Mine would be a 300 H&H. I have never owned one, but it was the one that started it all. 300 Weatherby is second only because I do own of those.

my favorites are the .300 Winchester Magnum,.300 Weatherby Magnum and the .30-378 Weatherby. i am seriously wanting to get a Browning A-Bolt II Long Range Hunter in .300 Winchester Magnum. i've also been starting to develop a serious interest in the .300 H&H Magnum. i just love 30 caliber cartridges. just out of curiosity what do you guys think of the .300 Pegasus and the .308 Warbird? as far as i know those are the 2 most powerful commercially made .300 magnums. to me they are not much more powerful at all than the .30-378Wby but are way harder to find rifles and ammo so it doesn't seem worth the extra trouble just for about 200 more fps. what do you think?

I currently have four of the more popular .300 Mags...the H&H, the .308 Norma Mag, the .300 Winchester Mag, and the .300 Wby Mag. Four peas in a pod for practical hunting field performance. The .300 Winchester is likely a bit the best if it is important to one to be able to find ammo on the shelf anywhere there ARE shelves.

If I was to build another tomorrow, it would be the oldest .300 Mag cartridge ever factory produced in America (1914), the .30 Newton. It is basically the nice fat .404 Jeffery case necked down and slightly shortened to fit into a .30-06 length Springfield or Mauser action. From what I read these days, that may mean it is essentialy a .300 Rem Ultra Mag. But I would just go with the original Newton dimensions, with modern powder and bullets.

And on nice fall days, I could then look across the valleys of my favorite western hunting hills, glancing up from my rifle to see the smiling approval of some of the folks I really respect, Chas Newton, a very young Bob Hagel, Fred Adolph, and numerous others.

I started my hunting career with a .300 Win Mag. and had lots of success with it for about 20 years. Due to some odd circumstances I lost that rifle and replaced it with a .300 Weatherby.

To me same level of perform,ance at the expense of more powder in my loadings, with the addition of increased recoil, for no real tangible level of performance on game. I found the .300 Win Mag to be less punishing on the bench during sight in sessions.

The .300 Wearherby and .340 Weatherby I did have were not pleasant and I do not load hot rounds. In fact to me, my .375 H&H is more pleasant off the bench than either of the Weatherby's.

.300 WSM. I have two of them and both are tack drivers. I have killed nearly a hundred head of various game in Africa, the U.S. and Mexico with the two.

300 WSM; especially if buying a new rife! Reasons are: 1) all sorts of rifle choices, 2) accuracy, 3) short action/lighter rifles, and 4) 3100 fps is achievable for 180 gr bullets with RL-17. Also gobs of factory ammo choices for those that don't reload.

300 Weatherby.

But not in a Weatherby rifle.

I've used the Winny a bunch, the H&H some and settled on the Weatherby.

I currently have a 300RUM. I considered a 30-378 but decided the extra powder for 100fps was not worth it. Especially seeing as how every load table for the 300RUM utilized a 24" vs 26" for the Wea.

I have some parts laying around and if I didn't have the RUM I would have a 27.5" 300H&H.

All will work but nothing will feed and extract as smoothly as a .300 H&H. In dire circumstances especially rare case stickings you'll gladly trade feet per second for a second shot! I like to keep murphy as far away as possible. With judicious loading it is the ballistic equivellant to the .300 W.M.. Game won't know the difference but you're shoulder and pocket will. Just my humble opinion.

what's your favorite 300 H&H load?

Order of preference:

1. 300 win mag beretta mato
2. 308 win blaser
3. 30-06 browning A-bolt
4. 308 win browning blr

I have had several rifles in each and killed stuff with almost all of them.Telling them apart on game is a chore....the 300 Win Mag, Weatherby, and H&H behave so much the same on game I could never tell them apart.You can make the Weatherby go fastest of the three....it also kicks the most.None of them are gentle, but all are manageable if a guy practices.

The H&H seems to kick less with full charges than the other two. A pre 64 chambered for the H&H round is pretty sweet,and generally very accurate.

I don't care for the 300RUM at all, in any rifle.Remington can keep it....

I have been pretty impressed with the 300 WSM...generally easy to load and very accurate in the newer SC M70's;recoil seems moderate.Nice rifle if you fight your way past the new trigger,which I do not care for myself.The 300 WSM is a just a short/fat 300H&H.

