ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE???

[ozstriker22]

Well, folks, I want to thank you all a million. I've decided against the Semi auto - I can only imagine myself trying to break it over my knee because I missed a shot on a beatuiful animal due to a semi auto jam. I guess it's not a problem in a squirrel or varmint gun, but big game - you're right, that would be upsetting.

I'd probably go with the Savage, however another offer just FELL into my lap... a friend of mine who I haven't talked to in some time called out of the blue to tell me he just bought a new rifle last night and offered me his .300 wby Mag. I've lusted over it for 2 years. Now it's way more gun than I wanted, and the ammo's 5x what I'd pay for an .06, but it's in like new condition, has a beautiful walnut stock and a new leather sling, scope, and muzzle break for $500 cash... I think I'm probably going to have to take him up on it because I know he paid $900+ for it 6 years ago.

Geez - I might be better off with a .243 (headshot only) after all - I'd be scared to shoot an 80lb sow anywhere BUT in the head with a .300 wby mag!!! Nothing beats pre-ground and cooked bullet sausage where a ham used to be, right??!!!

 

[East Sloper]

Oz
Go for the .300 Weatherby Mag! If you don't please send me a pm...
I have owned Savage, Browning and Weatherby rifles over the years. My favorite is the .300 Weatherby. Have had a .300 Mark V for 25 years and killed all of the north american big game with the exception of bears with it. The ammo is expensive, but once you have it dialed in (won't take much effort) you won't be burning alot of ammo. Great gun, great price, ...
If you decide you want to preserve the walnut stock you can get a new factory Weatherby synthetic stock from Christensen Arms (CA) for $40. CA has a surplus of new stocks as they buy new guns from Weatherby and customize them (about $4k when they are done).
Good luck!!!

 

[F350]

Oz,
I'm with Eastsloper on this one and I agree on the synthetic stock as well.
With synthetics you don't even think about scratches which means you're more likely to hunt hard. Not to mention it will cut some of the weight.

Let us know what you decide and good luck.

 

[Rick]

Get the .300. A Remington 700 in that caliber was my "go to" gun for years. It has killed many a hog of all sizes. Use a good 180 gr bullet and it will not destroy meat on a small pig, yet will penetrate a big boar with no problem.

By the way, most BARs have a hollow forend that is not that strong. I have to agree with Hicntry that a BAR just hollers "City Slicker."

Back East, it is a different story as pumps and semi's are much more common. Of course, having a Weatherby means you're rich.

 

[ozstriker22]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

Use a good 180 gr bullet and it will not destroy meat on a small pig, yet will penetrate a big boar with no problem.[/b]

Do you have any particular examples of a good 180 gr that does what you've described?

Also, equally as important to me. Hogs have thick skin, but for deer season... the deer down in San Diego are about the size of really big German Shepherds, with very thin skin.

My hunting partner advised AGAINST the 300 win mag as his very good friend shot clean through TWO different deer down here, with almost NO bullet expansion. They didn't find one of them until late the next day, about 2 1/2 miles away - some magpies were going crazy in the bushes and they went over to investigate... and there he was... exit wound the width of your thumb...

Are there any rounds for the .300 win mag that would offer enough rapid expansion for very thin skinned game without fragmenting?

Thanks again, folks!

Jesse

 

[Speckmisser]

Jesse,

That's a great price on that Weatherby, but .300 Weatherby Magnum is a bit of overkill, even by MY standards. Then again, if you go that route, no one can accuse you of being undergunned... no matter what you hunt!

I can't speak firsthand, but I'd also guess that it's probably gonna be brutal from the bench, which means you'll: A) be more reluctant to shoot much and B) probably develop a flinch that will need to be suppressed.

You'll probably want to switch loads for deer and hogs, which usually means re-zeroing your rifle depending on which you'll be shooting.

I don't know if I'd say it's a "bad" choice, but for almost the same money you can still have that Savage or the Remington in a more reasonable and much more versatile caliber (30-06 or .270). That's the direction I'd go if it were my decision.

 

[ozstriker22]

Thanks Speck, your advice is always appreciated. I've used this gun before, and the kick is no problem at all. No flinch... The gun has an excellent recoil pad and a $180 muzzle break. It's more of a hard push than a kick. I was expecting to be blown away, but it's no worse than a shotgun... and I can put 50 to 100 rounds through my 12ga no problem!

You're right about switching loads... but once I know how many MOA difference between my deer rounds and my hog rounds, then it will only take one or two shots to dial it in.

When I finally get into reloading, I can load it down to 30-06 power providing more versatility. Of course, I'd need to determine the MOA difference for those loads as well. Then it's like having two guns in one.

Besides... I'm saving $300+ off of what it's worth... If nothing else, I'm just too cheap to pass it up.

