300 Win Mag Bolt or Semi Auto

[Huntolive]

I am considering getting back into 300 Win mag for long range hunting of large game, whitetail deer and UP. This would not be my go to deer rifle, more for longer range if i go out West, or after Elk, Bear, Mountain Sheep, Moose etc.

300 Win Mag was my first deer rifle believe it or not, for better or worse. I harvested many deer with it, and though I suffered a couple scope cuts if I shot at a funny angle, I assumed the recoil was all just part of the game, and ignored it when hunting. Usually, the biggest problem was wondering if i hit or missed after the blast, but 90% of the time that was just b/c the deer was knocked glassy-eyed dead so fast that I had to walk a few yards before I could see the white belly lying flat. This was usually at anywhere from 75 to 300 yards.

Currently I deer hunt w/ a Savage 220 bolt action 20 G slug gun and have great success; they may jog a dozen or so yards, but never get far. I have had success out to 200 yards, but most are around 90. I also have a basic 30-06,(Ruger American) that does fine, so I am not really looking for a deer rifle for Virginia. My 10 yr. old daughter slays 'em w/ a 243.

This is for long range capability against large game and whenever I'm in the mood for that distinctive 300 Win Mag un-called for Knock Down

I am pretty open to what I get, and willing to pay up to $1000 for the rifle, but if spending that much, there has to be a real Reason.

I am looking at both bolt and semi-auto.
In semi auto I like the Benelli R1 a lot, but read in some places that its accuracy is in doubt.
I am also aware of the Browning BAR and interested in various versions of it including with and w/o muzzle breaks/compensators.

Same goes for the Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker w/ or w/o BOSS. Suggestions? I can get a great deal on a like-new one with the BOSS.

I am also happy to pay much less

I would love one with minimal recoil.
But accuracy trumps that, kind of. After all, low recoil may lead to greater accuracy. But since this will fill my long-range department role (300-1000 yards) it needs to be fundamentally accurate.
Semi auto a Plus, but not a huge factor.

Also willing to consider some other calibers:
What about 338 Win Mag? What can it do that 300 Win Mag can not?
how does 300 WBY Mag compare?
NOT 308. Has to at least match 300 Win Mag range and ability.

I would like descriptions of PRACTICAL caliber options, but am NOT looking for a physics lesson: please keep comparisons to a practical "what it will do to what type of game at what kind of range" comparison.

Also are brakes/compensators such as the BOSS easily removable w/o a gun smith if I want the option of on/off?

Thanks and Happy 4th of July

 

[barnbwt]

500 yards? Tracking Point

 

[jehu]

Most definitly abolt action if you are going to shoot 500+ yds. To reduce recoil you will want a brake or even better a suppressor. But the most important thing is a good dial up scope such as a Nightforce and a good ballistic program. At 600yds a Winchester 180gr silvertip drops 83.7" out of my Sako Greywolf, at 700yds 126.9" so as you can see if you are trying to do Bubba holdover your playing with your ass, not to mention 30 to 40 inches of drift in a 10 MPH cross wind or some fraction there of depending on angle. It can be done but you should be exteremly well practiced with you set up.

 

[RevJim]

I too used the 300 winmag for many years....antelope, mule deer, whitetail, Plains Game. For the ranges you are contemplating, a good bolt gun is the answer. I used a brake on mine just so I could "see my shot" on the critter. I've had Mod 700's and Mod 70's. The Model 700 was my favorite. I also skipped over the 300W and used the 300 RUM when it came out. Think of a 300 winmag as being a 500yd elk rifle and a Rum as a 700yd elk rifle....practically speaking. Yes, they will kill further, but it won't be as spectacular. I preferred the 210xbt in the 340W and the 185XLC in the 338 winmag. You get the flat shooting of the 300wm but it cuts a bigger hole. If you go with a BOSS, just remember your "sweet spot" will change as you foul the bore with more shots through the barrel; meaning you start with a clean bore, find your sweet spot and keep shooting that load and setting until you see your accuracy fall off. Clean and foul back to original sweet spot. Whew, lots of shooting! I prefer a brake that has three big perpendicular holes to the bore. Its "quieter" than a BOSS or similar "holes all around" kind. My favorite Mod 700 in 300 winmag was the Classic. But it only had a 24" bbl. I like 26" for magnums for long range myself, though not necessary. I really think you should stick with the 300 winmag, as its easy to shoot, indistinguishable in the field from the ones I listed, and realisticially, ANY elk over 400yds is a long, long way. If he doesn't DRT, you may have difficulty in even finding where he was standing at the shot! If blood on the snow, great, but what if no snow? Remember the old saying...90% of the elk spend 90% of their time in the thickest 90% of the dark timber! ha Good luck to you Pard.

