It seems there are a lot of people that suffer from magnumitis. There isn't one animal that I harvested with my 30-06 that a 300 magnum would have done better. And there aren't any that got away because I didn't have a magnum. Leave your rifle as is.
.30-06 rechamber to .300 Win Mag.
- Thread starter oldiron
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hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
Depends on your intended distance to the target. You can always load a 300 down to 30-06 levels.
400fps from 30-06 to 300wm?! that seems a bit optimistic...
- Location
- NFA country
Tell me about it.
Keep us up to date with your project.
Especially if you decide to go with the 300 Weatherby option.
Like to know what kind of accuracy and velocities you are getting.
- Location
- NFA country
But well within the capabilities of the 300 Weatherby round.
That Br 78 has a strong action. No worries there.
- Location
- In the shadows of the Rockies
You can, but who uses such loads in actual hunting?
Ted
Just because it's a .300 WM I don't necessarily feel compelled to load mine to the maximum speeds listed. In load development accuracy is more important than speed and it sometimes works out that best accuracy is at less than maximum. A case in point: for a Bighorn Sheep hunt I developed an exceptionally accurate load that happened to be at the lower end of the muzzle speed range for a .300 WM, or at the upper limit for a .30-06, and went with it. Still well above the speed threshold for a quick kill at long range as it turned out.
Nice thing about the .300 WM is the wide ballistic range over which it can be handloaded.
So you actually use the 300 Win at around 300 fps less velocity because it shoots slightly tighter groups?
The 300 Win Mag using full power loads works for me on anything I want to hunt with it. I have never owned one that would not shoot better than 1 1/2 minute of angle. Not one!
That means that all my shots are hitting within 3/4 minute of angle of my aiming point with full power loads.
Ted
The 300 Win Mag using full power loads works for me on anything I want to hunt with it. I have never owned one that would not shoot better than 1 1/2 minute of angle. Not one!
That means that all my shots are hitting within 3/4 minute of angle of my aiming point with full power loads.
Ted
- Location
- In the shadows of the Rockies
That .300 WM/.30-06 max level Bighorn Sheep load I developed was an absolute tack driver so I went with it. Could have spent more time to see if I could get that level of accuracy at higher speeds but what for?
Resulted in a 1 shot DRT kill on my trophy Ram. Objective met.
Resulted in a 1 shot DRT kill on my trophy Ram. Objective met.
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You can darn near match the 300 Mag performs if one chooses to.
USSR Sargent Don has been at this game for 25 some ought years.
https://forum.snipershide.com/forum...-remember-the-great-30-06-debate-10-years-ago
Not just Don as many in his Web of friends push this cartrage to its extreme,,, and not above the allowed pressures.
Don
USSR Sargent Don has been at this game for 25 some ought years.
https://forum.snipershide.com/forum...-remember-the-great-30-06-debate-10-years-ago
Not just Don as many in his Web of friends push this cartrage to its extreme,,, and not above the allowed pressures.
Don
- Location
- In the shadows of the Rockies
If I owned a .30-06 I would definitely see how fast I could safely load it. I do that with most rifles I own. Not that it's really necessary but just for funzies. For hunting, accuracy is way more important to me than speed. I favor the .300 WM because it can be handloaded over a wider ballistic range than the .30-06. Plus brass is cheaper and easier to acquire than for the exotic super .30's.
hometownhero
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Toon Town, Sk
They are also using longer then 22" factory barrels.
- Location
- NFA country
A lot of the difference between the '06 and the 300 magnums would be lost in guns with 22" bbls.
Just more report and muzzle flash & blast from powder burning outside the barrel.
26"-28" would be best.
Wouldn't want to go less than 24".
Especially with the Weatherby round with lots of slower burning powder.
Just more report and muzzle flash & blast from powder burning outside the barrel.
26"-28" would be best.
Wouldn't want to go less than 24".
Especially with the Weatherby round with lots of slower burning powder.
Of course, but you could have done the same with a load that was not as accurate. How far away was the ram?
Ted
If you hand load, another option would be the 30 Gibbs. Very similar to the 30-06AI. Still uses the 30-06 parent case and thus no extractor changes necessary. Very very close to 300WM velocities.
- Location
- In the shadows of the Rockies
About 200 meters, the Ram was just about to bolt when I nailed it. A quick off-hand shot where a high degree of accuracy is paramount. Less confident to take the shot with a less accurate load, and a greater chance of missing the mark.
But as Bighorn Sheep hunting goes, the range could have just as easily been 400+m. I wouldn't compromise fine accuracy at all for a bit more speed. Speed is fine, accuracy is final.
Okay, I understand that, and you made a great shot at 200 offhand.
My point is that if you had been using a 1 1/2 minute rifle instead of your tackdriver, you still would have killed that ram.
Even at 400 meters, your bullet would have hit within three inches of your aiming point.
Ted
My point is that if you had been using a 1 1/2 minute rifle instead of your tackdriver, you still would have killed that ram.
Even at 400 meters, your bullet would have hit within three inches of your aiming point.
Ted
- Location
- In the shadows of the Rockies
No doubt if I had used a rest. It's a .300 WM but I continue to struggle with the need to do more load development work to get fine accuracy at maximum speed levels since I get fine accuracy at a lower muzzle speed.
You're not getting it, Slam. Let's say your tackdriver is capable of shooting quarter-inch groups at 100 meters from a rest. Theoretically, that's half inch groups at 200.
Any of my inch-and-a-half-grouping rifles will shoot into three inches at 200 meters. Most will do better than that. That means that all of my shots will hit within an inch and a half of the aiming point at 200.
Now, shooting offhand at 200, your shot using the less accurate rifle will be at most an inch and a half away from where you tackdriver will hit.
Ted
Any of my inch-and-a-half-grouping rifles will shoot into three inches at 200 meters. Most will do better than that. That means that all of my shots will hit within an inch and a half of the aiming point at 200.
Now, shooting offhand at 200, your shot using the less accurate rifle will be at most an inch and a half away from where you tackdriver will hit.
Ted
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- Location
- In the shadows of the Rockies
Just a habit of mine to go with the most accurate load and if it happens to be a bit pokey then so be it. I figure it will still get the job done 1 to 2 hundred fps less than maximum on Deer-sized game at least.
Nosler reloading data indicates which powder charge is the most accurate (indicated with an asterisk). Interestingly, for 9 out 10 powders listed for their 165/168gr bullets in the .300 WM it's the start load that's the most accurate -
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/300-winchester-magnum/
Nosler reloading data indicates which powder charge is the most accurate (indicated with an asterisk). Interestingly, for 9 out 10 powders listed for their 165/168gr bullets in the .300 WM it's the start load that's the most accurate -
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/300-winchester-magnum/
