Help with a 300 win mag

[streetdoctor]

Let me start by saying I'm a horrible shot. Primarily an archery guy but also enjoy hunting rifle season with a cow elk tag every November. I have a 30-06 now that I bought some time ago when I was extremely clueless and it's like 14lb with an optic. Next I purchased a Tikka t3x superlite in 300 win mag. It was a monster to fire and my accuracy was horrible. Did I mention I'm not much of a gun guy?

I'm looking for a rifle in 300 win mag with some simple requirements-
-it'll hold up to weather
-it's not 12+ pounds
-it has a threaded barrel for a suppressor
-accuracy to 400 yards
- less than $1500

I don't get to shoot very much so don't need anything very fancy. Right now it's a toss up between a browning x bolt, bergara ridge, or maybe another Tikka if I can get one with a threaded barrel maybe a T3x lite. I'm borrowing a buddies xbolt to hunt with this year.

 

[SteveCNJ]

If you find the right rifle without a threaded barrel, any competent gunsmith can thread the barrel. For instance, I have a Weatherby Mark V DGR 300 Weatherby mag for sale. Weight 8.75lbs. Pinpoint accurate and no killer recoil with the decelerator pad I put on it. Here's the link listed on Rokslide: https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...&share_fid=45046&share_type=t&link_source=app

 

[Mashthegas]

Thread the barrel on the one you have and put a brake on it. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.

 

[bsnedeker]

Why do you want a 300 WM if you are already admit to being a bad shot? You are looking for a high-recoil, light weight rifle...this is not a recipe that will turn a bad shooter into a good one...this will turn a bad shooter into a worse shooter.

I made this same mistake so I know from personal experience. I stuck it out and figured out how to deal with the recoil but I'm not exaggerating when I say it took me a few YEARS to figure it out.

I would strongly suggest you grab yourself a 6.5 PRC and get a magnum in a few years when you are proficient with the low recoil gun.

 

[streetdoctor]

Thread the barrel on the one you have and put a brake on it. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks.

I tried that, the tx3 superlite doesn't have a large enough barrel diameter. I sold it

 

[streetdoctor]

Why do you want a 300 WM if you are already admit to being a bad shot? You are looking for a high-recoil, light weight rifle...this is not a recipe that will turn a bad shooter into a good one...this will turn a bad shooter into a worse shooter.

I made this same mistake so I know from personal experience. I stuck it out and figured out how to deal with the recoil but I'm not exaggerating when I say it took me a few YEARS to figure it out.

I would strongly suggest you grab yourself a 6.5 PRC and get a magnum in a few years when you are proficient with the low recoil gun.

I want a rifle I can eventually take to alaska and 300 win mag ammo is plentiful. 6.5 prc sounds good but ammo is non-existant locally. I used to reload but sold it all. I shoot my 30-06 fine it's just a pig. I figured a suppressor on a 300 win mag will help significantly. A put a clamp-on brake on the Tikka I had and it made a huge difference it was just extremely loud then.

 

[Pickettpuncher]

I had a bergara wilderness ridge and it was a dream to shoot. But at 24”, adding a suppressor would be quite cumbersome. It did have a brake taming the recoil. I wouldn’t hesitate to have another.

 

[bsnedeker]

I want a rifle I can eventually take to alaska and 300 win mag ammo is plentiful. 6.5 prc sounds good but ammo is non-existant locally. I used to reload but sold it all. I shoot my 30-06 fine it's just a pig. I figured a suppressor on a 300 win mag will help significantly. A put a clamp-on brake on the Tikka I had and it made a huge difference it was just extremely loud then.

So you're issue with the 30-06 is that it's too heavy. How much weight are you going to be saving by buying a 300 WM with a barrel with enough meat to thread and then throwing a suppressor on the end of it and an optic? I'm guessing not a lot of savings there.

I personally despise brakes and I will never put one on a rifle. I think bad thoughts about every dude who uses a brake at my local range. It's just my opinion obviously, but if you can't handle the un-braked recoil of a rifle you have no business shooting that rifle. There is zero shame (or should be) associated with shooting a low-recoil rifle that you can shoot accurately. If you are worried about ammo availability then I would go with a 6.5 CM or 308 or some other light-recoiling rifle. You can kill any critter in Alaska with a 6.5 CM, I promise you. Being able to put an accurate hit on an animal is MUCH more important than a slightly larger wound channel (i.e. I'd rather put a 6.5 bullet through the lungs than a 300 WM through the guts).

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[redneckbmxer24]

So you're issue with the 30-06 is that it's too heavy. How much weight are you going to be saving by buying a 300 WM with a barrel with enough meat to thread and then throwing a suppressor on the end of it and an optic? I'm guessing not a lot of savings there.

I personally despise brakes and I will never put one on a rifle. I think bad thoughts about every dude who uses a brake at my local range. It's just my opinion obviously, but if you can't handle the un-braked recoil of a rifle you have no business shooting that rifle. There is zero shame (or should be) associated with shooting a low-recoil rifle that you can shoot accurately. If you are worried about ammo availability then I would go with a 6.5 CM or 308 or some other light-recoiling rifle. You can kill any critter in Alaska with a 6.5 CM, I promise you. Being able to put an accurate hit on an animal is MUCH more important than a slightly larger wound channel (i.e. I'd rather put a 6.5 bullet through the lungs than a 300 WM through the guts).

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This. The solution to your problem is a lighter recoiling rifle.

Buy a 6.5 Creedmoor or 308 rifle and carry on. If you don’t have a suppressor and aren’t absolutely certain you’re going to get one then I would scratch the threaded barrel off the list of requirements.