Jesse

 

[Rick]

I used to use the 180 gr Nosler Solid Base, but when that went away, I started using the 180 gr Partition or Grand Slam. I've also used the 180 gr Hornady Interlock on deer, but I avoid shoulder shots with that bullet and often load it down to 2900 fps (still as fast as a .300 Win mag) at which level it has performed well. My usual load with my rifle is 82 gr of IMR-7828 with the partition or grand slam. Since my rifle does not have as much freebore as a factory Weatherby rifle, the velocity and pressure is high enough at that level.

Usually, for California deer, I will use my .270 or even my Savage bolt action .30-30 with 130 gr Hornady Interlocks. The .300 does well on big Rocky Mountain mule deer, though.

 

[bayedsolid]

Although I've never been a fan of any of the .30 caliber rifles, just personal preference, I'd certainly take the .300 Weatherby over the .06 any day. I wouldn't worry about changing loads between deer and hogs either. There are numerous "hand-loaders" out there that swear by their home made cartridges, yet the majority of the hunters out there just buy a box at Wal-Mart and do just fine. I shot a Remington Mountain Rifle in a .270 for years. I think it's a good round but the rifle was so comfortable, and shot so well for me, my confidence was always at an all-time high and that made it a great round. If you've shot the rifle and it's comfortable, 90% of the battle is won right there. If you are shooting an Elk through the ass and hoping to get to the vitals, the .06 is probably underpowered and you'd wish you had the .300 Weatherby. As far as over powered is concerned......if you hit them in the chest, the bullet is just going to go through anyway and you won't notice a difference. The one .30 cal rifle I own is a .300 Ultra Mag. Yes, I know I said I'm not a fan but I had the opportunity to get it before they even hit the shelves when they first came out so I took it. Now I wish I would have held out for a year and got the 7mm Ultra Mag instead. Anyway, I shot a Mule deer with it because it's not right to have a rifle that hasn't been sent on it's maiden voyage. The chest shot poked right through 'cause there is nothing solid there to transfer all that energy. I've also seen what it does to an elk and it's impressive. I've seen WAAAAAY more damage done with lighter, faster moving bullets. I shoot a .257 Weathery Mag now and the 100 grain bullets out of that thing moving at 3600 fps destroy anything in it's path. A bad shot with that 100 grain bullet will do twice the damage that an .06 will do with a 180 grain bullet, but its incredibly flat shooting. Did I get off topic here?????? As far as the semi-auto goes.....I've never known anybody that had a semi-auto do very well with it. They missed alot. They are not as accurate in general, and I really think having that second shot so readily available causes many shooters to rely on all the back-up coming instead of bearing down on the first shot and making it count. If a guy just had a .22 rimfire, a .22-250, a .270, and a 7mm Mag, you could call it quits and kill every animal that walks no problem. The rest are just fillers, or personal preference.

Oh, by the way, the cost of ammo shouldn't even be a factor unless you are going to be target practicing or something with it. If someone pays $10.00 for a box of .06 ammo and I have to pay $38.00 for a box of .257 Weatherby Mag ammo......I bet they'd pay that extra $1.50 for the round at the time they could hold top of back on that trophy buck at 400 yards instead of guessing how much above to hold to allow for the 30 inches of drop they are about to have with their .06. Same goes for the .300 Weatherby. I'ts much flatter shooting than the .06 Food for thought.

 

[Buck-eye]

So, to complicate issues more...if given a choice between Ruger M77 or Remington 700, which way do you go and for what reason?

 

[bayedsolid]

Buck-eye- I'm not sure if you were asking me or not, but I like Remington better. I think they are more comfortable, but that's just personal preference, and I think in general, they are more accurate right out of the box.

 

[Speckmisser]

Buck-eye, that's a much more subjective question than choice of caliber. I love the way the Ruger M-77 feels, but I know folks who hate it too.

The Rem 700 is a great rifle too, though, and I wouldn't hesitate to own one (although you ought to read the recall threads in the rifle forums). It really does come down to which one feels best in your own hands.

 

[ozstriker22]

And for us "price minded" folks, it's a matter of getting the best deal too... If I found a great price on a 270 M77 vs a decent price on a 700adl, I'd take the one at the great price - everything else being equal.

Then again.... your build and body type might be better fitted to one maker and not another.

I can blow the crap out of anything in a split second with my Benelli Nova 12g, but if I grab my buddy's classic Remington 12g I can't shoot jack squat. It all boils down to the way my body shapes to the gun.

 

[SDHNTR]

I'll take the Ruger for stronger construction, a bigger extractor, controlled round feed, and bettter fit and finish. You just dont have the quality control issues that the recent Remingtons have.