Ruger Guide Gun...

B

barnettamb

New member
What are your thoughts on a Ruger Guide Gun? I was thinking about a 30-06 or 300 win mag. Any suggestions on caliber? I live in alabama so where i hunt could call for a pretty long shot (400 yards or so) but most of the time shots will be taken at about 100-150 yards. is the 300 win mag worth the ammo cost?
 
Single word... no.

A simple comparison, at 400yd, with both rifles sighted in at 200yds, you would hold only 4 inches higher with the 06.


To attain similar felt recoil, you would be toting a >2lb heavier 300mag.
 
Single word... no
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I don't have a 300WM and have only shot a few (I found the recoil less pleasant than a 375 H&H or Ruger) so I'm curious. What is the benefit and why do many people go w. 300 over 30.06?

barnettamb, as far as the gun goes, I have a Guide Gun in .375 Ruger and it's really quite nice (and handy) :) Ammo question wise, I'll defer to the seasoned hunters in the crowd...
 
I like the .300 WM it shoots like a laser and as far as recoil when I'm shooting I shoot it a few rounds to check zero and stay familar with it . And have several other firearms to shoot . Shooting it 4 or 5 times aint bad at all .
 
Don't know anything about the guide gun but huge fan of the 300wm over the 06. I have lots of respect for the 06 but if it we me i'd say .300 all day. I like it being flatter and you can always download it if need be. And with today's market brass is pretty reasonable.
 
With a 400 yd max distance, I would go with the 30-06 all day long. Once you are into hold-over, then 4 inches makes zero difference. You can hold wrong with either one.

Yes you can tame a 300 WM, but those necked down cases kick the worst of anything and whats the benefit except more expensive all the way around and far less versatility?

And a bonus is the new Reloader 17 powder (if you reload of course). It has a lower longer pressure curve and you can gain 100-200+ FPS (depending on gun) without pushing into pressure issues.

Flatter shooting with the higher velocity and not hurting the gun.

In your area I would think versatility is more better.
 
For Alabama deer the 300 mag is excessively powerful, heavy, loud and expensive. Even the 3006 is more than needed. Throw elk into the mix, and start talking about 500+ yard shots and then the 300 starts to make sense. The slight difference in trajectory can be overcome. The 300's advantage is more power at longer range. At 400 yards no deer or elk will ever know the difference between a 308, 3006 or any of the 300 magnums.

I like Rugers, but the Guide gun does not appeal to me at all in any caliber. I wouldn't be interested in a stubby 20" barreled gun that will weigh almost 10 lbs after being scoped. In the calibers you're considering you need 22"-24" in the 3006 or 24"-26" barrels if you plan on getting the speed for longer range shooting.

A guides gun is meant to be used at closer ranges where the speed isn't needed to stop a dangerous charging animal. The gun in 375 or 416 starts to make some sense.
 
With a 20" bbl the magnum is going to lose much if its velocity advantage and have more muzzle blast. If you talking 24-26" bbl comparison that would be significant difference.
 
Mine's in .30-06, acquired because it's set up for quick short-range shots.
Perfect for what I want that gun to do for me & the shorter barrel's just right.

If you want to glass it, it can easily run farther out.

I don't need it for hunting, I want it for close-in critter defense & the caliber's adequate for most areas in the outback that I travel.
For big bears, I have the other Guide Gun, in .45-70. :)
Denis
 
The Ruger Guide Gun is configured is as a dangerous game gun. If you were shooting one in 416 Ruger at buffalo in Africa, you'd be glad of the weight and the open sights, barrel band and even the muzzle brake would make some sense.

It doesn't make nearly as much sense as a general big game gun in 30-06. By the time you get it scoped it's going to weight 10 lbs. I can't imagine why anyone would haul one of those around when it's so easy to get a 30-06 that weighs 2 or even 3 lbs less. The barrel band is useless for general hunting, the open sights are set up for snap shooting and the last thing a 10 lb 30-06 needs is a muzzle brake.

There is nothing in Alabama that justifies a 300 WM. For $1200, you can get a very nice rifle in 30-06 AND a good scope that will be much more pleasant to carry around and won't strip the paint off your pickup with the muzzle blast.
 
Quick-reaction dangerous game gun is what Ruger sees the package as.
Not intended as a general hunting rifle in a conventional role.

Mine, with the scope I put on to test for 100-yard accuracy, weighs 9 pounds.

.30-06 recoil without the brake is very tolerable (the much-better-than-normal-Ruger-recoil-pad helps), with the brake it's quite light.
I'd imagine the brake could be much appreciated in any of the heavier calibers.

The barrel band's there to move the forward sling swivel stud off the stock & keep it away from the hand under heavy recoil.
More useful on the heavier calibers, but you can use the separately-included swivel stud in the usual fore-end location if you want.

