurate, and still light enough for hunting. Also, Mod. 700 XCR Long Range Tactical might work, depends on budget.
The Savage 110-FP would also be suitable, it has the heavy barrel, cheaper than either of the Remington 700's, and should be accurate.

.300 is also a bit of a barrel burner compared to, say, a .308.A heavy barrel that dissipates heat will generally be more accurate and probably last a little longer if you want the rifle for range use. Also, if you hand load, there is no need to shoot max, 3100fps, loads at the range, find a milder, accurate, load and your barrel will last longer.

the 111f is a regular hunting type rifle, light barrel, light synthetic stock, great for hunting, but will punish you at the range with the .300, and sufficient accuracy for real long range shooting may be hit or miss with that rifle. Something with a heavier barrel that's more target/tactical/long range oriented would be more suitable. Might be heavy to hunt with, but that's where you have to make the compromise. If you want to mostly hunt, then it's a whole different ball game, the light barrel hunting rifle would be fine.

Edit: 260 Rem is a good round too, would also fit your bill,probably will be my next rifle
 
I have a beautiful, stainless Savage in a Richards Microfit laminted stock in 300 Winmag. Very unpleasant to shoot. In fact, I haven't even had it out of the safe since elk season 2006. What you need is a 260 Remington. Better ballistics at 1000 yards than the 300 Winmag, and a lot less recoil. A lot. And you really don't need a 300 Winmag to kill a deer. The 260 might be a little light for elk, but you have to remember, elk were hunted almost to extinction with the 30-30 and less powerful rifles. Shot placement. The cool thing to do would be to get a Savage in 30-06, then get a barrel from ER Shaw in 260. You can change them out in about 20 minutes in your garage.
 
Do you reload? The 7mm stw would be a darn good one. Recoil is tolerable til you get up to the 180's...then you're gonna take a beating. 6.5-284 is a reeeal good long range caliber, but borderline on what I would use for elk. I'm kind of partial to the 6.5's and 7's but there ain't nothin wrong with the 300 win mag. None of the above are really efficient...but they're sweet. If you want the hot, high performance calibers...ya might as well consider your barrel like tires on your car lol.

Talk to some benchrest guys and do some studying at www.6mmbr.com

I love getting in close with the critters with the bow...but blastin 'em at over 500 yards with the rifle is a blast and real rewarding!
 
I may have jumped the gun a little bit...I don't know how much experience you have with heavy recoiling rifles...but a couple guys are steering you the right way by recommending a 6.5(260). You don't want somethin big that you can't shoot. If you're gonna be flinching with a 300..7mm...etc... you're better off with a 243. I don't know what kinda rifles you got...but I'd make your first long-range outfit a 6.5...Whether it be a 260...6.5x47...6.5x284 and stay away from the elk with it until you're confident at whatever range you wanna shoot. 6.5x47 is a sweet new efficient cartridge...but there isn't anything wrong with the 260.

I'm not trying to say you ain't man enough to shoot a magnum...but man the smaller ones are easier and funner to shoot in my opinion. I'd rather shoot 20-30 rounds and feel good then feel beat up lol
 
I have used a 300 win mag on both moose and elk at less than 200 Metre ranges...devestating in all cases, overkill for deer, but with appropriate shot placement that should not be much of an issue. I am also looking to have a cross-over long range competition/hunting rifle, and in northern BC both black and grizzly bear are an issue, and i have absolutely no fear walking in the woods with a 300 win mag...
sage advice from most of the previous threads in terms of recoil consideration, however in my opinion a good pachmyer and a should pad (to begin with?) will deal with recoil issues. Make no mistake, you are shooting a powerful cartidge, but not overly brutal. In regards to talk of 6.5 and 7MM rounds, accurate, powerful enough for clear shots, but in brush, as is common in my area, easily deflected...although with light bullets anything will deflect a bit...
What are you thinking of for a rifle? i have read good reviews of the Savages, and i intend to get a Savage 110 Heavy Barrel, and a Choate Folding Stock...easy enough to pack and heavy enough to shoot from the shoulder...in my opinion.
I have used Parker Hale and Winchester Model 70, both were excellent, as were the optics (leupold) however both had backup iron sights, call me old fashioned but i like backup bombproof ability to accurately fire at something (like a grizz convinced that the kill is his...) if i need to....gotta love shoot through rings.
K
 
I'm still fairly new to shooting but most of my range experience has been with the heavier-recoiling milsurps like 8mm, 7.62x54R, and .303. Suffice is to say that I wouldn't eliminate a cartridge solely on recoil concerns.

