Inexpensive little project rifle

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HowieG

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I was perusing gunbroker and spotted a Savage Model 14 American Classic 300 WSM up for auction. It was listed as having a cracked stock. I like to piddle with gunsmithing and I thought I could get this one fairly cheap, but I am not really a magnum guy and had no interest in 300 WSM. What convinced me to go for it was the fact that I had a zip lock full of 270 WSM nickeled brass that some misguided soul left lying in the desert. I also have a couple of boxes of 30 caliber bullets that weren't useful since I no longer have a shooting 30 caliber rifle other than my 30-30, which uses flat points. Also, you can change a Savage bolt gun to whatever chambering you want with a bit of money.

I did bid on it and I did get it pretty cheap in spite of the small bidding war. At least it was pretty cheap before all of the fees. Anyway, I fixed the crack so you can't even tell. Then I ground and fitted a Pachmayr decelerator pad to replace the sorry excuse for a pad Savage had put on it. What the heck is that all about?

Just in case it didn't shoot, or I decided to sell the gun for another reason, I bought a cheap set of Lee dies to do some test loads with. I converted my brass to 30 caliber, and used a load based on Nosler's starting load for the 125 grain Ballistic Tip over IMR 4064. They used Nosler brass, of course, and a magnum primer, so I substituted my brass (Winchester) and regular Winchester large rifle primers. Then, out to my desert range spot I went.

The first thing I discovered is that you have to hang on. Taking a nice relaxed AR 223 kind of grip won't cut it with a 30 caliber magnum rifle that only weighs 8.5 lbs with scope. The bullet goes out really fast and the rifle comes back really fast as well. The scope just kissed my nose on the first round.

The second thing I discovered is that 30 magnum rifles with light sporter barrels heat up fast. Like six rounds fast for the first go, and then three rounds after that. It took awhile to get through my 18 rounds without overheating the barrel. I started draping a damp towel over the barrel to help out. It was 80 degrees out.

The third thing I found out was those stories about Savage bolt guns are no bull. This thing shoots. Three shots around MOA looks like the norm. No need for match loading. Spoon some powder in a case and go shoot. The pictured group is 7/8ths of an inch. Even the last I-am-in-a-hurry-to-go-home group I shot came in at 1 1/4 inches.

The data on the shooting is 18 shots fired, 15 over the CET ProChrono DLX. Average velocity was 3370 fps. Extreme spread was 41 fps. Standard deviation was 10 fps! No special brass prep other than deburr the flash holes and uniform the pockets. Nothing special to control runouts, which were truly nothing to write home about. Nosler called this load in at 3346 fps with magnum primers out of a 26 inch barrel. My barrel is a 24.

I think I will keep this gun for a bit. :)

View attachment 1030540

View attachment 1030547
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Wow, looks and shoots great!

My shoulder hurts just reading that post, though.....;)
Click to expand...

Actually, decelerator pads work wonders and it doesn't hurt my shoulder at all. It does make a heck of a noise when you touch it off, and it jumps around. Got to pay attention to avoid a bloody crease above the right eye. It pays to have a scope with plenty of eye relief. The pictured scope is a Leupold built Refield Revolution 3-9X40 that has 3.7 inches of eye relief at 9 power. I will say that 18 rounds was plenty for one session. It's a real good way to develop a flinch.
 
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courtgreene said:
Love the rifle, love the round. Glad you’re happy.
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Doesn't take much to make me happy. Jury is still out for the cartridge. It eats a TON of powder. On the other hand, I often thought about getting a 257 Weatherby as that cartridge is death lightning. Turns out the 300 WSM will throw a 125 grain bullet faster than the 257 Weatherby can throw a 100 or a 120, and this gun didn't cost anywhere near a Weatherby Mark V.
 
You think like me! I like your thinking.
300s are a little heavy for me today at 70!
I do have a Remington 721 ADL 300HH that I installed a mercury capsule in bought from Brownells back in the 1980s in the stock and it turned a sharp kick into a “push”. I also installed a muzzle brake. I can shoot it all day.
Keep that one!
 
Nice job on the stock repair, you did good. I'm approaching 70, funny how my magnum rifles have slowly disappeared from the safe over the years. I have learned over the years how stock configuration and rifle weight greatly affect recoil. Years ago I bought a Win. Featherweight SS with classic wood stock in 30-06. Just a beautiful rifle. That 30-06 kicked worse than any magnum rifles I owned up to and including a .338 win mag. Sometimes I regret it but I did sell the rifle a few years later, just very unpleasant and dreaded touching off a round in it.;)
 
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I used to own a Savage Stryker pistol. Bolt action, 12" barrel in 300 WSM. Nice gun and accurate. Ised it 1 year, harvested a nice 9 point buck in northern Michigan, then sold it. Recoil didn't bother me, noise hurt my ears, even with foam earplugs and shooting muffs.
 
It eats a TON of powder.
Click to expand...

