Rate the .300 Win as a true ...

[Big joe]

I just put a Ruger stainless/composite .300 Win. with the Leupold VX-II 3X9 on layaway. I should have it out in a month or so. Tell me what you think of this caliber as a true long range hunting/target round....

Thanks for your input in advance...

[royinidaho]

Well.......Hmmmmmm..........
It ain't no 270 Win but I guess It'll do.

Yewl love it.........

Bets get started makin' room in the freezer.

[petey]

Sub-Type: Centerfire Bolt Action
Family Name: M77 Mark II All-Weather®
Gauge/Caliber: 300 Win Mag
Finish: Stainless
Stock/Grip: Black Synthetic
Barrel Length: 24"
Rear Sight: None

Is this the gun?? Provided you get some good handloads you can probably push this stock gun out there a good bit. Possibly 700 yards or better. If the question was to just ask our opinion as to how far it'll shoot then the answer is real far!!

A 3x9 scope really isn't the choice for long range shooting, but you really didn't say if you'd be using this gun for that.
Very hard to say since I wouldn't know what loads you're using, how fast you're pushing the bullet, the BC of your bullet, how high of mounts you're using and all the other variables that come into play. Without much more knowledge than the info you gave, you'd probably be pressed to get that kind of range with that scope combo. But I'm sure the gun will do that or better At least the barrel is 24" and not 22".

Now if you're asking about just the caliber, then I'm sure there's some guys out there with custom 30" + barrels that can shoot this round out to 2000 yards.

[bigbrother]

The std 300 win mag has been and still is used in 1000yd benchrest competitions. As petey mentioned though, it's not typically done in a factory gun. My favorite gunsmith is a firm believer that this is the best .30 round for a guy entering into a long range hunting gun. It's not too finicky as far as loading and you can get plenty of velocity out of a 28 or 30" barrel shooting 190g match kings. He and his hunting party have killed elk at 1400yards with this caliber. As he states "what more do you want a gun to do?"

[Hi Ball]

I hunted and packed a 300 Win mag for close to 25 years before moving up and around the .338 Win mag. I have a true love for the 300 Win mag, as it's real hard to beat in velocity pushing those 150, 165 and 180 grain bullets down range. It's accuracy is second to none for long range hunting.

If your looking to shoot long range on big game animals, the 300 Win mag is your caliber, unless you can handle the bone jarring 300 Ultra mag. However, the recoil from the Ultra mags is much more than 85% of the shooters hunters can handle and handle you must if your going to be accurate out to 500, 600 and 700 yards etc.

["yote"]

Marine Corps Snipers train out to 1000 yds with the .308.
Don't try to let the extra big case capacity make up for lack
of practice. Just because it has a belt on the case doesn't
always make it better. In Vietnam, GYSGT Carlos Hathcock
took out a NVA General at 1200+ yds with a 30-06. The average
shooter is better off shooting a LOT with a more pleasurable
round and getting confident with it than he is shooting something
that kicks the crap of you. I have owned 3 sporter weight 300
WIN's and sold them all. They were NOT fun to shoot! The only
300 WIN that I still own is a heavy bbl Savage with Laminated
stock. It tips the scales at over 15lbs with scope and bipod.
It is still no fun to shoot. I have much more confidence with my
308 heavy bbl simply because it is much more fun to shoot.
The more I shoot , the better I get. IMHO.

[IchWarrior]

Well, Im about to try my hand a the .300 WM game. Its a kickin sombitch I guess...


Hopefully it isnt too bad... otherwise Ill rechamber it as fast as I can... I love to shoot, and would rather have a heavy rifle to shoot 360 days and moan for the 6 days Im hunting, than be happy for 6 days out hunting and moan the 360 days Im out shooting it!

[Hi Ball]

300 Winchester Magnum To Much Gun!

Well, let me put it to some of you shooters and hunters in a different light perhaps. If your NOT ready for a 300 Win mag, it can be a tough battle at the shooting bench to get tight groups.

However, so can a .270 Winchester if you have never fired a highpowered rifle before or lack the knowledge of shooting a rifle in the first place. Those smaller calibers are easier to shoot yes!

