I have a lefty Dakota 264 Win Mag with a nasty laminated stock and kerocoated action. I had intended to turn it into a classic deep blued 300 H&H Mag with a nice bit of walnut. Turns out the action is too short.

So I'm thinking 300 Win Mag, but I just can't get too excited about it. I shot my first deer with one so I guess I should feel some affection for the cartridge. My head (and pocket) tells me it is a good idea... my heart tells me 338-06, 318 WR, 8x60. This rifle will be for plains game.

My other rifles are currently a 7x64, 375H&H and 470NE.

What say you...?

I've shot a 300 Win Mag, and did not like it's recoil. However, I also shot a 300 WSM and thought it to be the best chambering between the 30-06 and the 300 Win Mag, and it did not beat me up either. I enjoyed using it.
Also, there is nothing wrong with the 338-06. For me, it is an excellent chambering.

Don

WHY????

Your rifle already has a magnum bolt face...why not use a magnum size case????

You can always download to any of the smaller cases and stuff it to the gills if you want the pizzazz.

ANY of the 2.5" mag cases would do in any caliber you pick...wildcat or standard.

Use the Ruger case or belted case as is or the Jeffery case and (MAYBE) open up the bolthead just a tad.

Or go quick, down and dirty and do the 300 Winnie or any cal based on the case...there are lots of wildcats out their or do your own.

I have a 300 Winnie barrel for my switch barrel Savage, and a 338-06 I like very much, AND a 375 H&H I haul around just to shoot sage rats sometimes I like just as well...but I don't have a Ruger or Jeffery/RUM/WSM case based rifle...yet...so I would pick one of those as a basis just for kicks...

How about a 338 Ruger???...or a 35 Ruger just to be different...perfect for plains game...or 325 WSM, 330 Dakota(just a barrel change), 338 Winnie.

You have a perfect opportunity to "do your own thing" and not follow the crowd...OR....

Or...take you pick, you done this before.

You're a lefty, a very special breed...do something different...why follow the righty tighty bunch.

Luck

Deerdogs
You well covered on the bigger calibers if it shoots good and feeds good get a new stock clean the coating off get it re blued and spend the saved money on a good scope and mounts! The 264 is a very capable round from 100grs for varmints to the 160grs for bigger stuff.

Seems you must decide upon nostalgia or performance.....

Sometimes when it's put that way the decision is easy!

quote:

Originally posted by freischuetz:
Deerdogs
You well covered on the bigger calibers if it shoots good and feeds good get a new stock clean the coating off get it re blued and spend the saved money on a good scope and mounts! The 264 is a very capable round from 100grs for varmints to the 160grs for bigger stuff.

Wise words Freischuetz, but that 264 just does not do it for me.

Another factor is the practical availability of ammo in Africa

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:
Seems you must decide upon nostalgia or performance.....

Sometimes when it's put that way the decision is easy!

I hear you vapodog. Head versus heart. I'm finding this a tough call when it should be easy.

If you are looking to get talked into the 300 win mag let me just say I have owned one for years and the recoil of it is nothing, at least to me. My 300 win mag has made every trip to Africa with me and I have taken from duiker up to kudu with it, and a lot of animals in between. As far as ammo goes I usually shoot the Hornady 165 gr interbonds.

I have a ruger no1 in .300 wm and despite its light weight the recoil is fine. I find the 180grns best.

Deerdogs,

The 300 Win Mag has been my "go to" round for most of my domestic hunting trips for 10-12 years. They're accurate in most rifles, ammunition is available anywhere, and the greater velocity offered by the 300 RUM, 30-378, Lazzeroni, 300 Wby, etc come at a price in blast and recoil. To me, the 300 WM is one of the most versatile cartridges out there, from 150s for WT Deer, Mulies, and Antelope, to 180 and 200 grainers for Elk, Moose, Bear, and most Plains Game.

I have a Kimber Montana .300 Win mag and she dont kick bad at all.
I really enjoy the .300 winny.
W.

Don't see how the 300 Win Mag can be any worse than a box of 3 1/2" 12 gauge shells in a goose blind...recoil or blast. Great cartridge...have shot one in a Sauer 202 and never felt the recoil was that bad...

quote:

Originally posted by Deerdogs:

quote:

Originally posted by freischuetz:
Deerdogs
You well covered on the bigger calibers if it shoots good and feeds good get a new stock clean the coating off get it re blued and spend the saved money on a good scope and mounts! The 264 is a very capable round from 100grs for varmints to the 160grs for bigger stuff.

