What did I get into? 300 WM

J

jaughtman

New member
This is not something I am proud of, but thought you guys would find it amusing. I have never owned a $4500 rifle until now. NOW NOW, I did not pay that much for it - that was its' retail value. Apparently long-range shooting is a popular sport over here in Augusta where my wife works during the week. Several of her coworkers compete or do it just for fun (mostly the latter). We were at a fund raising dinner for the Augusta Warrior Project last night (a local version of Wounded Warrior) and the custom rifle maker Collier Rifles (google it) had donated this custom Warrior Edition long range light target/hunting rifle in 300 Win Mag. I DID NOT bid on it, but she did - and now I will have to either take up long distance target shooting, or elk and moose hunting. LOL. Or sell it....

Collier%20IMG_0381_1.jpg


Collier%20IMG_02.jpg
 
Wow, that's really some rifle. Like you, I don't know what I'd do with it. Just parking it in the gun safe doesn't sound right. Selling it would sort of be a shame. I guess I'd consider loading ammo for it that was 30-06 level and then hunting with it.

Another option would require more money spent. If the bolt face is the right size, and I think it is, rebarrel it to 6.5 Rem Magnum and use it for hunting. That's something that would appeal to me, and it wouldn't beat your shoulder up too much. That 6.5 caliber has lately interested me. Brass might be an issue however.

Anyway...nice rifle.
 
Yes.....

The wife was so proud she would be peeved if I sold it (right away at least). I tried my best to explain to her that I don't need a 300 WM to shoot 150 lb. Alabama whitetails. She had no idea - just knew it was "one of a kind custom rifle" - the auctioneer was really laying it on thick - and it went to a worthy cause. We DO hunt with 308's and 30/06's a lot, even though they are almost overkill for the 100 - 200 yard shots we take. I might buy some of the reduced recoil loads like you suggested and hunt it some - I think those kind of mimic a 30/06. Heck, the optics on this thing cost more than most of my complete rifles.

J
 
I'm willing to bet the muzzle brake on that is going to make full power loads feel a lot like light 30-06 loads!

Selling that would be out of the question for me, I would instead find areas to hunt where the shooting distances would be more than the 100-200 I'm used to seeing. Very nice rifle, congratulations and be sure to post a range report when you do take it out.
 
does your '06 have a muzzle brake? that 300 with that brake on it won't kick much at all. use it and enjoy! it's more of a hunting rig then a dedicated long range target gun. I would have no issues laying the smack down on 150 lbs deer with that gun.
 
Use it, hunt with it. Like previously mentioned make some light loads for it if you don't like the full power loads. Don't forget the hearing protection!
 
Lighter Loads

It's not so much the recoil, it is the fact the bullets would punch right through a typical deer around here and not expand properly....but I could be wrong. LOL

J
 
jaughtman said:
The wife was so proud she would be peeved if I sold it (right away at least).
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waveslayer said:
that 300 with that brake on it won't kick much at all.
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But the muzzle blast ought to be tremendous. Your wife might not have any trouble letting you sell it after she hears it. :rolleyes:

Nice rig, though.
 
It really was nice of your wife to be thinking of you and to buy the rifle. That's really what matters here most, and I think it's pretty great.

I don't think that you need to worry about the bullet just zipping through. Might be better to worry about what edible meat you are going to vaporize. Shoot em behind the shoulder, put both halves in the back of your truck, take them home and skin them out.:)
 
Magnum is just a word, as long as you don't let it get in your head that it kicks a lot it won't. That is a heavy rig with a ported barrel,I'm betting close to 9 lbs, maybe 10. Recoil will be no worse than a typical 7-8 lb 30-06 shooting loads on the upper end of the spectrum. The McMillan stock and high-tech recoil pad will really help too.

It is certainly more gun than needed for most hunting. I wouldn't want to lug it around after elk at 7,000-10,000' anyway. But it'd make a good long range beanfield rifle for deer.

