New Rifle (Decisions......Decisions.........decisions)

Curly

I am looking for a new rifle to replace my Winchester Model 70 .300Win Mag. I like the knowdown power of the .300 (I've dropped two Bull Elk in their tracks with it) but I would like a little better accuracy than I am getting with the Model 70.I am not sure if it is the cartridge or a combination of the cartridge and the rifle that is causing the inaccuracy, but I have heard so many good things about Savage and Tikka rifle's accuracy that I am seriously considering those (not to mention the reasonable prices for them).Would a .300 Win Mag cartridge in a Tikka or Savage out of the box be able to get 1" groups with factory ammo? Or would a 7mm Rem Mag be a more accurate cartridge? Will the 7mm Rem Mag have noticably less recoil?I am also looking at the new 300WSM, and 7mmWSM since they are advertised as being accurate and with less recoil.I found a dealer with a Savage Stainless/Synthetic 300WSM. The rifle only weighs 6.5 pounds with a 24" barrel (which is comparable to the Browning Composite Stalker at 6lb9oz) Savage apparently has only made a small number of these rifles. 6.5 pounds seems too light to me even with the somewhat lesser recoil of the 300WSM. With a 6.5 pound rifle, wouldn't the 7mmWSM be better? If so I guess that eliminates Savage for now. Has anybody had the opportunity to compare the feel of the recoil from a 6.5 pound Browning 300WSM to a heavier 300 Win. Mag?That brings me back around the the Winchester Model 70 which is chambered in the 300WSM and has a Classic Stainless model that weighs 7.25 pounds. That weight just seems like a better weight.Should I get another Model 70 even though I don't like the accuracy of the Model 70 in 300 Win Mag? Would a new Model 70 in 300WSM be more accurate than my old 300 Win Mag? Or should I be considering the 7mmWSM?Thanks in advance for any advice I can get.

Herschel

I have a Winchester Model 70 Classic Stainless Synthetic (what a mouthful) .300 Win Mag. I have been very pleased with it. I had to work up a load that it would shoot accurately. Fortunately the maximum load was very accurate. I can't recall the group size but I considered it adequate for hunting. If you don't handload, consider the boss. I have only heard good things about accuracy available from BOSS equipped rifles.I didn't get a BOSS as I don't like the noise and could equal the performance with handloads. I bought a drop in stock from McMillan that I like much better than the synthetic one that comes from Winchester.

MIKE WISKEY

unless you have shot your .300 wim. mag. a lot (3000+ rds.) you probably can get better accuracy a.with better/different ammo, b. rebedding barrel/action, c. a good cleaning (removal of copper fouling) in barrel. most m-70's will give very good hunting accuracy if properly treated (about 1" @ 100 yrds.)i have a stock m-70 clasic syn. stock that will put 200 gn. nosler b.t. into 5/8" @ 100 but you cann't hit a bull in the * with any bullets heaveyer than 210 gns.

Curly

My brother reloads ammo for me. I have always used 180gr bullets but they always seem to be around a 3-inch group. We used 3 different bullets from Hornady and Sierra but I don't remember the names of them off the top of my head.I like the 180gr bullets for deer and elk and if I ever draw an antelope tag for Oregon I would use the 180 on them as well. I like to stick with one bullet for everything.I never have tried a bunch of different loads to try to find a really good one. Maybe I will try that before I get rid of the rifle. My brother just loaded some really hot loads and we found one that shot good enough. We never went and tried a bunch of different loads. I have cleaned it with shooter's choice copper remover. I don't really want to mess around with bedding the stock. It does seem to have a really nice trigger.Well, I think I have decided to just keep the Model 70 for a while and try some more reloads. If you guys are getting 1" groups then I guess I could try to work some up. I will post another topic under the general discussion about 300 Win Mag loads to see if I can get some help on a good starting point.

will270win

Since you're hunting elk and that sounds like work; Steyr makes a very light accurate rifle and I believe you can get it in 300 mag. The hammer forged barrel looks real good! I love both of mine.

---

Eat healthy, exercise, avoid smoking........Die anyway. will270win@aol.com ~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~

groundhog devastation

Try a Browning in 300WSM with the BOSS. They now come with 2 ends. One is the muzzlebrake/BOSS combination and the other is just the BOSS. I can take a little more recoil if I don't have to ut up with that Noise of the brake. And yes I do use hearing protection. I refuse to go to the range with people that use those infernal brakes! If you can wait for availability, I think the 7mmWSM or the 7mmRemSAUM will signal the end of the 300Win Mag and the 7mm RemMag.