To me what one of these cartridges will do,the other will do.I guess I really don't have a favorite and would hunt about anything with any of them.Once a 180 gr bullet hits 3000-3100 fps, there really isn't much to talk about.

For the hunting I've done in South Africa my 300WM with 200gr plus bullets at 2750-2800 fps has worked well.

quote:

Originally posted by carpetman1:
30-06 hands down. It does all the others do without as much blast, recoil and powder.

Can't disagree with this statement.....well said.

If I were to only have one rifle it would be a 30-06 but I am curious why some consider the 30-06 to be a magnum? Not trying to start an argument - just curious.

300 Weatherby. Why? Because I purchased one the week I got out of boot camp and it has done nothing but kill game with one shot ever since. I agree wholeheartedly with a previous post comparing it to an old friend. I will never part with that rifle.

300 RUM. Being a lefty, I picked up a LH Remington 700 XCR. It shoots 200 grain A frames
very well

I was first introduced to the 300 H&H in an old Remington 721. I found a 700 Classic take off stock to replace the old stock and fell in love with the old cartridge. Being a lefty I had Remington chamber one of their left handed KS Mountain Rifles in 300 H&H for me. It was my my first left handed rifle and my only big game rifle for many years. I have run the gamut on bullets in it. I always come back to Nosler Partitions of various weights. Right now I'm using 220 Partitions over 64 grains of 4350.

When I lived in mule deer country I used 165 grain Partitions and 4831 and killed many mule deer and elk with it, and a few antelope. I have a safe full of rifles to chose from and my 35 Whelen gets more time afield now than most of them. If forced to cut back to one rifle it would be a tough call (and one I'd not care to make) between the 300 H&H and my Whelen.

The 300 H&H is still a fine choice among all the 300 magnums.

Mart

As I indicated in an earlier post, I like my X-Bolt 300WM. It is a great hard-hitting, long distance shooter when needed. I won't be without a 300 mag anytime soon. However, after many years of hunting, I have really started to appreciate the advantages of slower, larger calibers. Under 250 yards, my 358Win is becoming a favorite; so much so, that I'm now thinking about a 9.3x62 to expand velocity and distance by...just 50 or 60 yards. For me, lobbing in a heavy round has become fun and I'm suprised with the accuracy I'm getting with hand loads.

I have owned and shot many 30 mags

Kept just one and drag it everywhere I go

1906-30

Though not a .30 caliber fan, I have owned several 300 WM 300 WBY and 300 H&H. If I were to build a custom 300, it would be chambered for the venerable H&H. I like the romance and history of the cartridge and it would be a perfect mate for my 375 H&Hs.

Intresting to see only a couple chose the 300 WSM. Never have been able to warm up to the WSMs, Ultras, RCMs or other new magnums.

300 Win Mag,

Killed a bunch of stuff years ago with a 300 Weatherby, then bent the barrel on that rifle on a hunt in Alaska. Came back, bought another 300 Weatherby in the new at that time Ultra Light. Mine sucked. Sold it and went Model 70, 338 WM.

Fast forward 15 years later and now I'm in love with an Interarms Mark X chambered in 300 Win Mag. Bought the gun for one purpose. Hunting Blacktails over clear cuts. Wanted to be able to push a 150 grain BT at about 3150.

Love the rifle and can get that velocity with ease.

Dpublegun--The 30-06 is not a magnum? Performs like one though. Hmmm not a magnum; another plus for it.

I'm in the process of acquiring a pre-64 Winchester 70 in 300 H&H, so hope it will be my favorite.
What do you all prefer in this rifle, 180 or 200 gr. bullets?

My 721 loves 180's

Don't get me wrong, I would bet my life on any of my three 30-06's (P64
M70, Rem 700 KS, 1903 Sedgley). I am a big fan of the 06. But I also like my p64 M70 300 for the same reason most of you do: nostalgia and the fact that it will deliver a boot.

.300 H&H, without a doubt. Have one in Remington 700 Classic. After nearly 30 years still shoots sub-half inch groups.