I know that .30-06 is a classic cartridge and is plenty capable for North American game but I don't know how it performs past 600m or so. If I do get into long range shooting it would probably be at ranges greater than 500m. The real thing stopping me right now is that I don't have a suitable range to do such shooting (all of the local ranges are 50-100yd). But that may change in the next 6 months-1 year.

What worries me a bit is that I'm getting recommendations for a whole slew of cartridges but no one is really agreeing on one. I know everyone wants to recommend their favorite one, but I'm looking for more of a general consensus. Right now I'm leaning away from the .300 Win Mag and towards something more like a .30-06 or 7mm Mag. I am wanting to stay away from .308 because the prices are just ridiculous; it's getting to be more expensive than even the .300 Mags.

Plus, I don't reload but my father does. And yes this rifle would be primarily a long-range target rifle with occasional hunting (or maybe none at all, I have other capable rifles).
 
I shoot a 300 Win Mag as my primary deer hunting gun. Some will say that its too much, but everyone has their opinion. It sounds like you are talking more about target shooting than hunting, which would make me shy away from the 300 and more towards one of the lighter recoiling rounds. You might not think its an issue, but it can get tiring firing 20-30 rounds in a session of 300WM, and like has been said before, the worst you could have happen is develop a flinch.
Everyone is going to give you a different opinion, but I think it sounds like the 30-06 is right for you.
 
I currently hunt with .243, .270, 7x57, .308, 30-06, .300 Win, 7.65 x 53, 45-70, .458 Win, .50 Beowulf.

For just long range targets I would go with a 6mm, 6.5mm, or 7mm, but I would not recommend them for Elk hunting. And it's just a personal thing, lot's of people use the 7 mag for Elk with no problems. I just figure if it needs a magnum I'll step up to a .30 for the additional frontal area.

For combined long range shooting and hunting up to Elk size game I personally prefer a .30 cal., and would probably choose a 30-06 for one gun. You can keep the 150 Scenars or 175 SMK's supersonic well past 1000 yards, and with a good 180 gr. bullet kill anything on the planet. The -06 is cheap to buy ammo for, easy to reload for if you get in to it, and there is a huge selection of loaded ammo and bullets available in .308 diameter.
 
DON'T discount the 300 win short mag. It has extremely similar ballistics with more efficiency and accuracy from the method of the powder burn. It's also good for a little shorter action reducing some weight and also reducing the motion you need to exert to reload.

As per rifle, there are many quality manufacturers that make great rifles at all price ranges. I don't think about price when purchasing something I'll probably have for my entire life, so I focus on features, quality, accuracy, brand, and try to find a brand that fits me. Personally, I like Sako. Apart from other reasons, sakos have good magazine capacity: 4 with th magnum calibers, 5 with regulars like .308 and 30-06.

My brother in law has taken deer, elk, moose, and bear with the 300WSM, though nothing past 450 yards (he likes the stalk).

Muzzle break the rifle and it will recoil like a 243.
 
7mm would be a good choice and is plenty for elk. My brother drops one almost every year in western MT with a 7mm. '06 will do nicely as well. I shot a guy's 7mm at the range last year and it didn't kick as hard as my 8mm Yugo mauser.

But a 300WM is certainly a very capable round. You will have trade offs if you use it for both hunting and long range bench. You will want a heavy enough gun to be effective at the range (ie shooting more than a few times) , which means heavier to pack around while hunting.
 
If you load your own, there is no reason why a .300 wouldn't work for everything you wanted it to. You could run 180gr bullets at 2600fps. I should think that would be more than enough for deer, plenty for elk at normal ranges if you select a bullet with good terminal ballistics, and the recoil is not very bad at all.
 
What worries me a bit is that I'm getting recommendations for a whole slew of cartridges but no one is really agreeing on one.
And they never will. Everyone has their "pet" cartridge... If any one were truly the end all beat all; then we wouldn't have all this diversity now would we?
 
"And they never will. Everyone has their "pet" cartridge... If any one were truly the end all beat all; then we wouldn't have all this diversity now would we?"

Good point - they'll find the Holy Grail before everybody agrees on the one best "all-around" caliber.

