Here is the culmination of my efforts for the ideal 300 Magnum. This rifle is intended as an all-conditions, short to long range deer rifle, to be used the way I hunt deer; backpacking deep into the Nat. Forest, as far away from everyone as I can get.

I started with a Winchester .264 Westerner that had a butchered stock and no rifling for the first five inches. The new barrel was chambered & fitted by John Ricks, then contoured, crowned, and blued, by Mark Penrod. Mark also inscribed the caliber marking, and installed the back up iron sights.

Here is a run-down of the components, and a few comments:

Action: 1960 Model 70. Lapped in bolt, smoothed up feeding surfaces, adjusted sear engagement and pull weight.

Barrel: Krieger chrome-moly standard sporter, 1-12†twist, finished at 26â€. Chambered for the .30-.338 magnum with snug neck (although no neck turning needed). Fitted with Williams back-up sights (I cannot afford the weight of a back-up scope).

Stock: Echols fiberglass Legend. Great stock! I did not know if I would like the swept pistol grip (I shot a lot of Highpower matches, and I am used to full and steep grips), but after practicing with it a lot, I love it. The rear grip and fore end are full and useable, and the heel is high enough for prone shooting. Mark fitted the stock with a Pachmayr F-250 pad (I like the sharp edges), and his threaded sling swivel inserts. I bedded action in with Brownells Steel Bed (I splurged on this one), and finished it off with Rust-Oleum “Expresso†paint. Sling is a Brownells Latigo, with standard loops (I dislike Q.D. type loops).

Scope: Leupold VX3, 3.5 x10.

Mounts & rings: S&K. They provide for correct height (for a pre ’64), and are windage adjustable. I asked for a custom rear base that centered the ring, and they delivered within two weeks, with no additional charge. I like them very much.

Here is a pic of the rifle at my 600-yard range. The target is the white dot on the far hillside:



Here is a 600 yard three shot group I shot last weekend:



That group was fired with 9.5 mins. of elevation from a 100 yard zero (that is flatter than the programs show). I load necked-down W-W .338 mag cases with 180 grain Hornady Interbonds, and enough H-4831sc to chrono at 3,100 f.p.s. I do all of my shooting prone with a sling (no bench rests where I shoot).

I am very happy with the end result. It fits me well, shoots accurately, and will feed the proverbial empty case from either rail. Mark and D’Arcy were a pleasure to work with in getting this together; My thanks go out to them.

Any comments or questions welcome.

Thank you, Doug

Nifty, good shooting!
- mike

Nice looking rig. Can you possibly show a little more detail on the mounts/rings, please?

Jaywalker

Doug,why didn't you just buy a factory Winchester?

Doug, great looking rig. I have heard nothing but good reports concern M Penrod's work. Mighty fine shooting also.

Shootaway, a factory winchester would be lucky to hit that cardboard at 600 yards

What 600 yard range is that? DO you hold registered HP matches there, I may need to visit.

John

Doug, great looking rifle. I have heard of Echols and Penrod was wondering if they have a web site, if so could you or someone else give me some more info about them. Thanks Karry

Doug,
Great looking rifle and great shooting too. I didn't realize the grip on the Echol's stock swept back. If I may ask ...what length of pull did you order on the stock...was it your standard LOP or a little longer??

Again,...nice rifle..

Thank you guys.

Shootaway-This project is the direct result of a factory M70. I got a 300 Win. Classic way back when they first came out. A fired case would not go back into the chamber. It went back & forth to Winchester a couple of times...they kept insisting that the chamber measured perfect. They did finally give me a new barreled action, which I tried unsuccesfully to convert to a long action (so I could seat the bullets out). I got frustrated and sold it. Years later I think I figured out what was going on; The chamber was concentric...when it was removed from the action and on a lathe. But when (over) tightened into the reciever (with interupted threads), it distorted the chamber.

Gasgunner-There is a full 200,300 & 600 yard range that holds NRA approved matches in nearby Ojai. If you need more info PM me.

KLM300-D'Arcy & Mark do not have websites (that I know of). If you PM me I can get you e-mails and/or phone numbers.

Jaywalker-I will take a close up of the rings & bases this weekend. I think that they are the best value out there. I am surprised that they are not more popular.

Sendero-The stock comes from D'Arcy as an inletted blank. The LOP with no recoil pad was 14". I had the LOP on my rifle set at 13.75, with recoil pad. The grip is more swept than the average factory stock, but not to the point where it is un-useable. My lower two fingers easily help pull the stock back into my shoulder. The only differance is that the trigger finger now makes a straight reach (which is better once you get used to it), instead of crunching up to put the pad on the trigger face. It is not like shooting a broomstick (like some of the stocks I have felt). I have to say...I really like it.

I agree....lets see more pics of the rifle.....from what I see it's beautifully done.

Yet another request for additional pics of the rifle, particularly the scop mounting system. Job well done on the project, I love to see a well thought out concept become a successful, working rifle.

Excellent rifle Doug!

I agree we need more pics...

