Who else hunts with a sub 8lb magnum rifle?

[Wilderlife]

Hi all,

I've been shooting my .300WM a little bit lately and it's lively off the bench. Nothing I can't handle and nothing that really worries me, but it's gotten me thinking about how many people are happy to carry and shoot something similar.

A little background...
I've been bowhunting much more than rifle hunting the last few years, but I'm starting to do a bit more rifle stuff lately. A prominent gun writer in Australia passed away earlier this year and a few people at the magazine I write for (including me) now need to do some of the work he was doing. Part of this is firearm reviews/write ups. For this reason, I've started shooting more rifles to keep my skills up and ensure I can do a good job in this space.

This .300WM started as an original Sako A7 with the black synthetic stock, but after years of use the stock started to get tacky and fall apart. I replaced it with a Kimi Composites carbon stock, which is fantastic. That company has since been purchased by Hardy Rifles. I was using 180gn Woodleigh PPSN handloads (an Aussie projectile) but primers are hard to get here at the moment so I'm looking at getting some factory ammo once I decide what it likes and what I need. I've got a few 150gn variants here which will be great for the goats, pigs, and fallow deer I normally hunt, but this rifle was purchased primarily to hunt sambar and I'd prefer something with a little tougher bullet. Plenty of good options out there so I'll see what I decide one.

Some of the original pictures of this rifle have a Swarovski 3-10x42mm on it, but I've recently put on a Zerotech 3-18x50mm on as I got it sent to me for review and testing. Sometimes rifles get sent without a scope so a big scope will be useful for accuracy testing for articles. Even with the bigger ZT scope on it, this rifle weighs 3.5kg (about 7.7lb).

There is a good chance I'll end up with a fairly light 6.5 Creedmoor in the future for testing, and I'll probably buy it. That rifle should be capable of great accuracy so I might end up getting it dialled well out to 400m or so and hunt with it around my home patch, but besides being potentially a little light on energy for sambar deer, it would be illegal to use it on sambar in Victoria. It'd be legal here in NSW but I'd still probably prefer more energy.

The .300WM is a perfect cartridge for sambar, and the rifle is perfect for mountain hunting, but I'm thinking I might buy something in the future that's a little heavier and more suited for longer range shots. The problem there is something like a .308 would be perfect, but I don't want to give up the energy of the .300WM, so that may see me get something like a .300PRC in a bigger, precision rifle. Not sure yet.

Anyway, I'm not necessarily looking to change anything right now. I'm just interested/curious as to how many people might be hunting with a similarly weighted magnum rifle, how much you enjoy it, how much success you find, and how far you are comfortable shooting it accurately.

Cheers.

 

[Mr Drysdale]

I hunt with 260 REM, 6.5 PRC, 308 Win, 7RM and 300 WM. I have never weighed any of my rifles but would assume that my Tikka T3 SL in 7RM with a Leupold 4.5 x 14 and my Browning HCS in 300WM with the same scope both weigh 8 lbs or under. I don’t shoot a lot but enjoy shooting all of my rifles. I’d as soon share my 300WM as I had my 260 REM.

 

[elkguide]

I am a .30 caliber fanboy all the way. I have e "few" .300 WMs and a couple .300 WSMs and even a .300 RUM. Most of them are under 8 pounds or right at it. (the RUM is 7 1/2 pounds but it has a brake) One of the WSMs is a Kimber Montana and it weighs a little bit less than 7 1/2 pounds. The WM that I grab most often is a Cooper that weighs 8 3/4 pounds and there is definitely less felt recoil with it than with some others, but I don't grab it because of the weight, it's just so darned accurate that I can't help it.
Where I live, winter and snow definitely slow down my time at the bench and at my first bench session in the spring, I definitely notice the recoil. Funny though, after a few weeks of regular shooting, I don't notice the recoil as much and once the reticle of my scope is on a target animal and I pull the trigger, I don't seem to ever remember feeling any recoil at all.
Shooting a lightweight rifle in magnum calibers does take some getting used to but definitely do-able.
You Sako is a sweet rifle in a great caliber.

Sorry. I just had a boating accident, and those aforementioned rifles were all lost in the lake.

 

[MallardSX2]

My 300wsm setup comes in under 8 pounds. Accuracy is great and recoil is mild.

 

[MallardSX2]

 

[PNWGATOR]

Have you read the entire .223 thread?

 

[TaperPin]

My favorite rifle is a light 7mag that is about 8 lbs with fixed Leupold scope, ready to pull the trigger. I like this weight range because with a light stock it has enough barrel weight to be about as accurate as a hunting rifle can be, yet it’s very easy to carry. Over a pack I think it’s 99.9% as easy to hold steady as a varmint weight gun, but it does take more focus. While sitting, the heavier gun is noticeably easier to hold, but only adds maybe 50 -75 yards to the effective accurate range from that position. At 400 and beyond I have to have a bipod or pack to shoot off of, so a heavier gun would add very limited benefit - definitely less than 1/8 moa difference between the two.