 

[jmr40]

Semi's are much heavier to lug around in the mountains, and much more expensive, and rarely even close to as accurate. They require a lot more attention to detail and kept quite clean in order to be reliable. Not always possible on remote hunts in harsh weather conditions.

They are also dependent on a fairly narrow pressure range in order to function reliably. There are lots of perfectly safe loads that simply won't function in a semi. You can load a 300 WM down to 308 levels or develop hotter loads for it that will still feed and be perfectly safe.

Their only advantages are somewhat reduced recoil and faster repeat shots. With low recoiling rifles like 223 etc. that can be a factor. With heavier recoiling guns the speed "AIMED" of repeat shots just isn't that much faster.

 

[Orcon]

I would highly suggest looking at a Remington 700 Sendero. My LGS usually has them priced in the $700- $850 range, recently had one in 7mm RM for $625. Don't buy one for over a thousand bucks though, people of Gunbroker.com are smoking crack if they think that $1200 is an appropriate price.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I think a Browning BAR in .300 Winnie Mag would be tops.

Light recoil, excellent accuracy and rapid follow up shots for hunting or even predator defense.

 

[Huntolive]

Thanks, Barn BWT what do you mean by "Tracking Point"

Good points guys about optics and set up training for shots past 300 yards.

338 Win Mag or 300 Win Mag?

I have no experience w/ compensators or brakes on bolt action, only on tactical rifles.
Are many 300 Win mags threaded for them? Which? Can I just buy one? Where , which one and how much? Also, are they easy to install/remove w/o gun smith? Can i just screw one on and screw it off and simply fire rifle? Would i then need a thread protector?

Any experience with the Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker w/ BOSS?
Or w/ Benelli R1?

 

[tdbmd]

A good smith can attach a brake to whatever rifle you choose. .300 WM is a very adequate big game rifle but when you start taking about shooting big game at greater than 500 yards, that is some rare territory, under field conditions.

Why would you need to shoot at such distances?

 

[Huntolive]

I just want the capability to be able to train up to that, and I like a rifle to be able to do more than just barely do what I can do, and lots of folks hunt well beyond 500 yards out west. I don't want to keep outgrowing my rifle. I can already easily take whitetails at 300 yards w/ a cheap scope and basic 300 WM or 30-06. I am willing to put in the training to do more, and want the right rifle for the job on even larger game. Now I am leaning towards a Browning Bolt or BAR Safari in 300 WM or Weatherby Mark v 300 WBY Mag. I just love the look and recoil reuction the benelli seems to offer, w/ its light weight reliable cycling system, but worry about accuracy suffering past 300 yards with it.

If I buy a rifle like a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker I am looking at that comes with a pre-installed BOSS compensator can i easily take it out? And if so, does the rifle require a thread protector or something?

 

[tdbmd]

Some brakes do have thread protectors that can be installed in place of the brake, should you choose to remove it. On some rifles, the zero will change in that case.

Again, the difference between 300 yard shots and 500+ yard shots under field conditions is quite a bit. While you may hear or read about such shots, may want to take that with a grain of salt. Most hunting can allow for the hunter to get close enough for shots in the 300-350 yard range, at the most.

 

[Huntolive]

Thanks tdbmd,
So if i removed a BOSS (or other break/compensator by simply unscrewing it) could i just fire it (I know the POI would change, and I'd have to sight in again, I imagine) without damaging the barrel, and rendering it incapable of re-installing the brake?
ie, would i need a thread protector in that case?

