Would you own a 300 Win Mag if you didn't hunt? Details inside, I need your opinion

[LoonWulf]

Ive had a few 300s and only used one to hunt with.

If you WANT a 300WM, get a 300WM....... You'll wonder if you should have otherwise!
Just my thoughts.....

The 300s shine with 210gr+ bullets and recoil enough to make guns under 9lbs (complete) uncomfortable for me to shoot a bunch. Go upto 10-15lbs and/or add a decent brake and they become very comfortable.

The 300PRC is a bit "better" turnkey option in terms of chamber spec.
Many 300wm throats arnt quite long enough to get 210s completely out of the powder capacity, but its not a huge handy cap.

I like 24-30 power +/- top end for my long range scopes, but ive shot 10-15s out to 960 on 2moa or so sized targets.

If you go with a base 700 heavy barrel (not sure what options are these days) you can add a stock later if you like, but you might save money buying one of the already set up long range options.

 

[luv2safari]

I used to have a 300 win mag. I don’t remember anything about the recoil being bad. That said, I’d be looking at how much powder you would use for each. It’s only getting more expensive.

In this day and age that's becoming a real consideration.

 

[.308 Norma]

"Would you own a 300 Win Mag if you didn't hunt?"​

No, but I wouldn't own most of my rifles (or shotguns) if I didn't hunt.
BTW, I don't own a 300 Win Mag anyway these days. I have owned a couple of them, but my favorite big game rifle now is my 308 Norma Mag - identical ballistically to a 300 Win Mag.

 

[someguy2800]

300 win mag is fun for 10 rounds. For 50 or 100 rounds in a day? No thank you. A heavy gun with a brake midigates that, but it will on a smaller round too, and getting pounded from the blast of the brake gets old to me too. 6.5 creedmoor all day. Way cheaper to shoot and like twice the barrel life.

 

[.308 Norma]

In this day and age that's becoming a real consideration.

Probably - to most people, anyway. To me though, at 75 years old, I probably have enough components on hand to feed my 308 Norma Mag for the rest of my hunting and target practice days.

 

[silicosys4]

Neither can reach out like 300WM either.. like comparing apples and oranges. Sure they are both fruit, butttttt.

Personally I will keep a 300WM in the stable till I can no longer hunt.

Don't need the extra range. Longest easily accessible range around here is 500 yards, my personal range limit for hunting is about the same. Either the .308 or the .375 is easily capable of doing what I need it to do. I can load the .375 with 350 gr. SMK's and stay supersonic past 1400 yards, if I want to. The .300 Winmag just didn't get me anything extra for the painfully sharp recoil I was getting.

 

[1948CJ2A]

If you WANT a 300WM, get a 300WM....... You'll wonder if you should have otherwise!
Just my thoughts.....

The 300s shine with 210gr+ bullets and recoil enough to make guns under 9lbs (complete) uncomfortable for me to shoot a bunch. Go upto 10-15lbs and/or add a decent brake and they become very comfortable.

The 300PRC is a bit "better" turnkey option in terms of chamber spec.
Many 300wm throats arnt quite long enough to get 210s completely out of the powder capacity, but its not a huge handy cap.

I like 24-30 power +/- top end for my long range scopes, but ive shot 10-15s out to 960 on 2moa or so sized targets.

If you go with a base 700 heavy barrel (not sure what options are these days) you can add a stock later if you like, but you might save money buying one of the already set up long range options.

I think this is good advice. Sounds like you really want a 300 Win Mag in some type of M24-like custom build. If you're willing to make the rifle heavier and/or put a brake on it, the recoil issue will decrease significantly. I say go for it and have fun. If you end up not liking it, you can always move on to something else later. You only live once.

 

[Chuck R.]

I've got a 300WM M700 that I customized last year and if it weren't for hunting things larger than deer or deer at distance, I wouldn't own it.

IMHO, for steel and paper there's just to many options that don't require a ton of powder and recoil. It sounds like the OP is set on his COA, but IF it were me, for out to 1000yd TGT rifle I'd be using either a 6 or 6.5MM. I've taken my 6mmSLR out to 1200yds without an issue, just about no recoil while wearing a brake and I can spot for myself. A 6.5 would work just as well and prolong barrel life.