Having said that, I have friends that really struggle with a light gun and as I get older it is more of a challenge every year.

 

[Pharmseller]

7mm-08

There, I said it.




P

 

[Ross]

Grew up with a borrowed browning bar 7mm magnum, which was 9.5 pds in 1980 the entire camp of 7 had them. Then bought a Remington 7mm magnum in a pawn shop in Missoula in the mid 80s it also ran 9.5 pds. Ran it until 2003 and bought a tikka 7mm magnum and sold the bdl it runs 7.5 pds and is likely my last and only hunting rifle. I read those fun .223 threads and 6.5 but will always be a magnum guy600 yds is my max yardage with ballistic dots. Success yes has been good through the decades a few since the 80s. I like to pick things up and put them down

 

[MAP1]

8.5 lb 300 Win Mag with bare muzzle 26 inch barrel recoil isn't bad. Rokstok on order too! Im not the greatest shot in the world it shoots around 1MOA same as my .243 and 30-06.

 

[JJ1179]

I have two Cooper M92 Backcountry rifles that weigh 5.75 pounds from the factory. Both have Swarovski Z5’s so finished weight is just over 7lbs. One is a 7mm STW and the other is a .338 WM. I absolutely love my 7mm and wouldn’t replace it.

 

[Wilderlife]

I hunt with 260 REM, 6.5 PRC, 308 Win, 7RM and 300 WM. I have never weighed any of my rifles but would assume that my Tikka T3 SL in 7RM with a Leupold 4.5 x 14 and my Browning HCS in 300WM with the same scope both weigh 8 lbs or under. I don’t shoot a lot but enjoy shooting all of my rifles. I’d as soon share my 300WM as I had my 260 REM.

Sounds like you have some nice bangsticks, mate.

I am a .30 caliber fanboy all the way. I have e "few" .300 WMs and a couple .300 WSMs and even a .300 RUM. Most of them are under 8 pounds or right at it. (the RUM is 7 1/2 pounds but it has a brake) One of the WSMs is a Kimber Montana and it weighs a little bit less than 7 1/2 pounds. The WM that I grab most often is a Cooper that weighs 8 3/4 pounds and there is definitely less felt recoil with it than with some others, but I don't grab it because of the weight, it's just so darned accurate that I can't help it.
Where I live, winter and snow definitely slow down my time at the bench and at my first bench session in the spring, I definitely notice the recoil. Funny though, after a few weeks of regular shooting, I don't notice the recoil as much and once the reticle of my scope is on a target animal and I pull the trigger, I don't seem to ever remember feeling any recoil at all.
Shooting a lightweight rifle in magnum calibers does take some getting used to but definitely do-able.
You Sako is a sweet rifle in a great caliber.

Sorry. I just had a boating accident, and those aforementioned rifles were all lost in the lake.

It's definitely a nice rifle, mate. Nice to carry and nice to point at an animal and know I have some decent energy behind it.

My 300wsm setup comes in under 8 pounds. Accuracy is great and recoil is mild.

Not sure whether we'd have different definitions of 'mild' recoil? Again, I can handle this rifle fine, but it's a handful on the bench for sure.

View attachment 720993

Nice rifle, mate.

Have you read the entire .223 thread?

Not the whole thing but I do read it every now and then, and I've also made some contributions. I enjoy hunting with smaller rifles sometimes, but for a lot of sambar hunting specifically, not only is it not ideal, it's also illegal.

EDIT: Just realised I've only posted in their once, but I do shoot stuff regularly with a .222. Not sambar though.

My favorite rifle is a light 7mag that is about 8 lbs with fixed Leupold scope, ready to pull the trigger. I like this weight range because with a light stock it has enough barrel weight to be about as accurate as a hunting rifle can be, yet it’s very easy to carry. Over a pack I think it’s 99.9% as easy to hold steady as a varmint weight gun, but it does take more focus. While sitting, the heavier gun is noticeably easier to hold, but only adds maybe 50 -75 yards to the effective accurate range from that position. At 400 and beyond I have to have a bipod or pack to shoot off of, so a heavier gun would add very limited benefit - definitely less than 1/8 moa difference between the two.

Having said that, I have friends that really struggle with a light gun and as I get older it is more of a challenge every year.

There is no doubt that other rifles are more enjoyable to shoot, but on the flipside, they don't pack anywhere near as much of a punch.

7mm-08

There, I said it.




P

Not a cartridge that interests me, unfortunately. It also depends on what rifles may be offered. My desire for a 6.5 Creedmoor soon is as much about the rifle it might come in, and they only chamber in .223, .243, 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 at the moment.