Curly

Thanks groundhog for the tip about Browning. I wasn't aware that you could get a rifle with the boss and not the muzzlebreak. I don't want a rifle with the muzzlebreak. I think I can wait for the 7mmWSM and in the meantime work up a more accurate 300 Win Mag load.

Herschel

Curly, What works in my gun is the 180 gr Barnes X bullet with 72 grs of IMR 4831. This is the maximum load in Barnes's book and should be worked up to with caution.

DaRoosta

The Model 70 is a reliable rifle, especially if you work up the correct loads. I agree that you should try to always shoot the same loads out of the rifle after you get it dialed in. If you dropped 2 bulls in their tracks with it, it sounds fairly reliable to me.On the other hand, I went through a similar experience before hunting season this year. I have a Rem Model 700 that I hunted elk with in Oregon. I lost confidence in it and decided I wanted to elk hunt with something different. I broke down and bought a Sako Model 75 SS in 300 Ultra Mag. Best thing I've ever done. The ballistics of the 300 Ultra Mag has given me tremendous confidence, out to 400 yards. I shoot Federal 180-grain Trophy Bonded Bear Claws out of it and am getting about 1 1/2" groups at 300 yards. That's straight out of the box. I would suggest looking at the UM's, unless you're extremely recoil sensitive. It will kick, but you won't feel it in the field.

Curly

DaRoosta, I have even been thinking of the 300 Ultra Mag. I am not recoil sensitive, its just that I was wanting a lighter gun than the M70 XTR that I have now. My rifle weighs about 10lbs with the scope now and I just thought that if I went to a lighter rifle that I would feel the recoil even more. (thats why I have been kicking around the idea of the new WSM cartridges)If I were to get the Tikka in 300Win Mag I think it would be about a pound lighter than my XTR. I might do that since I already have the dies for the 300Win Mag.I guess I'll have to just win the lottery and then I can buy 3 or 4 rifles: Sendero in 7mmSTW for Antelope, Sako in 300 Ultra mag for Elk, Tikka in 7mm-08 for deer, Win Mod70 in 7mmWSM just for kicks. Oh, I can stop dreaming now.I do have a lot of confidence in my Mod70 for elk since I have only taken two shots at elk and each time they died instantly. But for shooting deer and antelope sized game at 300 yards I am not confident with it. I would really rather have just one rifle for everything but maybe I have also been thinking of buying a new rifle for my wife in 7mm-08 and then using it on occasion for deer or antelope.

DaRoosta

Curly - I agree with the weight issue. My Sako, with the scope (Leupold 3.5x10x50 Illuminated Mil-Dot), probably weighs close to 11 lbs. Interestingly, the way it rides on my shoulder while hunting is much more comfortable to me than any of my other hunting setups, besides my lightweights. I don't know if it's just the way the rifle is built, the weight distribution, or it just happens to fit me better by the luck of the draw.The fact of the matter is that all the magnum caliber rifles are fairly heavy. The new Remington 700 Titaniums are extremely light and they make those in 7mm-08, as well as most other popular non-magnum calibers. I think they weigh just below 6 pounds, but don't quote me on that since I don't have the information in front of me. Then again, they're going to run you about $950. That 7mm Ultra Mag Sendero is what I was looking at before I checked out the Sako. Same weights.I, too, have put in for antelope tags for Oregon the past couple years with no success. Good luck with that and with your decision. I noticed you're fairly new to the GB boards. Welcome. Since posts in the Experts forum usually get locked after 10 posts, if you want to continue the discussion repost it or something similar. Just thought I'd let you know so you didn't think you did something wrong when it gets locked.

beachmaster73

Unless you are just looking for an excuse to buy a new rifle I'd just tune the rifle you have. Check your loads and vary your bullet weight. You are going to have a tough time replacing the .300 Win Mag with any lesser cartridge and still keep the performance. You may just have a mediocre powder-bullet mix right now. If you can check your rifling see what barrel twist you have...1 in 10, 1 in 11, 1 in 12? That's usually the best way to match a bullet to your barrel. Most guys tend to want to play with a larger bullet than they really need and along the way they loose a little accuracy. Beach