Re-Chamber or Not? Choices, Choices, what would yours be?

[besauve]

I have a 300 Win Mag that has about 900 rounds through the barrel. It shot ok, holding about 1 MOA in short and mid-range distances, but I never was able to get it to shoot really well (~1/2 MOA CONSISTENTLY), so I'm thinking of rechambering. This will be my long range hunting rifle and I will use it for deer, elk, caribou, moose, bear, etc. I'm not looking for any more recoil by going to a 34 caliber bullet and would like to stick to 30 cal or less, though I know I'm really narrowing myself to somewhere from .277 to .308. More exciting to think about are the different case configurations one can go with. What would you do? Rebarrel with 300 Win Mag, or, take the opportunity to rebarrel and rechamber?

 

[abinok]

What action are we taling about here?
Are you wanting to stay with the same bolt/boltface if you rebarrel?

 

[besauve]

Remington long action receiver. Yes, I do not want to change bolt/boltface.

 

[Mysticplayer]

Brad, if you have done all you can to make this rifle shoot, good chance the barrel is simply not up to the task. Rechambering just gives you more of the same.

I would look at rebarreling. The WM is an awesome mid range cartridge and will certainly work for all that you want. The WSM is interesting but falls short when bullet weights go up. The Ultra mag is grea but hang on to your teeth in a light rig (mine is 35lbs with a huge muzzle port and recoil is quite manageable-otherwise ouch).

Other cals also work great. Mine include the 6.5-06, 270 and 7RM. For target shooting and lighter big game, I would easily use these out to 800yds. However, for really big game, the 30 and 190/200/220gr bullets are in a league of their own.

Just decide how much is walkabout and how much is benched. My benched rifles carry muzzle brakes are on the heavy side and have big scopes. My walkabouts are light, small cal and I know I will have to get closer to be effective.

Just get a good idea of what you want this rig for. The cal choices are easy then.

Jerry

 

[LB]

I agree with the above writer. Nothing wrong with the 300WinMag for what you want to do. For sure, don't bother rechambering your present barrel to anything else, it's toast.

However, it sounds (a bit) like you just want something different? In sticking "to 30 cal or less"; a 7RemMag. might be plain vanilla, but doesn't require a change in the bolt face, and will have less recoil.

You have a lot of choices.

Good luck, LB

 

[besauve]

I should have been more clear. I did assume a re-barreling if I changed calibers. Sorry for the confusion. This wouldn't be a bench gun, but rather one that I use for hunting in the offhand, sitting and prone positions (most often the latter two when at all possible).

This rifle was stocked in a McMillan A-2, but is being re-stocked into a McMillan A-5 at this time. While it weighed about 16 lbs, I expect that the A-5 will reduce total weight by 1 lb.

I think LB was reading my mind about just making a change for change sake. Darn it though, I have a ton of 300 WM cases around and it would be a shame to abandon the caliber. I've done it once before with another rifle, switching from 300 WM to 7x61 S&H.

In my experience, compared to other calibers I've shot, I've really had a tough time with the 300 WM's getting them to shoot well. I guess what I'm curious about is if the new short 300 mag's offer an inherent accuracy advantage over the 300 WM given accuracy is many times found in shorter fatter cases with sharper angled shoulders.

 

[craigp40]

Brad, I was faced with nearly the exact same decision a few weeks ago. Mine was a M70 300WM. I already have a 300RUM and wanted something else with less recoil that I could have fun shooting during extended long range sessions. I also didn't want to change my bolt face. That really narrowed down what I could have. For my requirements, that essentially left me with the 264 Win Mag and 7mm RM. The WSMs could have been done, but feeding problems using them on a long action were inherent. After looking at recoil numbers and bullet selection, I went with the 7 RM. They are making some really impressive bullets for this caliber nowadays. I haven't gotten the rifle back yet, but I'm gonna try the 175 SMKs, 168 SMKs and 162 A-Max. Check out some the of the ballistics on these bullets and you'll see they are competing quite well with the 30s.

 

[Mysticplayer]

Please don't judge the WM accuracy based on a factory rifle. The WM has set many a 1000yd BR record. It is not better nor worse then any other well prepped cartridge.

So much depends on the throat, loading technique and bullet, and barrel/chamber quality. You can make even the PPC shoot like crap if you set it up wrongly.

If you want the WM again, it is certainly a wonderful choice with an enormous amount of data and components. The 7RM is another superb choice and the route I am going. I hate recoil and the WM and heavier 30 cal bullets just boot more then a streamlined 162grSST.

Also, pretty hard for a 30cal to keep up in the ballistics department until case and recoil get way up there.

So for a walkabout rifle (you must be very strong), the 6.5, 270 and 7mm are also going to be great choices. Just match the bullet to the game and adjust your distance for sufficient impact velocity. The game will certainly not complain about any of these bullets going through the boiler room.

Switching cals and rifles is half the fun of this hobby. If not, we would all be shooting '06s. Pretty boring...
Jerry

 

[abinok]

Not a lot that I can add to the excellent posts of Jerry and others, but here are a couple more
You mention using this rifle for game up to moose and bear.
If you want to stay on the same bolt face you basically are limited to:
264WM
7mmRemMag
30-338
300WM
Then the ultra mag cases if you are willing to singleshot it (probably not aplicable in a hunting rifle)
Which end of the spectrum are you more comfortable shooting a bear with?
if youve got the cases around, Id say, get a matchgrade tube screwed in, stuff it with some heavies, and let her fly. Rem action in a A5, with a 28"ish barrel throwing 220SMKs would be a sweet combo, and will reach a long, long way.