Grew up with a borrowed browning bar 7mm magnum, which was 9.5 pds in 1980 the entire camp of 7 had them. Then bought a Remington 7mm magnum in a pawn shop in Missoula in the mid 80s it also ran 9.5 pds. Ran it until 2003 and bought a tikka 7mm magnum and sold the bdl it runs 7.5 pds and is likely my last and only hunting rifle. I read those fun .223 threads and 6.5 but will always be a magnum guy600 yds is my max yardage with ballistic dots. Success yes has been good through the decades a few since the 80s. I like to pick things up and put them down

Yeh, I love shooting my .222 for medium game and have had a huge amount of success for it, but it doesn't mean I don't enjoy other rifles as well.

8.5 lb 300 Win Mag with bare muzzle 26 inch barrel recoil isn't bad. Rokstok on order too! Im not the greatest shot in the world it shoots around 1MOA same as my .243 and 30-06.

I think being realistic about the accuracy you expect is also a big deal in this space.

 

[Lou270]

For me, I like about 8.5lbs-9lbs for a 300 Magnum. Big 300 fan just gave on light with them. I went down the route of sub 8lbs 300 mags including a 7lbs 300 wsm and 300 wby just under 8. Even with brake there was a distinct sting I noticed while shooting that bugged me. Never tried one of the newer carbon fiber stocks so maybe they do better than the older “premium” stocks. These days I top out something like a 270 wsm, 30-06, 6.8W, 280 ai in lighter rifles. With modern heavy/high bc bullets give similar ballistics to older decent bc bullets down raange I shoot in 300 Win (think ablr vs accubond). Of course can shoot the new bullets in 300 or even higher bc in 300 prc but they still recoil more and down range punch of traditional 300 mag loads have been proven more than sufficient for my needs. Basically, I like the newer stuff because I can get similar ballistics with less recoil intead of getting more punch further (ie 6.8W with 165-175 vs 300 with 180s vs 300 prc with 225s). One guys journey/thoughts.

That said if I were to buy a new “heavy” gun, the 300 prc would get a hard look. That sucker is a ballistic missle

Lou

 

[Wilderlife]

Very similar to some of my thoughts, for sure.

I'm not necessarily the typical lightweight junkie. Far from it, actually. This rifle is already fairly light by design, but the new carbon stock was the easiest thing I could source to replace the factory stock that deteriorated.

I'm usually the guy telling someone to shave 20lb off their belly rather than worry about one rifle weighing half a pound less than another.

If I were to build a dedicated sambar rifle that was a little heavier and more capable of longer range accuracy., I'd have a hard time convincing myself to get it in a cartridge smaller than a .300WM I guess. But if I built a dedicated long range rig in .300PRC it'd be a fairly hefty thing and I'm not sure it would really be worth it to me. No reason I can't shoot this thing to 400m without too much fuss, and I'm going to organise that sooner rather than later.


I'm keen to do more with Lithgow rifles as they're made and designed here in Australia. Probably some more chamberings coming out in the future but they're fairly limited at the moment. Definitely cool history and rifle designs for anyone who wants to google them.

 

[z987k]

Looks like the minimum for your regs is 270cal and 130gr. So... a 270win or a 7-08 sound ideal.
Anything more is about maximum effective range. Or is pointless recoil.

 

[Wilderlife]

The overwhelming majority of sambar shot in Victoria every weekend would be with a .30-06 and 180gn Remington Corelokt factory ammo. Besides plenty of people using .270, 7mm08 and .308, you also have plenty using .300WM and bigger. Even a .45-70 or 9.3x62 is a common choice for the thicker stuff.

But as you said, more is about maximum effective range. It also has a bit to do with what bullet you might choose and how far you want to shoot. Lots of factors, as there is with any hunting, but it's common knowledge that sambar are harder to kill than all of our other deer. .300WM isn't considered too much gun by any means.

 

[Point Man]

I used to shoot sub 8 pound magnum rifles, heck and even 338 magnum rifles at the bench all the time and 45/70's at the bench but then maybe that's why I have to go in for cervical spine surgery next month to have number 3,4,5,6, and 7 removed and have pins and screws put in place to hold my head in place. Better think on it. I don't mean to scare you but really, is what I am going to have to go through worth it for shooting heavy magnums when a lighter caliber will do the same thing with proper shot placement? Just my opinion and words spoken from an old, trained Army sniper. After all was said and done and with all my experimenting with so many calibers with shooting and reloading and testing for accuracy and pure enjoyment for shooting and effect, two cartridges never failed me, the 270 Winchester and the 7mm-08 and the 7mm-08 wins out just for the efficiency of the shorter case. What's the old saying? If I had but one rifle!

 

[handwerk]

At times I still hunt with my custom Pre 64 M70 300 H&H which weighs a little under 8lbs. in an Echols stock.
Sure it's a bit snappy compared to my other rifles but I have a lot of history with this rifle , it's extremely accurate and the rifle that's put most of my elk on the ground.

 

[Wilderlife]

Here are some pictures of stuff I've taken with the rifle before I put the new stock on.

 

[Wilderlife]