How many rounds will a .300 win shoot before it won't do MOA?

[sam700]

Approx how many rounds do you think someone could shoot through a .300 win before the goups open up to greater than 1 inch at 100 yards assuming that you don't let the barrel get any hotter than you can stand to touch?

I have a .300 with about 700 shots fired in the 1 1/2 years that I have owned it and I am thinking of having the barrel cut from 26 inches to 24 to improve the handling in the brush. I'm debating whether to do this now, or wait till I rebarrel. If the groups will start to open at 1000 rounds as some tell me they will, I might as well wait, but if only a benchrest shooter would notice the differance at 1000 rds then I might cut it down now. The gun is a Kimber Montana with a stainless barrel if that makes any differance.

Again, I'm not looking for benchrest accuricy, just MOA.

 

[IndianaBoy]

What is the barrel contour?

If it is an H-Bar, and you want it shorter... have it chopped at the chamber end and re-ream the chamber.

This should erase a lot of the 700 rounds you have already fired.

It really depends on how you shoot it, what the barrel life will be.

One shot per day, for a year... very little.

365 shots in one day... will erode the barrel quite a bit. Once you get the barrel hot, and keep shooting.... you are doing more damage than if you allow it to cool between strings.

 

[sam700]

It's about as light a profile as you could get so that probably wouldn't be an option.

 

[JShirley]

Does it shoot MOA now?

 

[moooose102]

well, my remington 700 will shoot about 3 rounds before the barrel heats up enough to let the groups start rising. i have thought about removing the pressure point from the stock, but really, it IS a hunting rifle, and how often do you need to shoot something more than 3 times with a 300 win mag?

 

[MachIVshooter]

how often do you need to shoot something more than 3 times with a 300 win mag?

On that note, I was kinda wondering why anyone would put >400 rounds a year through a sporter in that chambering. My .375 Ultra has seen all of about 80 rounds in 6 years, the first 20 being sight-in and another 20 changing the minds of people who thought they wanted a big bruiser of their own.

Granted, the .300 WM has far less recoil, but still, I can't imagine someone wanting to go put 50 or 100 rounds downrange on a regular basis just for gits and shiggles.

 

[jbech123]

A lot of variables at play. Do you shoot a lot of rounds per session? How does the rifle shoot now? half moa? What I've read is a 300wm would start seeing accuracy degradation in 2-3000 rounds. Even at that though, it is hard to ascertain how much loss and at what rate after that. I can't speak from experience since I have not personally shot thousands of rounds through a 300wm. I have about 800 through my 7mag and it shoots .8's, just as it did when I bought it.A lot of this accuracy loss/barrel life concern is by the benchrest crowd, and for them a gun in the low .2's "opening up" to mid .4's after a few thousand rounds is a problem. For a guy with a lightwieght kimber in 300 win mag that is used for hunting, the loss would likely be negligible. I would just keep shootin' and see for yourself. If you've already put 700 rounds through it you obviously shoot alot. If accuracy starts to really falter at some point and you eliminate other factors, get a new barrel then. Also,cutting the barrel from 26 to 24 is your choice, though to me it seems like a minute difference. If you do alot of brush hunting, maybe a different rifle would better suit that situation.

 

[sam700]

Wish I could claim that the rifle claimed 700 deer

Just like to do lots of practice with the gun I hunt with between practicing positions and learning the trajectory out to 400 yards. I usually don't put more than 20-25 down range a day, but I do get out to the range quite a bit.

I now just worked up a handload for practicing shooting positinons that shoots less the 2000 fps and shold work good for practice at 100 or so and hopefully minimize wear on the barrel.

I practice with my .22 alot during the off season, but when it comes close to a hunt, I like to practice with what I'll be using.

The gun shoots about MOA right now, sometimes a little better. Think I can put 1000 more down the tube before I start to notice a change in accuricy?

 

[SaxonPig]

I seem to be the only guy who doesn't enjoy MoA accuracy from each and every rifle I own (.5 MoA with semi-autos according to a recent thread).

 

[LeonCarr]

Are you cleaning it properly, removing all copper fouling from the barrel? Most rifles that exhibit larger than normal groups are due to poor cleaning and not removing built up powder/copper fouling. use a good copper solvent (Sweets, Barnes CR-10, etc etc) and it will help tremendously.

I would also leave the barrel 26 inches long for better balance, velocity, and usually accuracy.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Bwana John]

Ill bet I can burn that barrel up in less than 500 rounds.

Gimme a nice hot day, 500 round of ammo and a oven mitt.

If you take it easy and never let the barrel heat up, dont be over zelious about cleaning it should have "acceptable accuracy" for ~8k rounds.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

BwanaJohn hit it.

The other factor is this-

Depends on the load too. A 300 launching standard 180 grain hunting rounds will last a lot longer than the same barrel launching a handloaded 110 grain slug at just below nuclear velocities.

 

[bang_bang]

A 300 launching standard 180 grain hunting rounds will last a lot longer than the same barrel launching a handloaded 110 grain slug at just below nuclear velocities.

I like how you put that.

300 Win Mag is a hell of a rifle. Typically I can put around 10 rounds downrange with my thick coat on and that's all I want out of if. Summertime, probably up to 6-7 rounds comfortably, anymore and I'm going to be tender the next day. Mind you that I'm shooting this from a Stevens Model 200, so the lightweight and cheap stock has some to do with the recoil.

 

[Ben Shepherd]

Bang_bang-

Those light ones are fun time to time. The 110 V-MAX pushed hard out of a 300 Win. just vaporizes whistle pigs.

 

[bang_bang]

I know.

I'm not even near max load, still can fit 8 grains of powder in the case before I'm maxed. But after seeing some results, I don't think I need it.

 

[gga357]

4763 rounds. If it opens up before that send it back for a full refund.

 

[moooose102]

on that note, i was kinda wondering why anyone would put >400 rounds a year through a sporter in that chambering.

when i had my own range, i used to put that many through mine, sometimes, more than that. It is amazing how much you will shoot if all you have to do is walk out the back door 50 yards or so. I still enjoy shooting, but it is simply more difficult to do now. And, now i have more chambers to feed, so i have to spread the weath (or rather, the lack of wealth) between all of them.