 

[Risky buisness]

I wouldn't have much use for the 300 if not hunting, and then little if I did.
Starting out for long range, I had a similar dilemma, it's going to take some time and lots of rounds. Appreciating that, I looked at the most economical method to get 4- 5000 rounds towards proficiency. Already having a.308 , brass and other items for it, thats what I went with, the idea being proficiency achieved with that cartridge as cheap as possible, then at a rebarrel, change up to what ever I felt was next, that for me being the .260, humm still being able to use that mountain of 308 brass resized

 

[Varminterror]

Getting a 300wm to learn to shoot long range, especially focusing on 1000yrds, is a GREAT way to ensure you 1) do not productively learn how to shoot long range, and 2) give up on the idea. 300wm is common, and a lot of folks enjoy it, so you see a lot of defensive folks here trying to validate their beloved cartridge and rifle, but in reality, it’s like driving a minivan to learn stock car racing… wrong tool for the task.

And I say this after relying upon 300wm for many years as my go-to long range hunting rifle cartridge, and as a rifle I have shot frequently out to 2000 yards. And no, today, I would not waste money to build or buy one, nor recommend it (or any 30 cal magnum) for anyone not hunting game at long range nor competing at long range, and I wouldn’t recommend one for anyone competing at long range.

If you wanna talk 1000yrd benchrest, absolutely, get a 300 Winchester SHORT magnum. Wanna talk restricted Hunter class ELR matches which don’t allow anything larger than 30 cal for shots out to 2000yrds? Absolutely get a 300 PRC or 300 Norma. But the only game in which a 300 win mag even gets honorable mention in 2024 is long range, big game hunting.

For your son and yourself, get a 6.5 Creedmoor and take a class. You’ll hit 1000yrds with proficiency within a few hours. Don’t waste time, money, or ammo to do anything else.

Also - “Remington” today is not the “Remington” which evokes your nostalgia. They’re a hollow shell of a company which bought the Remington brand out of bankruptcy after it had been burned down twice in the last generation, owned and operated by a crook who collapsed multiple other legacy brands to allow shareholders to walk away with a smile. Get ANYTHING but a new production Remington.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Getting a 300wm to learn to shoot long range, especially focusing on 1000yrds, is a GREAT way to ensure you 1) do not productively learn how to shoot long range, and 2) give up on the idea. 300wm is common, and a lot of folks enjoy it, so you see a lot of defensive folks here trying to validate their beloved cartridge and rifle, but in reality, it’s like driving a minivan to learn stock car racing… wrong tool for the task.

And I say this after relying upon 300wm for many years as my go-to long range hunting rifle cartridge, and as a rifle I have shot frequently out to 2000 yards. And no, today, I would not waste money to build or buy one, nor recommend it (or any 30 cal magnum) for anyone not hunting game at long range nor competing at long range, and I wouldn’t recommend one for anyone competing at long range.

If you wanna talk 1000yrd benchrest, absolutely, get a 300 Winchester SHORT magnum. Wanna talk restricted Hunter class ELR matches which don’t allow anything larger than 30 cal for shots out to 2000yrds? Absolutely get a 300 PRC or 300 Norma. But the only game in which a 300 win mag even gets honorable mention in 2024 is long range, big game hunting.

For your son and yourself, get a 6.5 Creedmoor and take a class. You’ll hit 1000yrds with proficiency within a few hours. Don’t waste time, money, or ammo to do anything else.

Also - “Remington” today is not the “Remington” which evokes your nostalgia. They’re a hollow shell of a company which bought the Remington brand out of bankruptcy after it had been burned down twice in the last generation, owned and operated by a crook who collapsed multiple other legacy brands to allow shareholders to walk away with a smile. Get ANYTHING but a new production Remington.

Hate to tell you but the new Remingtons are getting great reviews and even come with a Timney trigger from the factory.

I have 0 interest in going 6.5 Creedmoor but if you think a different 30cal would be better than a 300 Win Mag (While also using a LA) then I am all ears. Also I doubt we will take a class either to be honest. No need to learn this in 1 hour and I really enjoy reloading just as much as shooting. I'm excited to learn what loads each rifle will like.

 

[Varminterror]

Hate to tell you but the new Remingtons are getting great reviews and even come with a Timney trigger from the factory.

Reviews by people being paid to write them… sure. Enjoy. The rifle you buy will have no lineage to the M24 you admire, except for the name you’ve been sold by a crook.

If you insist on carrying a bowling ball to learn to ride a bike by forcing yourself into a 30 cal long action, and refusing to take education to learn the craft, then - quite literally - you can’t be helped.