Wise words Freischuetz, but that 264 just does not do it for me.

Another factor is the practical availability of ammo in Africa

Deerdogs
Forget getting any 8x60 338/06 or 318WR in Africa. you sitting with a magnum bolt face so you have to stay with belted magnums 300 win mag is the best alternative not the most interesting one but the most practical. Recoil is a non issue if you shoot the 375 and 470 without problem!

quote:

Originally posted by Deerdogs:

Another factor is the practical availability of ammo in Africa

When you toss that into the mix, there is little doubt in my mind that you SHOULD go with the .300 Win Mag. Its availability is pretty decent there, and you can shoot it here at home with both 150 gr. & 165 gr. bullets to keep the recoil down until you get used to the rifle. Then you can go up to 180s as an "all around" .300 load for here and Africa.

For that matter, you could use 165 gr. homogeneous "monometal" bullets anywhere in the world with complete satisfaction.

Until I read this quoted line, I was going to recommend something like the .308 Norma Mag (the version otherwise known in the 'States as the .30/.338), just because I like them better vis-a-vis the longer case necks. But, with getting ammo in Africa tossed into the mix, I don't know how you could beat the .300 Win Mag, unless it was with a plain-jane but ever-faithful .30-06 as an all-around smaller medium bore. And that's not practical because of the bolt face and the magazine rails.

So, as the legendary Sherlock Holmes used to do, by eliminating the disqualifications, you are left with the truth. Go with the .300 Winnie would be my advice.

I really like the .300WM and find the recoil to be very managable. I can shoot it all day and is my favorite to shoot at the moment. It all depends on you and what your comfortable with. If recoil isn't an issue i'd go with the Winnie. Tried and true and readily available ammo.

If it wuz me - I'd keep the 264 for my deer/antelope hunts and buy myself a 300 H&H for elk. In fact that's exactly what I did.

quote:

Originally posted by Alberta Canuck:

quote:

Originally posted by Deerdogs:

Another factor is the practical availability of ammo in Africa

When you toss that into the mix, there is little doubt in my mind that you SHOULD go with the .300 Win Mag. Its availability is pretty decent there,

My African safari was with a 300 H&H.....much of it because of the "British" thing.....you know!!!!

Seems the most available ammo for plains game is the .30-06 and the .300 Win Mag.....

Damn good thing I took along 50 rounds of H&H as it just wasn't readily available there!

I'd suggest the 338WM. It fills a hole in your arsenal. Flat shooting enough for plains game. Hits hard. Good availibility of factory rolled ammo, plenty of reloading options.

Hey Richard,

If the 300 WinMag still doesn't do it for you after all you've read here, what about 8x68S? Still not the most practical solution, but it does have a certain caché (at least to me!).

cheers,
- stu

Hey Stu, How's things?
I did a quick check and I don't think the 8x68s will fit, then there's the ammo thing. Love those 8mm though.



I'm wondering how dificult it would be to do some work on the bolt face and rails in order to accomadate a 30-06 with a fast handling 20 inch barrel for bushveld warthogs and other pigs.

Richard,

I think you're not going to be happy unless you can have a 300H&H and am a bit surprised you say your Dakota action is too short. Have you seen THIS THREAD? Wiebe pair 300H&H and 375H&H on LH Dakota 76 actions. Your Lancaster 375 deserves a classic stablemate.


If you're passing through Zurich make sure you look me up.

cheers,
- stu

What about the 308 Norma Mag, or the 358 Norma Mag?

I love my .300WM! Controlling recoil is a matter of proper stock fit and design. I shortened the stock on my Sako L61 to fit my shorter arm length, and installed a Limbsaver pad on it. It shoots as smooth as a .243 now to me. I really like it's all around ability for anything in the US. Great cartridge!
A friend of mine has about every cartridge you can think of, and after shooting mine, is having a .300 WM built.
Cheers!

