Hello the campfire:
Ok fellows, tell me what I should do-
I have a 95% 1989 Mod 70 in .300 Why. Mag. that I really like. Its got very nice, but not fancy wood, but really good French checkering. Before my heart surgery I could shoot it without a problem. I did not hunt with it because there are no monster whitetails, cape buff, elk or bears here in Alabama, but I always thought some day...
I bought it because it was pretty and a great price (around $300.00)
I don't think that I will be able to shoot it for at least a year. My chest and arms just wil not hold up to it. I just hope that I will be able to handle my .280 by November.
Should I sell the .300 and buy something smaller, give it away to some un-suspecting "friend", hang on to it in case we are invaded by killer elk, re-barrel it to something more useful, or what? I know that there is someone out there who will take it off my hands if I decide to give it away. Waiting for your wise suggestions.
Judge Sharpe

i would keep it though, when youre in shape again and hunting around , there might come a situation where the ,300 would be needed, it aint around. winchester are good rifles, i hope that someone has the deececy to make them again.

I agree with the previous poster. Keep it and when you get back in good shape all healed up you'll probably want to start shooting it. If you load, load up some reduced loads for it about .308 level and use it, or if you think you'll never really want to shoot it again and don't like the reduced load idea then do give it to an unsuspecting person who would really care for it and hunt with it the way it was intended.........you wouldn't be out that much ( $300 you said) and the great cheer you would spread could be worth far more than that!
Have fun and good luck!

I'd say to keep it.Put it aside until you feel you can shoot it again.A good friend + hunting buddy of mine broke his neck a few years ago.After all the surgery,etc.he decided he would'nt be shooting anything heavy again + sold off everything but his 22-250.Even that made him nervous.To make a long story short,he's now back up to a .458 Win. + is filled with regrets for the rifles he let go.This situation is like the difference between a good haircut + a bad haircut.You know the difference? Two weeks.I know this will take you more than two weeks but I think you get the point.Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Judge

I know it’s kind of hard being patient. But the gun will wait it’s not important at the moment. If it’s in the budget I’d look at a 7MM/08 it only has about 2/3's the recoil of your .280 and you could still use the same bullets. It's more than enough to get you through deer season and not do any damage that would set you back. Just some food for thought. Stay the course.

I'm with Jay on this one!

Judge, If I may offer my 2 cents worth.
Last year I too went through surgey which effected my shooting ability.
As a consequence I sold two rifles and bought another two which are more managable. I got it right, but by chance. The two rifles I now have are just what I have allways wanted but it took time for them to come along.
My advice to you is take your time and wait for something you like to come along before you think of selling or trading in your 300 Mag.
As to calibre, given your condition, consider the 6.5x55.
Good Luck to you with whatever you choose to do.

It sounds to me as if it is a recoil issue. If so, then just use one of the newer bulky powders like XMR5744 and load it to 300 savage levels.

If it is a weight issue, then just hang on to it so as to have some incentive to do what is needed to recuperate.

Sounds like a nice gun.

I like the give it to an unsuspecting friend idea. Sounds like a good way to get more enjoyment out of your 280 by possibly gaining a partner. A good 280 is all youll ever need anyway. Yea, Im a 280 fan!

quote:

If you load, load up some reduced loads for it about .308 level and use it,

Use a large charge of a real slow powder to do this, and accuracy should hold up.

the 6,5x55 is good to start with after ,and get the shooting skill up again, it has very little recoil, goo bullets, its just a little shorter .270 WCF. and load it with 100 grains bullets to start with, they have almost no recoil at all.

I went thru a similar situation - severe disc damage in my lower neck from an accident - between C5/C6 - that pinched all the nerves in my right upper body to the point I lost muscle mass, permanent loss of over head reach, and even feeling and control of my right arm and hand at times. By a medical mistake during the tests a technician rotated my head so severely that she broke loose the calcium deposits in the facette joints around the affected disc...meanwhile the bone crunchers had already told me that I would never shoot a long gun again.
A second round of problems with the same disc 5 years later, and before I began to shoot again, a neurosurgeon when looking at a MRI told me I came within a few MM's of becoming a paraplegiac with what the Tech did to me! Meanwhile I sold off a small collection of limited production and non cataloged SAKO Classic grades because I believed the Doc's, went thru years of rehab twice and two years after the 2nd rehab began to shoot a 257 Rbt Fwt I had hung on to for sentimental reasons. Best choice I could have made on a caliber to keep. Could only tolerate a few rounds at a time initially, still can't do the "all day at the range" routine as once was possible...but I am shooting a 300WMg and a 9.3x62 today enough to slowly do load development until the tingles and cramps get me...and then I have to layoff for a couple days or weeks and start the stretching rehab routines all over again.

Hang on to this gun at least for long enough to know you will never be comfortable with it again - years maybe...loan it to a friend whatever...but don't sell it unless you need the space or bux for another project.I will never ever be able to replace those SAKO's again in my lifetime and that bothers me to no end every time I open a gun case or smell Hoppe's.
The 6.5x55 or a 257'Bob both are good soft shooters and will do the trick when you get enough strength back to pull the trigger again on game. Good Luck
Ron