 

[MJB]

If you come to my hunting camp and you have a break you are hunting alone

I love my X bolt LR Pro max nothing wrong with 06 it's killed all of my elk out to 500+yds

 

[streetdoctor]

If you come to my hunting camp and you have a break you are hunting alone

I love my X bolt LR Pro max nothing wrong with 06 it's killed all of my elk out to 500+yds

I like to hunt alone anyways. I don't want a brake, I want a suppressor. The other reason being my wife will be using the rifle as well. I think you guys have me convinced to look at ballistics of a round with less recoil.

 

[streetdoctor]

So you're issue with the 30-06 is that it's too heavy. How much weight are you going to be saving by buying a 300 WM with a barrel with enough meat to thread and then throwing a suppressor on the end of it and an optic? I'm guessing not a lot of savings there.

I personally despise brakes and I will never put one on a rifle. I think bad thoughts about every dude who uses a brake at my local range. It's just my opinion obviously, but if you can't handle the un-braked recoil of a rifle you have no business shooting that rifle. There is zero shame (or should be) associated with shooting a low-recoil rifle that you can shoot accurately. If you are worried about ammo availability then I would go with a 6.5 CM or 308 or some other light-recoiling rifle. You can kill any critter in Alaska with a 6.5 CM, I promise you. Being able to put an accurate hit on an animal is MUCH more important than a slightly larger wound channel (i.e. I'd rather put a 6.5 bullet through the lungs than a 300 WM through the guts).

Sent from my SM-G998U1 using Tapatalk

Would you use 6.5CM on Nilgai in Texas? Or am I going to get laughed off the ranch...?

 

[bsnedeker]

Would you use 6.5CM on Nilgai in Texas? Or am I going to get laughed off the ranch...?

Based on information I've gotten from this very hunting forum I would happily use a 6.5 CM on a moose in Alaska so yeah, I would have no problem shooting a Nilgai with one.

Whether the ranchers in TX will laugh at you is another discussion entirely!

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[James_Miller]

I like to hunt alone anyways. I don't want a brake, I want a suppressor. The other reason being my wife will be using the rifle as well. I think you guys have me convinced to look at ballistics of a round with less recoil.

I've kinda gone down your road. I shoot a suppressed Rem700 300 win mag now and recoil is very manageable. In the beginning I added a brake which was great with recoil but the blast was obnoxious and I was extremely hesitant to shoot it in the field without hearing protection. I carried push-in earplugs around my neck and that was a hassle. I have a friend with a braked 28 Nosler that had to take a number of quick follow up shots on an antelope hunt and he extremely regrets having that brake on now.

Your Tikka may have been a very good rifle option. Talk to a gunsmith about options with threading. A thread adapter or custom threaded mount from the suppressor manufacturer can be used. My muzzle measured 0.650", too small for the standard 5/8-24 but I was able to go with 9/16-28 and then used a matching adapter for my suppressor.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I want a rifle I can eventually take to alaska and 300 win mag ammo is plentiful. 6.5 prc sounds good but ammo is non-existant locally. I used to reload but sold it all. I shoot my 30-06 fine it's just a pig. I figured a suppressor on a 300 win mag will help significantly. A put a clamp-on brake on the Tikka I had and it made a huge difference it was just extremely loud then.

Should have just kept the Tikka and cut it down...nobody wants a 24/26" barrel with a 6-7" can...its like trying to shoot a KY long rifle. My 300 winmag is 20" thinking about taking it to 18".

 

[svivian]

Personally i would get the 6.5PRC.... Sportsmans, scheels and a few other places have had a bunch of Hornaday 147ELDM ammo online for sale with free shipping. My wife enjoys shooting it even and she isnt much for going out and shooting often. Its also an affordable option if you decide to do some long range stuff and work on your shooting since ammo is $54 a box.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

I like to hunt alone anyways. I don't want a brake, I want a suppressor. The other reason being my wife will be using the rifle as well. I think you guys have me convinced to look at ballistics of a round with less recoil.

Man, if your wife is going to shoot it, then stay away from the 300wm. I have a 300wsm and my wife has shot it once, and only once.... 308 is a great caliber if you want to be able to shoot heavier bullet weights than what's available in the 6.5. 207win is not bad either, and I just bought a new rifle in that caliber and cannot wait to get my hands on it.

 

[Macintosh]

Would you use 6.5CM on Nilgai in Texas? Or am I going to get laughed off the ranch...?

So, this is a legit question, sometimes it just isnt worth swimming upstream. Sometimes the people you are hunting with simply rely on their age-old wisdom, right or wrong. regardless of whether XX cartridge is enough in reality, if the entire cohort of people you are with isnt going to stand for it (laughing at you is one thing, but IME sometimes a host simply doesnt allow it), I say that matters..."blood is thicker than terminal ballistics", or something like that. One good option that passes the above "fudd-test" is to get a lighter weight 30-06 with an 18" or 20" barrel and suppress it. Shoot the "managed recoil"/ "reduced recoil" loads out of it for practice and hunting, which are plenty for any but the largest game and will be way nicer on your and your wifes shoulder (and your latent flinch). For your handful of shots per year on larger game put whatever ammo you want through it and in the heat of the moment you probably wont notice. A side benefit is you can share ammo between your rifles. I did this for my wife for a couple years and found the reduced recoil 30-06 loads to be more numerous and easier to get than many of the smaller cartridges I considered.

 

[The_Jim]

I would thread your barrel and put on a muzzle brake. If your only using for hunting you won’t be shooting more than 5-10 rounds/year. Wear hearing protection to sight in and you’ll be good.

I’m pretty recoil sensitive and I have no problems with the 300wm with a brake.

 

[Wrench]

With a 400 yard limit, I'd 100% look seriously at the 308 or 708 and never worry.