I will not try to talk you out of a 300 Win Mag. I bought my first 300WM when I was 16 a Browning A-Bolt. Blooded it on about a 350lb boar as it was running down hill. Hit it right behind the shoulder, maybe a little high. Did a couple somersaults from the momentum and kicked couple times but it was done for.
Load was 200gr Sierra Matchking chronographed about 2915fps, think powder was H-870. I know I know its a target bullet bla bla bla. However with that load I hit what I shot at and that's the first order of business.
I had a 300 RUM and loved it also. However local gunshop has a 300 H&H and if I were going to get a 300 now that's probably what I would look at. Not because I think it offers any practical advantage over any other 300 Mag but just because I think the 300 H&H has a little more romance behind it.
I like just about any 300 Mag that Ive shot

.300 H&H is powerful elk medicine. I love mine. 200 grn Nosler Partition.

My .300 Winny has been to hell and back. It is a post 64 Model 70 Winchester that will shoot one hole groups for me, my son and grandson, when we do our part. It has never seen the hands of a gunsmith and is mounted with a 3X9 Redfield Widefield with see thru mounts of all things. 180 grain North Forks or Nosler Partitions at 3100 fps, 200 grainers at 2900 fps. I have taken many Bull Elk, 14 Caribou, a 91/2 ft. Brown Bear, and upmteen Deer with the rifle. My son has shot it for the last 10 years and has many Bull Elk also. I have 8 Elk hunting buddies that shoot .300 Winnys, all Model 70 Winchesters with Boss barrels and we all shoot the same load (RL-22 with Fed 210M primers). Those suckers all will screw down for pin point accuracy. If you gather that WE like the .300 Win mag, you are not mistaken. Good shooting.

I had a .300 Win Mag in a Rem 700 ADL that would shoot sub MOA with only an upgraded recoil pad and a trigger job. I traded it off in some sort of a fit of insanity. FYI, that rifle would feed when held upside down.

.300 Win Mag, not nearly as vicious as a .338 Win Mag; factory ammo anywhere in bullet weights from 150 to 200 grain, flat shooting, enough power for anything in NA and most non-DG anywhere else, relatively light weight rifles. What's not to love?

quote:

Originally posted by jtinidaho:
I'd suggest the 338WM. It fills a hole in your arsenal. Flat shooting enough for plains game. Hits hard. Good availibility of factory rolled ammo, plenty of reloading options.

Bingo.

Here's an idea:
Sell your rifle, buy a new Dakota action (or other desireable action of your choosing) long enough for the 300 H&H and go to town. On the other hand, I have shot the H&H, WM, and WSM. There is not a lick of difference in their performance ON GAME. I settled on the H&H for no logical reason, but I love it. Get what you want.

I shoot 3 different rifles in .300 Winchester Magnum. A Remington 700 BDL, a Savage 110 FCP-K, and a Kimber 8400 L.A. Police Tactical I just purchased a couple of weeks ago.



Remington 700 BDL .300 Win. Mag.





Savage 110 FCP-K .300 Win. Mag.





Kimber 8400 L.A. Police Tactical .300 Win. Mag.

Both the Savage and the Kimber have the Bushnell 3200 Elite Tactical 5-15X scope mounted in Leupold Mark IV Tactical Steel Rings. The Kimber has a 20 MOA tapered base. Both of these guns are excellent shooters, as is the Remington 700 BDL.

The .300 Win. Mag. is a much better balanced cartridge than the big .338's. If you want the ultimate thunder stick, then go with the Weatherby or Lapua in .338. If you go with a .300 Win. Mag., (you pick the flavor), you will shoot a lot more. The brass is much cheaper, and it lasts a lot longer. For every round I put through my .338-378 Weatherby Magnum I'll put a box through the .300's. Personally, I don't see anything the big .338's can do that can't be done with the .300 Winchester Magnum. If I feel the need for more, I'll just grab my .50 BMG Bushmaster BA-50.





Bushmaster BA-50, .50 BMG

To be perfectly honest, it's cheaper to shoot than my .338-378 Weatherby. That is even with handloaded ammo in the Weatherby. The .50 BMG puts everything else to shame, and will do anything any of the big .338's will do, only it will do it a lot better!

