Need advice on .300 win mag

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Bullseye25

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I'm more of a handgun guy, but looking into getting a rifle in .300 win mag.

Just looking for recommendations/advice on brands and models you guys may recommend and which ones to stay away from. Plan to use more for bench/range shooting and working up handloads more than hunting, but it may see some hunting action one day.

I'd prefer 24"-26" barrel, stock material doesn't matter as long as the gun is of good quality and has a good trigger (or one that may be tweaked/upgraded).

Price range $500-600.
 
Terrible round for a first rifle. I'd look at .308 or .260rem. Just my thoughts.

Savage, Tikka, Remington will be the big 3 recommendations. I recommend them in that order.
 
As far as the Remingtons go I heard the 770's are one to stay away from. Is this true? If so which Remingtons are the good ones?
 
Stay away from the 770's. The Remington Model 700 is the one you would want to look at if you're thinking a Remington.

Remington's quality control has severely dropped in the last couple of years, making them a real hit or miss in terms of quality, accuracy, etc.. If you do decide to go with Remington I would suggest looking at an older one, back when Remington was actually producing a great rifle.

As far as caliber, May I ask why you want to go with .300 Win Mag as you're first rifle? It's a great round, and very capable of taking any game in North America. But is unneeded when mainly paper punching. Factory Ammo is expensive, it's gonna kick the snot out of you sitting at a bench, and you're usable barrel life will be half that of something like a .308.

I would suggest you take a look at getting a .308 instead, if you're main purpose is indeed paper punching. Factory Ammo is cheap, it won't take near as much powder to reload, and it's way easier on shoulder. It's a proven 1000 yard caliber and barrel life would be twice as better than the .300 Win Mag. If you want to hunt with it, it'll do that too. Just some things to think about.

As far as a rifle goes I would suggest a Tikka T3. They're sub-moa rifles, I believe they even guarantee it. They're also pretty affordable, I believe they run about $500-$700 depending on what configuration you get. The triggers on them or some of the best on a factory rifle and can be adjusted to a clean, crisp 2 pounds.

If you're on a tighter budget Savage makes some mighty fine and accurate rifles for the money... Also supposedly, The Ruger American is a great budget rifle also.
 
You don't want a 300 mag as a first rifle. You are looking at expensive ammo, 25 ft lbs of recoil, a heavy cumbersome rifle, and a lot of muzzle blast. A 308 would be a much better choice. A 308 will run 16-17 ft lbs of recoil, be much quieter, lighter, more compact, and be much cheaper to shoot.

They shoot the same bullets, just at different speeds and inside of 300 yards nothing you ever shoot at from paper targets to bull elk will ever know the difference. If you develop the skills to shoot at 500+ yards then the extra speed of the 300 "MIGHT" be a factor. Might not. Truth is there is absolutly nothing in North America I wouldn't hunt with confidence with a 308 and the right bullets. I just might need to get a little closer.

Lots of good choices in that price range. If you could squeeze an extra $50 into your budget I like the Winchester Featherweights the best. The Ruger Hawkeye and Tikka T-3's are some I like as well. I hear very good things about the TC-Ventures at right about $500.
 
For a first rifle, get a 260 Rem., a 25-06, or a 7mm-08.

In the $400-$600 range, a Ruger Hawkeye would be my choice. Next in line would be a Tikka T3.
 
Here is a group from my stock Remington 700 SPS Varmint .308 at 200 yards....if you want a gun that you can modify, and work up loads for, this is a hard one to beat (26" barrel):

IMAG0133.jpg
 
The .308 would be my suggestion also, better rifle to start with, cheaper ammo, if you reload. Will do everything the .300 mag will, with less hassle and noise!
 
Terrible round for a first rifle. I'd look at .308 or .260rem. Just my thoughts.

Savage, Tikka, Remington will be the big 3 recommendations. I recommend them in that order.
Click to expand...

Winner winner chicken dinner.
The .300 Win mag is a horrible paper puncher. Why torture your shoulder when the .260 will do better, and easier on the shoulder and the wallet.
 
Depends on your budget. Weatherby Vanguard S2s are the best gun in the $400 range. I shot an A-Bolt II and it prints clover leafs. If you like to upgrade, add-on and accessorize the Remington 700 is the defacto choice. Tikka T3 is the most refined budget rifle and will shoot as well as most custom guns. Savages shoot nicely for the money but i would suggest only buying with the accutrigger. I shot a Marlin XL7 and it is an incredible budget gun but it isnt available in .300 win mag that I know of. I hear good stuff about the Ruger American. Thopson Center makes some nice bolt guns as well. The curve ball would also be the Benelli R1 or Browning BAR, both MOA semi autos that take allot of the kick out and give you fast follow ups.
 