Everything is relative; compared to 308 yea. I used to own a 300 WSM and like the round a LOT. My load was 64 gr of H4350 with 180 gr bullets for 2950 fps. Just for comparison I use 58 gr of the same powder in my 30-06 to get 2800 fps. I've owned 300 WM in the past, but didn't hand load at that time. To get 3000 fps from a 300 WM and 180's you need 68 gr of powder. Many 300 WM loads with other powders use 70+ gr of powder.

Coming within 50 fps of 300 WM with a powder charge between 30-06 and 300 WM means recoil almost exactly splits the difference between 30-06 and 300 WM. Between the 3 I'd take 300 WSM every time for the performance vs recoil. My 300WSM weighed 7 1/4 lbs scoped, recoil wasn't an issue with a decent recoil pad.

Some other thoughts. 300 WSM has proven to be extremely accurate. All of the long distance shooting records that used to be held by 300 WM have been broken by 300 WSM. And those have been broken by shooters with various 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges. Hornady has found 300 WSM to be the most accurate 30 caliber cartridge they've tested. They now use 300 WSM for all 30 caliber bullet accuracy testing.

The 300 WSM also does very well from 24, even 22" barrels. The 300 WM really needs 26" to come close to published ballistics, but the 300 WSM gives up very little velocity at even 22". Ruger used to make one with a 16" barrel.

There is only one small negative to any of the WSM's in a Savage rifle. The magazine is 2 rounds only. You CAN fit 3 rounds in the mag, but can't close the bolt unless you let the top round feed into the chamber. While it may never be an issue just be aware that a Savage is 2+1 whereas the other magnum chamberings will be 3+1.

While I liked the round a lot, I just didn't need it so I let it go. For what I do my 308 is now my BIG gun. I don't even use the 30-06 any more.
 
jabram said:
Nice job on the stock repair, you did good. I'm approaching 70, funny how my magnum rifles have slowly disappeared from the safe over the years. I have learned over the years how stock configuration and rifle weight greatly affect recoil. Years ago I bought a Win. Featherweight SS with classic wood stock in 30-06. Just a beautiful rifle. That 30-06 kicked worse than any magnum rifles I owned up to and including a .338 win mag. Sometimes I regret it but I did sell the rifle a few years later, just very unpleasant and dreaded touching off a round in it.
Click to expand...

Magnum rifles never appeared in my safe except for the Ruger #1 Tropical 405 Winchester, which is heavy enough cope with the heavy chambering. I prefer rifles chambered in something based on the 308 case or smaller.
 
jmr40 said:
Everything is relative; compared to 308 yea. I used to own a 300 WSM and like the round a LOT. My load was 64 gr of H4350 with 180 gr bullets for 2950 fps. Just for comparison I use 58 gr of the same powder in my 30-06 to get 2800 fps. I've owned 300 WM in the past, but didn't hand load at that time. To get 3000 fps from a 300 WM and 180's you need 68 gr of powder. Many 300 WM loads with other powders use 70+ gr of powder.

Coming within 50 fps of 300 WM with a powder charge between 30-06 and 300 WM means recoil almost exactly splits the difference between 30-06 and 300 WM. Between the 3 I'd take 300 WSM every time for the performance vs recoil. My 300WSM weighed 7 1/4 lbs scoped, recoil wasn't an issue with a decent recoil pad.

Some other thoughts. 300 WSM has proven to be extremely accurate. All of the long distance shooting records that used to be held by 300 WM have been broken by 300 WSM. And those have been broken by shooters with various 6mm and 6.5mm cartridges. Hornady has found 300 WSM to be the most accurate 30 caliber cartridge they've tested. They now use 300 WSM for all 30 caliber bullet accuracy testing.

The 300 WSM also does very well from 24, even 22" barrels. The 300 WM really needs 26" to come close to published ballistics, but the 300 WSM gives up very little velocity at even 22". Ruger used to make one with a 16" barrel.

There is only one small negative to any of the WSM's in a Savage rifle. The magazine is 2 rounds only. You CAN fit 3 rounds in the mag, but can't close the bolt unless you let the top round feed into the chamber. While it may never be an issue just be aware that a Savage is 2+1 whereas the other magnum chamberings will be 3+1.

While I liked the round a lot, I just didn't need it so I let it go. For what I do my 308 is now my BIG gun. I don't even use the 30-06 any more.
Click to expand...

I mostly use a 260 or 243. I also figured out that if you can't kill it with three rounds, it probably doesn't need to be dead. That being said, this rifle single feeds real easy. Just drop them in and go. So, in a pinch....
 
Oldschool shooter said:
I used to own a Savage Stryker pistol. Bolt action, 12" barrel in 300 WSM. Nice gun and accurate. Ised it 1 year, harvested a nice 9 point buck in northern Michigan, then sold it. Recoil didn't bother me, noise hurt my ears, even with foam earplugs and shooting muffs.
Click to expand...

I don't even want to think about the noise that thing made. Way too much powder going out the end of a very short barrel.
 
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