I don't regret buying my .338-378, but since I bought the .50, I don't shoot it anywhere near as much as I used to. The .50 is just plain more fun! Not to mention it's a whole lot more gun! Bill T.

quote:

Originally posted by ColoradoMatt:
Here's an idea:
Sell your rifle, buy a new Dakota action (or other desireable action of your choosing) long enough for the 300 H&H and go to town. On the other hand, I have shot the H&H, WM, and WSM. There is not a lick of difference in their performance ON GAME. I settled on the H&H for no logical reason, but I love it. Get what you want.

I think this is the advice I am going to follow. Thanks Matt for making me see clearly.

Anyone want to buy a lefty 264 WM Dakota?

quote:

Originally posted by MTM:

quote:

Originally posted by jtinidaho:
I'd suggest the 338WM. It fills a hole in your arsenal. Flat shooting enough for plains game. Hits hard. Good availibility of factory rolled ammo, plenty of reloading options.

Bingo.

The 338 win mag would be my choice. The 300 win mag has a longer case and often has a problem with loads fitting the magazine and still loading close to the lands. The 338 win mag case is the same length as the 264 win mag and 7 rem mag. So it goes

338 win mag - same length
300 win mag - longer
300 H & H - longest

What's interesting to me is that the military long distance lads are retrofitting many of the M-24's from 308's to 300 Win Mag. Must be a reason for the change!!!

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
What's interesting to me is that the military long distance lads are retrofitting many of the M-24's from 308's to 300 Win Mag. Must be a reason for the change!!!

The .308 is pushing it to 1,000 yards. Yes, it will work, but about as good as pulling a 27' cabin cruiser with a Prius. The .300 Win. Mag. is a true 1,000 yard weapon, and it has the records at that distance to prove it. It is also an easy caliber to reload for, and in a heavy barreled sniper rifle it's recoil is still very managable. The .223 and .308 are fine calibers, but they never were designed to reach 1,000 yards. Bill T.

quote:

Originally posted by billt:

quote:

Originally posted by TEANCUM:
What's interesting to me is that the military long distance lads are retrofitting many of the M-24's from 308's to 300 Win Mag. Must be a reason for the change!!!

The .308 is pushing it to 1,000 yards. Yes, it will work, but about as good as pulling a 27' cabin cruiser with a Prius. The .300 Win. Mag. is a true 1,000 yard weapon, and it has the records at that distance to prove it. It is also an easy caliber to reload for, and in a heavy barreled sniper rifle it's recoil is still very managable. The .223 and .308 are fine calibers, but they never were designed to reach 1,000 yards. Bill T.

billt

That's what I heard also. Apparently with the terrain over there the distances are much longer than normally encountered and the 300 WM provides those extra yards to reach out there.

I've wondered what the normal wind conditions are like over there and how it would move the rounds??

The .300 pushes a 220gr matchking faster than the .308 pushes a 175 matchking. Worlds of difference.

Its hard to top the 300 win mag.Lotta good factory ammo,I never notice recoil unless I sit down at the bench and work on the 1000yd target 5 ,5 shot groups with the 190 gr SMK's. The 300 win mag seems to feed better than the 300 WSM's, My mod 70 does have the BOSS brake but you better poke the ear plugs in. great caliber! I just wish I was out west and could use it more. You will not be unhappy with the gun. I run 180 gr Accubonds in mine for long shot whitetails.

Well I have owned a .300 Win mag for many years and it is one great long range weapon or target rifle.

Nonetheless, I feel that the .338/06 using a 210 grain Nosler partition bullet is the cat's meow for any type of plains game you might want to hunt. You also have the option of going up in bullet weight to 225 or 250 grain bullet weights. It is not a heavy recoiling rifle and gets the job done nicely.

A number of years ago I purchased a rather large amount of Nosler 180 grain Parittion bullets in 30 caliber. They were seconds, and I got a good deal on them.

I have used those bullets in my .308, my 30-06, and my .300 Win Mag. Mostly on deer. Mostly at 200 yards or less. At that range I haven't seen much difference in all three. If the aim is good the deer goes down right there. I suspect it would be the same on Plains Game of the same size.

quote:

I have a lefty Dakota 264 Win Mag with a nasty laminated stock and kerocoated action. I had intended to turn it into a classic deep blued 300 H&H Mag with a nice bit of walnut. Turns out the action is too short.

I would make a .30/.338 WM