Rifle Questions

[RHarris]

I have been looking to purchase a rifle in the 300 caliber family, but I can't decide which. 300mag, 300 ultramag, 300weatherby, 30-378 etc etc. I have been looking at balistics and obviously the 30-378 is one fast SOB. Yet i have been paying attention to all of you as well, and hear talk of to much speed= poor bullet performance so on and so forth. I also like the idea of being able to load from 125gr to 220gr. Then again you guys start talking about your mag rifles liking the heavier bullets. What gives with that. Can I load a 300 mag or 30-378 with a 125 gr bullet pushing 3400fps and expect good bullet performance or not. My point being,I want the best all round big game rifle there is,I like the versatility that these calibers have, yet am I asking to much from one rifle? This "perfect Rifle" will be for all north american big game from Coues to grizzily and Africa as well( might as well dream big if your going to dream at all right?). Thanks In advance for your words of wisdom.

Rharris

 

[GONHUNTIN]

Why do you want speed instead of accurucy??? most of the time the slower the bullet the more accurete it will be, and the heavier the more it will penatrate and less bloodshot you will have. If you wish to hunt Africa I would goto a bigger caliber: ie 8mm mag, 338, or any other bigger caliber you must have at least a 32 caliber rifle to hunt africa.

If you must have a faster rifle goto the 277 caliber. the 270 weaterby is probally the best choice in this caliber it will handle most of north american big game. the range of bullets here are 90gr to 200gr, just a thought

if it were me I would choose the 300wsm or the 300 win, and keep the cost per shell lower

 

[shashzhiin]

Harris,

There is alot to consider here that you have not told us... not to sound insulting, but how good or a shot are you? A 400 yard velocity rifle is not for you if you are a 250 yard shooter. Also, it has deffinately been my experience that high velocity tears up light bullets. If you are looking for versitility and a regular range rifle, the 30-06 is hard to beat. If you insist on some individuality, and load yourself, heat it up by making it an akley improved. But for an all around, the 06 is great, you can even get the excellerator loads for super high velocity with extremely light bullets. Acuracy is even good.

Shash

 

[Buckrub]

I tend to agree with the previous posts. Why get a lg. high performance caliber and shoot "pip-squeek" bullets out of it. I shoot a 300REM Ultra Mag and it handles both 150 and 180gr. bullets with EXTREME accuracy. I haven't tried 125's or 220's, no need to. With the wide array of quality bullets available, the 150's and 180's will handle most game easily. I think if your talk'in Africa, that's 375-458 cal. country!!! I don't think you can do all you propose to do with one caliber.

 

[RHarris]

Thanks for the input. You answered several of my questions. These larger caliber rifles although capable of shooting a light bullet are not necessarily best suited for this, according to the above posts.
I do load my own and consider my self a very capable long range shooter. I have used a .270 remington on all of my Coues,Mulies,Elk,Shiras moose,and Oryx hunts. I mainly want a larger caliber to push those heavier bullets but being the penny pinching miser that I am want the most "bang" for my buck. I enjoy loading down my .270 and using it for varmits also, instead of purchasing a smaller caliber rifle. The versatility of the 300mag,WSM etc etc is tempting, thus the intial post. I guess I will need to purchase one possibly two more rifles to acheive my ultimate goals,darn LOL.

What bullets do all of you prefer, Nosler, Hornady,Barnes and Why? I have only loaded Noslers so I have no experience with any of the other brands.
Thanks again for the opinions, this site is a great learning tool. I hope we can keep it all positive and constructive for everyones benefit.

Rharris

 

[Bluehair]

I've put a few through a 300 win, and feel comfortable saying that its a great all-around caliber. It barks a little, and isn't exactly comfortable to shoot off a bench, but I have other stuff for that. I'm sitting back and watching all of the latest greatest calibers, but don't see a whole lot of reason to take the plunge yet. I haven't figured out exactly why manufacturers are trying so hard to get away from belted mags. I have put a bunch through an '06, but for one 30 cal gun I would take the 300. My '06 is retired.

I've killed stuff (big game) with 125's and 165's, although I would be cautious with the 125's because there isn't a whole lot of bullet left. I don't like 180's because I'm a puddy, but the heavier bullets probably do perform better at long ranges. As you probably know, most bullet manufacturers make a variety of bullets for different purposes, so you can get quality hunting bullets in virtually all weights. Pick your favorite, I like Sierra and Nosler. I like Sierra because they have excellent customer service. Need data for a new caliber, no problem, manual updates are in the mail the next day.

Find a load that works good in your gun. Can't go wrong with a good 300.