It's not so much the recoil, it is the fact the bullets would punch right through a typical deer around here and not expand properly....but I could be wrong. LOL
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You've got it backwards. Lightly constructed bullets will expand faster and may not penetrate enough. The key is to use better quality, or heavier bullets. That is only a factor at very close ranges anyway.
 
I have a .300WM and shoot it alot . Theres no such thing as overkill . I like the 175 gr and 180 gr loads . Keep your head back from the scope hold onto the rifle and go with the recoil .
 
Welcome to the 30 cal heavy hitter club ;) I picked up a used R700 sporter in .300WM for cheap money. Upgraded to a heavy Sondero barrel, a Witt machine brake (MANDATORY for anything over 8 consecutive shots LOL) added the B&C Tac A5 stock , and the Sightron SIII 8-32x56 scope. Very accurate 1000 yd shooter for short money respectively to what some people spend...

Now hopefully you handload , if not break out those Ben Franklin's for your ammo.... if you do handload , run some 208 Amax's and some H1000 powder and destroy those X's ! ;)


Here's my R700:

 
The .300 Win. Mag. is not "overkill" in most hunting situations. Pretty much if it is safe to shoot an 06 in a location, it is safe to shoot a .300 Win. Mag.
PSALM 7, there is such a thing as "overkill." If you do not believe me, try to fin enough pieces of a deer shot with a .50 BMG to put together a good deer stew. You literally lose half the animal. I am not the knucklehead that hunts with one, but there are a few in this area that do. In my opinion, they do it just to be stupid.
 
That's a gorgeous rifle, and while you don't need a 300 Win Mag to hunt Alabama white tail, you can really download the 300 Win Mag to more appropriate power levels for the distances you plan on hunting.

Starting loads for a 165gr bullet using H4895 or Varget are right at the 2,800 fps range, which is well into the 308/30-06 performance level. Should be easy on the shoulder, long on brass life, and shouldn't cause much meat damage on the deer even using standard soft points.

Hope you enjoy your rifle!

Jimro
 
Looks like some nice work on their website- beautiful rifle.
I'm most curious about the end of the barrel- I can't tell from the pic if the barrel itself has been ported, or if it's a screw-on.

Either way, it looks a bit different than what I'd expect on that rifle. I see porting on the side towards the camera, as well as on top. Just speaking for myself, I'd want an effective brake on a .300 WM, not porting. Got a pic of the end of the barrel showing the porting design?

Congratulations!
If you have no interest in long-range, I'll deviate from the other opinions and say put her up for sale. Like a new car driven off the lot, value will drop significantly- particularly on a burner like the .300WM- once rounds are put through the barrel. You might even contact the builder and talk to him about an exchange for something more practical for yourself.

That's a purpose-built rifle, and you can definitely get full value from the "right" buyer looking to bang an elk at 800 yards.
 
^^

Good point. I did talk to the builder (he was there to present it) and he offered to "make me whatever I wanted" - for the amount that my wife bid - which was far less than the retail on this gun. I thought about getting a 308 build, but would have gotten "less gun" - plus there was the factor of the wife's pride in winning it for me. After several days of consideration and input from my shooting buddies and you guys, I do think I will just load it down to 308 or 30/06 levels and hunt with it. A shooting buddy of mine put it best - "it will basically be the most accurate 06' you will ever own and hunt with at those levels, and you can always shoot full 300 though it when we convince you to take up target shooting with us - and you never know when that Elk hunt will come through"......

J
 
Ported

OH, and it is ported all the way around - those holes go the entire circumference of the barrel. It appears to be a screw-on as there is a fine line you can not see in the pic where it meets the barrel.

J
 
The secret to enjoying 300 WM is this: shop wally world! For some unfathomable reason, over the years, I've found that 300wm ammo is often the cheapest rifle ammo they have over 224 caliber. I usually find it for not much over $20 a box--and sometimes even under $20.00. I look at it as being worth it for the brass alone--maybe even the powder is cheaper that way than buying kegs--would be interesting to do the math. No cheaper way to get a long range wallop that I can think of.
 
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