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- Thread starter NavyChief
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dave elliott
Active Member
welcome chief, nice looking bunch of rifles you have there. have you by chance shot your 300wsm. curious to hear your thoughts on the wsm cartridge. i too own a 300 wsm and i love it.
NavyChief
Member
Response to Dave,
I haven't fired a round in any of the new rifles I purchased since December. I sold a large collection of Model 70's and some others to purchase 5 or 6 higher end guns to hunt with. To date I have purchased 4 Kimber rifles, two in 300 WSM, a 270 WSM and a 22-250 Varmint, I also purchased a Winchester Jack O'Connor Custom Tribute that has some serious issues and the stock is back at Winchester awaiting repair.
I have assembled all of the components to begin loading the break in loads for each rifle but I reload in the garage and the weather was horrible for the past few weeks so I have put off getting the rifles ready. I also spent every day I could in the field hoping to see a huge buck again, but it never happened.
Deer season is over and the weather appears to have broken so I will be at the bench loading rounds for a couple of days. I have a few hundred cases to prep but I did get a new RCBS Charge Master that I played with a little and loaded a few 270 WIN and 7MM-08 cases over the holidays.
I am really looking forward to using the 300 WSM and I figure it will be my most used caliber which is why I bought 2 different guns in identical chamberings. Both are Kimber 8400 WSM's but one is in Stainless that will have a smaller optics package, VX III 2.5 - 9 X 36 and remain more compact for my trips back home to Oklahoma and further west while the other in the Classic Select blued will have the VX III 3.5 - 10 X 40. It will be used more for my corn/bean field rifle where the shot is more likely to be over 300 yards than not.
Recoil really isn't an issue with me because I used a 300 Remington Ultra Mag and a 338 Model 70 Classic featherweight that weighed about what my Kimbers do now and managed to handle that. Not that they were a picnic at the bench developing a load but certainly manageable, particularly just sighting in or in the field. To be perfectly honest, the hardest kicking rifle I have ever owned is one I shoot a lot, a Weatherby Mark V Ultra-Lightweight in 270 Winchester. I shoot a pretty hot load with a 140 bullet and it will flat out kick the "livin snot" out of you. Still like it though because it is very light, quick to handle, and I like to do all my hunting before I shoot, not after.
Just curious if you handload and if you do what loads do you use? I bought 4 pounds of Hodgdon Superformance for the 300 WSM and I have plenty of H4831 and H4350 in case the Superformance doesn't work out. I will shoot Winchester cases because that was all I could find and bought a couple hundred while we still can. I bought a couple hundred Nosler Accubonds and Ballistic tips in 150 and 165 grain figuring that one or both rifles would find one they preferred. It would be great if the beanfield setup shot the 165's well and the carry rig shot the 150's well but I can always switch out optics if its vice versa. I believe the guns weigh the same so either would be fine but I do hope to have the SS version as a carry rig and for use in the wet stuff. My experience is that both finishes will rust but the SS holds it off a lot longer than the blued finish does.
I hate to separate a barrel from a stock for cleaning during a hunt because I am afraid of losing my zero so I usually just let it dry as best I can and then clean after the hunt. Stainless has never rusted on me underneath the barrel but I have had blued finishes that did develop rust spots under the action after a couple of weeks in deer camp. Ideally both guns would shoot the same load really well and then I have a traveling back-up of the same round but I won't bet on that happening. It would be nice, but I won't bet on it.
I haven't fired a round in any of the new rifles I purchased since December. I sold a large collection of Model 70's and some others to purchase 5 or 6 higher end guns to hunt with. To date I have purchased 4 Kimber rifles, two in 300 WSM, a 270 WSM and a 22-250 Varmint, I also purchased a Winchester Jack O'Connor Custom Tribute that has some serious issues and the stock is back at Winchester awaiting repair.
I have assembled all of the components to begin loading the break in loads for each rifle but I reload in the garage and the weather was horrible for the past few weeks so I have put off getting the rifles ready. I also spent every day I could in the field hoping to see a huge buck again, but it never happened.