 

[RLH]

if you read this site much you will see that i shoot a .300 winchester a lot. i've aquired several over the years, from an old pre'64 model 70 to a new stainless/synthetic ruger. all have 26" barrels. one has a muzzlebreak. it's a newer "pre '64" style model 70. i shoot nothing but one load with 165 gr hornady boat tails out of all of them. they all shoot great. the most accurate of them is the newer model 70 with the muzzlebreak. to me, the .300 win is about perfect for elk and the like. not a bad mule deer rifle either. little big maybe. have to pick your shots a little more if you're fond of eating deer. there are so many .300's out now that it would be hard to decide on one. the short mags are sorta interesting, but i wonder how long they are gonna be around. 10 years from now if you're out of town on a high dollar elk hunt and have a need for ammo, is the local store in the little town you are near going to have some shells for it? the ultra mags are useless to me. if i'm going to go bigger, then i'm gonna go all the way and get a warbird or a .30/.378. not that the ultramag isn't good, just don't see any reason to stop part way. you want something that literally screams, get a warbird. it's phenomonal. and a box of 20 rounds is $100. so is the .30/.378. they have basically the same ballistic potential. one is belted and the other isn't and is a little shorter. both hold about identical powder loads. the way it is, the short mag won't do quite what the .300 win. will. the .300 weatherby is a little hotter than the .300 win. the ultramag is a little hotter than the weatherby and the warbird and .30/.378 leave everything in the dust. i've made shots in excess of 500 yds with my .300. wouldn't be afraid to try it every day. my son shot a bull elk at over 600 with it. sorta lucky, but he killed it. to me, if you figure in everything, cost of ammo or components (.30/.378 brass is about $50 for 20), avialability of ammo, longevity of the marketing, recoil, cost of the rifle, weight of the rifle (warbirds and the big weatherby are over 10 lbs. without a scope) etc, etc. i'd go for the winchester. but i'm also a cartridge bigot.

 

[BigPig]

Personally I'd opt for the 300 WSM. I think it has earned its keep and will stand the test of time. You can't argue with its ballistics in a short action. ANd like has already been said, avoid the light stuff. Stick with bullets of 165 gr and up. That is what a 300 mag of any sort was made for.

 

[GONHUNTIN]

if you already have a 270win why not just get one of the mags so you dont need to buy different bullets I have the 270 wsm absulutly love it would not trade it for the 300wsm. I do own the 30-06 and nothing will outdo it in my opinion. If I go on an elk hunt I probally will take the 06 as backup, but it wont stay at home.........MARK

 

[MartinHunter]

With my 30?06 once you get too far below the 150grn mark the bullets starts to tumble. My uncle told me this use to happen to him with his ?06 before the barrel shot out of it. I am going to stick to the 185gr BTSP with my new 300 WSM.
Michael

 

[Bluehair]

Remember to load the pointed ends out and that won't happen. At least not inside 1000 yards. ;-)

 

[RLH]

if you're having problems with bullets keyholing (tumbling), you may have a real problem. especially if it's doing it with shorter bullets. generally, the longer a bullet is, the faster the rifling twist needs to be to stabilize it. this can be a real problem with smaller calibers. .257 on down seem to have the most problems with it. that's the reason remington changed the name of the .244 to 6mm rem. the original rifles called .244's had a fairly slow twist that worked fine with smaller bullets, but wouldn't stabilize a 100 gr at all. shot horrible groups. they sped up the twist and renamed it the 6mm. same cartridge, just quicker spin on the bullet. i have an old .250/3000 savage, model 99 lever gun. shoots 100gr bullets and lighter great. tried to shoot 117's and it keyholed every shot. if you have an '06 that is keyholing with smaller bullets, you've either got a bad barrel or bad bullets i would guess. also, i agree that the savage 110 is probably more accurate than the weatherby/howa. but i really don't like that pin holding on the end of the bolt on the savage. looks like a sad story just waiting for an opportunity to be told.

 

[RandyWeaver]

Although .30 caliber rifles will technically handle a wide variety of bullet weights, a rifle's ability to perform acceptably with different weight bullets is almost entirely dependent on the rate of twist in the barrel - not the caliber. As for bullet performance, that is dependent on bullet construction. Whether a .300 or a .30-30, match your bullet to the caliber you're shooting and the game you intend to hunt.

Venado muy grande!

 

[Elkcrzy1]

I have a 30-378 wthby and it shoots like a dream, quarter size groups at 100 yds w a 180 gr barnes x bullet. I took this gun to africa and killed a lot of animals with it but you definitely don't need this big of a gun over there unless your after buffalo or something else nasty. I shoot a 7mm mag normally and should have taken it instead. The 30-378 hasn't had a problem killing anything that I've shot and I love the gun, no kick at all but damn it makes noise.....too much noise!!! Gary