If I were - for some ignorant logic or whimsical nostalgia - insisting on a 300wm M24 clone, then I would ONLY buy one from GA Precision. If memory serves, they are the last bastion of M24’s being produced for civilian market. But you’ll spend two or three times as much feeding it and waste energy getting beaten by an overpowered cartridge for the task, and waste time chasing load development you could have avoided by simply choosing a better cartridge for the task. 300 PRC will be easier for load dev for a new reloader, with less nuances along the way - but again, it’s ~2-3x more powder and far more recoil than you should be tolerating. Nobody puts a 5 year old kid on a 1000cc sport bike when they’re trying to learn to ride a bike, and we send our kids to school to learn math and English from TEACHERS, and have them learn football and basketball from COACHES…

I'm excited to learn what loads each rifle will like.

This is really a false narrative among folks who can’t shoot and don’t know how to develop loads. Among a wide field of options, rifles will like what you tell them to like. We have another thread going on here right now where the question is asked “what does a barrel like?” And ultimately, the answer isn’t so trivial - as I mentioned in that thread, if a rifle shoots well with any one load, it can be made to shoot well with a LOT of options, if the driver knows what they’re doing. Otherwise, the rifle just doesn’t shoot - which is exceptionally rare.

 

[Stopsign32v]

Reviews by people being paid to write them… sure. Enjoy. The rifle you buy will have no lineage to the M24 you admire, except for the name you’ve been sold by a crook.

If you insist on carrying a bowling ball to learn to ride a bike by forcing yourself into a 30 cal long action, and refusing to take education to learn the craft, then - quite literally - you can’t be helped.

If I were - for some ignorant logic or whimsical nostalgia - insisting on a 300wm M24 clone, then I would ONLY buy one from GA Precision. If memory serves, they are the last bastion of M24’s being produced for civilian market. But you’ll spend two or three times as much feeding it and waste energy getting beaten by an overpowered cartridge for the task, and waste time chasing load development you could have avoided by simply choosing a better cartridge for the task. 300 PRC will be easier for load dev for a new reloader, with less nuances along the way - but again, it’s ~2-3x more powder and far more recoil than you should be tolerating. Nobody puts a 5 year old kid on a 1000cc sport bike when they’re trying to learn to ride a bike, and we send our kids to school to learn math and English from TEACHERS, and have them learn football and basketball from COACHES…


This is really a false narrative among folks who can’t shoot and don’t know how to develop loads. Among a wide field of options, rifles will like what you tell them to like. We have another thread going on here right now where the question is asked “what does a barrel like?” And ultimately, the answer isn’t so trivial - as I mentioned in that thread, if a rifle shoots well with any one load, it can be made to shoot well with a LOT of options, if the driver knows what they’re doing. Otherwise, the rifle just doesn’t shoot - which is exceptionally rare.

I really appreciate your opinion and I'm sure your knowledge on the matter is much greater than mine. But call it stubbornness or ignorance I do believe I will go with what I want rather than spending more money going down a road I don't have interest in.

Call me crazy but I believe I'll go with a $500 new Remington to build over time rather than GA Precision $4,226 for their M24. But again, maybe it's just my own stubbornness. Maybe the reviewers online are all paid and the new 700s are trash. At least I will have a $500 Remington 700 receiver to start with if what you say is true!

 

[Lennyjoe]

If for anything else but hunting, no. The 300 Win Mag is not something I’d like to shoot more than 10 rounds per session. A buddy of mine has one that I’ve shot on several occasions and it’s almost as bad as my full power loads 45-70…

 

[Stopsign32v]

I'm about 50/50 on going back to 30-06 over the 300 Win Mag. The only thing that is pushing me back to 30-06 is I know I can load down the 300 Win Mag, but I believe most rifles don't shoot at a reduced load so it might defeat the purpose of owning it.

30-06 I should be able to sling heavy lead cheaper and easier to shoot.

Decisions decisions

 

[Varminterror]

If you’re backing down from a magnum, bypass .30-06 and go with 308win. Better learning tool than 300wm, still at a significant handicap compared to a more appropriate tool, but the fact it will be more manageable and more affordable to shoot will put you leaps and bounds ahead on your learning curve rather than crippling yourself with a 300wm.

If you do pick a 300wm, the only good news I can offer is that it’ll retain a lot of resale value since you’ll sell it 18mos from now with very low round count.

