My first custom rifle

[5gauss]

338 edge and be done with it forever

even 338 wm......it works

 

[5gauss]

This ^^^

I just built a load for my 06 with 200gn ELD-X and Superformance powder. I am theoretically getting 1500 ft/lbs out to 600 and 2660 FPS at the muzzle. I can humanely drop a Bison out to 200, a moose out to 600 and caribou out to 900 all while having manageable recoil in a ~12lb all-inclusive rifle set up. Now that I have my set up complete, I can focus on hitting targets out to those distances consistently. Then, and only then will I consider a magnum .30 cal cartridge.

To OP, you definitely have the right mindset, but remember you can change bolt faces and barrels once you're proficient and happy with your set up.

what twist rate?

 

[5gauss]

300 PRC or a 300 win mag I use the 300 win mag up here for 30 years and have taken many animals large and small and most between 600 and 1200 yards

used the 300 wm for years...still do....it works

 

[5gauss]

1) How far do you want to reach out? ( Be realistic. There is quite a bit involved in "reaching out" for a humane kill.) A 30-06 with the correct load can still have 1250-1300 ft-lbs of energy at 600+ yds. Put a good quality expanding hunting bullet in to the lung - heart of your target and it will die rather quickly. A super dooper magnum, shot into a hind quarter makes for a long and painful day. For both the hunter and hunted!
2) Are you proficient at delivering a projectile to a 6" circle at 600yds? ( Consider the exterior ballsitics,,, wind & terrain, shooting angle, body position - stability,,,??)
3) You stated that you are "new" to anything long range. You might consider learning to walk before you run. A 30-06, 308 win, 7mm-08,,,,and others, are all effective hunting tools, used for the correct situation and chosen game. Long barrel life, manageable recoil, readily available ammunition,,, and the list goes on.

Good luck and good shooting.

Practice.....practice.....and more practice to become proficient at long range...up hill, down hill....etc....etc

 

[nwmnbowhunter]

Do you reload?

If no, buy a setup from someone like TS Custom, flat creek precision, Ryan piece, Pierce engineering. Talk to them and discuss what you are looking for and have them walk you through the build process. And they can also supply ammo for it.

If you do reload the 7prc is going to be awesome but it's a couple years away from being really available.

So I vote 7saum. Best all around for everything up to elk out to a long ways. 180 grain pill and you'll crush everything. Recoil is very manageable with a brake.

I have 2- 300 prc and a norma. I would go prc all day. Recoil is still stout and you can't really shoot more than about ten shots over the course of an hour or you'll never get your barrel cool.

If you do 300 prc build as follows.
Defiance anti-x or ultralight action... or something similar

#3-4 barrel with 9 twist at 22 inches with spiral flutes from karl kampfeld

Manners eh3 stock or something similar with one inch decel pad

Hawkins lightweight brake

Hawkins lightweight bottom metal.

But seriously talk to a good smith and plan a build. Ts custom can't be beat.

 

[KurtB]

Why build when you can just buy a factory 300 Winchester? This would be especially true if you are not a reloader. Buy a factory rifle, shoot it a bunch, form some opinions of what you like and don't like and if needed, then build one. Lot of factory ammo for this cartridge and it would allow much cheaper practice if a non reloader. Either way, good luck.

Here is an easy button. Owned and shot a few Coopers. All very accurate. Write the check, buy some ammo and start shooting.

Timberline

Features Available in Model 52 (Repeater) 1/2 MOA accuracy guarantee at 100 yards Cooper Firearms synthetic stock, reinforced with carbon fiber and Kevlar with semi-vertical grip, dual palm swell and raised comb cheek piece. Cooper designed muzzle brake, threaded 9/16-24 24" stainless steel...

cooperfirearms.com

 

[Longtine88]

Well I've had them all. 300wm, 300 rum, 300 prc, 300 norma, 30-28 nosler and a 30 nosler. And if I had to pick one 30 cal to use it would be the 30 nosler hands down. It's just shy of the norma and rum but not hardly anything. You can push 215's st 3,150 easily. I know some that push them to 3,200. It's easy to reload for. It's a very well built cartridge with lots of good features to it. But it's way much better than the 300 prc in my book.

 

[Longtine88]

Well he'd have to find some 215s first. Quite the trick right now.

To the OP As far as the questions. I'd say go .300 prc just for better factory support. Easier to find brass and in a pinch you might be able to find factory ammo. No issues with carbon fiber out in the brush. You might want to decide if you're gonna suppress it now or later since that might effect barrel length choice. Might consider what total weight you want to carry as well to inform stock choice, barrel length, optic, etc.

If he builds a 30 nosler I'll give him a box of 215's. Just trying to save his decision

 

[Huntnpack]

So I vote 7saum. Best all around for everything up to elk out to a long ways. 180 grain pill and you'll crush everything. Recoil is very manageable with a brake.

 

[Longtine88]

Hey I totally agree with that statement^^^^^^^^

 

[Mark37082]

I just received my first custom rifle. So take this advice from one with limited experience in customs, but decades of factory hunting rifle experience. There are many factory options that are awesome and will outshoot the user. However, sometimes you just have to scratch the itch and have a great GS build a rifle you design. It is not about the $$$ or the ability to shoot .1 MOA. There have been a great number of suggestions made here. In the end, you will have to weigh the things that are important to you. I don't think one cartridge exists that is perfect for all purposes. Options are a good thing….

 

[WildRose]

300 PRC or a 300 win mag I use the 300 win mag up here for 30 years and have taken many animals large and small and most between 600 and 1200 yards

The 300wm is the Toyota Landcruiser of centerfire rifle cartridges. You can take it anywhere, hunt anything in N. America with confidence and never feel undergunned.

I do however think the 30PRC is going to be the 300wm of this century by the time all is said and done as the wm was for the last.

 

[Chas1]

Don't thin k you need to worry about barrel burning up unless you spend a lot of money shooting it very frequently.

 

[cb4128]

Honestly I think it depends on the bullet you want to shoot and the distance you want to shoot and the type of hunting you will be using it for…

I have a 300wm and a 300 rum and enjoy shooting both of them.

The WM is 8.5 lbs without a scope, detachable mag setup, steel 3B barrel 1-9 twist to shoot the 215gr Bergers. It's my range gun for practice and everything gun - not too heavy to carry around and settles well in recoil.

The RUM is 7 lbs without a scope, bel bottom metal, carbon fiber barrel, 1-10 twist (should've gone 1-8!) and shoot the 230gr Bergers. It's my mountain rifle to really reach out there and take elk, red stag, Aoudad, etc.

Surprisingly the 300 RUM isn't bad at all to shoot with the brake on it and it's crazy accurate.

***If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably go 30 Nosler. 1-8 twist barrel. Peterson and ADG makes brass for this caliber now and in my book really eliminates any argument for the RUM over it now. If that brass was around 8 years ago when I built my RUM, I would've gone that route.

If you shoot a 230gr Berger over 2,950 fps-3,050 fps, it is baddd medicine on game.

The good news is these days there's lot of options! Enjoy the process and let us know which direction you end up going!