I ask, bc I am considering buying a lightly used rifle w/ a BOSS pre-installed.

 

[tdbmd]

Firing without the BOSS will not damage the threads but you lose the "tuning" ability of the BOSS. As well as losing the recoil reduction. Some brakes are not removable. Many rifles with the BOSS system are capable of impressive accuracy with the right loads.

 

[Huntolive]

Are the benefits of the BOSS worth the likely astonishing noise?
So I could simply unscrew the BOSS from a Browning bolt or semi auto BAR and later screw it back in at my preference w/o damage ?

BTW tdbmd, no offense intended in other thread.

Thanks

 

[tdbmd]

There are some BOSS versions without the brake, so no increase in noise. One other consideration is that if you are considering longer ranges, your optics need to be better than the basic scope, so consider maybe $400 or more for good glass, which in my mind would start with something like the Leupold VX-3 or better.

 

[Clark]

I have 300 Win mag factory rifles; Mauser 98, Rem 700, and Browning BAR.
I have built them custom on a VZ24 surplus Mauser and Mosin Nagant surplus rifle.

Here is a pic of the Mosin with a mule buck I shot in Oct 2015.
I had it sighted in all the way to 500 yards for a high accuracy broadside, but all I got was a running away up the backside at 250 yards.

I have lots more actions, barrels and stocks. I will build another 300 Win Mag.

 

[agtman]

.300 magnum on the AR platform.

Now you're ready for bear - brown, grizzly, or polar. Not cheap and no doubt heavier than my 7.62 LMT LM8.

On the other hand, Rachael Bee has no problem maneuvering with it.

Just FYI ...

 

[entropy]

A BAR with a BOSS is a good choice. If you get a bolt, get a McMillan stock for it. I had a Ruger 77 in .300 WM, it had a McMillan stock in a fugly tan-based camo, but the Sako palm swell and Pachmyr Decelerator on it made the recoil no worse than my Rem. 742 '06.

A NEMO would be nice.....

 

[joneb]

I would go with a 300 Dakota or 30 Nosler bolt action, JMHO

 

[jim in Anchorage]

" This would not be my go to deer rifle, more for longer range if i go out West, or after Elk, Bear, Mountain Sheep, Moose etc."

Thats a pretty vague job description. Lets start with are you going to be carrying this gun on foot?

 

[Huntolive]

Yes, carrying on foot. I'm deciding btwn 375 H & H and 300 WM

Is the 375 H&H as/more capable at/over 800 yards as 300 WM?

How does recoil compare in practical terms?

What can 375 H &H do that 300 WM can not and vice versa?

 

[jim in Anchorage]

On foot I would go with a .300 Win. I haven't done the research but I think it would easer to find a lighter .300 than a -375.

 

[idboy]

I have owned and hunted with both the 300 win mag and the 338 win mag (as well as the good old 3006) I have enjoyed the 300 immensely over the years, however 11 years ago I had a fire and lost 25 guns...I picked up a 338 win Ruger Mark 3 (or something) that was at a pawn shop for 175.00 ....they had terrible little wimpy synthetic stocks...I put a good synthetic stock on it and it has been my go to gun since purchase. I personally am not a fan of ported guns (my buddy used to hunt with a 300 ultra that was ported and removed all pine needles from any tree for 100 yds with its sound) and the price of ammo anymore, you might as well shoot something that will kill what you aim at...even at your desired ranges. I learned to shoot my rifle on rock chucks, use it on deer, elk, caribou, moose, and have even shot a black bear. I am always in brown bear country when I hunt in Alaska (grizzly country when I hunt in Idaho) and I want that little added feeling of security I get with my 338. I would not personally go for an "auto" as there are potentially more things to go wrong...I suppose you could go with an AR frame... I am not sure I am large enough to shoot one in that caliber. Hope this helped, just get something that you appreciate shooting and not something that you totally unhappy shooting...my 338 would go duck hunting if it was legal...it is that pleasant to shoot.