Now having got that off my chest, I can only say that the 300 Win mag has done more than it's fare share at 1000 yard shooting events. I myself perfer a wildcat caliber known today as the
6.5/,284-Norma, it does have half the "KICK" of a magnum at the bench.

However, when it comes to hunting big game animals such as elk, mule deer and moose from a far. The 300 win mag doesn't take a backseat to any .308 or 30-06 in that department. There are just some things a hunter or shooter has to do in order to be able to practice with such a caliber for the sake of getting very accurate with this heavy hitting caliber. The answer is lots and lots of time practicing with small, medium calibers and then extending your time each session with the 300 Win mag. This builds confidence and your body will soon get used to the recoil.

NOW RECOIL is NOT PLEASANT TO MOST OF US CORRECT!

So what can someone do to eliminate all the cheek smacking, tooth loosening, shoulder aching pain I ask you? Well, before you give me a long sermon on the mount, I will simply tell ALL of you to purchase a PAST RECOIL PAD and cut that recoil down by 50% and then you will have a rifle that kicks less than your buddy's .308 or .270. My wife uses one and shoots her .338 model 70 Winchester off the back porch with 210 grain bullets.

[Evan03]

yeah true but

it all depends on the rifle. my 300win has 24" meduim taper barrel and walnut stock. rifle weighs alittle over 8lbs unsglassed. recoil off the bench might be a hair more than a 3006 in 7.5lb rifle.

it took me along time to decide i was going to get something in the magnum terriotry. the biggest caliber i had for years is my 270win,

then i stepped it up notch to 270wsm this kicks about the same if not a hair less than 270win due to the rifle weight and desing.

last summer i had the opurtunity to shoot a few 300wins, a stainless standerd #1 winchester mod70. shooting these rifles i pulled together what id call good groups. nothing to send home about but good enough to build from.

those rifles showed me that the 300win doesnt recoil all that bad when in the heavier 8lb rifle. low and behold i ended up getn an old tang safety ruger. i wanted a #1 in 300win but id been on tang ruger kick for a few months and snagged the rifle when the opurtunity came. just got a tang 22/250 before it.

anyways the ruger isnt bad at all to shoot. i mounted 3-9 on it to get some range time. shooting 150gr core lokts the dang thing shoots suprisly well and recoil is very tolerable with ruger fairly firm pad mounted.

just to put things in perspective. my buddy has the savage 3006 i dont know how much the rifle weighs but man oh man that thing will tear you up. id much rather shoot my 300win than his 06. the rifle feels alittle lighter has a shorter barrel and for some just knocks me around alot.

ive also heard of mule kickn 270wins that are built off a standerd weight rifle.

i think i may have just been lucky i dunno or maybe getn used to it. i know im getting better, and have let some rifles go in the past that wouldnt shoot for me. i now wonder what i could do with the same rifles today.

Evan

[Hi Ball]

Evan03, there are several things that will determine weather or not a particular caliber in a rifle will KICK more or have more RECOIL than the same caliber in another rifle shooting at the bench.

First of all the type of powder you put into that case, not to mention the stock design, along with how much does that rifle weigh in at the scales. All these things make take a rifle up or down in the recoil department verses another rifle of the same caliber.

I once had a 30-06 that would loosen the fillings in your teeth compared to my Belgium Browning Safari rifle in a 300 Win mag, that did tip the scales loaded at almost 9 pounds with a scope on top the barrel. This was one of the best shooting, out of the box rifles I ever owned. It would shoot handloads around the .650 MOA mark using those Sierra bullets.

[Evan03]

i used to have a 3006 22" barreld ruger I beam rifle, had two of them over a few years

this rifle shooting side by side with my buddies savage 3006 was just un real his recoild or atleast it felt like it recoie alot more.

both rifles were being fed 150gr core lokts from the same 20rd box. both rifles seemed to weigh the same. same 22" barrels. but the savage knocked me noticably more.

maybe the chamber is tighter maybe the bores under sized a hair. wich could be if the barrel was late of the assembly line, tooling may have been wore down the bore and chamber are under sized a hair.

its crazy to think about it every bore is difrent and i belive the chamber and bore difreinces have alot to do with recoil. were talking rifles of like weight and size