First rifle? I suggest Ruger American in .308 win. Leaves you enough for good optic as well. You may even scrape up what's left for some ammo as well. It's a friendly rifle to shoot, accurate and powerful cartridge, and it costs less to shoot .308 than .300 win mag. Unless you're trying to really stretch your range, the .308 should be sufficient, and the American is a nice rifle to boot.

If you MUST have a .300 maggie, Savage.
 
300 win mag is no beginners gun, start with something lighter kicking to develop good shooting habits and step up to the magnums later if you need more speed. A well placed shot from a 30-30 beats misplaced 300 win mag power all day every day. I never recommend anything harder kicking then a 308 or 270 for a newbie. They are a heck of alot cheaper to practice with too.
I never reccomend Remington rifles for anything other then a boat paddle, WAY too many issues with the ones I have owned, but Tikka and Savage are as good as it gets, no issues with either of them and all have been scarry accurate though I must confess I prefer the Tikka action and trigger.
 
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Buy the .300 if you plan to hunt or target shoot all the time at 1000 to 1200 yards, otherwise go with the .308 WIN.
I personally like the .260 REM for paper punching and any hunting I do in my neck of the woods.
If I was to buy a new rifle in the price range your talking, I'd go with the Tikka or Savage.
 
I'd agree with all the folks telling you to go a bit lighter to start with, also agree that it should probably be the .308. Give Savage or Ruger a look.
 
I appreciate all the good info. Yea, not my first rifle by any means. Just not a rifle guy per say. Im not familiar with brands and models like I am with handguns so wouldn't know where to start for quality barrels and good triggers.
 
So much has been written about the attributes of the .300 wm and naturally its sought after by newbies. But once you are not experience shooting a powerful bolt action it may be a big surprise. Even a .3006 is plenty . THe best is get a .270 or .25 06 then progress to .300 wm when you get proficient.
I was watching the Sportsmans Channel Gun Nuts. One of the older guy who host the show says about long range hunting. Dont even bother even if you have the equipment , its not worth it. LEave it to the pros.
 
I was wondering why everyone assumed it was your first rifle when you didn't say that. Every rifle out there has someone that loves it and someone that hates it. Best thing you can do is go somewhere that sells all sorts of rifles and handle as many as you can. It won't take you long to get a short list of what you like what you don't. I think savage make a 300 win mag with a muzzle brake which would help you out quite a bit with recoil on the bench. Not sure if it falls in that price range or not.
 
I'll go along with everyone else, you don't want a .300 Win mag. Besides the .308 I'd consider a .243, .25-06 (my personal favorite) or .260.

For a rifle I'd choose Winchester. All my rifles are Remington and Winchester. I say Winchester because I keep hearing of to many issues with the new Remingtons.
 
When looking for my last rifle I walked out of several gun shops becuase of comments and questions like the ones above. Everyone had reasons why I didn't need the rifle I was asking about without knowing anything about me or the application of my rifle. I finally bought mine at the shop that had the attitude of "If he want it and has the cash, then sell him the rifle he asks for!".

By the way, I was looking for a .300 Win Mag. I got so many comments about shooting elephants and "30-06 is as big as anybody in Alabama needs" I wanted to scream.

What I'm trying to say is the OP wants a .300 Win Mag and wasn't asking about caliber choices. It's a pet peeve of mine for someone to try to hound me into something I wasn't asking about.

To the OP, I ended up with a Savage Long Range Hunter, and haven't regretted it. It was a little more than your price range but Savage has some choices that would fit. It has a 26" barrel with an adjustable brake, accutrigger, and accustock. It also comes from the factory with a Karsten's cheekpeice, which is a nice addition. If you add that stuff aftermarket to a $600 rifle it would probably be more than what I paid.

It is a dream to shoot, and can print tiny groups if I can hold up my end of the deal. To me, though, good glass is more important than the make and model of the rifle. Savage just makes a great tube for a good price.

Sorry for the initial rant, as well.
 
Expensive is always relative in income / wealth. If you can afford to shoot a 300 WM as a paper puncher, do it.

I've never owned one, but shot a couple. One was a Tikka with some high dollar glass on it, and it stands out in my mind as one of the best shooting guns I've handled. I got that impression after the one and only round I fired through it. At 100 yds, I put in on the bullseye, squeezed the very smooth and crisp trigger depositing the shot about 1/2 in right of the bullseye. The owner reported before I mentioned it, but after the shot, that the rifle shoots about 1/2 to the right. That rifle easily outperformed the shooter with me behind it.

Recoil? I didn't think it was all that punishing, but I rather enjoy the kick of a high powered rifle (to an extent).

I was sold, but can't afford it. If it's a 300 you want, go for it..
 
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