What did I get into? 300 WM

Very nice gun! Seems you like are in sort of the same situation I found myself when I snagged a similarly styled (although much more basic) R700 from a gun show for a decent price. I found the gun/caliber was really more than reasonably needed for east coast hunting, but not enough gun for target work (i.e. too lightweight with too much recoil for enjoyable extended paper punching). With the break you might be better off than I was, although neighbors at the shooting line might not be very pleased. I found the most I could get out of my rifle in one sitting was about 20 rounds before it became too unpleasant. I am actually in the process of casting a lead weight to drop in the stock hollow of my rifle to add over a pound of weight just for recoil, lol. I haven't prioritized reloading the .300 due to how infrequent I shoot it, but I have been meaning to pick up some of that factory reduced recoil ammo and at least try it out. If it were mine, I would probably keep it and find some purpose (rare hunting trips or something) or at least take it out now and then. My guess is that the market for such a slick rifle would be relatively small, and it might be hard to find someone to pay what it is worth. I'd suspect people looking to spend that much money will probably tend to go with complete custom builds and not really even look at the "used" market.
 
jaughtman said:
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.
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This may or may not be an issue, one shot one kill for hunting prone won't be a problem. If you get into target shooting prone the blast exiting the bottom of the brake will send a ton of ground debris at you. Even my 3 port Witt Machine brake blasts me with some dirt but I've kinda gotten used to it.
 
I personally don't think firing 300wm in rifle is any more challenging than 44 mag in a revolver--takes getting used to and not something you'll want to do for hours on end--but definitely approachable for most shooters willing to spend a bit of extra time learning how to tame them. I think it's bad rep as a wild mule kicker is generally exaggerated.
 
Good Lord it's only a 300 Win. Mag! The muzzle brake takes care of recoil. Wear good ear protection, and the broad range of bullets for .30 cal. covers everything on 4 feet. Just enjoy it!
 
I think it's bad rep as a wild mule kicker is generally exaggerated.
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I agree.

And I'd lose the muzzle brake. Not really enough recoil to justify the added noise and other negatives. I might use it at the range during long sessions developing a load or getting zeroed. Maybe at a match where a lot of rounds were fired in a short time, but not for general practice or hunting.

I've long said that most recoil is between the ears. Many people see "MAGNUM" on a head stamp and tremble in fear before they even pull the trigger. There are a lot of non-magnum rounds that I often see suggested as soft shooting options that in reality have more recoil than 300 WM. But their owners are convinced they are more comfortable to shoot just because the word "MAGNUM" is not stamped on the rifle or ammo.

And then we have people who believe this.

Certain bullets will punch right through some will turn the insides to soup and possibly cut the deer up for you.
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A 300 magnum shoots the same bullets as a 308 or 30-06, just slightly faster. Any bullet that will "turn the insides to soup" from a 300 WM will do the same if fired from a 308 or 30-06.
 
300WM in a hunting application, no brake , one shot, no shoulder pain.

300WM in target shooting upwards of 40 rounds in an hour, dam right you need a brake ! I also use a PAST recoil pad, and my rig weighs in at about 14.5 lbs so it's kick is about the same as a .308. Very easy to manage. Comfort is critical to staying focused on shooting and not your aching shoulder ....
 
I don't use brakes to reduce recoil--though they may in fact sometimes do that--I use them to reduce muzzle lift and enhance getting back on target--but maybe my technique sucks. : )
 
Thanks all!

Keeping it. But once again, it was not the recoil I was worried about - it was the overpenetration on deer. Most of the deer we shoot with 308's....heck, some with our 30/30's are pass-throughs.

J
 
I recently got to shoot a couple shots through a Tikka T3 Mag in .300 WM. It also had a silencerco Big Bore Harvester on it. Even though it weighs less than 7 pounds, with the silencer it kicked about like a .308.

I know it's not an option for everybody, but if it is, it's a good one.
 
Keep it new and put it back up as a donation and take a $4500 tax deduction and buy something you actually want.
 
The fact that your wife bought this for you makes it special, IMO. Yes, you could sell it. Yes, the maker could make you something else. But in either case it would not be the rifle that your wife bought just for you. Sounds like she got it a very good price, too. Another bonus.

With this rifle you can take any large game in North America, and most of the rest of the world, for that matter. You can load down to make it more "practical" for medium size game. The versatility and variety of 30 cal bullets is nearly endless.

If you are a "learner" you will have fun figuring out the best bullet for different game to make sure you don't destroy meat. There are lots of books and sites on the subject.

It's a nice setup, made super nice by the fact it was a gift from the significant other, trying to do something special for you.

Sometimes you keep things not because they make sense or are practical, but because they have meaning.
 
Comparing to 308 and 06--once you start looking at the ballistics tables you'll see where the 300 wm comes into it's own-- not only for longer range, but flatter shooting and delivery of energy when it gets there.
 
I did talk to the builder (he was there to present it) and he offered to "make me whatever I wanted"
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This is a very specialized rifle. If you're not deeply committed to long range shooting there's no reason to try to turn a Rolls Royce into a Jeep. They both have a specific function and are good at it, just not each others. Trying to turn this rifle into a gun for Alabama whitetails will just result in a heavy, long, loud rifle grossly overpowered for its intended use.

I'd jump at the chance to have a custom rifle maker make a gun just to my specs. In your instance, I'd have him whip up a nice 6 lb 7mm-08 and go hunting.
 
Reduced recoil ammunition

Whether most magnum shooters like it or not, the recoil and muzzle blast from that really nice rifle will be rather miserable to shoot very much. The knock down power of the 300 WM is a lot of overkill for deer. Much like using a howitzer for an elephant. Or a 44 mag for shooting rats.

http://www.hornady.com/store/300-Win-Mag-150-Gr-SST-Custom-Lite/

This Hornady ammo is comparable to mild 308 loads. Will easily take any deer that ever lived out to 400 yards. :D
 
There was a time when I zeroed alot of rifles at a gun shop I worked at . The ones I disliked shooting the most were light weight .308's and 30-06's . Give me a Win Mag anyday in a full sized rifle with its heavy shove than one of the little light weight slapping kicking things .
 
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