 

[Stopsign32v]

If you’re backing down from a magnum, bypass .30-06 and go with 308win. Better learning tool than 300wm, still at a significant handicap compared to a more appropriate tool, but the fact it will be more manageable and more affordable to shoot will put you leaps and bounds ahead on your learning curve rather than crippling yourself with a 300wm.

If you do pick a 300wm, the only good news I can offer is that it’ll retain a lot of resale value since you’ll sell it 18mos from now with very low round count.

I do wish people would read the thread before commenting.

 

[adcoch1]

I have had a few 300wm rifles, one a reasonably light Winchester hunting rig, and another heavy barrel 1917 action set up for silhouette shooting. It was over ten pounds, rather pleasant to shoot, and a lot of fun. But about 50 rounds was the limit to comfort in a single session.

I stepped back down to 30-06 for my do all hunting rifle, and having sold it to my brother recently, I may just not replace it with a 30 cal at all, since I have other options. The only bigger 30 cal that even really interests me anymore is the 300prc, and that isn't really viable in the m24 you're looking for.

If you want a 300wm, by all means get one, but having a 308 in the same configuration will give you something to shoot once you and your son are tired of the recoil and concussion of the 300wm. Or put a big brake on it if you can tolerate how loud and ugly it is. Lots of powder and expensive primers to shoot a lot at paper targets though.

 

[Legionnaire]

I hunt and I won't own a 300 Win Mag. I owned one for a while and found the recoil unpleasantly sharp. My .375 Ruger is more comfortable to shoot.

If you want an M24 clone, build one. My understanding is that most were .308, which scratches your .30 caliber itch. If you want an M24-style rifle for ringing steel way out there, there are better cartridges. If you want something bigger than the 6.5 Creedmoor, consider the 6.5 or 7 PRC.

 

[Stopsign32v]

I have had a few 300wm rifles, one a reasonably light Winchester hunting rig, and another heavy barrel 1917 action set up for silhouette shooting. It was over ten pounds, rather pleasant to shoot, and a lot of fun. But about 50 rounds was the limit to comfort in a single session.

I stepped back down to 30-06 for my do all hunting rifle, and having sold it to my brother recently, I may just not replace it with a 30 cal at all, since I have other options. The only bigger 30 cal that even really interests me anymore is the 300prc, and that isn't really viable in the m24 you're looking for.

If you want a 300wm, by all means get one, but having a 308 in the same configuration will give you something to shoot once you and your son are tired of the recoil and concussion of the 300wm. Or put a big brake on it if you can tolerate how loud and ugly it is. Lots of powder and expensive primers to shoot a lot at paper targets though.

How would you compare your 30-06 enjoyment over the 300wm?

 

[bangswitch]

Well son and I want to get into long range shooting. I've always loved a Remington 700 and he wants a 308. If you look back at this thread I made about his choice... https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/best-308-for-600ish.926385/page-2#post-12795680

I was planning on a Ruger, then a Howa, but I've always loved a Remington. So I'm about 98% sure I want to get him a new Timney trigger Remington 700 in 308, which would be a short action. That takes care of him but I still don't have a rifle.

We will be shooting 100 yards and working our way out to 1000 yards eventually and just having fun. Neither of us hunt and outside of shooting at the range, I guess these rifles would be backup for Zombie sniping if the world ever ended and we were left alive. I've always wanted a M24 and was planning to piece together over time a M24 out of a new Remington 700 in 30-06. I reload and will probably never put factory ammo through either of our rifles. I was planning on a 30-06 because I really like 30cal and didn't plan on getting a 308 until my son showed interest. So with that being said, I'll be able to shoot his 700 as well so now I'm rethinking the 30-06 and I've also always wanted a 300 Win Mag. But would this be a stupid move? We won't shoot that much. Realistically, I'm guessing here...500 rounds yearly through each rifle.

I plan to start out cheap and always did and get a 700 ADL, buy a new M24 barrel later, HS stock, etc etc... So between 30-06 and 300 Win Mag, which would you do if you had access to a 308?

