A comment and a question RE: The 300 Win Mag.

[2 dogs]

Not one to ask stupid quesions, I have gone back and read all the 300 WM threads I could find. I find myself in the market for a new one and was very interested find so much to read on the subject. The most interesting ones however were the 300 WM threads that addressed the shorter barrels with the 190+ class bullets. This left me with a question for the group that I didnt see addressed much. Before I ask, I do need to define my needs/purpose. While I love banging on steel as far as I can get on it, my new rifle has to primarily be a hog kiling machine. I hunt in deep S Texas from a stand, so while I dont have a need to carry the thing very far, I must admit a shorter rifle is far handier than a longer one. So here is my question: How would you compare a 22" 30-06 AI to the 22" 300 WM??

Last, we need a Great 300 Win Mag thread. One that has all the links to all the great threads on Snipers Hide.

Thanks boys! Good shootin' !!

 

[GhostFace]

I was in the same boat as you a few weeks back but I decided on the '06 simply because of barrel life. You can close in on the WM but do it cheaper and longer (barrel life). If you are killing hogs, deer or whatever they are not going to be any deader by going with the WM. Your shoulder and wallet will thank you by going with the '06.

 

[shooter.dm]

Agreed on the 06

 

[pawprint2]

I'm a Big 30-06 fan, and have been most of my life, however; I have other calibers I use for hunting, 300WM and 338WM, they are not fired enough for me to worry about tube life. In a hunting rifle, where you are generally firing from a cold bore, you can expect 800-1000 good rounds from a 300, that's a lot of hogs/deer/etc. The 06 is no slouch, and will kill ANY HOG that is alive now, or has ever walked on this earth, but the 300 shoots a little flatter, and every man needs a great hunting rifle!

 

[2 dogs]

Thanks boys. I might add barrel life worries me not a whit. I've burned up more than a few. I also admit that I had a 30-06 AI for a short time. It was a tackdriver on a A-3 stock but I got offered a big wad of greasy money for it. Alas, I never did chrono that one nor did I hunt with it. My gut tells me that for the 22" or so length a 30-06 class rifle would be more "efficient" than the 22" 300 WM. I really am a huge fan of the 300 WM, my current rifle is Sendero 26" bedded into a McMillan stock and it is a ruthless killer on S Texas game. I also have a pretty good lot of 190 SMK ammo set aside. Up till I read all these short barrel 300 WM threads, I was considering a spiral fluted Hart 28" for my next 300 WM. Now Im wondering if a 22" 300 WM wont do both jobs.

Still, GhostFace has a valid point, I may just need 2 rifles....

 

[generalzip]

Barrel life to me is always an interesting/amusing topic. Even with the EXTREMELY short barrel life of the .300WM (relative to other calibers) it still last plenty long for hunting. If from a cold bore you should expect 1000-2000 rounds out of it based on the info I've gatheres. A good custom barrel installed will probably run you ~$600. 1500 rounds of good match/hunting .300WM will cost around $4500 if factory and around $2K if handloads. To me, the life of that barrel in years and the much higher cost of the ammunition itself makes the barrel change in reality a relatively small cost among other things. That said, if a -06 gets the job done, why go for a heavier, harder recoiling, more expensive chambering? As far as barrel length, the shorter the better for me. I'd like a 22" .300WM over a 28" any day. The weight savings alone is worth it not to mention the handier and possibly even more accurate rifle.

 

[2 dogs]

For those of you that kill with both the 300 WM and the 30-06, are you seeing much of a difference between the killing power of the two? Is the 300 WM more dramatic than the 06 as to scoring a DRT kill? Or does the 06 perform so close to the WM that you dont see much of a difference? I ask because I made the jump from 7 mag to the 300 WM along time ago and pretty much skipped the 30-06. While I have shot a bunch of critters with the 308 it in no way compares in killing power to my 300s so all this time I have sort of assumed the 06 would be much the same.....

 

[EOD350]

The 30-06 will do whatever you want it to, with factory ammo available if you happen to need it. I have a more than a few of them and all were good rifles. However, JMO the edge for me goes to the 300 win. I had a sporter that has served as my main hunting rig for years, and I seem to grab it more times than not. A 165 or 180 is the ticket on either for hunting purposes. A 190 will add distance and energy for either. I have seen no difference in DRT kills with either gun. I have had critters run from the 06 and the 300 and have had them drop from either. I ascribe to this in regards to my 300. 'Be careful of a man with only one gun. He may know how to use it'.

 

[Bruiser_Joe]

i say 300wm, but only cuz i have a soft spot for the round. i will say that george is killing a lot of animals with the 6.5 SAUM which has a better barrel life then the 300wm and shoots FLAT AS HELL!

another wrench to consider is 280ai, again a good choice. that being said i have 3 300wm's, but i am adding a 6.5 saum shortly as well as rebarreling a 300 to 280ai when i burn the barrel out.

 

[2 dogs]

Let me add this. I know you guys are busy, and I know I am on and on about DRT hogs. But there is a reason I dont like them getting off into the heavy S Texas brush. I ran into a big damn rattler, who ran from me about 8 feet, then stopped and said, HEY, I am the dominant predator around here, Im gonna turn around and whip this fat bastards ass!!!! I tried to reason with him, but he had a really bad attitude and I ended up shooting the cocky SOB. Yes, I know you can kill hogs all day long with a 223 and such and have done so MANY times. But, as the season goes on, the hogs get more and more hinky about being out in the open and it is quite a bit harder to get that perfect presentation for that perfect turn em off shot. Its worse as it gets dark. I will say that for the last few years I have taken out my 338 Lapua late in the season and killed about 30 or 35 hogs with that thing. It is most definitely dramatic. It will knock the transmission right out the ass of the biggest hogs.

I have a pic but photobucket wont let me link it???? WTF???

 

[2 dogs]

Here is that dang pic. The rattler is the skinnier one....

 

[generalzip]

damn that's quite the snake. I don't mind snakes at all. Spiders and scorpions are another story, but I think I would have gotten rid of that guy as well.

 

[2 dogs]

I never realized my arm could stretch so far!!! hahaha!

 

[bohem]

The 30-06 vs. -06 AI is, IME, not worth the hassle. Just run the 300WM if you feel you need to burn the extra powder.

With what you're describing the necessary performance the 22" 30-06 will readily pound steel plates past 1000yd and kill hogs at all sorts of distance, up close it will be dead or dead. There's no such thing as "a little dead".

Loading 190-210gr bullets into a 22" 30-06 will be plenty of medicine for anything you'll come across in Texas.

 

[2 dogs]

Thats quite a few votes for the 30-06! Thanks!!

 

[2 dogs]

Ok, you guys got me seriously thinking about a 30-06. What bottom metal/magazine combo are you guys running in your -06? Stock choice??

 

[bohem]

Just seeing your questions above:

AICS long action 300WM mags work with a little mod to the feed lips (they need to be closed up a touch).

Otherwise, use whatever bottom metal your heart desires with an AICS mag.

 

[2 dogs]

Hmmm, I thought for sure there was a box mag specifically for the 30-06 out there......

 

[GhostFace]

Hmmm, I thought for sure there was a box mag specifically for the 30-06 out there......

That's what my smith said too but I have not been able to locate any. He thought accurate mag made some but I did not see it on their site.

 

[bohem]

Perhaps someone is finally making them but mine runs from very slightly mod'd 300WM mags.