I've shot a .300 WinMag in several different rifles and I like it a lot - in fact next to a .300 Weatherby it's my favorite elk gun - though if the stock doesn't fit well recoil can be an issue if you're sensitive to begin with. One of my .300WM rifles is a Savage synthetic stainless with a open/close muzzle brake and no doubt the brake helps, but it's darn loud with it open - fine for the range/practice with ear protection, but my hunting partners tend to find it annoying in the field.

I think it's a little heavy for deer under "normal?" circumstances; on the other hand if the wind's blowing and you're shooting at a big buck 250 yds away using 150 gr bullets...maybe not so much. I use a .270 Win for deer and a .300 for elk because I have both - that said - if I had to pick one caliber for both purposes I'd pick the .300 because I'd rather be overgunned on deer than undergunned on elk.

In the final analysis it always comes back to bullet placement, which along with hunting skill and judgment is a function of what you personally can practice and shoot best with - Jack O'Connor probably killed three times more elk with a .270 Win than most of us will ever shoot with any our personal favorite calibers combined; using 158 gr. of 4831 with #200 magnum primers pushing a 150 gr. Nosler Partition (his favorite elk handload).

All depends on what animal(s) you want to hunt and what you can shoot best. I know guys who can drive tacks with a .270 but can't hit a barn with a .300 Ultra - big strong guys, so it ain't a macho thing. OK, OK, maybe it is...but that's where the "responsibility" thing comes in.
 
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.270 Win than most of us will ever shoot with any our personal favorite calibers combined; using 158 gr. of 4831 with #200 magnum primers pushing a 150 gr. Nosler Partition (his favorite elk handload).

158gr of 4831? Must be a bigger .270 case than I am used to. ;) I'm sure you mistyped. Just messin' with ya!

I thought O'Connor liked the 130gr load for the .270. :confused: Perhaps I read it wrong?
 
15 out of the top 20 shooters in the F Class nationals used a 6.5 based cartridge. So..........if I was building a rifle to be used mostly for long distance shooting.............
 
158gr of 4831? Must be a bigger .270 case than I am used to. I'm sure you mistyped. Just messin' with ya!

Yeah, it's a compressed load, you have to use a Dremel jackhammer...ahr ahr -- good catch, sorry - not sure how the "1" snuck in there.

It's been quite awhile since I used that load, but I'm almost sure he used 150 gr. Partitions for elk, 130 gr. for deer (and most other North American game) - of course any more I'm "almost sure" about a lot of stuff. I'll go back through my old notes just for fun and see - I'm almost sure I know where they are....

EDIT: Couldn't find my notes (surprise surprise), but after some web research found this, which lends a little more credibility to my comments (except I missed the 4831 load by 0.5 gr. - which you have to admit is better than 100.5 gr.) - anyway, back to this:

...WWII surplus Hodgdon H4831 powder and Nosler Partition bullets were recommended by O'Connor and other writers. I fired the last of my old-style Partition bullets long ago, but I still have several pounds of the old H4831 and a friend kindly gave me a couple boxes of old-style 150-grain Partitions. I used new, current manufacture Winchester cases and standard large rifle primers.

O'Connor's load for 150-grain bullets was 58.5 grains of H4831, for which he reported velocities around 2,950 feet per second in a 22" barrel. In two model 70s with 22" barrels the load gave me 2,883 fps in one rifle, 2,907 in the other.


Source: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_5_51/ai_n13469623

That's about as good as I can come up with right now.
 
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Hey guys first post here,

I recently bought a used remington 700 BDL in 300 Win Mag that I didn't have high expectations for (Iwas getting a suspiciously good deal on it). When I went to sight it in though, it shot a one inch group of three at 150 yds. I have it sighted in at 200 now and it has subsequently taken a four point mule deer at about 300 yds. It does have some healthy recoil which can be a factor when sighting in or practicing, but I didn't even notice when taking the deer.

My uncle has a remington sendero in 300 Win Mag and a fluted barrel. I used it to kill my first deer at 350 yds (we like to take long shots). He killed an elk with it a couple of years ago at 600 yds. It is, needless to say a very accurate rifle and a good, powerful round. It is a little much for whitetail as mentioned erlier, but it won't ruin the meat and it allows for very long shots (whitetail in southern AZ tend to be skittish in my experience).

The numbers for 7mm Mag and 300 WSM seem to be very good and many people like them. The same can be said for savage rifles (I know the triggers are great on them), but I can only reccommend what I know for sure. 300 Win mag in a remington is pretty unstoppable.
 
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