P.S. 300 Win Mag is badass

If I were buying (another) rifle and planned to use it for long range shooting, I wouldn't buy a .30 caliber much less a .300 WM. I had one of those 20 years ago, and after the 5th round I was ready to quit and go home and nurse the big bruise I had on my shoulder, and I had a shotgun recoil pad on it. There are guns better for long range paper/steel punching, look at 6mm or 6.5mm or even 7mm. I'd rather get a 7mm-08 than a .308, or a .270 instead of a 30-06. Bullets shoot flatter, they're a lot cheaper to load than 300WM, and they don't burn the barrels out in less than 1000 rounds. They don't beat the crap out of you, either.
I have two dedicated LR rifles. One is a M1A Loaded (.308). It is good to about 1200 yards, but by then your drop is over 50 MOA, and I'm not sure if you can get a scope mount with elevation built in for that rifle. I run out of scope reticle and have to hold over, using some point above the target to aim at. I usually stick to 800 yards or less with it.

The other one is one I built on an AR chassis with a 20" barrel, it's a 6.5mm Grendel. It goes subsonic around 1150 yards, so it's good to about 1125, which is as far as I've hit with it consistently. I put a scope mount on it with 20 MOA built in, and the reticle has extra elevation marks, all the way to the edge of the FOV. I can hold on the target to 1150 yards with it. It doesn't have quite the legs a 6.5 Creedmoor does, it shoots a lighter bullet with not as good a BC, but it's fairly cheap to shoot and is a very accurate gun and doesn't beat you to death. You want to enjoy shooting whatever it is you get.

 

[Hugger-4641]

All this talk about 300wm recoil..... I wish ya'll could come shoot mine. Even on a bench they're pretty tame.
I'm not exactly the Hulk and I don't get any bruises on my shoulder. Now 300 Rum and 300 Weatherby mag are a handful. First time I shot a 300weatherby mag was in a deer stand, standing and offhand, was almost a big mistake. It rocked me back a step

 

[horsey300]

I do wish people would read the thread before commenting.

There's a reason .308 keeps coming back up and the m24 has a standard configuration in 7.62x51 as does the m40, though only the m40 uses a short action, in reality, parked behind a scope at long range 2 factors that shouldn't be ignored to achieve goals are efficiency and recoil. Short actions have been ruling long range shooting for awhile, I'm in the metric crowd and the only way you'd get me to pick up a long action bolt gun is if it's a .280ai or a .375somethingorother. 6.5mm is being brought up repeatedly for a reason as well. I'm not understanding the reasoning behind NOT wanting to start with the easy button and THEN branching out if so inclined. That being said, the 06 isn't bringing much to the table that the 308 can't tackle anyway and you'll still be wasting powder(re read efficiency)and soaking up unnecessary recoil. The skinny .264" pills get down there, bucking the wind along the way, with so much less powder and recoil....there's a REASON that the .300wm target rifles are all spoken of past tense. Look up @Nature Boy and his threads with his .308. Then really contemplate exactly why you need more abuse.

 

[Frulk]

Guess I have to answer yes to the OP’s question. Have a stainless Ruger M77 in .300 Win mag with the Zytel boat paddle stock. Hunted with it exactly one time. Been sitting in the back of the safe for almost 20 years.

Don’t judge me

 

[Varminterror]

How would you compare your 30-06 enjoyment over the 300wm?

30-06 still burns about 20-30grn more powder and lobs 40-80grn heavier bullets to do the same job - with harder management - than you COULD be choosing...

You're trying to accomplish two things, so it's really up to you which one is more important - and you asked for opinions about the 300wm as a tool for learning long range, so forgive those of us who took you at your word in both counts. You're trying to 1) buy some whimsical piece of history by getting a Remington to pretend it's somehow related to an M24, AND 2) you're trying to buy something to help you learn how to shoot long range. These two goals are grossly contraindicated, but being in your inexperienced state, don't understand the conflict - but your responses in the thread have shown the prioritization of these two, and now we've arrived at a trivial solution... which is to say, a non-solution to your original query.

So in this case, don't ask questions - you don't listen to reason on "what should I buy to learn long range shooting with my son?" because you're ONLY focused on buying some Rem 700 Long Action so you can pretend it's an M24. It won't be, it'll just be some run of the mill rifle from a new company with a Remington label on the side, still have all of the issues we've all spent money on R700's and CUSTOM 700 clone actions for years to fix, and like @Frulk, your rifle will sit in the back of the safe for years until you eventually sell it because it's not the right tool for the task of learning LR shooting, so you will have to be fully satisfied in your (apparently) more important goal of owning a Rem 700 Long Action so you can pretend it's an M24...

So just go buy the 300wm Rem 700. It won't be fun, it won't be productive, and rather than bonding over this new activity with your son, you'll both lose interest and the rifle will gather dust until maybe you decide to sell it...