Remington 700 .300 Win Mag

Found here:

Remington 700 SPS DM Bolt Action Rifle w/ Scope & Hard Case | Cabela's Canada

This is the gun I'm looking at buying. I come from a "fear of guns" family, which if my step-dad didn't introduce me to, I would've found myself on the same path.

I'm looking getting back into hunting again and I'm looking for a decent mid range rifle. I'm a fan of bolt action rifles.

But my knowledge is limited. I have talked to my step-dad but he's never owned such a rifle, he prefers shotguns, and bows. And I'm curious what everyone else's experience or knowledge would be. I'm hoping this is a good introductory rifle but any help would be useful.

 

Sounds like a good hunting rifle.

 

The Rem 700 is a very popular rifle, and generally a 1 MOA or less gun. I frequently recommend it to friends' who want a low-cost option in to precision shooting. That said, I'm not sure .300 Win Mag is a good caliber to start with, as its Magnum designation means increased recoil, shortened barrel life, and added ammunition expense, for not much greater ballistic performance within 1,000M. The grain weight of the projectile generally varies from ~165-200, so there are many other .30 caliber weapons that delivers the similar terminal ballistics within hunting ranges.

Bottom line: I'd look at the .30-06 or .308 Calibers first. YMMV.

 

Hello,

To really steer you right we will need some more info: 1: What exactly are you looking to hunt; 2: from what ranges?; 3: How much time are you willing/able to actually spend at the range learning good techniques; 4: how much personal experience do you have shooting; 5: What is your no-shit total budget for a rifle with optics and then monthly for shooting...


I don't know the answers to the above questions, and sometimes a 300 win mag is the perfect caliber; but mostly it is overkill which will kick the crap out of you and will likely instill bad habits unless you supplement with additional training at a lighter caliber.

Consider what your actual most likely range/game will be and choose a caliber that is considered 'normal' for that need. Don't try to max out the 'kill factor' or other nonsense. If you are hunting whitetail deer in brush, go with 30-30. If it's something else adapt accordingly but don't purchase a more 'badass' caliber based on misplaced bravado and heresay.

 

Snake Eater

1) Deer
2) less than 500
3) I have lots of free time, I work an 8 day on/6 day off shift
4) Until I moved back to Canada 6 years ago... maybe 4-5 years experience, but since then not too much maybe three or four time.
5) For the rifle, $1000, monthly other than the upfront cost of the rifle roughly $300 for the first little while till I get a "feel" for the gun and it may go down depending if I can find a decent gun club to join.

My step-dad suggested a Savage in the 7mm for being a little more forgiving in the long range and less drop. Same with the Remington, at the 7 mm instead of the magnum, too much power young grasshopper.

 

my grandfather owns a 700 in 30-06 (older model, i think from the 70's.) from time to time he will have an A/D when switching his safety from safe to fire. this may just be an issue in older models but i would google the problem just to make sure.

safety first.

 

First: Hunting deer at any range with a .300 WinMag is overkill. At 500 yards you're golden going anywhere between a .270 to .30-06. I've always preferred the flat trajectory of the .30-06, and they're available everywhere. WinMags are ideal for hunting Rhino/Buffalo/etc, not a deer.

Remington 700 is a staple in the hunting world. With that being said, I decided recently to go with a Savage Axis (Savage Arms) and have found for less than half the price I have the same MOA. It's light, bolt is tight, and barrel has shown it's quality well. The price point is one-third to half that of a used Rem 700, with only a complaint (and a minor one) about the trigger pull being heavier than desired.

I bought the rifle with a stock scope for $360, and at a range with a stiff coss-wind put 9 shots at 100 yds through a post-it note after spending 3 shots sighting in. I've played with much more expensive rifles and never had that ease of calibration. My only plans for the rifle is a trigger adjustment and a better scope.

As I said, the 700 is a staple of the hunting world and for a good reason. After playing with my Savage though, I don't see the need for the price.

 

You don't even need a .270 for hunting eastern white tails at typical ranges.
I drop them with one shot from my .243 Winchester routinely.
It's all about shot placement.
And .243 is very comfortable to shoot. Would suggest .243, .270. or 7mm over .300 mag.

 

A .243 will kill a deer no problem with the proper 6" diameter hit range. Hell, a .223 will do that too. I have a personal preference of staying .270 and above for humane reasons. While I consider myself a really good shot, I don't want to risk making the mistake of being slightly off or causing undo harm. I, again personal preference only, want a round that will put the deer down in a matter of seconds... preferably being dead effectively as it hits the ground as my .30-06 has done.

Again, I recommend checking out the Savage Axis. It's a very solid rifle at a very reasonable cost.

 

My step-dad has recommended the 7mm savages with the accu-trigger for a decent introductory rifle.

 

OK.

The Savage rifles are great- Savage has a rep for the best out-of-the-box accuracy in the industry, and at very good prices. The 7mmRM is an -awesome- round.

-BUT!-

While the 7mm is hardly a shoulder-breaker in a rifle that fits properly, it still has significant recoil, the ammo is quite a bit more expensive than .243, .308, .30-06 or .270, and it's overkill for Whitetail-sized game under 500 yards. In a poorly-fitted rifle, the 7mm can be astonishingly unpleasant to shoot, as can any of the big .30-cal or 7mm magnums. Even .30-06 can be a bit much for a "first rifle" if the stock doesn't fit the shooter properly. Unpleasant or painful recoil will induce flinching (not may- will, period), which will result in lots of misses and wounded game. I watch this happen all the time during Deer season in my AO, and the results run from the hilarious to the disgustingly inhumane. No amount of power can make up for proper shot-placement, and shot-placement goes out the window when your gun's recoil is making you flinch big as Dallas. Plus, with ammo being as spendy as it is these days, cheaper ammo (.308 or .30-06) means -more- ammo, which means more practice, which means better shooting and more humane kills.

Bottom line, anything with the word "Magnum" in the caliber is too much for a novice, -especially- for shots under 500 yards. .308 will do everything you need it to do at that range, and .30-06, .270, or 7mm-08 are downright deathrays. .243 is a little bit of a closer-range cartridge for most people, but it'll still get the job done at 500 on game that size if you use a heavy enough bullet and stick it in the right place. The Remington 700-SPS series are splendid rifles: I have the SPS Tactical in .308 and trust me, it is -so- much better than I am. At any range inside 600 yards, it'll all but stand up and deal cards. If I do my part, it'll put three bullets through one hole at 100 yards or five through a dime with our 175-gr handloads. My Mom has put three rounds through one egged-out hole at 285 on several occasions with her SPS Tactical. You won't go wrong with one of those bad boys.

One word of advice: whatever caliber/rifle you decide on, break the barrel in. It's a time-consuming pain in the ass, but -so- worth it for increased accuracy and ease of cleaning.

Edited to add: And to start, get a .22!!! I can't stress this enough! .22 is dirt cheap by comparison to -any- centerfire round, and will let you get the fundamentals of riflecraft down-pat before moving up to centerfire ammo which costs $25+ for a box of 20 rounds. Even at today's inflated prices, a 500rd brick of .22LR and an inexpensive squirrel-rifle to shoot it in is priceless for developing proper technique and getting your eye in. Start with then .22, move up from there. Your wallet and your shoulder will thank you.