Sako 85 .300 Win. mag. No issues with the short case neck, case capacity not taken up by heavy long bullets because there is ample free bore and magazine length to seat the bullets out further -

Favorite .300 Mag? The only one I own: a Sauer 202 in .300 Weatherby. Super accurate, it shoots Factory Federal 180gr TTSX into 1/2" or better groups. Why? because it came in that caliber, and it has beautiful wood, and the quality of the gun is superb. Not my everyday hunting gun, though. That one is a new Sako 85 Black Bear in .30-06. Not a magnum, but it's well made,light, balanced, accurate, and gets most jobs done well. I shoot it with 150gr and 165gr bullets, and the Wby w/180gr bullets. No real valid reason. Just do. Guess the .300 Wby is just a long range big slammer in my mind.

Of the 300 mags I've had I like my current one the best, a pre 64 M70 in an echols legend stock. 180 TTSX"s @ 3050 fps has worked very well for elk.

my only .30 mag is a p-64 300 HH Ackley Magnum

.300 H&H. I have 4 rifles chambered for it; Ruger No. 1, 2 Winchester Model 70s and a custom Interarms Whitworth that was rebarreled from .375 H&H. I also have rifles chambered in .300 Win Mag, .300 Weatherby and .300 RUM. My least favorite is the .300 RUM and it will probably be rebarreled to .404 Jeffery at some point in time.

There can be only one.

Pre-64 300 H&H.

It makes me feel all funny inside.

OMG Robert! There's nothing like being a romantic. And that's a romantic combination.

Cheers,

Pierre

I have four rifles in .300 Win. Mag. One is a Winchester M70 push feed that is so accurate that it is scary. The others are Ruger #1 rifles, two "S" models and a "B" model. The only one I haven't shot is the Bicentennial "S" model but the other two are also very accurate.
I sure wish Nosler hadn't discontinued that 200 gr semi-round nose bullet. The #1B would put three rounds into .375". I do miss that bullet.
I got some of the 200 gr. Nosler spitzers but have only shot them in the M70. Most of the time I'll get .75 to .80" from those. A bulet that has been .50 to .75" in the rifles I have shot has been the .300 gr. Speer Hot Core.
Never have shot a .300 H&H nor any of the others except a couple of M70's in .300 WSM. One was when I helped a young man sight in hie new M70 standard rifle in .300 WSM. Not bad at all but I don't need one. My ex-son in law bought a Winchester Classic M70 Featherweight and asked me to do the load work up for him. I liked that one but never could get it to shoot bullets heavier than 165 gr. and believe me I did try. After I did all the dirty work when he came down to get the rifle, I sat him down at the bench and taught him how to do his own reloading. He came down again a week later witha press and asked me to show him how I set uo the dies to fit his rifle which I did and now he does all his own work.
I figure with four rifles in the Win. Mag. I don't really need a Featherweight in the WSM. I suppose thought that if a really smokin' deal ever showed up I just might take advantage of the offer, but then again, maybe not.
Paul B.

quote:

Originally posted by Dalgo:
OMG Robert! There's nothing like being a romantic. And that's a romantic combination.

Cheers,

Pierre

Hi Pierre. I'm bringing that rifle to Africa this year for plains game and I'm just about done with load testing. One more day at the ran should do it followed by some bunny hunting. I'm getting 2925 fps with a 180 Barnes TSX. It cloverleafed three shots last eek end and I want to make sure it's not an anomaly.

Just loe that old rifle.

I wound up with a Dakota M-97 Light Weight Hunter in .300 Win Mag kind of by accident several year ago. A guy who owed me money had one NIB. He only owed me $700 but he insisted that I take that rifle as payment. Eventually I did even though I tried to tell to just sell the rifle, pay me off and put money in the bank. He wanted to give me the rifle.

So I got the rifle and wasn't to excited about it as I am not a .300 Mag fan. But I've got to tell you the rifle is very accurate, very light and nicely built. In fact it's so light and slim that I find myself carrying it in the mountains quite a bit and it kills pretty good too. The only thing that would have made that rifle better IMHO is if it had been chambered in .30-06.

.300H&H, the original.

The 300 H&H.

quote:

Originally posted by mlfguns:
All will work but nothing will feed and extract as smoothly as a .300 H&H. In dire circumstances especially rare case stickings you'll gladly trade feet per second for a second shot!

Dire circumstances? Africa? 375 minimum.

That leaves bear. I don't bear hunt but if I did it would be a 338. Win Mag. minimum. That goes for brown, grizzly or black bear. I once read a story years ago where Jim Shockey was trapped by a black bear on a cliff and he had to put it down with a double shotgun he was carrying. First barrel was buckshot and second barrel a slug.