Talk me out of a 20 inch 300 Winchester magnum… or not.

[LanceS4803]

Take a look at this article. I did and ended up going with a 20" barrel (and 2" of brake) on a Savage 116 Bear Hunter.)
Barrel Length and the Precision Rifle

 

[hseII]

My rig, as promised. It wears a different scope now:

Which Barrel/Profile?

 

[ButtersDad]

Just talked to Silencerco about using an omega 300 suppressor on a 20" win mag, they said do it! I specifically asked about unburnt powder, the first few baffles integrity, and decreased sound suppression over time. They told me decreased sound suppression should not be an issue for several thousand rounds, unburnt powder will collect in the suppressor but I just have to send another few rounds and it should get it out, also I can run a magazine of 223 or 308 through it and it will get hot enough to burn off any residual unburnt powder inside of it. The Omega is rated for 300win mag down to a 20 inch barrel and they have tested full auto 300wm through it so baffle integrity should not be something to worry about. And of course if I sense anything about the can is not performing as it should just send it back and they will take care of it. So long story short just make sure your can is rated for 300wm and stay with the limits of what it's rated for, which in my case is down to a 20" barrel. So the shorty winmag build is gunna happen. Now I just gotta get an action and a 20" proof CF 308 barrel. Anybody got either laying around they wanna get rid of?......

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

I've been using kelbly atlas tactical actions lately! Very very nice - lots of features for the price tag.

 

[ButtersDad]

They do have a nice action, especially for the price, I'm really thinking about getting a new Mesa precision summit action, $999, 75 degree bolt throw, lighter weight 29oz, and integrated lug... anybody have any bad experience with one of these?

 

[nt7332]

I did a 21" so I can run my ultra 9 and still be somewhat like a normal length rifle. Would not change a thing!

 

[Calvin45]

Just talked to Silencerco about using an omega 300 suppressor on a 20" win mag, they said do it! I specifically asked about unburnt powder, the first few baffles integrity, and decreased sound suppression over time. They told me decreased sound suppression should not be an issue for several thousand rounds, unburnt powder will collect in the suppressor but I just have to send another few rounds and it should get it out, also I can run a magazine of 223 or 308 through it and it will get hot enough to burn off any residual unburnt powder inside of it. The Omega is rated for 300win mag down to a 20 inch barrel and they have tested full auto 300wm through it so baffle integrity should not be something to worry about. And of course if I sense anything about the can is not performing as it should just send it back and they will take care of it. So long story short just make sure your can is rated for 300wm and stay with the limits of what it's rated for, which in my case is down to a 20" barrel. So the shorty winmag build is gunna happen. Now I just gotta get an action and a 20" proof CF 308 barrel. Anybody got either laying around they wanna get rid of?......

Well all this report has accomplished is to stir my curiosity regarding what they did to test full auto .300 win mag and also stir my inner longing...NOW I WANT A FULL AUTO .300 WIN MAG!!!

 

[North Idaho Hunter]

@arios2 I saw a friend at the range with a summit action last week. While i didnt get to run it, after peaking over it - i see it as a nice improvement over a standard factory 700 action.

with the kelbly actions i prefer the extractor they have, it's in a class all by itself.

Hard to beat most of these customs floating around - i dont think you can really go wrong with any of em over a factory action.

 

[richhymas]

300 WSM is pretty widely available. Better for shorter barrels. Still good velocity.

 

[ButtersDad]

So picked me up a proof barrel and a bighorn origin action, both are on there way to Gunware to be installed, I'll give another update as soon as I have the barreled action and will see what kind of muzzle velocities I'm getting. Should have it all put together in 3-4 weeks!

 

[ButtersDad]

should have the rifle in another week or two and then ill give a report on overall performance and muzzle velocities from a variety of factory ammo. Build is a bighorn origin long action, proof 20' carbon fiber barrel 1-10 twist sendero profile, manners eh1 gap Camo, TriggerTech special trigger, Hawkins LA dbm CIP length, silencerco omega suppressor, and a night force nx8 2-20x50 with arc m10 rings. Can't wait!

 

[Calvin45]

should have the rifle in another week or two and then ill give a report on overall performance and muzzle velocities from a variety of factory ammo. Build is a bighorn origin long action, proof 20' carbon fiber barrel 1-10 twist sender profile, manners eh1, TriggerTech special, Hawkins LA dbm CIP length, silencer omega suppressor, and a night force nx8 2-20x50 with arc m10 rings. Can't wait!

Looking forward to seeing this rig (And how much it weighs) and hearing what velocities are attained. Nothing interesting is learned by following established wisdom, being practical, doing the sensible thing, making the safe bet. A 20 inch 300
Win mag sounds interesting indeed. Congrats

 

[Deleted member 103481]

Very excited you did it, I think you will enjoy it

 

[25WSM]

300 Winchester Magnum: How Does Barrel Length Change Velocity- A 16″ 300 Win Mag?

Introduced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1963, the 300 Winchester Magnum (300 Win Mag) is based on the 375 H&H case shortened to fit a standard length action and necked down to 30…

rifleshooter.com

Pretty good reference for your performance loss per inch. Unfortunately they didn't start at 26 inches like most 300wm would most likely have. What's the most amazing thing in this test is how good it shot with a hacksaw crown.
Shep