The choice of brake, weight, or just thread protector cap leaves those alternatives up to the user's preferences.
The laminated stock resists warpage, and the spacers are oogly but allow adjusting for length of pull. I use all of them on mine to give me room to cycle the action on my shoulder without the bolt denting my face.

No plastic bottom metal, steel floorplate. Decent trigger, for its intended uses.
Very quick sights, mine are already lined up when the rifle's shouldered.
Dunno how Ruger get's 'em to do that automatically, but they do. :)

As somewhat of a "specialty" rifle, it's well done.

I'll be letting the ATV & truck do most of the carrying. :)
Denis
 
There is nothing in Alabama that justifies a 300 WM
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That struck me strange also, what are you hunting in Alabama that requires a 300 WM or even a 30-06??? A 270, 260, 7-08 or even a 243 will shoot that distance without a problem, why the larger than life bullets??

Jim
 
While 300 mags are pretty popular up here, I own and reload for 300WBY, and 340WBY among others, I have to say that I have never made a shot with either that I couldn't have made with a 30-06. A magnum rifle can be useful on quartering shots on a heavy animal, mule deer, elk, moose, and bison, at ranges of 300yds+.

Also the guide gun is, I believe, only offered with a 20" barrel. The chamberings aren't very plentiful. So I guess that if your set on the guide gun 30-06 is as tame as they offer. I can't see a 300WM in a 20" barrel, that's a lot of powder making a big fireball in front of the muzzle.
 
What do you mean you can't see a .300WM in a 20-inch barrel???????
You'd see it for MILES when it fired up! :)
Denis
 
is the 300 win mag worth the ammo cost?
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When many think of the 300 W-Mag most envision it as a powerful kill anything cartridge. But like any cartridge it too can be down loaded to near 30-06 velocities. And that alone may deserve some consideration if ever you intend to reload or are already a home reloader. As its said in this Neck of the Woods. Preference is: "Better to be over gunned than under gunned."
 
When many think of the 300 W-Mag most envision it as a powerful kill anything cartridge. But like any cartridge it too can be down loaded to near 30-06 velocities.
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It's not hard to load a 300 WM to 30-06 velocity. Making a 30-06 velocity load that's accurate is more difficult, although still possible.

But the OP wants a rifle to hunt in Alabama. There's no grizzlies in Alabama. There's no elk season in Alabama. We're talking pigs and deer the size of a large German Shepard. A 30-06 is more than adequate, a 7mm-08 would be plenty.
 
What is the benefit
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None.


and why do many people go w. 300 over 30.06?
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Cuz eet's a maaugnum, by gawd!

.260 is the perfect whitetail/mulie/ sheep / goat chambering, even for looong range. But .243, 7mm-08, and a few others are up there too, as nearly-equally-perfect. .257 Robts too of course, but then you're in a long action.

.30-'06 though is (as is often said) never a mistake - you've just got so many loadings to choose from, including some really cheap ones, and including 150 grainer loads, perfect for deer, and even the reduced recoil 125 gr loads, also perfect for deer. So many good reasons to choose .30-'06 over .300 win mag - cheaper ammo being the main one, but also less recoil, less muzzle blast/noise, longer brass life, MUCH more selection in factory ammo (as mentioned), and good ol' American nostalgia. And you give up, in essence, nothing. Sure, it's 150 fps or so slower, but that translates to what, about 3/4ths" less drop at 300 with a 200 yard zero? Long shots like that are exceeding rare (*especially* in the East), and if they are taken, is 3/4" gonna make the difference? Possibly, but seriously unlikely.

Although I like .260 and .280 better myself, nothing more American than .30'-06. My favored big game hunting chamberings where a long shot (past 150 yards) might be needed are, roughly in order: .280 rem, .260 rem, .243 win, .280 remAI, .30-'06, 6.5x55, 7mm-08, 7mm RSAUM, 7mm WSM, and for really big stuff, .375 HH mag - if that helps you get a feel. Oh, and of course .270 is fantastic, but I don't do .270 anymore. Not a big fan of .308, but it's a very good all around choice too, of course.

In my view, if you need to go bigger than a .30-'06 (for say, coastal brownies, polar bear, bison, etc., if you get up north), then forget the .300 win mag and get one of these: .338-'06 A-square, .35 Whelen (or Brown-Whelen), 9.3x62mm, or .375 HH mag. If you need more RANGE than .30-'06, go with a 7mm like 7mm WSM or .280 Rem AI, or even a barrel-burning canyon/beanfield-crosser in a sub-7mm-caliber, like .270 WSM, 6.5-.284 Norma, 6.5mm-'06 A-square, or the new .26 Nosler.

I'm not a HUGE hunter who's killed dozens upon dozens of heads of game, but I hope to be before it's over with....but this is what I think I've learned so far.... Recoil is your enemy (flinch, etc.), and so is expense. Smaller is usually better, but not always. Accuracy is almost everything. Bullet construction is next. Chambering is a personal choice, but overall, not to terribly important, so get what floats your boat (if you can afford it and handle the recoil).
 
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