Deer season is over and the weather appears to have broken so I will be at the bench loading rounds for a couple of days. I have a few hundred cases to prep but I did get a new RCBS Charge Master that I played with a little and loaded a few 270 WIN and 7MM-08 cases over the holidays.
I am really looking forward to using the 300 WSM and I figure it will be my most used caliber which is why I bought 2 different guns in identical chamberings. Both are Kimber 8400 WSM's but one is in Stainless that will have a smaller optics package, VX III 2.5 - 9 X 36 and remain more compact for my trips back home to Oklahoma and further west while the other in the Classic Select blued will have the VX III 3.5 - 10 X 40. It will be used more for my corn/bean field rifle where the shot is more likely to be over 300 yards than not.
Recoil really isn't an issue with me because I used a 300 Remington Ultra Mag and a 338 Model 70 Classic featherweight that weighed about what my Kimbers do now and managed to handle that. Not that they were a picnic at the bench developing a load but certainly manageable, particularly just sighting in or in the field. To be perfectly honest, the hardest kicking rifle I have ever owned is one I shoot a lot, a Weatherby Mark V Ultra-Lightweight in 270 Winchester. I shoot a pretty hot load with a 140 bullet and it will flat out kick the "livin snot" out of you. Still like it though because it is very light, quick to handle, and I like to do all my hunting before I shoot, not after.
Just curious if you handload and if you do what loads do you use? I bought 4 pounds of Hodgdon Superformance for the 300 WSM and I have plenty of H4831 and H4350 in case the Superformance doesn't work out. I will shoot Winchester cases because that was all I could find and bought a couple hundred while we still can. I bought a couple hundred Nosler Accubonds and Ballistic tips in 150 and 165 grain figuring that one or both rifles would find one they preferred. It would be great if the beanfield setup shot the 165's well and the carry rig shot the 150's well but I can always switch out optics if its vice versa. I believe the guns weigh the same so either would be fine but I do hope to have the SS version as a carry rig and for use in the wet stuff. My experience is that both finishes will rust but the SS holds it off a lot longer than the blued finish does.
I hate to separate a barrel from a stock for cleaning during a hunt because I am afraid of losing my zero so I usually just let it dry as best I can and then clean after the hunt. Stainless has never rusted on me underneath the barrel but I have had blued finishes that did develop rust spots under the action after a couple of weeks in deer camp. Ideally both guns would shoot the same load really well and then I have a traveling back-up of the same round but I won't bet on that happening. It would be nice, but I won't bet on it.
dave elliott
Active Member
hey chief, ya im reloading for my 300wsm. i have a model 70 super shadow. i topped it off with leupold bases and rings. for optics i chose a ziess 3x9x40 conquest with the z-plex 600 reticle. if i could only own one hunting rig, that would be it. my bull last year was shot at 450 yds. i used winchester power points 180 grain. both shots were through and through the lungs and the entrance holes were 5 inches apart. exit holes were 7 inches apart. my reloads are as follows. 165 accubonds, 65 grains of 4831. next test load 165 accubond 64 grains of 4350. next bullet is sierra game king 180 grain. first load is 63 grains of 4831. next test load is 60 grains of 4350. have not shot them yet due to snow and rain here. looks like this weekend will be a good one to stretch em out. i got my reload data by calling nosler and sierra respectively. ill let ya know the results. the powder i am using is imr. for primers im using wlrm. enjoy the day
NavyChief
Member
Thanks Dave
Thanks for the info Dave. I am going to load up the Superformance for the break in loads with very light loads and then chrono a dozen or so loads in groups of 3 with a 0.5 graduation in powder. That should get me headed in the right direction and I'll go from there. I would like to hear about the IMR results because I have a good stash of 4831 held over from an old 280 Rem that is gone now. If your results go well then I'll give it a chance too. You can never have to many accurate loads.
I would load more but with the break in and development loads I'm looking at 40 rounds each from a pair of 300 WSM's and a 270 WSM. I'm not very recoil sensitive but 120 rounds should do me just fine.