Regards,
Dave

Doug,let's see if I got this,you bought a 300Win mag back in 1960 that had a really tight chamber.Then you send it back and they send you one that is not a 300WM? Isn't a 300WM a long action round?

quote:

I got a 300 Win. Classic way back when they first came out.

Shootaway, the "classic" did not come out in 1960.

Doug, I really like the color of that stock, nice looking rig.

Thanks dempsey.

Nice gun... I really thought the stock looked walnut??

quote:

Echols fiberglass Legend.

Sorry to double post, how can a guy get a stock like that??? In walnut? Does Echols have a website?

Very nice rifle indeed !
You chose craftsmen and componants well ! I think I would have gone with a regular 300 win, but the rest is prety unbeatable. I was thinking of a 270, but now you have me thinking of an FN action I know of that has been polished squared and set up for a magnum chambering. The action is selling for 450.00. I might just buy it and give penrod a call !!! ...tj3006

Nice rifle, Doug! Are you a member of the Ojai gun club? I have been a member since 1991. I am also a backpack hunter in the local mountains. Haven't been able to go as deep the last few years due to the lack of time and creeping age, but you don't have to go very deep to get away from the crowd.

Doug,
Really nice looking rifle. I’d like to echo everyone else’s sentiments and say we need more pictures! It’s obviously not a lightweight. Do you know what it weighs?

I’d also like to know a bit more about the scope mounts and auxiliary sights. I looked at S & K Mounts. I guess the rings are not true quick release but come off with a hex wrench?

How do you like the Williams sights? Is this the kind of rear sight you have?



Sorry for all the questions. I do like your rifle.

Thanks,
Stu

DougH9,

good looking rig. How is the comb height of the Legend stock with the iron sights ?

thanks

Very classy rifle !!

Again...thanks!

I will take some pics this weekend and post them here Monday (hopefully we will have some sunshine). This is not really a pretty rifle up close...it was not meant to be. Our hunting seasons are long here (3 months), and the deer scarce. I spend a LOT of time afield, and have seen rifles age 40 years in two seasons (mine & others).

Shootaway-The 300 Win. I spoke of was purchased around 1994. That rifle is gone...this is a totally different one. The 300 Win. is considered to fit a standard legnth action.

Thomas-I agree a case can be made for the 300 Win. In the end, I went with the 30-338 because I like 3.4" actions better that 3.6", and I did not like how a 180 Bal. Tip seats into a 300 Win. at 3.4". There is as much hanging below the neck than there is above. I realize that this does not cause any problems (my 300 Win. shot great), but I was striving for perfection here.

Marc-I am not a current member of OVCG, but I shot in the matches there for years (early '90 to early '00's). I am from the S.B. area, but I hunt all over the Los Padres Nat. Forest.

Stu-I do not have a scale to weigh it on, but I would say it weighs the same as a factory M70. Not light, but not heavy either. The S&K mounts are not Q.D. You would need an allen wrench to pull the rings, and screwdriver to pull the bases (I am woking on getting torx screws so that I only have to carry a small wrench). It is not a concern for me, because the only reason I would ever pull the scope, is if I busted it up on a rock while deep in the back country. That sight you pictured looks about the same as mine, except I chose a stadard metal blade.

Free-miner-The Legend's comb is high. I had to really scrunch my head down to sight it in, but I got a couple decent groups that way (a lot better than you could do with a bare barrel). I know I could hit a deer with them. I may install a higher front sight in the future, to help alleviate that.

Awesome

Absolutely love it, not a single thing I would change! Thanks for sharing.

Great-looking rig. I would have thought that a 1 in 10" would have been the preferred twist rate. Yours seems to stabilize the 180's just fine, though. My brother's 300 Wby with a 12" twist barrel wouldn't stabilize anything over 165 grains.

Good question Glenn. That was probably the second hardest decision to make on this rifle (the stock was by far the hardest).

First, I was commited to 180 grain bullets because I feel that weight provides a good balance of trajectory, wind drift, terminal performance, consistant accuracy, barrel time, and bullet selection. Second, I had prior experiance shooting long range (out to 1K) with a 12 twist 308 Win. target rifle, and the bulk of that shooting done with 190 grain match bullets. I even shot 200 grain SMK's in that rifle with good results.

In researching the best twist, I had come to the conclusion that the 12 twist is not only adequate for 180's, but is ideal. I think that for shooting 180's, the 12 twist is a little more forgiving than the 10, in that any bullet imbalances or wobbles are not as magnified. It is my personal belief that this is why the 308 out shot the 30-06 in Gov't testing; It was the 308's 12 twist that largely contributed to better overall accuracy when using high volumes of sub-match grade ammo.

Here are some more pics for those that wanted to see them.

Doug,

Thanks for the pics. Love the rifle!

Regards,
Dave

Nice rifle..

But you say that the rings are S&K, but they look more like the conetrol rings..am I wrong?

The rings are S&K.
Unlike Conetrols split design,They are one piece and much thinner in the ring wall to allow you to flex them over the scope tube.If your into saving weight they are the way to go.
They do look trim/neat on the tube.
David Gentry makes similar ones.