old winchester mod 70 question

[tollgate tim]

I recently picked up a pre 64 mod 70 that is stamped 300 h&h. The owner had gotten it from a family members estate. He told me it was a 300 h&h weatherby magnum. Since it is stamped 300 h & h I wonder if it may have been rechambered. He does not know any of its history and had no ammo. I was wondering if I could just try to chamber a 300 weatherby to see if it fit. I assume it would not fit in a 300 h&h chamber. Any thoughts ???

 

[Flatbush Harry]

Bring it to a gunsmith for evaluation.

FH

 

[tollgate tim]

living in a rural area, gunsmiths are not that convenient and I wanted to avoid shipping it off if there was an easy check. But thanks for the reply

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

left to right: 300 win mag, 300 H&H, 300 wby mag

you won't get that 300 wby in a 300 H&H chamber without some serious effort

 

[Slamfire]

Why can't I come across these estate sale deals!

A 300 H&H pre 64 is one of the rarer versions, not the most rare though. There is no way a Weatherby Magnum is going to chamber in an original chamber.

Won't hurt to check it out.

 

[Reloadron]

You could get some chamber casting alloy like cerosafe or similar. Then do a chamber casting. The difference between a 300 H&H and a 300 Weatherby should be apparent. For a one time affair there are likely other things you could use to pour a casting. As seen in the image posted by NeuseRvrRat there is an unmistakable difference. This of course having a competent smith look at it.

Or as mentioned, if you have a 300 Weatherby cartridge see if it chambers.

Just My Guess
Ron

 

[NeuseRvrRat]

i've read that back in the day it was pretty common to rechamber 300 H&H to 300 wby mag

 

[tollgate tim]

i read the same thing that is why I was curious when he said it was a 300 h and h weatherby. I was pretty tickled to pick up a pre 64 for 250. It is all original and built in 1960. I hope it has not been rechambered because I was looking forward to the 300 h and h. I was thinking of sending it to my son in alaska but the more I look at it the more I think I may keep it.

 

[rajb123]

...these are quite valuable and collectible....

 

[rcmodel]

Take the bolt out and look in the chamber with a good light.

If you notice the picture in post #4:
The .300 H&H has a long tapered case, very little shoulder, and long neck.
The .300 Weatherby has a double radius shoulder and a much straighter case with a shorter neck.

The difference should be easily seen just by looking down the hole.

rc

 

[tollgate tim]

I will do that, I had already ordered a box of 300 h and h from cheaper than dirt. I thought I may fire a round and see what the spent case looks like. I assume it would look like a 300 weatherby casing if the rifle had been rechambered. Thanks for all the input. I also picked up a savage model 99 in 300 savage from the same source. I will save my questions on that for a later post.

 

[Patocazador]

Any gunsmith who isn't an amateur would stamp the caliber close to where the original marking was on the barrel. Usually they grind the old caliber off and stamp the new one in the flattened ground-off spot.

If they didn't do this, they would open themselves up to liability lawsuits. It is probable that the owner wasn't familiar with different .300 magnum calibers and just rattled off something to make you think he knew what he was talking about. After all, it wasn't his gun to begin with.

 

[tollgate tim]

bob, I think you nailed it. I tried to chamber a 300 weatherby and there aint no way that round was gonna fit. Mystery solved. Now I have to decide if I want to get the reloading dies for the old h and h. My boy thinks he should get it in alaska for moose and caribou and I tend to think it would be a great alaska round. Thanks to everyone for the tips. tim

 

[Patocazador]

Tim:

I went to Africa and killed 13 head of non-dangerous game with a 7x57 Ackley Imp. with 140 gr. Nosler Partitions.

Unless you are going after big bears (grizzly/brown bears), you probably don't need a 300 H&H Mag. However, It IS a good excuse to use the gun.
I bought a Remington Safari grade in .300 H&H after coming back from Africa and have never used it while hunting. I would load Speer 235 gr. bullets to cut down on recoil if you're not going after bears.

 

[rcmodel]

235 grain bullets in a .300 H&H??

Methinks you got your H&H's mixed up?

That might apply to a .375 H&H.

rc

 

[tollgate tim]

Most of the factory loads I have found have been 180 grain bullets. I think that should be sufficient for moose and caribou but I would like to hand load some 200 grainers to see how they shoot. I am not to interested in the big bears unless they show and unhealthy interest in me.

 

[Patocazador]

235 grain bullets in a .300 H&H??

Methinks you got your H&H's mixed up?

That might apply to a .375 H&H.

rc

You are exactly right. I actually was thinking .375 the whole time.

Sorry Tim.

 

[tollgate tim]

well I slapped an inexpensive simmons scope on the mod 70 and bought the cheapest 180 grainers I could find (29 bucks) from cheaper than dirt. I took the old gal out and put 3 shots in a little under 1 1/2 inches. I was pretty tickled. I figure with hand loads i could bring it under an inch. I probably wont retire my sako 300 win but now I have a good alaska back up.

 

[jmr40]

It is possible it started as a 300 H&H and was rechambered to 300 Weatherby. In that case it is possible to fire either 300 H&H or 300 Weatherby from the same gun. The H&H rounds won't be as accurate, but will form to the Weatherby chamber and can be used in an emergency.

 

[Leanwolf]

Nice find.

My neighbor/hunting partner has a pre-'64 Winchester Model 70 in .300 H&H. He has killed moose, elk, and deer with it with no trouble whatsoever. I know he uses 180 grains Nosler Partition bullets, but don't know the powder charge. Nevertheless, that .300 H&H does the job.

L.W.

 

[Jim Watson]

jmr40, he said a .300 Weatherby wouldn't chamber.
I assume that the seller was in error or just didn't know the difference.