Thanks for the info Dave. I am going to load up the Superformance for the break in loads with very light loads and then chrono a dozen or so loads in groups of 3 with a 0.5 graduation in powder. That should get me headed in the right direction and I'll go from there. I would like to hear about the IMR results because I have a good stash of 4831 held over from an old 280 Rem that is gone now. If your results go well then I'll give it a chance too. You can never have to many accurate loads.
I would load more but with the break in and development loads I'm looking at 40 rounds each from a pair of 300 WSM's and a 270 WSM. I'm not very recoil sensitive but 120 rounds should do me just fine.
NavyChief
Member
Update on jack o'connor custom tribute
Sorry for the misleading title but there is really nothing to update. A phone call this morning yielded the same "it should be finished any day now" response that I have become accustomed to since the gun was not finished on May 8th as I was told it would be, both verbally and in writing. I wonder if I'll ever see it again? By far my worst experience with any gun and any repair or custom shop work, ever. I did have a custom 70 300 Remington Ultra Mag in stainless sent to the custom shop, floated, trigger work, extractor strengthened, and actioned squared in less time. But that was back around 2000, not sure what is going on now.
Sorry for the misleading title but there is really nothing to update. A phone call this morning yielded the same "it should be finished any day now" response that I have become accustomed to since the gun was not finished on May 8th as I was told it would be, both verbally and in writing. I wonder if I'll ever see it again? By far my worst experience with any gun and any repair or custom shop work, ever. I did have a custom 70 300 Remington Ultra Mag in stainless sent to the custom shop, floated, trigger work, extractor strengthened, and actioned squared in less time. But that was back around 2000, not sure what is going on now.
NavyChief
Member
A sad ending to a pitiful story. NEVER,EVER, AGAIN !!!!
I won't go into all of the details on how I ended up at this point, you can look back at previous posts and see the trail. But here is where the trail shall end, for me anyway. The rifle came back after about 8 months for repairs on the stock. The metalwork was fixed very well, the barrel floats perfectly, the finish on the gun is above average and the checkering looks like it was done with a pocketknife by a drunk, in the dark. I've got pictures and I do hope to post them here. If not, I'll post them on the website I open up based on this experience. The tragedy for me is that I'll never be able to buy another Model 70, Model 94, Super X or any other Winchester/Browning related products without holding them in my hands first. Over the decades I have probably filled at least 3 of my safes via Gunbroker and other online auctions, but not anymore. This experience fixed that for me. If you want a quality gun, you better go find it. Never had any trouble with Weatherby or Kimber rifles online and all the Browning shotguns I have purchased have served me well, but that was then and this is now. I'll take no more chances. The gun doesn't look horrible to the point that you couldn't hunt with it, I just can't. I'll hate it everytime I look at it and think of all the hassle I went through and all the money I spent on something that is of inferior quality to a standard M70 being produced right now (at least I hope it is). Don't think I'll ever shoot it. I'll just hold it till someone buys it, and we all know someone eventually will. The only question is how much will I lose in all of this? Never again!
I won't go into all of the details on how I ended up at this point, you can look back at previous posts and see the trail. But here is where the trail shall end, for me anyway. The rifle came back after about 8 months for repairs on the stock. The metalwork was fixed very well, the barrel floats perfectly, the finish on the gun is above average and the checkering looks like it was done with a pocketknife by a drunk, in the dark. I've got pictures and I do hope to post them here. If not, I'll post them on the website I open up based on this experience. The tragedy for me is that I'll never be able to buy another Model 70, Model 94, Super X or any other Winchester/Browning related products without holding them in my hands first. Over the decades I have probably filled at least 3 of my safes via Gunbroker and other online auctions, but not anymore. This experience fixed that for me. If you want a quality gun, you better go find it. Never had any trouble with Weatherby or Kimber rifles online and all the Browning shotguns I have purchased have served me well, but that was then and this is now. I'll take no more chances. The gun doesn't look horrible to the point that you couldn't hunt with it, I just can't. I'll hate it everytime I look at it and think of all the hassle I went through and all the money I spent on something that is of inferior quality to a standard M70 being produced right now (at least I hope it is). Don't think I'll ever shoot it. I'll just hold it till someone buys it, and we all know someone eventually will. The only question is how much will I lose in all of this? Never again!
