Do I really need a 300 WM?

[Michael Eichele]

I often hear about reducing magnum loads for practice and while they do kick less than top loads, they still kick a lot more at the same speeds as smaller cartridges. My 300 win kicks A LOT more than my 308 running the same bullet weights at the same speeds. Even with similar gun weights. If you want less recoil, the magnum just isn't the best option.

 

[roninflag]

Yea...I guess the 30/06 is the tride and true american round haha

I mentioned the 7MAG because it has quite a bit less recoil than the 300, but ya it may be better to go with a non-magnum

CC- it is the rifle that is important not the caliber. the remington long range comes in 30-06, 7 mag and 300 wm. the sendero only comes 300 wm 7mag others, no 30-06. if the you shoot targets more than elk then the extra weight of the long range will help. all my magnums have a brake. so my 300 wm sendero kicks less than my 30-06s. ammo is expensive if you do not reload or have a buddy who reloads.

 

[roninflag]

by shopping you can find a rem 700 vs in .308 for 650; a rem long range is about the same $$ and you can choose between the bigger ones like 7mm, 30-06 and 300 wm. if it were me i would get the long range in one of those three not the .308. if money is tight at times dicks has the adl 700 varmint .308 w/scope and rings for 499 or less.

 

[CC268]

Money shouldn't be too big of an issue, although the Sendero is a little expensive. Once I pick a caliber I will start looking at rifles.

The Remington 700 Long Range looks like a good option, but just looking online at Cabelas and Gun Broker and Bass Pro I am having a difficult time finding the Remington 700 Long Range in 30-06

 

[MudRunner2005]

Since you're still learning I'd say go for the best of all worlds and go with the 30-06. Not as cheap to laod for or buy ammo for as the .308 but not bad either.


It's also a caliber most certainly suited for Elk to at least 600yds and has considerably less recoil than the .300wm.

that said the 7mm Rem and 300wm to me are the two most versatile calibers of all time which is why they both still have such popularity even with all of the new "cool calibers".

Exactly! I agree with Rose.

 

[CC268]

Yea the more research I do the more appealing the 30-06 is. It's not like I can't buy a 300 WM down the road if I find I need one. I think a good jump from the .243 would be the 30-06, especially since it is such a versatile caliber.

 

[roninflag]

look on gunbrker

 

[CC268]

Went to Cabellas because I needed to get a skinning knife...anyways I looked at few rifles but they didn't have much.

Side note: Cabellas had the worst customer service I have ever dealt with. No one knew a dam thing about anything. I like Bass Pro a lot better.

 

[roninflag]

CC- once you get your rifle and ammo- there are matches the third saturday at RIO . 500 yds, 66 shots. there are also matches at PRG and Ben avery. look on desertsharpshooter's. com for calendar. your long range shooting will improve dramatically.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Yea the more research I do the more appealing the 30-06 is. It's not like I can't buy a 300 WM down the road if I find I need one. I think a good jump from the .243 would be the 30-06, especially since it is such a versatile caliber.

Not trying to muddy up your decision making, but there is 1 other alternative that nobody's mentioned that would do the trick with very similar recoil than the .30-06, but more velocity... The .280 Ackley Improved.

If you want to make a little smaller jump, the .280 Ackley Improved is one hell of a caliber. And can sling Berger 168 VLD's pretty fast. You can also buy factory loaded Nosler ammo for it, but it's kind of expensive. But it's very good ammo, plus, when you do reload for it, you've got a bunch of high-quality already formed Nosler brass. So it's kind of a win-win situation.

Here's brass...

Nosler Custom Reloading Brass 280 Remington Ackley Improved 40-Degree

Here's ammo...

Nosler Custom Ammo 280 Remington Ackley Improved 140 Grain AccuBond

 

[Engineering101]

cc268

This point was made but it was apparently not pointed enough.

I have a 338 RUM, 300 RUM, and 7mm WSM and all of them kick way less than my 30-06. This is because they all have the best invention ever for the long range shooter - a muzzle brake.

At long range you need every advantage you can get and these rifles will shoot high BC bullets at high velocity. The wind drift of the 300 grain Berger amazingly low which is a huge advantage compared to say a 270 Win with 150 grainers. And if you work on your technique you can even spot your own shots at long range when using a brake. So to me if you think you might go after elk out past 500 yards - get one of the RUMs and put a brake on it. You will practice with it more and be a better shooter for the practice AND the reduced recoil.

 

[MudRunner2005]

I've only owned 2 rifles with muzzle brakes, and both were 7mm RemMags. None of my monster calibers have them, and i have zero issues shooting 1-hole groups, if the rifle can. So, I wouldn't say muzzle brakes make you a better shooter, I would say that if someone is recoil sensative, they can enhance their shooting abilities by helping them not to flinch or be scared of the rifle, or anticipate the recoil and cause you to shake or panic.

 

[roninflag]

Mud- i believe this guy is going to shoot factory ammo. that really lowers the appeal for 280AI from my stand point. if you were chosing between a 5-r 308 and 700 long range 30-06..... you either would get the 308 5-r or get a 5-r 300 wm ? i still believe the gun is more important than the caliber.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Mud- i believe this guy is going to shoot factory ammo. that really lowers the appeal for 280AI from my stand point. if you were chosing between a 5-r 308 and 700 long range 30-06..... you either would get the 308 5-r or get a 5-r 300 wm ? i still believe the gun is more important than the caliber.

Well...I already have a 24" 5R .308 Win, and a custom built 26" .30-06 AI, so if I had to pick between those 3, I would have go with the 5R .300 WM.

But my next build will be a .280 AI for sure.